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The Shoemaker and the Devil
*Illustrated
*Includes Table of Contents
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) may have suffered an untimely death, but he squeezed the most out of his 44 years of life. Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be one of the greatest writers in history, particularly in the genre of short stories.
Chekhov’s major innovation near the end of the 19th century was in what became known as “stream-of-consciousness” writing, in which he eschewed common traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Renowned writers like James Joyce and William Faulkner would eventually run with this theme, producing classics in the same vein. Chekhov was one of Russia’s most famous and popular writers in his time, producing well-received works like The Lady with the Dog and The Bishop.
This edition of Chekhov’s short story, The Shoemaker and the Devil, is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and is illustrated with over a dozen pictures of Chekhov.
*Includes Table of Contents
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) may have suffered an untimely death, but he squeezed the most out of his 44 years of life. Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be one of the greatest writers in history, particularly in the genre of short stories.
Chekhov’s major innovation near the end of the 19th century was in what became known as “stream-of-consciousness” writing, in which he eschewed common traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Renowned writers like James Joyce and William Faulkner would eventually run with this theme, producing classics in the same vein. Chekhov was one of Russia’s most famous and popular writers in his time, producing well-received works like The Lady with the Dog and The Bishop.
This edition of Chekhov’s short story, The Shoemaker and the Devil, is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and is illustrated with over a dozen pictures of Chekhov.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1888
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About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,546 books9,597 followersDramas, such as
The Seagull
(1896, revised 1898), and including "A Dreary Story" (1889) of Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, also Chekov, concern the inability of humans to communicate.
Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.
In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.
Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.
Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.
In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.
Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against Alfred Dreyfus, his friendship with Suvorin ended
Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.
In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.
Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.
Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.
In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.
Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against Alfred Dreyfus, his friendship with Suvorin ended
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 28, 2019
The same grave, was awaiting all alike, and there was nothing in life for which one would give the devil even a tiny scarp of one's soul.
March 21, 2017
"The same grave, was awaiting all alike"
December 31, 2014
This was an interesting short story. A bit ragged, though.
May 5, 2017
A pretty fine short story. Loved the idea. I have read some short stories from this author. He had pretty good creativity.
Whole story can be summed up in the following lines:
Link to the story:
https://americanliterature.com/author...
Whole story can be summed up in the following lines:
It seemed to him now that rich and poor were equally badly off. Some were able to drive in a carriage, and others to sing songs at the top of their voice and to play the concertina, but one and the same thing, the same grave, was awaiting all alike, and there was nothing in life for which one would give the devil even a tiny scrap of one's soul.
Link to the story:
https://americanliterature.com/author...
June 5, 2014
............and there was nothing in life for which one would give the devil even a tiny scrap of one's soul.....
February 22, 2015
Day dream, actual.
Faustus just did it better,
So save your effort.
Faustus just did it better,
So save your effort.
June 25, 2024
When Fyodor was poor he used to pray in church like this: "God, forgive me, a sinner!" He said the same thing now though he had become rich. What difference was there?
March 31, 2024
Okay so this is either really bad or really good, if its good it's because I did not get the main point, because if I did it is bad. The main point, as other readers for baffling reasons seem to like, is oh actually there's no real difference between poor people and rich people, they both die in the end 😍. LOOK RICH PEOPLE HAVE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS, WHETHER THEY SHOULD GO SOMEWHERE IN CAR 4, CAR 6, A HELICOPTER?? CAN POOR PEOPLE RELATE?? I WISH I HAD ZERO CARS.
But my thinking is that Anton is much too smart to actually think this and this is some form of polemic satire, which is why I'll give him the benefit of the doubt because I'll much faster doubt myself than this man.
Why is it a 4 star? Because it was nice to read
But my thinking is that Anton is much too smart to actually think this and this is some form of polemic satire, which is why I'll give him the benefit of the doubt because I'll much faster doubt myself than this man.
Why is it a 4 star? Because it was nice to read
December 7, 2018
In 'The Shoemaker and the Devil', Fyodor Nilov hates being poor and wishes he could lead an easy life. As such, he resents the wealthy along with their luxurious lifestyles and gorgeous wives. When he gets the unexpected opportunity of meeting the devil, he makes a wish only to find that all is not as it seems.
This story showed how getting your wish granted doesn't necessarily guarantee happiness. Best of all, Fyodor himself realized that on his own.
This story showed how getting your wish granted doesn't necessarily guarantee happiness. Best of all, Fyodor himself realized that on his own.
May 8, 2021
"It seemed to him now that rich and poor were equally badly off. Some were able to drive in a carriage, and others to sing songs at the top of their voice and to play the concertina, but one and the same thing, the same grave, was awaiting all alike, and there was nothing in life for which one would give the devil even a tiny scrap of one's soul."
September 22, 2019
De Schoenmaker en de Duivel is een kort verhaal over een arme man die graag rijk wil zijn. Hij verkoopt zijn ziel ervoor aan de duivel. Maar of het rijk zijn hem gelukkiger maakt is maar zeer de vraag.
February 11, 2019
Fabulous story. Must be read as it is a classic! 5 stars! :) xx
June 20, 2019
Chekhov's master story telling comes at its best. Best picked stories that shape the realization and reality of contemporary Russia and its common folk.
November 4, 2023
Had to read for FE class and doesn't exactly qualify to be in here but since I'm STRUGGLING to finish my yearly goal, it is what it is 😬
March 13, 2025
что-то с налетом Булгакова. Мистическое и озорное
June 26, 2021
The Soulless One's soles are made of shoemakers' souls.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews