This book presents a wide range of short stories by Anton Chekhov, ranging from bitter humor to social satire to profound human reflections. In "A Letter to My Scientist Neighbor," a simple man writes to a neighboring scientist, sarcastically rebuking him for his scientific ideas. "Joy" and "A Joke" present amusing situations that reveal how a fleeting joy or a small joke can change the lives of their characters. "Death of a Civil Servant," "The Fat and the Thin," and "The Chameleon" tell the stories of ordinary employees and volatile characters, highlighting hypocrisy, cowardice, and the power of routine. In "The Captain's Suit" and "The Bride's Dowry," we read about traditions and military life and their impact on individuals, while "The Calamity" and "Tears the Scientist Cannot See" depict the pain hidden behind the appearance of joy. The diversity extends to stories about children ("The Bad Boy," "The Boys," "The Children"), about innocent love like "Vanka" and "Loneliness," and about love affairs like "Anyuta" and "The Husband." The collection is interspersed with scenes from the Russian countryside and portraits from the lives of intellectuals, civil servants, and merchants, revealing societal contradictions and class differences. What connects all these stories is Chekhov's ability to condense them, expressing profound human feelings and critical thoughts about reality in just a few pages, making the reader smile and ache simultaneously.

أنطون تشيخوف (1860–1904) طبيب وأحد أهم كتّاب الأدب الروسي في أواخر القرن التاسع عشر وبدايات القرن العشرين. ولد في مدينة تاغانروغ لأسرة متواضعة وعانى الفقر في طفولته. درس الطب في جامعة موسكو وتخرّج عام 1884م، وبدأ في أثناء دراسته بنشر قصص قصيرة ومشاهد ساخرة بأسماء مستعارة. عكست كتاباته أوضاع روسيا المتأزمة وسياسة القمع، فجاءت قصصه خليطًا من الكوميديا الساخرة والتراجيديا الإنسانية. من أعماله الشهيرة «الراهب الأسود»، «السيدة صاحبة الكلب» و«العروس». تُوفي في 1904م إثر صراع مع داء السل.