This collection reunites playwright Richard Nelson with translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky for a fresh and theatrical translation of some of Chekhov's best-loved shorter works. The title play, Swan Song, begins as a despairing monologue by an elder actor looking over a career of disappointment, but soon becomes a joyous celebration of theatrical creation once the actor recruits the theater's prompter to play supporting roles ranging from Lear's Fool to Hamlet's Guildenstern. Other plays include the much-performed The Wedding and the dramatic monologue On the Harmfulness of Tobacco. These one-acts are ideal for scene study classes and recitals, as well as for readers of classic Russian literature.