One evening while returning home after a long day, Kashtanka runs off to cower from a marching regiment passing by on an unfamiliar street, and the loyal mongrel becomes horrified as she realizes that she has lost her master. Desperate, hungry and exhausted, Kashtanka falls asleep in a doorway, wallowing in her despair. But, soon, a mysterious stranger finds her and invites her along with him, and Kashtanka embarks on the adventure of her life.
Charming, profound, and masterfully translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky for their collection, Fifty-Two Stories, this is one of Anton Chekhov’s most beloved pieces of short fiction. “Kashtanka” is an enduring classic that will enchant both long-time readers of Chekhov’s work and those who are discovering the joy and delights his stories can bring.
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), the grandson of a former serf and son of a grocer, was born in Taganrog, a port in Southern Russia. His childhood was overshadowed by his frightening father, but he was close to his mother. While he was at university, his father was defrauded and went bankrupt, leaving the family in dire financial straits; Chekhov supported them almost single-handedly by selling stories and sketches to magazines. Although a doctor by profession, he soon became famous for his brilliant stories and plays, and is today recognized as one of the greatest short story writers of all time.