A new book traces Chekhov’s relentless work as both a doctor and a master of the short story.

Sorokin’s novels do not “say” anything about Russia today.

The author of “Crime and Punishment” had a love-hate relationship with the true-crime obsessions of his era.

Did distractions, disruptions, and gossip shape Tolstoy’s novel as much as long-simmering ideas about morality and desire?