<div><div>Russian writer Maxim Gorky said of Anton Chekhov that no one has ever understood "the tragedy of life's trivialities" as clearly as Chekhov. Chekhov's singular ability to mesh comedy and pathos, to capture life's basic sadness &#8212; and yet to do this while entertaining audiences &#8212; this is why so many wish to write like him. Now <i>How to Write Like Chekhov,</i> by drawing extensively from Chekhov's own letters to his publisher, his brother, and his friends, pulls back the curtain on Chekhov's technique and ideas to show just how one can go about doing this. <br>"Conciseness is the sister of talent," Chekhov famously said. This and hundreds of other punctual, precise, illuminating observations and suggestions are organized into thematic chapters that cover such subjects as plots and characters (and their names), descriptions and dialogues, what to focus on, and what to avoid. Chekhov's advice hews to his central preoccupation: the search for truth in art.</div></div>