Leo Tolstoy
1) The Devil
Two young men, Eugene Irtenev and his brother, are left a large inheritance after the death of their father. However, the inheritance is saddled with debts, and the brothers must decide whether or not to accept it. Eugene accepts the inheritance and buys off his brother's portion, thinking that he can sell off large tracts of land while making improvements to the rest. (from Wikipedia)
2) Polikushka
Peasant Polikushka is as Tolstoy described him, "an insignificant man and a little flyblown", he is good-natured but weak-willed. He spends most of his time in a tavern, but can not find a meeting among minds even among the other regulars. He commits petty theft to buy vodka. Once he is summoned to a manor house and is charged to go to the city to bring money. Polikushka receives an opportunity for the first time to "demonstrate
...A Lost Opportunity is a fable by Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy. The story is prefaced with “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant”, a parable of Jesus illustrating the importance of equity in receiving and giving forgiveness (Matthew 18.21-35). Written as a fable, A Lost Opportunity follows two neighboring families who are, at first, loving and respectful of one another. They treated each other as they wanted to be treated. Then the head of
...5) A Confession
Leo Tolstoy wrote this short meditation on sadness and the meaning of life when he was middle aged. He had already completed his masterworks, Anna Karenina and War and Peace, reared fourteen children, and gained fame and acclaim in Russia as a man of letters. But despite having attained
..."After the Ball" (also known as "After the Dance") opens with Ivan Vasilievich pining after the beautiful Varenka B., daughter of Colonel B. Ivan recounts to his friends the events of the night, during which he danced with Varenka and witnessed the colonel dance with her. He notes how deeply he fell in love with Varenka and grew to admire her father during the course of the night. (from Wikipedia)
8) Hadji Murad
Hadji Murat (or alternatively Hadji Murad, although the first spelling better captures the original title in Russian) is a novella written by Leo Tolstoy from 1896 to 1904 and published posthumously in 1912 (though not in full until 1917). The protagonist is Hadji Murat, an Avar rebel commander who, for reasons of personal revenge, forges an uneasy alliance with the Russians he has been fighting. (from Wikipedia)
The Kreutzer Sonata is a novella by Leo Tolstoy, named after Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata. The novella was published in 1889, and was promptly censored by the Russian authorities. The work is an argument for the ideal of sexual abstinence and an in-depth first-person description of jealous rage. The main character, Pozdnyshev, relates the events leading up to his killing of his wife: in his analysis, the root causes for the deed were
...11) Alyosha the Pot
"Alyosha the Pot" is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy about the life and death of a simple, uncomplaining worker. Without ever calling Alyosha a holy fool, Tolstoy centers the story on his meekness, aloofness, and foolishness. Alyosha's simple life, soft-spoken manner, and calm acceptance of death epitomizes Tolstoyan principles. (from Wikipedia)
The Kingdom of God Is Within You is the most influential work of Christian anarchism. It might be considered the founding work of that tradition if it didn’t itself claim to merely be pointing out Christian anarchism as the plain meaning of the gospels.
Tolstoy argues that institutional Christianity with its doctrines, church hierarchies, and ritual practices, is anti-Christian. Christ, he says, explicitly told his followers
...13) My Dream
Leo Tolstoy's short story "My Dream" is the story of a fractured relationship between a father and his daughter. Tolstoy begins the work with the father vowing to never have a relationship with his daughter, who leaves the family home one year prior and who also ends up having a child in disgrace. (description from Apple Books)
15) The Candle
On one occasion the overworked serfs sent a delegation to Moscow to complain of their treatment to their lord, but they obtained no satisfaction. When the poor peasants returned disconsolate from the nobleman their superintendent determined to have revenge for their boldness in going above him for redress, and their life and that of their fellow-victims became worse than before. (from Google Books)
Beautiful, popular, and fortunate, Anna Karenina is an upright wife and mother. But her passionless marriage to a senior statesman leads her into the arms of Count Alexey Vronsky. The dashing cavalry officer stokes in her something exciting and defiant. In abandoning the rules of her noble station, she’s aware of the risks: a degraded reputation and the hostile recriminations of St. Petersburg society. But there are even greater stakes as
...In early nineteenth-century Russia, the threat of Napoleon’s invasion looms, and the lives of millions are about to be changed forever. This includes Pierre Bezúkhov, illegitimate son of an aristocrat; Andrew Bolkónski, ambitious military scion; and Natásha Rostóva, compassionate daughter of a nobleman. All of them are unprepared for what lies ahead. Alongside their fellow compatriots—a catalog of enduring literary
...18) War and peace
19) Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina is certainly somewhat unhappy in her life, but presents a strong and vivacious character when called in to smooth over a major crack that’s appeared in her brother’s marriage. Unfortunately, the very visit designed to help her brother introduces her to Count Alexei Vronsky and sets in motion a chain of events that will ripple through families and the unforgiving society of wealthy Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Initially serialized
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