Chekhov is truly the grand-master of the short story. With supreme delicacy he constructs stories where the action and drama are often implied rather than described, and which rely on the intelligence and imagination of his readers.

This collection contains some of his earliest and briefest comic sketches, and some of his more elaborate yet equally subtle pieces. All are written with an extraordinary compassion and with a view of life that, though tragic, is tempered by his delight in the farcical situation and the incongruities of human behaviour. Chekhov presents life as he sees it, with no apology, and certainly without moral judgement.