The nine articles that became “Sakhalin Island” are each so long that they give Chekhov the space to build up characters and narrative arcs. Second, Chekhov’s articles are mostly about closely observed humanity. His sentences deliver news, but they are primarily concerned with how human beings live their lives. In Chekhov’s case, unlike that of his contemporaries, this observation of human behavior is lacking in self-censorship. He is willing to write about anything, and he is willing to see everything with compassion.
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Journalism as art …
… Chekhov’s Beautiful Nonfiction - The New Yorker. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
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Chekhov, because of his absolute attention to human qualities (the good, bad, and ugly) -- the always nearly perfect rendering of characterization -- is the reason that he (like Dostoyevsky) most resembles (and reminds me of) Shakespeare.
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