Leo Tolstoy
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Sonata a Kreutzer, uno de los relatos más controvertidos escritos por Lev Tolstói, toma su nombre de una célebre pieza de Ludwig van Beethoven y está considerado por la crítica como la creación inaugural de la tercera etapa literaria de Tolstói.
La trama gira en torno al personaje principal, Pózdnishev, quien, en un viaje en tren, le cuenta a su compañero de vagón-como parte de una conversación sobre el matrimonio, el divorcio y el amor-de...
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"Sevastopol Sketches (Sebastopol Sketches)" is a collection of three works of historical fiction in which Tolstoy draws upon his real life experiences during the Siege of Sevastopol. The titular location draws its name from that of a city in Crimea and takes place during the Crimean war. The three tales in this collection are respectively titled "Sevastopol in December," "Sevastopol in May," and "Sevastopol in August." In the December tale Tolstoy...
23) The Devil
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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. Living alone with his mother while working on the farm, Eugene misses the relations...
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"A Lost Opportunity" by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy leads in with a quote from the King James Bible, St. Matthew's "The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant". Written as a fable, "A Lost Opportunity" follows two neighbouring 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 the families changed and the relationship between the families changed. Ivan and Gavryl were...
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This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading. Leo Tolstoy's The Gospels in Brief (1881) is a daring attempt by Russia's greatest novelist to rewrite "the greatest story ever told." This book appeared soon after the writer experienced a period of deep despair that led to a conversion in his personal life. Following what might best be described as a mid-life crisis, Tolstoy devoted himself to a rational religion...
26) Ivan the Fool
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"Ivan The Fool" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1886. Its plot is about the struggles of three brothers and a sister with the Old Devil. The name "Ivan The Fool" hints to a popular hero of Russian folklore. Although the story is usually considered a children's fairy tale, it is also used as an indication of Tolstoy's political leanings in support of Christian anarchism.
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"The Imp and the Crust" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy first published in 1886. It is a cautionary tale against the dangers of alcohol. The story opens with a peasant preparing to plow a field. Having gone without breakfast, he is careful to hide his dinner, a small crust of bread, under his coat. After plowing the field the peasant is hungry and ready for his dinner, but when he picks up his coat he sees that the bread is gone. It...
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A bishop and several pilgrims are travelling on a fishing boat. During the voyage, the bishop engages the fishermen in conversation after overhearing them discuss a remote island nearby their course where three old hermits lived a spartan existence focused on seeking "salvation for their souls." Several of the fisherman claim to have seen them once. The bishop then informs the captain that he wishes to visit the island. The captain attempts to dissuade...
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"The Repentant Sinner" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy first published in 1886. The story details the difficulties of a repentant sinner's attempts to enter Heaven. The story opens with the imminent death of a 70-year-old sinner. The man has never done a good deed in his life, and only with his last words did he address God and ask for forgiveness. When the man dies his soul comes before the gates of Heaven, but they are locked. The...
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"The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories" collects six of Tolstoy's finest short stories into one edition. In "How Much Land Does a Man Need?", Tolstoy explores this very question through the story of a peasant with an increasing appetite for land-an appetite which becomes his ruin. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich", one of Tolstoy's short masterpieces, tells of the early death of a high-court judge in 19th century Russian. "Family Happiness" explores the...
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One day some children found, in a ravine, a thing shaped like a grain of corn, with a groove down the middle, but as large as a hen's egg. A traveler passing by saw the thing, bought it from the children for a penny, and taking it to town sold it to the King as a curiosity. The King called together his wise men, and told them to find out what the thing was.
33) Polikushka
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The story of 'Polikushka' is a very graphic description of the life led by a servant of the court household of a certain nobleman, in which the author portrays the different conditions and surroundings enjoyed by these servants from those of the ordinary or common peasants. It is a true and powerful reproduction of an element in Russian life but little written about heretofore. Like the other stories of this great writer, 'Polikushka' has a moral...
34) Two Old Men
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Leo Tolstoy's "Two Old Men" is a challenging and delightful story of the pilgrimage of two neighbours. It is filled with rich lessons and insights-from personal habits to family relationships and how we manage our affairs.
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The story opens with the family of Ivan Shtchevbakoff; a generally harmonious family that does rather well for itself. They were on good terms with their neighbors, the family of Gabriel Chormoi, until one day when a hen that belonged to the Shtchevbakoff family flew into the yard of the Chormoi family and laid several eggs. Later that day, Ivan's daughter in law went to retrieve the eggs, but grandmother Chormoi takes offense at being accused of...
36) The Candle
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"The Candle" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy. It centres on the cruelty of Michael Simeonovitch, who persecutes the peasants. "It was in the time of serfdom..." begins the first line of the story. Tolstoy's narrative focuses on a particular character who misused his power of government to bring "outrageous cruelties upon the serfs who had been placed under his control." He forced the peasantry to do excessive labor, striking terror in his subjects....
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Novelist, essayist, dramatist, and philosopher, Count Leo Tolstoy is most famous for his sprawling portraits of nineteenth-century Russian life, as recounted in Anna Karenina and War and Peace. But at the age of fifty, he endured a spiritual crisis that prompted him to seek answers from learned men on "the problem of life." When they were unable to offer solutions, he turned to the study of Christianity. Dazzled by the light of truth that illuminated...
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"Little Girls Wiser Than Men" is a short story by Russian authorLeo Tolstoy first published in 1885. It takes the form of a parable about forgiveness. The story opens at the beginning of Holy Week, when there was still melting snow on the ground. An older girl, Akulya, and a younger girl, Malasha, go outside to play. They both have just been given new frocks, but they insist on wading through one of the puddles from the melting snow. They both take...
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As a result of his controversial works criticizing the Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church, Tolstoy was excommunicated in 1901. Tolstoy dismissed the event lightly as he continued his search for a practical religion. "A Confession and Other Religious Works" is the product of years of introspection, resulting in a drastic reorientation of Tolstoy's beliefs and values. He felt undeserving of the wealth and fame he had accumulated, while...
40) The Godson
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A son was born to a poor peasant. He rejoiced and went to a neighbor to ask him to stand as godfather to the boy. The neighbor refused. He did not want to be godfather to a poor man's son. So the peasant went to another neighbor and he, too, refused. He walked from house to house, but could find no one who would be godfather to his son, so he set out to another village.