A Story Without a Title

Short story by Anton Chekhov

"A Story Without a Title"

Short story by Anton Chekhov
Original title| Без заглавия
Translator| Constance Garnett
Country| Russian Empire
Language| Russian
Genre(s)| children literature
Publication
Published in| Novoye Vremya (1888)
Publisher| Adolf Marks (1900)
Publication date| 1 January 1888

"A Story Without a Title" (Russian: Без заглавия, romanized: Bez Zaglaviya) is an 1888 short story by Anton Chekhov.[1]

## Publication history[edit]

The story was written in late December 1887, immediately after Chekhov's return from St Petersburg to Moscow. Alexander Lazarev-Gruzinsky was staying with the family at the time. "Having finished the story, he read it to [me and Nikolai Pavlovich], then Chekhov's younger brother Mikhail hurried to the Nikolayevsky railway station to send it to [Novoye Vremya] with an express train," he wrote in his memoirs.[2]

"A Story Without a Title" was first published on 1 January 1888 in Novoye Vremya (issue No. 4253), under the title "Fairy Tale" (Сказка). With the new title and numerous stylistic edits, and now devoid of Oriental motifs, which were originally present, it made its way into the charitable collection "For the Victims of Crop Failure", published by the Courier newspaper in 1899.

Unchanged, it was included by Chekhov into Volume 4 of his Collected Works, published by Adolf Marks. During its author's lifetime, the story was translated into Bulgarian, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian and Czech languages.[3]

## Plot summary[edit]

In a remote 5th century monastery the monks live and toil, led by an elderly abbot. The old man likes to play the organ, write music and compose Latin verses but is famous most of all for his eloquence and fiery, inspirational monologues which leave everybody around him enchanted. Then one night a drunkard knocks the door of the gates, saying he'd got lost on his way and asking them to give him food and wine. After the supper, instead of thanks, he rather shames the monks for spending their lives away, while the townsfolk keep on drowning themselves in debauchery and vice. The guest's speech sounds offensive, but the abbot sees the point and suggests that he makes a trip to the town himself.

The monks wait for the old man for three months. He returns silent and morose, then spends the next seven days fasting, playing the organ and crying. Back from his cell, he tells them the appalling story of the sin raging in the town, its people indulging in all manner of pleasures, drinking wine, visiting brothels, watching lustful harlots dancing on tables. Unfortunately, one of his bouts of inspiration hits him and the monks are transfixed. Having described the charms of evil, the old man curses the devil and departs to shut himself up in his cell. When he comes out in the morning, there is not a monk left in the monastery; they had all fled to the town.

## References[edit]

1. ^ Muratova, K. D. Commentaries to Без заглавия. The Works by A.P. Chekhov in 12 volumes. Khudozhestvennaya Literatura. Moscow, 1960. Vol. 6, pp. 491
2. ^ Chekhov remembered // Чехов в воспоминаниях, стр. 173—174. При мне и брате Иване Павловиче Чеховым был написан небольшой, но прекрасный рассказ о настоятеле монастыря, который так красиво рассказывал монахам о зле и соблазнах мира, что наутро все монахи покинули монастырь. Закончив рассказ, Чехов прочел нам его, и затем младший брат Чехова, Михаил Павлович, повез рассказ на Николаевский вокзал, чтобы сдать его на курьерский поезд."
3. ^ Commentaries to Без заглавия // Чехов А. П. Полное собрание сочинений и писем: В 30 т. Сочинения: В 18 т. / АН СССР. Ин-т мировой лит. им. А. М. Горького. — М.: Наука, 1974—1982. Т. 6. [Рассказы], 1887. — М.: Наука, 1976. — С. 455—458

## External links[edit]

* Без заглавия, the original Russian text
* A Story Without a Title, translated by Constance Garnett

* v
* t
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Anton Chekhov

* Bibliography

Plays|

* Platonov (1881)
* On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco (1886, 1902)
* Swansong (1887)
* Ivanov (1887)
* The Bear (1888)
* A Tragedian in Spite of Himself (1889)
* The Wedding (1889)
* Tatiana Repina (1889)
* The Wood Demon (1889)
* A Marriage Proposal (1890)
* The Festivities (1891)
* The Seagull (1896)
* Uncle Vanya (1897)
* Three Sisters (1901)
* The Cherry Orchard (1904)

Novel|

* The Shooting Party (1884)

Novellas|

* The Steppe (1888)
* The Duel (1891)
* The Story of an Unknown Man (1893)
* Three Years (1895)
* My Life (1896)

Short stories|

| Motley Stories (1886)|

* "An Enigmatic Nature" (1883)
* "The Death of a Government Clerk" (1883)
* "Fat and Thin" (1883)
* "Surgery" (1884)
* "The Chameleon (1884)
* "Oysters" (1884)
* "A Living Chronology" (1885)
* "Small Fry" (1885)
* "The Fish" (1885)
* "The Huntsman" (1885)
* "A Malefactor" (1885)
* "Children" (1886)
* "Misery" (1886)
* "Anyuta" (1886)
* "Ivan Matveyich" (1886)

|

In the Twilight (1887)|

* "The Requiem" (1886)
* "The Witch" (1886)
* "Agafya" (1886)
* "Easter Eve" (1886)
* "A Misfortune" (1886)
* "Home" (1887)

Stories (1888)|

* "The Privy Councillor" (1886)
* "Mire" (1886)
* "Vanka" (1886)
* "Happiness" (1887)

Gloomy People (1890)|

* "The Cattle-Dealers" (1887)
* "Sleepy" (1888)
* "A Dreary Story" (1889)
* "A Nervous Breakdown" (1889)

Ward No. 6 (1893)|

* "Gusev" (1890)
* "Peasant Wives" (1891)
* "Ward No. 6" (1892)

Novellas and
Stories (1894)|

* "The Grasshopper" (1892)
* "In Exile" (1892)
* "The Black Monk" (1894)
* "Rothschild's Violin" (1894)
* "The Student" (1894)
* "The Teacher of Literature" (1894)

Little Trilogy (1898)|

* "The Man in the Case" (1898)
* "Gooseberries" (1898)
* "About Love" (1898)

Stories (1901)|

* "Anna on the Neck" (1895)
* "Ariadne" (1895)
* "The House with the Mezzanine" (1895)
* "Peasants" (1897)
* "The Petcheneg" (1897)
* "At Home" (1897)
* "In the Cart" (1897)
* "Ionych" (1898)
* "A Doctor's Visit" (1898)
* "On Official Duty" (1899)
* "The Darling" (1899)

Other stories|

* "The Complaints Book" (1884)
* "A Horsey Name" (1885)
* "Sergeant Prishibeyev" (1885)
* "Grisha" (1886)
* "A Gentleman Friend" (1886)
* "The Chorus Girl" (1886)
* "Shrove Tuesday" (1886)
* "First Aid" (1887)
* "The Runaway" (1887)
* "The Siren" (1887)
* "Boys" (1887)
* "Kashtanka" (1887)
* "A Story Without a Title" (1888)
* "The Bet" (1889)
* "Whitebrow" (1895)
* "The Lady with the Dog" (1899)
* "In the Ravine" (1900)
* "The Bishop" (1902)
* "Betrothed" (1903)

Non-fiction|

Sakhalin Island (1893–1895)

Related|

* Olga Knipper (wife)
* Maria Chekhova (sister)
* Mikhail Chekhov (brother)
* Osip Dymov (character)
* Birth house and museum
* Chekov Shop, home and museum
* Melikhovo, home and museum
* White Dacha, home and museum
* Chekhov Gymnasium and museum
* Chekhov Library
* Bust, Taganrog
* Statue, Taganrog
* Statue, Rostov-on-Don
* Chekhov's gun
* Show, don't tell
* Fragments
* Wild Honey

* Category

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