Cover of The Duel
‹ The library

The Duel

First published 1916 Reading time about 3 hours

The Duel is one of Chekhov’s longest works, skirting the edge between novel and novella. Like many of Chekhov’s works, it was first published as a serial. Laevsky is a womanizing drunkard, a slave to life’s vices. His wantonness clashes with the moralistic zoologist Von Koren, who grows to despise Laevsky. Their mutual enmity culminates in a duel—though neither they, nor their friends, really want it to happen.

  • Russia · Social life and customs · Fiction
  • Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich, 1860-1904 · Translations into English
  • Short stories, Russian · Translations into English

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