In the Ravine, and Other Short Stories.Anton Chekhov. Read by Kenneth Branagh. 2002, 3 cds. 3.5 hrs, NAXOS Audio, 9-62634-261-7. $19.98. Plastic; content, reader notes. JSA JSA - Japanese Standards Association. * One perfect gem after another. Even in the briefest of brief tales, Chekhov sets up a scene and then with laser-like precision, in clear and simple language, depicts the living embodiment of the human truth--whether emotion, satiric sa·tir·i·cal or sa·tir·ic adj. Of, relating to, or characterized by satire. See Synonyms at sarcastic. sa·tir  i·cal·ly adv. barb barb-,a combining form used to indicate derivatives of barbituric acid. Barb 1. originally a distinct line of black Australian kelpies, but now the term is generally applied to any black kelpie. 2. , or the observation of routine life--that underlies the scene. In one story, in just 14 minutes of a most precise, subtle and expressive reading by Branagh, the listener feels the misery of the poor cart-driver whose beloved son has died and who can find no one to listen to his grief other than his carthorse. The pain is palpable, as is the humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was in "Oh The Public!". This varied collection of 11 short stories of five to fifteen minutes each and "In the Ravine," which runs to an hour and a half, bears witness to the immutability im·mu·ta·ble adj. Not subject or susceptible to change. im·mu  ta·bil of basic human behavior. We may dress differently than they did in Russia at the end of the 19th century, but the people who inhabit these stories are people we live with every day. The notes and occasional music that accompany the stories are excellent. A superb collection. Jacqueline Edwards, Bedford, MA
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