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The works of Leo Tolstoi
728 pages of excellent text.
728 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1928
116 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Leo Tolstoy
8,055 books28.8k followersLev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Николаевич Толстой; most appropriately used Liev Tolstoy; commonly Leo Tolstoy in Anglophone countries) was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist fiction. Many consider Tolstoy to have been one of the world's greatest novelists. Tolstoy is equally known for his complicated and paradoxical persona and for his extreme moralistic and ascetic views, which he adopted after a moral crisis and spiritual awakening in the 1870s, after which he also became noted as a moral thinker and social reformer.
His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and anarcho-pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and anarcho-pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 7, 2010
One can never go wrong with Tolstoy.
October 19, 2014
“If you want to be happy, be.”
(Leon Tolstoi)
(Leon Tolstoi)
multiple-works
June 16, 2016July 17, 2011 Master and Man
My first foray into Tolstoy and far from dampening any enthusiasm, this just whets the appetite. With various individual versions ranging from around 50 pages to just over 100 pages, it should be thought of more as a novella rather than a short story. In fact, it is broken down into short chapters, which means that even if you didn't have time to read it in one sitting, finding a natural break is quite easy.
The descriptions of a small rural village are well drawn. The time of the story is winter, a cold you will be able to feel even if you've always lived in warm climes. The minor characters are mere caricatures, and, while I might wish for better depth of the two main characters, there is enough to know them. The story is too short for more. There is a moral to the story which is easily understood.
My first foray into Tolstoy and far from dampening any enthusiasm, this just whets the appetite. With various individual versions ranging from around 50 pages to just over 100 pages, it should be thought of more as a novella rather than a short story. In fact, it is broken down into short chapters, which means that even if you didn't have time to read it in one sitting, finding a natural break is quite easy.
The descriptions of a small rural village are well drawn. The time of the story is winter, a cold you will be able to feel even if you've always lived in warm climes. The minor characters are mere caricatures, and, while I might wish for better depth of the two main characters, there is enough to know them. The story is too short for more. There is a moral to the story which is easily understood.
August 12, 2024
Some of the short stories are standouts that hearken to the works of art that are his full books; others are duds. The shorts in general give an impression of a more moralistically puritanical and unhappy Tolstoy than Anna Karenina and War and Peace give, which, despite the sadness in them, also seem to be more tender towards the human condition than this collection was. I particularly didn't care about the biblical parables at the beginning. Though there was an occasional piece I liked (The Chinese Pilot was really solid), the rest were trite sermons.
Regardless, I'm glad I read it. Tolstoy, even if I don't prefer some of these stories, still has a gift with words, and an insight into the inner world of people's minds that never fails to captivate.
Regardless, I'm glad I read it. Tolstoy, even if I don't prefer some of these stories, still has a gift with words, and an insight into the inner world of people's minds that never fails to captivate.
September 24, 2023
No és aquest llibre ben bé el que vaig llegir, però a falta de trobar els títols decideixo llistar-los aquí:
- Lo malo atrae, pero lo bueno perdura
- De lo que vive el hombre
- El origen del mal
- Las tres preguntas
Són tot contes curts amb lliçons morals basades en l'amor a l'altre i la fe en Déu.
- Lo malo atrae, pero lo bueno perdura
- De lo que vive el hombre
- El origen del mal
- Las tres preguntas
Són tot contes curts amb lliçons morals basades en l'amor a l'altre i la fe en Déu.
July 22, 2024
Thought provoking and interesting, though often very strange. It makes me want to tackle War and Peace.
March 30, 2008
My favorite book! Read so often in the last ten years the spine is duct-taped. I've never found a more complete compilation of Tolstoy's "folk tales" to replace it with. It was the best $3 I have ever spent!
October 15, 2018
An excellent collection of Tolstoi. I loved the short stories most of all. A great place to start for people who want to start reading the works of this amazing author. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
March 30, 2016
Too religiously optimistic
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews