The Cherry Orchard (1901)

Chekhov's most important play condemns the nobility as a class that has outlived its usefulness and is unable to adapt to the new realities of life.

The main character, landowner Lyubov Ranevskaya, has spent her entire fortune in France. All she has left is an estate with a beautiful cherry orchard, but it, too, is about to be auctioned off to pay off her remaining debts. Yermolai Lopakhin, the grandson of serfs who served Ranevskaya's family, but now a wealthy merchant, offers to lease the land and pay off the debts. But, Ranevskaya ignores his idea and, in the end, he buys the estate himself.

‘The Cherry Orchard’, like ‘Three Sisters’, is considered one of Chekhov's most popular plays worldwide. In Russia alone, it has been performed in over 50 theaters and it continues to be performed today.

Publisher Caxton House, 1945