My Life (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Russian Realist Novella of Class Conflict, Labor, Conscience, and Moral Disillusionment in Provincial SocietyBy Anton Chekhov
Length5h 45m
About this audiobook
Anton Chekhov's My Life (1896) is a searching novella of provincial Russia, narrated by Misail Poloznev, a young gentleman who rejects bureaucratic respectability to become a house-painter and laborer. Through his defiance of class expectations, Chekhov examines work, conscience, marriage, philanthropy, and the moral emptiness of social prestige. Written in his characteristic style of lucid restraint, ironic understatement, and psychological exactness, the book belongs to the great late phase of Russian realism, yet it quietly unsettles the certainties of the nineteenth-century social novel. Chekhov, trained as a physician and formed by intimate contact with poverty, illness, and provincial stagnation, brought to fiction an unusual combination of compassion and diagnostic coolness. His experience of Russian towns, official pettiness, and the failures of liberal idealism deeply informs My Life. Like much of his mature work, it refuses melodrama and easy judgment, allowing moral complexity to emerge from ordinary gestures, disappointments, and compromises. This book is strongly recommended to readers interested in social conscience without rhetoric, and in fiction where ethical questions arise from lived experience rather than doctrine. My Life is brief, subtle, and quietly devastating: an essential Chekhovian study of freedom, labor, and disillusionment.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.1 (5.2K)
Includes Goodreads, StoryGraph, LibraryThing, Amazon
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length5 hrs 45 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 8, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Masterpieces of Russian LiteratureAnton Chekhov, A.S. Pushkin, N.V. Gogol, I.S. Turgenev, F.M. Dostoyevsky, L.N. Tolstoy, M.Y. Saltykov, V.G. Korolenko, V.N. Garshin, F.K. Sologub, I.N. Potapenko, S.T. Semyonov, Maxim Gorky, L.N. Andreyev, M.P. Artzybashev, A.I. Kuprin, William Lyon Phelps50h 14m$1.99 · $0.00
The Essential Chekhov: Plays, Short Stories, Novel & BiographyAnton Chekhov46h 49m$1.99 · $0.00
The Murder (Annotated)Anton Chekhov2h 59m3.6 (241)$2 · $0.00
The Shooting Party (A Murder Mystery) (Annotated)Anton Chekhov9h 48m3.9 (3.5K)$2 · $0.00
Greatest Works of Anton Chekhov (Annotated)Anton Chekhov48h 15m$2 · $0.00
Greatest Works of Anton Chekhov (Annotated)Anton Chekhov41h 13m$2 · $0.00
Anton Chekhov: The Collected Novellas and Short Stories in Multiple Translations (Annotated)Anton Chekhov132h 15m$2 · $0.00
The Life and Genius of Anton Chekhov: Diary, Letters, Reminiscences and Biography (Unabridged) (Annotated)Anton Chekhov18h 37m$2 · $0.00
The Life and Genius of Anton Chekhov: Letters, Diary, Reminiscences and Biography (Annotated)Anton Chekhov18h 55m$2 · $0.00
Anton Chekhov: The Collected Novellas and Short Stories in Multiple Translations (Unabridged) (Annotated)Anton Chekhov132h 14m$2 · $0.00
Collected Plays of Anton Chekhov (Annotated)Anton Chekhov16h 28m$2 · $0.00
The Collected Works of Anton Chekhov: Plays, Short Stories, Diary & Letters (Unabridged) (Annotated)Anton Chekhov165h4.4 (378)$2 · $0.00
The Collected Works of Anton Chekhov: Plays, Novellas, Short Stories, Diary & LettersAnton Chekhov163h 51m$1 · $0.00
A Living ChattelAnton Chekhov2h 41m3.7 (162)$1 · $0.00
The Steppe: The Story of a JourneyAnton Chekhov5h 29m4.0 (4.9K)$1 · $0.00
The Collected Works of Anton Chekhov: Plays, Novellas, Short Stories, Autobiographical Writings & Reminiscences (Annotated)Anton Chekhov173h 25m4.6 (140)$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Novellas & Short Stories of Anton ChekhovAnton Chekhov130h 53m4.5 (127)$2 · $0.00
Anton Chekhov: Letters, Diary, Reminiscences & BiographyAnton Chekhov17h 36m4.4 (20)$2 · $0.00
The Collected Novellas & Short Stories of Anton Chekhov (200+ Titles in Multiple Translations)Anton Chekhov130h 53m$2 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
These Precious DaysAnn Patchett11h 14m4.5 (45.2K)$29 · $0.00
The Complete Histories / History Plays of William Shakespeare (Annotated)William Shakespeare29h 42m4.6 (2.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m4.7 (359)$29 · $0.00
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Twelfth Night (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography (Annotated)William Shakespeare, Sidney Lee16h 38m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 40m4.6 (1.3K)$1 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 54m4.5 (10.6K)$2 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
The North American IndianEdward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge6h4.5 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored 13 Chapter Version + The Revised 20 Chapter Version (Annotated)Oscar Wilde16h 12m4.5 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Grimoire Of The Everyday WitchIsadora Lys / Virginia Santos5h 35m4.5 (3.9K)$9 · $0.00
Winnie-the-PoohAlan Alexander Milne2h 52m4.5 (401.1K)$3 · $0.00
Sitting PrettyRebekah Taussig7h 33m4.5 (18.9K)$26 · $0.00
The Poetic Edda & The Prose EddaSnorri Sturluson, Saemund Sigfusson9h 34m4.5 (4K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Satires & Essays of Mark Twain (Annotated)Mark Twain23h 21m4.5 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.6 (4.6K)$29 · $0.00
Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver21h 3m4.5 (949.4K)$46 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van Pelt11h 17m4.4 (1.7M)$29 · $0.00
Black History CollectionFrederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois27h 9m4.6 (2.6K)$18 · $0.00
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
White HotIlona Andrews13h 18m4.5 (136.9K)$5 · $0.00
The Ghost by the Billabong (The Matilda Saga, #5)Jackie French14h 58m4.6 (773)$33 · $0.00
Cast in BloodMichelle Sagara16h 35m4.6 (607)$33 · $0.00
The Captain Blood Trilogy (Annotated)Rafael Sabatini29h 20m4.6 (1K)$3 · $0.00
Ship of the Line (Annotated)Cecil Louis Troughton Smith11h 13m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
The George Orwell CollectionGeorge Orwell24h 46m4.5 (14.4K)$12 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 38m4.5 (9.2K)$2 · $0.00
Driving ForceElle James4h 58m4.6 (407)$20 · $0.00
When God Calls the HeartBrian Bird, Michelle Cox3h 24m4.6 (439)$10 · $0.00
Five Little IndiansMichelle Good10h 34m4.5 (64.5K)$29 · $0.00
Lolth's WarriorR. A. Salvatore13h 20m4.6 (2.4K)$33 · $0.00
The Things We Cannot SayKelly Rimmer13h 48m4.5 (359.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisHonoree Fanonne Jeffers29h 49m4.5 (58K)$8 · $0.00
Going PostalTerry Pratchett11h 23m4.5 (189.9K)$29 · $0.00
You may also like
SontagBenjamin Moser22h 4m4.3 (3.3K)$46 · $0.00
To-morrowJoseph Conrad1h 8m3.7 (1.2K)$2.30
After AnneLogan Steiner10h 45m4.0 (1.6K)$29 · $0.00
This Particular HappinessJackie Shannon Hollis7h 27m4.2 (433)$20 · $0.00
Dorothy DandridgeDonald Bogle26h 42m4.4 (670)$53 · $0.00
Edward HopperGerry Souter4h 40m4.2 (373)$16 · $0.00
Things I Should Have Told My DaughterPearl Cleage11h 10m4.1 (1.3K)$20 · $0.00
The Sex Lives of African WomenNana Darkoa Sekyiamah10h 12m4.4 (8.8K)$20 · $0.00
Frida KahloGerry Souter5h 32m4.1 (663)$18 · $0.00
A Vicarage ReunionKate Hewitt7h 3m4.3 (1.3K)$17
Everybody Thought We Were CrazyMark Rozzo12h 10m4.0 (1K)$29 · $0.00
John Lennon: The LifePhilip Norman12h 51m4.3 (13.3K)$33 · $0.00
Dead White GuysMatt Burriesci9h 11m4.1 (271)$14 · $0.00
This Boy We MadeTaylor Harris8h 25m4.3 (2.8K)$20 · $0.00
To Have and to HoldMolly Millwood9h 1m4.4 (4.9K)$29 · $0.00
Confessions (Unabridged)Jean-Jacques Rousseau30h 25m3.8 (16.1K)$2 · $0.00
CoventryRachel Cusk7h 30m3.8 (4.5K)$17
HearticulationsJeff Brown2h 57m4.4 (480)$15
The German Lieutenant, and Other StoriesAugust Strindberg4h 36m3.5 (51.7K)$2 · $0.00
Vincent van GoghVictoria Charles2h 4m4.0 (201)$13 · $0.00