Cela faisait longtemps que je n’avais pas lu du Tchekhov. Juste une petite nouvelle, comme ça, ce n’est pas grand chose, mais c’est plutôt chouette. Dans « Le pari », Tchekhov part d’une réflexion sur la peine de mort pour aboutir à une réflexion plus globale sur le sens de la vie, avec tout l’optimisme qui caractérise cet auteur (oui, c’est ironique...).
D’agréables retrouvailles avec un auteur russe que j’affectionne et qui sait souvent me surprendre.

This is one of the few classical short stories that stands out to me. Any short story, really. The assumed premise is that 15 years in solitary confinement is worse than capital punishment. A banker promises two million (no units specified in the story) to the young lawyer if he follows the rules and stays in the banker's garden lodge for fifteen years.

The lawyer spends those years a lot like I would. Heck, why not spend all your free time on reading, studying languages, playing instruments, and other intellectual pursuits. Just for this part I love this story.

I said "assumed premise" earlier. There is an actualized premise. It's predictable when you think about the real world but somehow profound in the context of the story.

There is nothing to dislike. This is the best you can get in 2871 words. ( )

This story had left an impact on me when I read it the first time. Having read this story in my school days I realized the perception has changed so much. There has been a development of an understanding of beings and their behavior in these 15 years. Eccentric, thought-provoking, 10 min read that stays with you for a long time. ( )

An interesting story, tight and concise, although I'm not entirely pleased with the ending. It's a reader's story (because who among us does not fantasize about having all the free time in the world to read?) with a rather more optimistic than realistic conclusion.

Available online.

And in conclusion, let me add that the ability to read a review and then immediately go and read a story I'd never heard of fifteen minutes ago is one of the things I love best about the modern world. Total instant reading gratification for the win. ( )

Chekhov is my favorite 19th century Russian author, but this short story is not his best work. It is definitely interesting and would be a great read for discussion—but it ends way too abruptly. What do those present when the bet was made think now that it's over? Or was this story written to be a discussion piece? ( )