Chekhov's short stories are magnificent. They're usually about ordinary people in almost ordinary situations, but he extracts the essence of some aspect of human nature and suddenly ordinariness is fascinating. He knows people, he takes you to times and places, and he writes simply and effortlessly. Contrary to popular belief, he is often funny. I was once reading Chekhov while eating alone in a pub in Winchester when I busted up laughing. The pub guy clearly thought I was one strange American to be laughing out loud at dreary serious dull Russian literature. Well, maybe I am strange.

Most of my reading has been in Penguin editions; I can't speak about various translators.