A Dreary Story

work by Chekhov

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June 25, 2026

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"A Dreary Story" (1889) is a short story by Anton Chekhov, a renowned Russian playwright and master of the modern short story. The story is considered a "clinical study," offering a penetrating look into the mind of an elderly, dying professor of medicine. Chekhov, who was also a practicing doctor, often approached his fiction with a meticulous, observational style, exploring human misery and despair. "A Dreary Story" exemplifies this approach, delving into the professor's inner turmoil and reflections as he faces his mortality.12

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Anton Chekhov
Literary maturity
…notable of which was “A Dreary Story” (1889), a penetrating study into the mind of an elderly and dying professor of medicine. The ingenuity and insight displayed in that tour de force was especially remarkable, coming from an author so young. The play Ivanov (1887–89) culminates in the suicide…
Read More
…notable of which was “A Dreary Story” (1889), a penetrating study into the mind of an elderly and dying professor of medicine. The ingenuity and insight displayed in that tour de force was especially remarkable, coming from an author so young. The play Ivanov (1887–89) culminates in the suicide…
Read More