ebooks 1963: The Year of the Revolution: How Youth Changed the World with Music; Art; and Fashion by Ariel Leve; Robin Morgan in Arts-Photography

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Struggling for artistic recognitionhellip;By John P. Jones IIIBinging on Chekhov. Ceacute;dric Grasrsquo; excellent Lhiver aux trousses (Essais - Documents) (French Edition) concerning his travels in the Russian Far East has proven to be the impetus to read more of Chekhovrsquo;s plays; before I tackle his substantial account of his own Far Eastern travels; Sakhalin Island (Alma Classics) . I just read and reviewed Uncle Vanya. Chekhovrsquo;s life was relatively short; dying from tuberculous at the age of 44. His essential plays were written in the last decade of his life. ldquo;The Seagullrdquo; was first produced in 1896.Artists; their aspirations; tribulations; insecurities; and given the human condition; conflicts; as they search and attempt to convey; the deeper meaning of life. That is the central theme in ldquo;The Seagull.rdquo; There is a play within a play. As was common before the digital age; in the rural areas of Europe; in the 19th century; writing and producing plays was a common past time; on the estates where the peasants produced enough ldquo;surplus valuerdquo; to permit the landowners a bit of ldquo;surplus time.rdquo; I often think of the theater that was built into the rather modest chateau of George Sand; with sitting capacity for 20; at most.Constantine Treplieff is 25 years old; he is insecure with his lifersquo;s accomplishments. He barely got through college; and must grow up in the shadow of his now deceased father; a famous actor. He has written a new play. It is to be produced outside; yet the attendees are probably only 10 or so. A stage has been built for the occasion; with a curtain that will be pulled; to reveal the rising moon on the other side of the lake. Chekhov provides enough of the dialogue to reveal that it is rather execrable; with all life having vanished from the earth; yet everything is in one grand cosmic union.Irina Abkadina is Constantinersquo;s mother. Speaking of insecurities; she pretends to be 32 years old when he is not around; in actuality; she may only be 42. She was also an actress. The play is produced on the estate of her brother; Peter Sorin; who is in his 60rsquo;s. The principal actress in this play within the play is Nina Zarietchnaya; who is the sometimes chaperoned daughter of a rich landowner; who decries the ldquo;Bohemianrdquo; atmosphere at the Sorinrsquo;s estate. Chekhov provides a representative of other stock character-types in rural 19th Century Russia: There is an impoverished school teacher; Simon Medviedenko; Chekhov himself was a country doctor; so he includes one ndash; Eugene Dorn; who is in his 50rsquo;s; Shamraeff and his wife are the managers of the estate; extracting that ldquo;surplus value;rdquo; and they have a daughter; Masha. Boris Trigorin is an accomplished writer; yet another person that makes Constantine insecure.Enough characters to attend an outdoor play; and for Chekhov to stir the pot with; in terms of their relationships. Coleridgersquo;s poem resonates across the Russian steppe; almost a century after its publication. Donrsquo;t kill albatrosses; and donrsquo;t kill seagulls; such actions are indeed bad omens. Chekhov remains the quintessential observer and chronicler of 19th century rural Russian life. It is a good play; yet I find those artist squabbles can veer towards the tedious. Overall; 4-stars.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Dark Comedy; great translation. Not for everyone.By Shelleyd73As some people have said; this is not for you if you are looking for a bit of "light reading". However; it is very well written; and this is a wonderful translation. It is certainly something that will stay with you for a few days after you are finished. Personally; I found it a bit hard to get into at first; but after a couple of pages; I was hooked through to the very end. "In all the universe nothing remains permanent and unchanged but the spirit."It is a story of life. The characters are not heroic; they are simply people who are muddling their way through life; dealing with disappointments; seeking approval; and above all; wanting to be loved. It contains tragedy; for sure; but also contains comedy. It isnt the "in your face" obvious comedy that we have grown so accustomed to; but it is still bright and refreshing.If you enjoy Russian literature; this is certainly one to add to your list. If you dont; or if you dont have much experience with it; and are looking to expand your reading horizons; this might be a good one to start with. The translation is wonderful and makes for an enjoyable introduction for the uninitiated.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Classic ChekhovBy Margaret A. GatesHonestly; im not that much into Russian drama but read this for an European Drama class. It would help to understand Russians at the time period this play was written. The characters were self-absorbed. Lots of angst in this play. It was fairly interesting to me but again its Russian.