About Love (short story)
| Author | Anton Chekhov |
|---|---|
| Original title | Russian: О любви |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
| Genre | Short story |
Publication date | 1898 |
| Text | About Love at Wikisource |
"About Love" (Russian: О любви, translit. O lyubvi) ― is a short story written by Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov in 1898. It is the final work of Chekhov's Little Trilogy and was first published in August 1898 in "Russkaya Mysl" journal (issue №8).[1]
Background
The first mentioning about then would-be-written story appeared in Chekhov's notebook in 1895. He worked on it while staying at his countryhouse in Melikhovo in the summer of 1898. At the same time Chekhov worked on "Gooseberries": both short stories were being prepared for publication in the August issue of Russkaya Mysl journal. Lidiya Avilova, a Russian writer who supposedly had an affair with Chekhov, later stated that the short story was based on their relationship.[2]
Plot summary
The short story is about the love story of Alyohin ― one of the characters in The Little Trilogy.
In his youth, having graduated from an institute, Alyokhin settled in the estate that he inherited from his father. Looking for work so he may pay his debts, Alyokhin gets acquainted with Dmitry Luganovich, and, later, with his wife ― Anna Alekseevna. Alyokhin found Anna Alekseevna Luganovich a beautiful, kind and intelligent woman. He was fascinated by her beauty and soon realized that he felt sympathy for her. Over time, the main character started visiting their family more often ― almost every day. His absence caused anxiety for Luganovichi about what could have happened. They helped Alyokhin in many ways: for example, they lent him money when he was experiencing difficult times.
In the meantime, Alyokhin understood that Anna Alexeyevna was not indifferent to him as well. But neither he nor she wanted to confess to each other, as they understood that this could destroy their own life and the life of their beloved: Anna Alexeyevna thought about her husband and children, and Alyokhin ― about what he could give her instead. At the end of August, Dmitry and his children had to leave for one of Russia's western provinces, and Anna Alekseevna ― for the Crimea, on the advice of a doctor. In the train Alyokhin and Anna Alekseevna confess to each other and then part forever.
References
- ↑ ""Маленькая трилогия" — РГБ". www.rsl.ru. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
- ↑ "Lib.ru/Классика: Чехов Антон Павлович. Рассказы и повести 1898—1903 гг.". az.lib.ru. Retrieved 2017-06-22.