Stories included: The Swedish Match, Easter Eve, Mire, On the Road, Verotchka, Volodya, The Kiss, Sleepy, and The Steppe. The first few of these selections had me, while impressed, wondering what I was missing. The Swedish match was moderately amusing and Easter Eve was poignant in conveying the lack of feeling among most of the monks. Finally the opening paragraph of On the Road hit me and I understood Chekhov's power. This whole story is as concise an example of Russian literature as is possible. I gather that The Kiss is more acclaimed, but I believe Verotchka conveyed a stronger essence for the same theme. Perhaps it is less subtle, but the techniques of changing tense and using contrast (his profession in statistics) are exemplary. The Kiss did have it's own touches of personality, most notably, the superficial conversations led by the family that hosted the officers and their skill at making enjoyable conversation even though they were uninterested. ( )