Suffering Russia: 80 frames of illustrations from Chekhov's novels

Author: [Russia] Chekhov [Russia] Kukryniksy Illustrated by: Lu Long, Lan Yingnian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: This book selects outstanding excerpts from 40 short stories by the Russian literary master Chekhov. Each excerpt is accompanied by two illustrations—one in sketch and the other in line drawing—highlighting the essence of the stories and vividly recreating scenes and characters. The illustrators, Kukryniksy, are the pseudonyms of three outstanding Russian illustrators and cartoonists. Among the excerpts, eight are newly translated by Lan Yingnian, while the rest are adapted from the translations by Yu Long. The "Preface" is excerpted from the book Kukryniksy’s Illustrations for Chekhov’s Short Stories, aiming to provide readers with background information helpful in understanding these illustrations. Kupriyanov, Krylov, and Sokolov (Kukryniksy) were commissioned to illustrate Chekhov’s works for the first time between 1940 and 1941. Kukryniksy, a master of satirical drawings and cartoons, devoted all his energy to illustrating Chekhov’s works during these two years, starting with those that aligned with his creative style. The artists produced a series of profound and powerful illustrations, both for Chekhov’s humorous stories brimming with joy and laughter (The Daughter of Albion, Surgical Operation, The Man from Makhno) and for his satirical works inheriting the traditions of Gogol and Shestov (The Frog Prince, Sergeant Prishibeyev, The Man in the Iron Mask). After the German fascists invaded, people’s peaceful lives were temporarily disrupted, and the situation forced the artists to take up arms. At this time, people seemed to lack the mood to read the works of classical writers, yet it was precisely during the severe war years that people developed a strong interest in the works of their homeland’s literary masters. With excitement, they repeatedly reread the works of Pushkin, Tolstoy, Gorky, and Chekhov. The creations of these literary masters became a pride of national culture. It was during the war years that the illustrated edition of Chekhov’s short stories was first published, with Kukryniksy as the illustrator.