While browsing the table with newly published books at Les Cahiers de Colette I noticed that Jacques Rancière has a new essay out about Anton Chekhov. It so happened that I had received a collection of Chekhov’s best short stories as a birthday present. I’m ashamed to admit that I only knew Chekhov as the author of The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, Uncle Vanya and Three Sisters. I was unaware that he is also considered to be one of the greatest short story writers of all time. Now that I have finished the short story collection I can confirm that this reputation is well-deserved.
The title of the essay by Jacques Rancière, Au loin la liberté, which has been translated as Distant Freedom in English, couldn’t be better chosen. The main characters in each and every one of his stories all seek to escape. They leave for the city or embark on a journey. His stories suggest that a different life is possible, that the cycle of poverty and the monotony of servitude can be broken.
At the time when Chekhov was writing serfdom had been officially abolished, but in practice many people still lived under serfdom. As Rancière observes, Chekhov saw it as the task of the writer to remind the reader that freedom lies on the horizon. His short stories offer a powerful message: the potential for change in our lives.
As Rancière writes: “La liberté n’est pas là pour autant mais le temps nouveau est sous le signe de son idée et celle-ci ne se laisse plus oublier. La tâche de l’écrivain est de nous placer dans son horizon, sans mentir sur la distance qui nous sépare ni céder sur l’exigence qu’elle nous adresse. Elle est d’inscrire la déchirure de la liberté lointaine dans le temps de la servitude.”
Most of Chekhov’s short stories don’t have a clear beginning or end. They stop at the last sentence, certainly, but they don’t come to a conclusion. The future lies open. Freedom beckons, but the road towards it is long and perilous.
Au loin la liberté is a wonderful essay and a testament to the power of literature.
Jacques Rancière is one of the most interesting philosophers writing today. His short essay about the work of Philippe Descola in the latest edition of Cahiers de L’Herne is also a gem. I hope he has some more books and essays in him.