Selected Short Stories of Tolstoy

Author: Leo Tolstoy
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Leo Tolstoy is almost an insurmountable peak for all realist writers. Comparing himself to Homer, Tolstoy can be said to be the creator of epics. His works are often as strange as the Odyssey, yet as intimate as Hemingway's, combining the familiar and the unfamiliar—a unique atmosphere in his works. In the shaping of various unique characters and the profound dramatic effects, Tolstoy's works are deeply imbued with the style of Shakespeare. Tolstoy was not only a great Russian writer but also a moral philosopher and social reformer, as well as an outstanding thinker of the 19th century. The ideological and artistic power of the complete works have left an indelible mark on world literature. This Russian literary giant, Leo Tolstoy, not only wrote monumental novels such as War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and Resurrection but also numerous short stories and novellas. The six selected works in this book—The Two Cossacks, The Happy Family, The Kreutzer Sonata, The Devil, Father Seraphim, and After the Ball—reflect, from various perspectives and to varying degrees, the social life of the time, forming a vivid tableau of social customs. These novels vividly narrate unforgettable stories and skillfully portray rich artistic figures.