Book Summary

"Duel" is another masterpiece by Anton Chekhov that beautifully depicts the turmoil of Russians in the past century through an extraordinary story. The narrative features multiple characters who possess weak spirits and wills, striving to achieve their desires but often failing along the way. The first character to discuss is Lyoshka, a smooth-talking employee who has managed to make a married woman fall in love with him and has gone to the Caucasus with her. However, after two years of this relationship, he becomes tired of it and seeks a way to escape.

Lyoshka, who is not accustomed to staying still, forms another emotional connection, this time with a doctor named Samoylenko, who seriously supports him. However, from the perspective of those around them, they are under significant pressure, and their relationship is not accepted by many. Another pair of characters who add different colors and flavors to the story are Shamas and Von Korn. One of them is a person with appropriate moral and behavioral characteristics, while the other is a zoologist who harbors suspicion towards people's religious beliefs.

The story reaches its climax when Von Korn harbors a deep grudge against Lyoshka and challenges him to a duel. Initially, the situation does not seem serious, but they set a date for one morning. At the moment they intend to shoot each other, Von Korn's shot goes astray due to a distraction caused by Shamas, leading to further events.

About the Author

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian short story writer, physician, humorist, and playwright born on June 29, 1860, in the Russian Empire. His father went to Moscow due to debt, leaving Anton alone in Taganrog to complete his secondary education. Chekhov published his first work in 1880 at the beginning of his university studies and left behind numerous works by the end of his life in 1904, including "The Complaints," "From the Diary of a Young Lady," "The Lion and Sun," "Ward No. 6," "The Doctor Without Patients," "Ivanov," "The Bear," and "The Three Sisters." This prominent Russian author, who showed signs of tuberculosis at the age of 24, went to Germany in 1904 for treatment; however, doctors could do nothing for him, and he passed away on July 15 of that year.

Who Should Read the Book?

"Duel" is recommended for fans of Anton Chekhov's works as well as for those who appreciate stories with moral and philosophical themes.

Book Quotes

When the sun set and darkness enveloped everything, he felt a strange and unpleasant sensation. It was not fear of death; during dinner and while playing cards, he was sure that the duel would lead nowhere. Rather, it was the fear of an event that would occur tomorrow morning for the first time in his life.

The fear of the onset of night; he knew he would have a long night ahead filled with insomnia. He would not only think about Von Korn and the grudge he held against him, but also about the multitude of lies he had constructed. Yet he neither had the ability to let it go nor the skill to do so. It was as if he had suddenly fallen ill.

There, it felt like home to him, and he even had his own plate, spoon, fork, cup, and saucer. Every morning, they would bring him a tray with a cup of coffee, a tall crystal glass of iced water, and a glass of cognac. He would first down the cognac, then drink the coffee, and finally the iced water.

People usually write letters to their relatives on the last night of their lives. With this thought, Laevsky picked up his pen and wrote with trembling hands: "Dear Mother." He wanted to write to his mother and ask her, for the sake of the kind Lord she believed in, to provide refuge for a desperate woman who was now suffering humiliation and degradation, who was alone and living in poverty, to comfort her with her kindness, to completely forget everything that had happened in the past, and through her selflessness, even cleanse a part of her son’s sins.