Pandora Book

Tenth volume in the thirteen-volume set translated by Constance Garnett, whose reputation, I've learned recently, is perhaps not as stellar as I understood when I embarked on this set a few years ago. Still, I'm finding Chekhov as enjoyable and indispensable as Francine Prose warned me I would in READING LIKE A WRITER (), and the translation seems fine to me. Chekhov, famously, is as adept at sustained drama as he is at moments of insight, indecision, and misapprehension--humor, too. The highlight in this volume is the lengthy "Ward No. 6," though I enjoyed the rapid window-views of the short twenty-odd other works. Exhausting and awesome; I'm ready for the next three volumes.