Early in his brief literary career, Chekhov outlined in a letter to his brother his idea of the ingredients of a good short story. Arguing against moral judgments and political, economic, or social commentary, he wrote, “To describe . . . you need . . . to free yourself from the personal expression. . . . Subjectivity is a terrible thing.” Instead, he favored objectivity, truthfulness, originality, compassion, and brevity. Although his writing developed and matured, he remained largely faithful to these principles.

This new selection of twenty-three stories explores the entire range of Chekhov’s short fiction, from early sketches, such as “The Cook’s Wedding” (1885) and “On the Road” (1886) to late works, such as “In the Ravine” (1900) and “The Bishop" (1902). Ward No. 6 and Other Stories includes some of his most popular tales, such as the title story and “The Lady with the Dog” (1899), as well as several lesser-known works, no less masterful in their composition.

David Plante is a Professor of Writing at Columbia University. He is the author of many novels, including The Ghost of Henry James, The Family (nominated for the National Book Award), and The Woods. He has been a contributor to The New Yorker, Esquire, and Vogue, and a reviewer and features writer for the New York Times Book Review.