Die Dame mit dem Spitz / Von der Liebe

Geschrieben von Anton Chekhov

Erzählt von Felix von Manteuffel

Anton Tschechows nüchterne Bestandsaufnahme der Wirklichkeit wurde oft mißverstanden als Indifferenz. Dabei will Tschechow nur präzise zeigen wie der Mensch ist, nicht, wie er sein könnte. In wenigen seiner Erzählungen hat er das so ausgewogen getan wie in „Die Dame mit dem Spitz“. Es handelt sich nicht um eine Ehebruchgeschichte wie viele andere, denn wo jene auf ein breit geschildertes Ende zusteuern, lässt Tschechow hier alles offen. Vladimir Nabokov meinte: „Es gibt kein Problem, keinen normalen Höhepunkt, keine Pointe am Ende. Und sie ist eine der größten Geschichten, die je geschrieben wurde.“
Anton Chekhov’s sober depiction of reality was often mistaken for indifference. What Chekhov aimed to do with this narrative style, however, was to precisely depict how humans are, not how they could be. Few of his narratives have been able to achieve that goal like “Die Dame mit dem Spitz” (The Lady with the Dog). It tells the story of an adulterous affair, but other than most tales on the subject, it is open ended. According to Vladimir Nabokov, “There is no problem, no traditional climax, no punch-line at the end. And it is one of the greatest stories ever written”.

• Sprache: Deutsch
• Herausgeber: Naxos Hörbücher
• Erscheinungsdatum: 31. März 2003
• ISBN: 9783898169318

Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian doctor, short-story writer, and playwright. Born in the port city of Taganrog, Chekhov was the third child of Pavel, a grocer and devout Christian, and Yevgeniya, a natural storyteller. His father, a violent and arrogant man, abused his wife and children and would serve as the inspiration for many of the writer’s most tyrannical and hypocritical characters. Chekhov studied at the Greek School in Taganrog, where he learned Ancient Greek. In 1876, his father’s debts forced the family to relocate to Moscow, where they lived in poverty while Anton remained in Taganrog to settle their finances and finish his studies. During this time, he worked odd jobs while reading extensively and composing his first written works. He joined his family in Moscow in 1879, pursuing a medical degree while writing short stories for entertainment and to support his parents and siblings. In 1876, after finishing his degree and contracting tuberculosis, he began writing for St. Petersburg’s Novoye Vremya, a popular paper which helped him to launch his literary career and gain financial independence. A friend and colleague of Leo Tolstoy, Maxim Gorky, and Ivan Bunin, Chekhov is remembered today for his skillful observations of everyday Russian life, his deeply psychological character studies, and his mastery of language and the rhythms of conversation.