Comments on: Travels With Chekhov

By: ggelliott

ggelliott — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:11:28 +0000

There’s nothing like that big sigh of afterglow as you finally shut the book and think, “and to think I might have lived my whole life and missed out on this!”

Ah, so many books and only one lifetime. (Here, anyway.)

By: 1minutebookreviewswordpresscom

1minutebookreviewswordpresscom — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:22:02 +0000

I’ve had the same thought many times: I read some authors when I was too young to appreciate them (or appreciate them fully. In some ways, I’m glad I didn’t try “War and Peace” until I was in my 30s, because I’m not sure I’d have “gotten” it before then. Another part of me that thinks: So many years without this great novel …

By: ggelliott

ggelliott — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:07:31 +0000

Whew, just reading the journal of your Chekhov quest has worn me out. Thanks once again for a reminder of what must be included in my growing bedside mountain named “to be read”…

It’s interesting to me how often authors and works come up that I realize I read while still too young to truly appreciate them. Often when picking them up again I understand that the first time around many of the complexities went right over my head.

Everyone who reads or writes should come here daily for their “continuing education”!

By: 1minutebookreviewswordpresscom

1minutebookreviewswordpresscom — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:40:53 +0000

Malcolm,
Thanks for the reminder about Project Gutenberg, a great site that I don’t mention as often as I should.

For visitors who are unfamiliar with Project Gutenberg: This is a site devoted to posting out-of-copyright classics and making them available free to the public. It often has classic works you can’t find elsewhere on the Web.

One issue with Chekhov is that translations have their own copyrights. So if his stories are out of copyright in Russian or an early translation, they may still be subject to copyright in a newer translation.
Jan

By: knightofswords

knightofswords — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:08:13 +0000

Your journey may tempt me to read “The Bishop.” Being lazy, I wonder (I haven’t looked) whether any of the other stories you need are in the public domain and might be posted on a Project Gutenberg or similar site.

I see that you are fairly determined when seeking out books.

Malcolm