Leo Tolstoy's 20 Greatest Short Stories

by Leo Tolstoy, Andrew Barger (Editor)

"Anna Karenina" and "War and Peace" branded Tolstoy as one of the greatest writers in modern history. Few, however, have read his wonderful short stories.

Now in one collection, by award-winning editor Andrew Barger, are the 20 greatest short stories of Leo Tolstoy, which give a snapshot of Russia and its people in the late nineteenth century. A fine introduction is given by Andrew Barger. Annotations are included of difficult Russian terms. There is also a Tolstoy biography at the start of the book with photos of Tolstoy's relatives.

A Candle,
After the Dance,
Albert,
Alyosha the Pot,
An Old Acquaintance,
Does a Man Need Much Land?,
If You Neglect the Fire You Don't Put It Out,
Khodinka: An Incident of the Coronation of Nicholas II,
Lucerne,
Memoirs of a Lunatic,
My Dream,
Recollections of a Scorer,
The Empty Drum,
The Long Exile,
The Posthumous Papers of the Hermit Fedor Kusmich,
The Young Tsar,
There Are No Guilty People,
Three Deaths,
Two Old Men, and
What Men Live By.

Read the greatest short stories of Leo Tolstoy today!

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Fiction, Russian Literature, Russia, Literature, Novels

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Lev 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.

Reviews

[Ish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best short stories in the world! I have read them before, I read them again and again and get a new perspective each time I read them. The subtle nuances and the stark difference between the rich and the poor all captured so beautifully in each story, yet it is the power of human spirit that rises above it all. My favorite story is "The Master and the man" it comes back to haunt me every winter. As the beauty of winter also brings along the starkness of cold and deprivation for the poor guy, who is also the servant to his rich Master, he accepts his fate, rejoices in the little joys and comforts he can find and lives his life to the fullest.....

[Kai Thiessen · Rating 4 out of 5]

They’re all kinda the same but not in a bad way. Share your bread and don’t forget God.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I prefer Tolstoy's novels to short stories. This collection, however, would be of interest to any Russian literature scholars as it contains a wealth of biographical information about Tolstoy and his family. There are copious footnotes, helpful in translating those pesky Russian words (perhaps too copious - I'm thinking most readers don't need words like "puce" defined for them).

[Blanca Madrigal · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I didn't see myself finishing the book, some of the stories were hard to follow. BUT then, there were the good ones that kept me interested. Overall I'd recommend the book as it offers a view into the lower class folks of the past in Russia...even the God references are done without a preachy tone and most stories had a moral that could apply to all.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was able to win this book from Goodreads First Reads contest, which was fantastic. It was a new edition, signed by the author. Unfortunately, the book had some problems structurally that did not allow full enjoyment.

I am unfamiliar with Tolstoy's short stories so can not speak to this being the "greatest" of them. They were definitely varied in theme and setting, but class and religion were common themes and some reminded me of Catholic parables and fables that I had read as a child.

There was a brief editor's introduction and a solid bio of Tolstoy's life (not written by the editor) which gave me some necessary background on Muzhik life in 18th-19th century Russia.

There were a couple of typos which really surprised me had made it through proofing but the largest problem was, sad to say, the annotations. The annotations were maddening and difficult to use. For many English words it gave the Russian equivalent, which I assume is for those fluent in Russian to get their own connotation but for a reader of an English edition seems to doubt the translation. There are repetitious annotations in each story (as if the book was broken up and then put back together). Annotations are supposed to clarify or expand on something the reader would want to know, but may not be inherent in the text. A translation of some French words to English, but not others, a definition of "samovar" in every story while other words in Russian are never translated, etc., made for a sometimes maddening read.

If this edition was unannotated at all it would have made three stars, if it had been annotated well, maybe four, but the distraction was unfortunately not a worthwhile one.

[Professordoug Lauffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, if I really want to get deep insight into Russia, I read Tolstoy. His short stories do not disappoint me. Grey, gloom, desperate but, always there is hope. A hope for cheer, exhilaration and a joyous life in spite of anything!

[David Massey]

This is, quite simply, one of the greatest volumes of short stories I've ever read. It includes everything from realistic portrayals of life in Russia, to parables, to fairy tales, and no matter the genre, shows a master at work. I was not aware of this before, but Tolstoy was not only one of the world's great novelists, but one of its great authors of short fiction. I knew he wrote three great novellas, but my acquaintance stopped there. This makes me curious to know whether Dostoevsky was similarly gifted in the short story.

[Kasper · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some real gems in here (What Men Live By, Alyosha the Pot, The Long Exile, How Much Land Does a Man Need?) but a lot of the stories here are just okay. In fact, what I consider to be the very best Tolstoy stories aren't even in here (Father Sergius, The Devil, Master and Man). I think Tolstoy works better when he's writing stories that are at least long enough to blur the line between short story and novella.

[Prez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories are simple tales with simple straight messages. Styled for peasants' moral folk stories. The others are more like customary short stories mostly focused on countryside life. Tolstoy plays too much role of a preacher over here for my taste.

[Annie Kell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One can tell that Tolstoy wrote most of these later in life when he had rejected the state church and the Orthodox religion in favor of an evangelical-type moralism. It was still enjoyable to read, though, as he is an excellent writer.

[Meredith Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written takes on character, circumstances, and the human heart.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional collection of great ethical stories brilliantly told ..

[Lauren Tomlinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Popsugar Prompt: a book written by an author with the same initials as you

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some classics here. Excellent commentary on loving one's neighbour and classism. My favourites are What Men Live By, The Empty Drum and Memoirs of a Lunatic.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!

[Sania Aisha]

nice