Reminiscences of Anton Chekhov

Maksim Gorky

1868–1936

A self-taught writer who rose from deep poverty to become one of Russia’s most influential literary voices, he brought workers, wanderers, and outsiders to the center of modern fiction. His stories and plays helped shape socialist realism, but they also carry a raw sympathy for people struggling to survive.

A. I. (Aleksandr Ivanovich) Kuprin

1870–1938

Known for vivid, humane stories and novels, this Russian writer drew on his own years in military school and the army to portray ordinary people with unusual immediacy. His best-known work, The Duel, helped make him one of the notable literary voices of early 20th-century Russia.