But by chance a man came along, saw her, and, because he had nothing to do, he destroyed her, like that seagull.” Readers will be struck by how contemporary the dialogue sounds, even given its remote setting.

He succeeds in capturing Chekhov’s concise elegance in fresh, accessible English, as here where Trigorin offers Nina his famous musing on the dead seagull: “An idea for the plot of a short story: a young woman, like you, has lived by a lake since she was a child loves the lake like a seagull, and is happy and free like the seagull. Korenev, who was to play Trigorin in a Covid-19–delayed New York production that he was set to direct, translated the drama himself, in part as a way to get into the head of his writerly role. Before long, there are attempted suicides, contemplated duels, and the very strange gift of a dead seagull. Konstantin loves Nina she is infatuated with Trigorin and a number of other characters pine after one another in myriad combinations. The play stars local girl Nina Zarechnaya, who dreams of one day becoming a famous actress. Irina’s adult son, Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplev, is an aspiring playwright who stages an experimental (if poorly received) work for everyone’s enjoyment. The actress Irina Nikolayevna Arkadina is there with her lover, the famous writer Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin. The play follows a group of artists (and would-be artists) and lovers (and would-be lovers) at a Russian country estate. Here, debut translator Korenev presents a new version for English readers meant to capture the poetry and wit of the original. An actor and director delivers a fresh translation of Chekhov’s classic play.Ī comedy with its share of tragic elements, Chekhov’s famous drama has been a staple at theaters around the world for over a century.

The seagull book anton chekhov