Kratke priče

The collection Short Stories by the Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)—published as part of the Lastavica series by the Sarajevo-based publisher Veselin Masleša—presents a selection of tales by one of the greatest masters of short-form prose. The work offers a diverse cross-section of Chekhov’s narrative oeuvre, in which humor, irony, and social criticism are interwoven with a profound understanding of human nature.

The collection includes the stories: The Fat and the Thin, In Moscow at Trubnaya Square, Surgery, Vint, A Horse-Like Surname, Sergeant Prishibeyev, The Decoration, Lunar Eclipse, Gentlemen Citizens, In the Carriage, Once a Year, The Singers, He Understood, From Bad to Worse, The Mask, At the Hotel, Malingerers, Complicated, An Expensive Dog, The Writer, The Crybaby, The Cat, The Nightingale’s Gala Performance, and The Delegate.

Through brief, witty, and often grotesque situations, Chekhov exposes vanity, greed, hypocrisy, a fear of authority, and the absurdity of bureaucratic relations. His characters—ordinary people, civil servants, doctors, merchants, and petty bourgeois—find their everyday mishaps transformed into the basis for a sharp yet subtle critique of society.

Chekhov’s style is characterized by conciseness, precise dialogue, unexpected twists, and subtle psychological characterization. The collection is accessible to younger readers while simultaneously offering valuable insight into 19th-century Russian society. These Short Stories confirm Chekhov’s ability to uncover universal truths about humanity and its weaknesses within seemingly trivial events.