Uncle Vanya

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Uncle Vanya

Anton Chekhov

Drama

Jul 31, 2018

Chekhov wrote more than a dozen plays, but the last four are his most accomplished and most performed, and the quartet—because of their original realization by Konstantin Stanislavski under the auspices of the Moscow Art Theater—are seminal works in theatrical history. In each of these works, subtext is as powerful as action: Characters often speak around their emotions, and a seemingly inconsequential line about the weather or plans for the day can have overwhelming emotional force. Deeply humanistic, Chekhov’s four dramatic masterpieces are emblematic of our modern domestic lives in the same way Greek tragedies are emblematic of a more cosmic and radical vision of human agency. Distanced from the gods and their interventions, Chekhov’s characters move through their modest calamities, losing the homes, habits, vocations, and loves that might provide fragile protection against the long loneliness that terrifies us all. In Uncle Vanya (1899–1900), the disappointments of aging and romance rub up against life-affirming moments of passion, learning, and labor.

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DeAnn Rossetti

Oct 28, 2018

I read all of Chekhov when I was in college and I adored his twisty plays and bizarre characters.

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Chuck Munro

Mar 18, 2019

So glad this often overlooked Chekhov was included on the list.

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Tim Kreuz

Apr 4, 2019

Every couple years I go back to read a few Chekhov short stories. Some of the best reading in my life. Certain stories and details are stuck in my mind.

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