{"product_id":"9781590178379","title":"The Prank: The Best of Young Chekhov","description":"An NYRB Classics Original\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Prank\u003c\/i\u003e is Chekhov’s own  selection of the best of his early work, the first book he put together  and the first book he hoped to publish. Assembled in 1882, with  illustrations by Nikolay Chekhov, the book was then presented to the  censor for approval—which was denied. Now, more than a hundred and  thirty years later, \u003ci\u003eThe Prank\u003c\/i\u003e appears here for the first time in any language.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt  the start of his twenties, when he was still in medical school, Anton  Chekhov was also busily setting himself up as a prolific and popular  writer. Appearing in a wide range of periodicals, his shrewd, stinging,  funny stories and sketches turned a mocking eye on the mating rituals  and money-grubbing habits of the middle classes, the pretensions of  aspiring artists and writers, bureaucratic corruption, drunken clowning,  provincial ignorance, petty cruelty—on Russian life, in short. Chekhov  was already developing his distinctive ear for spoken language, its  opacities and evasions, the clichés we shelter behind and the clichés  that betray us. The lively stories in \u003ci\u003eThe Prank\u003c\/i\u003e feature both the themes and the characteristic tone that make Chekhov among the most influential and beloved of modern writers.","brand":"New York Review Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47164305211632,"sku":"9781590178379","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781590178379_p0.jpg?v=1763804516","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781590178379","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}