Life is a frustrating trap, and once a thinking person achieves adulthood and full consciousness, he or she cannot help but feel trapped with no way out. The best short stories and plays in literature were written by Anton Chekhov, one of the greatest Russian short story authors and a superb playwright. His writings are still being translated into many different languages all over the world. His early short stories as well as the great short fiction from his latter years are included in this hardbound deluxe edition. It contains his final finished work, "Betrothed," as well as "The Death of a Government Clerk," "The Huntsman," "Oh! The Public," "Anyuta," "Misery," "The Lottery Ticket," "A Dreary Story," "Peasant Wives," and "The Lady with the Dog."