Lunchtime read: Selected Stories

Another couple of good stories from this collection with one long and another told over two pages but both have depth.

The Robbers
A doctor is caught in a snow storm and seeks refuge in a den of thieves and not only has his horse stolen but all of his medicines and he has a run in with the girl living in the inn for his trouble. A year and a half later he is out of work and starts to ponder the freedom of the thieves and ends up wondering why he didn’t become one himself and as he gets closer to desperation reveals he has stolen already and plans to do so again.

Of all the stories so far this one best typifies the Chekhov distance from his characters with him being able to present the story in the round with the reader being quite able to either condemn the thieves and the doctor or sympathise with them.

Lean and Fat
Two old school friends meet up after many years one lean and the other fat. The reunion seems to be going well until the fat one tells his other friend that he has achieved a prominent position and after that the relationship becomes master and servant and there is a big gap and the friendship is lost forever.

More tomorrow…