A study of the great literary relationship between two great Russian authors, first published in 1971. When Chekhov began to write, Tolstoy was acknowledged the master. Each admired the other's work, and part of Mr Speirs' argument is that Tolstoy's example helped Chekhov to see what he wanted to do and how to do it. The author feels that both have an unequalled insight into the life of modern man, the one speaking for a generation when the old order was just breaking up, and the other for one in which the new order was being established. The book begins with a large section on Tolstoy, who devised literary forms adequate to his insights; as Chekhov put it, this enabled him 'to state the problem correctly'. The study of Chekhov which follows builds on these perceptions about theme and method, showing the links and contrasts between the two authors.
