The reason I like Chekhov's (and a number of Russian authors' including Tolstoy's) writing is indeed that they are unusual (I wouldn't call them eccentric). The fact that most of them didn't live very long in the 20th century makes their works even more interesting for me. I feel that their works are not bound by the limits of time, and do 'hold the mirror up to the nature'. Moreover, their's is a somewhat different cultural perception than that of European & American writers. I can't comment on their love writings, though, as I haven't read many romantic short stories, including "About Love". Stories like "The Bet" are more in my taste. Having said this, I am not in touch with literature for quite sometime now, and hope to revive this interest with the help of like-minded people here on TIG!