The Cherry Orchard: A Play
Anton Chekhov, Julius West
Paperback
(Independently published, April 7, 2019)
The Cherry Orchard is a play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It opened at the Moscow Art Theatre on 17 January 1904. Although Chekhov intended it as a comedy, it does contain some elements of farce. The play is often identified on the short list of the three or four outstanding plays written by Chekhov. In The Cherry Orchard, an impoverished landowning family is unable to face the fact that their estate is about to be auctioned off. Lopakhin, a local merchant, presents numerous options to save it, including cutting down their prized cherry orchard. But the family is stricken with denial. The Cherry Orchard charts the precipitous descent of a wealthy family and in the process creates a bold meditation on social change and bourgeois materialism.Anton Chekhov (1860 – 1904) was a Russian playwright and master of the modern short story. He was a literary artist of laconic precision who probed below the surface of life, laying bare the secret motives of his characters. Chekhov had at first written stories only for financial gain, but as his artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations which have influenced the evolution of the modern short story. Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre. Chekhov practiced as a medical doctor throughout most of his literary career. He has influenced many playwrights. Chekhov's works have been adapted for the screen.