AN ACTOR’S END
AN ADVENTURE
AN ANONYMOUS STORY
AN ARTIST’S STORY
AN AVENGER
AN ENIGMATIC NATURE
AN INADVERTENCE
AN INCIDENT
AN INQUIRY
AN UPHEAVAL
ANYUTA
ARIADNE
ART
AT A COUNTRY HOUSE
AT A SUMMER VILLA
AT CHRISTMAS TIME
AT HOME
AT THE BARBER’S
BAD WEATHER
BETROTHED
BOOTS
BOYS
CHAMPAGNE
CHILDREN
CHORISTERS
DARKNESS
DIFFICULT PEOPLE
DREAMS
DRUNK
EASTER EVE
ENEMIES
EXCELLENT PEOPLE
EXPENSIVE LESSONS
FAT AND THIN
FROM THE DIARY OF A VIOLENT-TEMPERED MAN
FROST
GONE ASTRAY
GOOSEBERRIES
GRISHA
GUSEV
HAPPINESS
HOME
HUSH!
IN A STRANGE LAND
IN AN HOTEL
IN EXILE
IN PASSION WEEK
IN THE COURT
IN THE DARK
IN THE GRAVEYARD
IN THE RAVINE
IN TROUBLE
IONITCH
IVAN MATVEYITCH
JOY
KASHTANKA
LADIES
LIGHTS
LOVE
MALINGERERS
MARI D’ELLE
MARTYRS
MINDS IN FERMENT
MIRE
MISERY
MY LIFE
NEIGHBOURS
NERVES
NOT WANTED
OH! THE PUBLIC
OLD AGE
ON OFFICIAL DUTY
ON THE ROAD
OVERDOING IT
OVERWHELMING SENSATIONS
OYSTERS
PANIC FEARS
PEASANT WIVES
PEASANTS
POLINKA
RAPTURE
REQUIEM
ROTHSCHILD’S FIDDLE
SHROVE TUESDAY
SLANDER
SLEEPY
SMALL FRY
SORROW
STRONG IMPRESSIONS
TALENT
TERROR
THE ALBUM
THE BEAUTIES
THE BEGGAR
THE BET
THE BIRD MARKET
THE BISHOP
THE BLACK MONK
THE CATTLE-DEALERS
THE CHEMIST’S WIFE
THE CHORUS GIRL
THE COACH-HOUSE
THE COOK’S WEDDING
THE COSSACK
THE DARLING
THE DEATH OF A GOVERNMENT CLERK
THE DEPENDENTS
THE DOCTOR
THE DUEL
THE EXAMINING MAGISTRATE
THE FATHER OF A FAMILY
THE FIRST-CLASS PASSENGER
THE FISH
THE FIT
THE GRASSHOPPER
THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY
THE HEAD-GARDENER’S STORY
THE HELPMATE
THE HORSE-STEALERS
THE HUNTSMAN
THE HUSBAND
THE JEUNE PREMIER
THE KISS
THE LADY WITH THE DOG
THE LETTER
THE LION AND THE SUN
THE LOOKING-GLASS
THE LOTTERY TICKET
THE MAN IN A CASE
THE MARSHAL’S WIDOW
THE MURDER
THE NEW VILLA
THE OLD HOUSE
THE ORATOR
THE PARTY
THE PETCHENYEG
THE PIPE
THE POST
THE PRINCESS
THE PRIVY COUNCILLOR
THE RUNAWAY
THE SCHOOLMASTER
THE SCHOOLMISTRESS
THE SHOEMAKER AND THE DEVIL
THE STEPPE
THE STUDENT
THE SWEDISH MATCH
THE TEACHER OF LITERATURE
THE TELEPHONE
THE TROUSSEAU
THE TWO VOLODYAS
THE WIFE
THE WITCH
THREE YEARS
TOO EARLY!
TRAGIC ACTOR
TYPHUS
UPROOTED
UPROOTED
VANKA
VEROTCHKA
VOLODYA
WARD NO. 6
WHITEBROW
WHO WAS TO BLAME?
ZINOTCHKA
RAPTURE
Translated by Peter Russell 2011
It was late evening. Wild-looking and scruffy, Mitya Kuldarov stormed into his parents’ flat, dashing through every room. His mother and father were about to go to bed. His sister was already in bed and was on the last page of her novel, while his young brothers were fast asleep.
‘Where’ve you come from?’ his parents cried in shock. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘My God, I don’t know how to tell you! I’m shocked, completely shocked! It’s... so incredible!’
Mitya burst out laughing and sank into a chair, subdued with joy.
‘It’s unbelievable! You’d never suppose it! Look at this!’
His sister jumped out of bed and approached him, with a blanket round her. The young brothers woke up.
‘What’s wrong? You look awful!’
‘But I’m so happy, Mother! Now every single person in Russia knows me! Everyone! A short time ago only you knew Dmitry Kuldarov, the clerical officer of the fourteenth grade, but now everyone in Russia knows me! Good God, mother!’
Mitya leapt up and ran round every room once more, before sitting down again.
‘Tell us what’s happened, for God’s sake!’
‘Parents, you live here like savages; you don’t read the newspapers, you’ve no idea what’s going on and yet the papers are full of such extraordinary things! As soon as anything happens, they make it public; it’s down there in plain black and white! O God, I’m so happy! Only celebrities get their names in the paper. They’ve printed a story about me!’
‘They have? Where?’
His father paled and his mother looked to the icon, crossing herself. The young brothers jumped out of bed, running over to their elder brother, naked save for their short nightshirts.
‘That’s right! All about me! Now I’m known all over the country! You’d better save this copy, mother, and we can always read it and remember this day. See!’
Mitya pulled a newspaper out of his pocket and handed it to his father, pointing at a passage circled in blue pen.
‘Read it aloud!’
His father reached for his glasses.
‘Go on, read it!’
His mother glanced at the icon again and crossed herself. His father cleared his throat and began redaing: ‘On December 29th at 11 p.m. clerical officer of the fourteenth grade, Dmitry Kuldarov-’
‘You see? Read on, father!’
‘Clerical officer of the fourteenth grade, Dmitry Kuldarov, leaving the public house located at the Kozikhin’s Buildings in Little Bronaya Street and being in a drunken state-’
‘It was me and my friend! See, they’ve got every detail! Read on! Listen to this next part!’
‘And being in a state of intoxication, he tripped and fell in front of a cab-horse belonging to Ivan Knoutoff, a peasant, from the village of Bumkino in the Pnoff district, which was waiting at that place. The terrified horse, knocking over Kuldarov, dragged the sledge over him in which was seated Ivan Lukov, a Moscow merchant of the Second Guild. Horse and sledge thundered away down the street and was eventually stopped by several porters. Being at first in a state of unconsciousness, Kuldarov was taken to the policestation and examined by a doctor. The blow he received on the back of the head-’
‘I got it from the shaft, Father! Go on, finish reading it!’
‘Which he had received on the head, was judged as being not serious. A police report was drawn up regarding the incident and medical assistance was given to the victim-’
‘Yes, they dabbed the wound with cold water. Finished reading? So what do you say to that, eh! It’ll be over the whole of Russia by now! Give it here!’
Mitya seized the paper, folded it and stuffed it into his coat.
‘Must go and show it to the Makarovs next door. Then I’ll visit the Ivanitskys, and then Nataliya Ivanovna and of course Anisim Vasilich ... Sorry, can’t stay any longer! Bye!’
Putting on his official cap, flourishing the cockade, Mitya was radiant with rapture and sped away out of the house.
A NAUGHTY BOY
Translated by Marian Fell 1915
IVAN LAPKIN, a youth of pleasing exterior, and Anna Zamblitskaya, a girl with a tip-tilted nose, descended the steep river bank and took their seats on a bench at its foot. The bench stood at the water’s edge in a thicket of young willows. It was a lovely spot. Sitting there, one was hidden from all the world and observed only by fish and the daddy-long-legs that skimmed like lightning across the surface of the water. The young people were armed with fishing-rods, nets, cans containing worms, and other fishing appurtenances. They sat down on the bench and immediately began to fish.