Leo Tolstoy
Список книг автора Leo TolstoyWalk in the Light and Twenty-Three Tales
“Walk in the Light and Twenty-Three Tales” is a collection of religious tales and parables by the famed Russian author Leo Tolstoy, regarded by many as one of the world’s greatest authors. In addition to his most well-known novels “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina,” which are regarded as the epitomes of realist fiction, Tolstoy was also a prolific writer of short stories and non-fiction. In the middle of his life, the author underwent a profound religious and spiritual awakening and become a deeply devout Christian. Contained in this collection is the inspirational “Walk in the Light While Ye Have Light”, written in 1893. It is the story of Pamphylius, set in the ancient Roman Empire, and his conversion from paganism to Christianity, which is presented as a series of arguments in favor of Tolstoy’s faith. Also included are such classics as “God Sees the Truth, but Waits”, “The Bear-Hunt”, “What Men Live By”, “Little Girls Wiser Than Men”, and “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”, and many more. This representative collection of short stories exhibits why Leo Tolstoy is considered one of the world’s most renowned authors. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
Resurrection
The last novel written by Leo Tolstoy, “Resurrection” was first published in 1899 amidst huge anticipation. What surprised the world was Tolstoy’s story of a guilt-ridden nobleman, haunted by the sins of his past and seeking a way to atone for them. The aristocratic Prince Dmitri Ivanovich Nekhlyudov serves on a jury of a murder trial, only to discover that the accused prostitute is Maslova, a maid he seduced and abandoned years before. Though he comes to realize that Maslova was framed, she is sent to Siberia, and in his attempts to help her, he discovers a new world of squalid prisons, oppression, and misery. Dmitri finally sees a comprehensive vista of Russian life, much more a nightmare than the pleasant dream he has known, which begins his convoluted struggle with responsibility and morals. In this powerful denunciation, Tolstoy criticizes the complacency of the government and judicial system, as well as the hypocrisy of religion and the upper classes. All the while, he reveals the greatest depths of a guilty man, and the lengths he can and does take for redemption. This edition follows the translation of Louise Maude and includes a biographical afterword.
The Kingdom of God is Within You
First published in 1894 in Germany after being banned in Leo Tolstoy’s native Russia, “The Kingdom of God is Within You” is, in the words of the introduction, “one of the most remarkable studies of the social and psychological condition of the modern world”. Thirty years in the making, Tolstoy expounds upon his earlier work “What I Believe” and argues that nonviolence is the very foundation of Christianity. Tolstoy believed that the teaching of Christ to turn the other cheek was Christ’s most important message and that Christianity was a religion of peace and love and prohibited all violence, including self-defense. To support his argument, Tolstoy traced the history of non-violent resistance by a small minority throughout the history of the religion. He drew a sharp contrast between the teachings of Christ, such as at the “Sermon on the Mount”, and modern church doctrine, in which he found the absence of any commandment against violence a perversion of Christ’s message. Tolstoy also criticized all governments that waged war as violating Christian principles. This masterpiece of Christian thought would become the foundation of the philosophy of non-violent resistance and was profoundly influential to such important world figures as Mahatma Gandhi. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
A Confession and Other Religious Writings
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 millions around him were illiterate and afflicted, and therefore sought an acceptable faith wherein he could find the answers to life’s most profound questions. In this autobiographical work of exceptional emotional honesty, he records his various attempts to find those answers in areas of science, philosophy, eastern wisdom, and the opinions of his fellow novelists. As a result of this process, Tolstoy recognizes in ordinary people a deep religious conviction, in which he may find the true answers to questions, without which life, to him, is impossible. This collection includes Tolstoy’s “Confession” as well as the following three other religious essays: “What is religion? and What is its Essence?”, “Religion and Morality”, and “The Law of Violence and The Law of Love.” This edition includes a biographical afterword.
Hadji Murad
First published in 1914 after Leo Tolstoy’s death, “Hadji Murad” was the author’s last novel. Drawing upon his own experiences fighting for the Russian army, historical archives, and the true story of the real-life Hadji Murad, the story is a narrative based on actual events that occurred during the Russian war with the Chechens during the 1850’s. “Hadji Murad” focuses on the life and struggles of its central character, a Chechen soldier who breaks ranks and flees to the side of the Russians in the hope that the Russians will help him free his family from the control of the Muslim religious leader Imam Shamil. Murad does not find the help he seeks though and is not trusted by many of the Russian military commanders, who view him as a potential spy. Frustrated by the lack of progress towards his goal, Murad eventually returns to try and rescue his imprisoned family himself with tragic consequences. “Hadji Murad” is the final masterpiece by a gifted writer which brilliantly examines the brutality and senselessness of war and contrasts it with the beauty of the human spirit and the importance of resistance in the face of injustice. This edition includes a biographical afterword and follows the translation of Aylmer Maude.
Anna Karenina (with an Introduction by Nathan Haskell Dole)
One of the greatest novels ever written, “Anna Karenina” follows the self-destructive path of a beautiful, popular, and sensual Russian aristocrat. The lovely Anna seems set in a respectable marriage with the powerful statesman Karenin, yet their lack of passion breeds the discontent she fully faces upon meeting the elegant and affluent officer Count Vronsky. Soon convinced that allowing herself to deeply love this man will enable her to find the meaning and truth of her life, Anna defies the conventions of Russian society and leaves her husband and children for her lover. Tolstoy juxtaposes this ill-fated couple with the melancholy Levin and his new wife Kitty. Levin is also searching for the fulfillment and happiness in his life, and he ultimately finds a happiness that Anna’s love does not. A portrait of marriage and infidelity in imperial Russia, “Anna Karenina” explores love, life, and the depths of the human soul in a tale as illuminating as it is tragic. This edition follows the translation of Constance Garnett, includes an introduction by Nathan Haskell Dole, and a biographical afterword.
War and Peace (Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude)
Considered one of the greatest novels ever written, “War and Peace” masterfully captures an intimate view of humanity on an epic scale. In this sweeping narrative, Tolstoy utilizes a large cast of characters to brilliantly depict the impact of war on society. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the novel centers its story on five aristocratic Russian families. These characters, particularly Count Pyotr Kirillovich (Pierre) Bezukhov, Prince Andrey Nikolayevich Bolkonsky, and Countess Natalya Ilyinichna (Natasha) Rostova, demonstrate different human struggles that are affected by their history, present era, and culture. They simultaneously develop the concepts on which Tolstoy expounds in the thematic essays interspersed throughout the narrative. “War and Peace” is a work so groundbreaking that it was not even considered a novel when first published in 1865. In redefining the fictional genre, Tolstoy’s genius has explored the human condition with a sensibility that is reflective of the nature and spirit of Russia itself. This edition follows the translation of Louise and Aylmer Maude.
Resurrection
This poignant study of spiritual regeneration recounts the sins of a Russian nobleman, Prince Dmitri Ivanovich Nekhlyudov, and his attempts in later life to redress his transgressions. Tolstoy conducts readers on a harrowing voyage through Russia's corrupt courts and foul prisons that culminates in a ruthless march to Siberia. A powerful depiction of the injustices of the legal system, the novel assails the vices of petty officialdom and the hypocrisy of organized religion.Today Resurrection is less widely known and honored than the author's earlier works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, but the story was an immense success upon its serial publication in 1899. A panoramic view of Russian social life at the end of the nineteenth century, this darkly compelling tale offers a vivid portrait of the conflict between wealthy aristocrats and starving peasants that erupted into the 1917 revolution.
The Law of Love and The Law of Violence
An examination of the conflicts within and among nations, this treatise proposes a remedy based on true Christian doctrine: recognition of love as the supreme law of life. Written just before World War I, it articulates Tolstoy's famous dictum that it is morally superior to suffer violence than to do violence—a philosophy that has inspired Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and countless others. Famed for such popular novels as War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Tolstoy experienced a religious crisis at the age of fifty. Thenceforth he devoted himself to promoting the transformation of society, writing stories, essays, and books advocating the pursuit of an inner moral revolution. In the preface to this work, Tolstoy declares, «The only reason why I am writing this is because, knowing the one means of salvation for Christian humanity, from its physical corruption as well as from the moral corruption in which it is sunk, I, who am on the edge of the grave, cannot be silent.» A century later, Tolstoy's powerful plea for nonviolence continues to resonate.
The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Short Stories
One of the world's greatest novelists, Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) also wrote numerous excellent short stories, three of which are contained in this volume. «The Kreutzer Sonata» (1891) is a penetrating study of jealousy as well as a splenetic complaint about the way in which society educates young men and women in matters of sex. In «The Death of Ivan Ilych» (1886), a symbolic Everyman discovers the inner light of faith and love only when confronted by death. «How Much Land Does a Man Need?» (1886) is a simple, didactic story of peasant life, written by Tolstoy in the wake of a spiritual crisis. All three tales offer readers a splendid introduction to Tolstoy's work as well as the focused delights of the short story form brought to a pinnacle in the hands of a master.