Uncle Vanya

by Anton Chekhov Narrated by LibriVox Community

Overview

This structurally and psychologically compact drama takes place on an estate in 19th-century Russia, exploring the complex interrelationships between a retired professor, his second wife, and the daughter and brother-in-law from his first marriage. Interwoven themes of weakness, delusion, and despair–balanced by an underlying message of courage and hope–make this one of the most expressive of Chekhov's works.

Editorial Reviews

New Yorker

"Pevear and Volokhonsky are at once scrupulous translators and vivid stylists of English."

From the Publisher

boredom, waste, loss and wretchedness are seldom so eloquent and engaging.” —Georgina Brown, Mail on Sunday

“Nobody could write about underdogs as well as Chekov. He was their chronicler, their unsentimental spokesman, their tactful psychoanalyst.” —John Peter, Sunday Times

Broadway World

"Nobody quite walks the tightrope between comedy and tragedy with the aplomb of Chekhov… in McPherson's version, more than any others I've seen, the women get to deliver the emotional gut-punches that balance the humour."

Guardian

"[Conor McPherson's adaptation is] perfectly weighted... does not radically reinvent or revolutionise Chekov's 19th-century story. It returns us to the great, mournful spirit of Chekhov's tale about unrequited love, ageing and disappointment in middle-age, while giving it a sleeker, modern beat. McPherson's script has a stripped, vivid simplicity which quickens the pace of the drama... Every character is fully realised, including the ancillary roles that bring more than comic relief... a perfect tragicomedy."

Evening Standard

"A Vanya for our times."

WhatsOnStage

"As accessible as a TV drama, without ever betraying the great, melancholy, insightful soul that has made the play last for as long as it has. It is radical and revelatory without ever being gimmicky or insensitive… McPherson pulls off a feat of magical reinvention, and allows us to see the play anew."

The Times

"McPherson's new adaptation feels almost impossibly contemporary in the way it packs in so much lust, wit, rage and regret."

The Arts Desk

"Succeeds resoundingly in making the turn-of-the-20th-century cares of the original resonate today… the contemporary relevance is startling."

New Yorker

"Pevear and Volokhonsky are at once scrupulous translators and vivid stylists of English."

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169392500
Publisher:	LibriVox
Publication date:	08/25/2014

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