The Bet and Other Stories
The Bet and Other Stories is a collection of short stories written by Anton Chekhov and first published in 1889.
"So indignant was her insulted modesty at this weakness that she called herself all the bad names that she knew and she related to herself many insulting, degrading truths. Thus she told herself that she never was moral, and she had not fallen before only because there was no pretext, that her day-long struggle had been nothing but a game and a comedy...."
This edition of The Bet and Other Stories is based on S. S. Koteliansky and John Middleton Murry's translation.
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Public domain (US)·No sign-up·DRM-free·Real text, not scans
Copyright note. The Bet and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov is believed to be in the public domain in the United States only. It may still be copyrighted in other countries. If you are not in the United States, please check your local laws to ensure this eBook is in the public domain in your country before downloading The Bet and Other Stories in PDF or EPUB.
- Pages
- 53
- Reading time
- 1 hour 29 minutes
- Pace
- Intermediate
- First published
- 1889
- Language
- Russian
- Downloads
- 2,031
137 years later, still timely
Why Read The Bet and Other Stories in 2026?
Chekhov compresses life into lucid snapshots: wagers that test conviction, vanity exposed without cruelty, and choices that echo long after the last page. The prose is spare, the emotions precise, and the questions—what we owe ourselves and others—remain disquieting. You finish one story and feel your own judgments quietly shift.
Today's connection
Short forms suit crowded days. These tales sharpen ethical focus, reward rereading, and demonstrate how a few pages can change the temperature of your thinking.
Ethics in miniature
Big questions in small frames.
Precision prose
No ornament, only truth.
Short, complete
Perfect for focused breaks.
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About the author
Anton Chekhov
Short forms of human truth; restraint, detail, and sudden light.
