Bookraft

When drawing or writing I often wonder what some of the masters do - do they start in a corner and just carry the work out in full glory? Or do they outline and sketch and then fill in the details ? I saw a film of Picasso sketching and it seemed to be a mix of the two - almost terrible in its brilliance. Ditto for Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov in this audiobook reading:



Right from the outset Chekhov sketches boldly with non-events, worries, revelations, and almost trivial self-admonishments by all the key players in almost farcical fashion. But the impending swoon for the Ranevskaya family is portended early and often with devastating truism ... and echoes of the Russian Revolution steamrolling on a short decade later are heard with inward wincing. This is a bone shivering tragedy - almost Lear-like in slow motion. Yet Chekhov considered it a comedy. Half a laugh for me.