Leo Tolstoy

The well-known Russian author Leo Tolstoy wrote a book titled "What Is Art?" in which he explores the importance and aim of art. Tolstoy argues that as the ultimate definition of art is the capacity to convey feelings and ideas from one person to another, it is a fundamental component of social interaction and human communication. Tolstoy stresses the necessity of honesty, clarity, and moral principles in art throughout the whole book. He contends that art must be informed by real-world experiences and should aim to convey universal truths about the human condition. In conclusion, "What Is Art?" is a profound and provocative examination of the nature and function of art that has been extensively read and discussed by academics and art fans all over the globe.

Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. Tolstoy is considered one of the giants of Russian literature; his works include the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina and novellas such as Hadji Murad and The Death of Ivan Ilyich. He also wrote more than 600 stories. His fiction consistently attempts to convey realistically the Russian society in which he lived. This collection contains some of his most renowned and loved stories that will enable you to ponder over all aspects of life.

The Society for Textual Scholarship Richard J. Finneran Award, Honorable Mention, 2023. For the best edition or book about editorial theory and/or practice published in the English language during 2021-2022. Beginning with Tolstoy’s first extant records of his written œuvre, this anthology assembles seventy-seven unabridged texts that cover more than seven decades of his life, from 1835 to 1910. It constitutes the most complete single-volume edition to date of the rich variety of Tolstoy’s philosophical output: apothegmatic sayings, visions, intimate sketchbook and day notes, book reviews, open letters, dialogues, pedagogic talks, public lectures, programs and rules for personal behavior, fictions, and reminiscences. Most of these newly translated and thoroughly annotated texts have never been available in English. Among the four reprinted translations personally checked and authorized by Tolstoy is the text titled “Tolstoy on Venezuela,” an archival restoration of an authentic first publication in English of “Patriotism, or Peace?” (1896) that had been deemed lost. In the inaugural piece, a seven-year-old Tolstoy describes violent but natural animal life in contrast with the lazy life of a peaceful barnyard in the countryside. The last entry in the anthology written by an eighty-year-old Tolstoy for his grandchildren provides a lesson on vegetarianism and non-violence that a hungry wolf teaches a hungry boy during their conversation when both are on their way to lunch. It was the insolvable, the “scandalous,” problems of philosophy that never gave Tolstoy any rest: freedom of the will, religious tolerance, gender inequality, the tonal shape of music, the value of healthy life habits, the responsibilities of teaching, forms of social protest, cognitive development, science in society, the relation between body and mind, charity and labor, human dignity and public service, sexual psychology, national war doctrines, suicide, individual sacrifice, the purposes of making art. And always: What are the sources of violence? Why should we engage in politics? Why do we need governments? How can one practice non-violence? What is the meaning of our irrepressible desire to seek and find meaning? Why can't we live without loving? The typeset proofs of his final insights were brought to Tolstoy for approval when he was already on his deathbed. The reader will find all the texts in the exact shape and order of completion as Tolstoy left them. No matter their brevity or the occasion on which they were written, these works exemplify Tolstoy as an artistically inventive and intellectually absorbing thinker.

The Society for Textual Scholarship Richard J. Finneran Award, Honorable Mention, 2023. For the best edition or book about editorial theory and/or practice published in the English language during 2021-2022. Beginning with Tolstoy’s first extant records of his written œuvre, this anthology assembles seventy-seven unabridged texts that cover more than seven decades of his life, from 1835 to 1910. It constitutes the most complete single-volume edition to date of the rich variety of Tolstoy’s philosophical output: apothegmatic sayings, visions, intimate sketchbook and day notes, book reviews, open letters, dialogues, pedagogic talks, public lectures, programs and rules for personal behavior, fictions, and reminiscences. Most of these newly translated and thoroughly annotated texts have never been available in English. Among the four reprinted translations personally checked and authorized by Tolstoy is the text titled “Tolstoy on Venezuela,” an archival restoration of an authentic first publication in English of “Patriotism, or Peace?” (1896) that had been deemed lost. In the inaugural piece, a seven-year-old Tolstoy describes violent but natural animal life in contrast with the lazy life of a peaceful barnyard in the countryside. The last entry in the anthology written by an eighty-year-old Tolstoy for his grandchildren provides a lesson on vegetarianism and non-violence that a hungry wolf teaches a hungry boy during their conversation when both are on their way to lunch. It was the insolvable, the “scandalous,” problems of philosophy that never gave Tolstoy any rest: freedom of the will, religious tolerance, gender inequality, the tonal shape of music, the value of healthy life habits, the responsibilities of teaching, forms of social protest, cognitive development, science in society, the relation between body and mind, charity and labor, human dignity and public service, sexual psychology, national war doctrines, suicide, individual sacrifice, the purposes of making art. And always: What are the sources of violence? Why should we engage in politics? Why do we need governments? How can one practice non-violence? What is the meaning of our irrepressible desire to seek and find meaning? Why can't we live without loving? The typeset proofs of his final insights were brought to Tolstoy for approval when he was already on his deathbed. The reader will find all the texts in the exact shape and order of completion as Tolstoy left them. No matter their brevity or the occasion on which they were written, these works exemplify Tolstoy as an artistically inventive and intellectually absorbing thinker.

An enchanting collection of the very best of Russian Stories. The short story is a fundamental part of the greatness of Russian literature. Each work of fiction in the Book is an acknowledged classic of Russian literature; including Fyodor Dostoyevsky; Leo Tolstoy; Anton Chekhov; Maxim Gorky; Alexander Pushkin, Nikolay Gogol; Ivan S Turgenev; The Stories here offer a wonderfully wide-ranging and exciting representation of one of the most vital and enduring forms of Russian literature. This volume contains; The Queen Of Spades By Alexander Pushkin; The Cloak By Nikolai Gogol; The District Doctor By Ivan S. Turgenev; The Christmas Tree And The Wedding by Fyodor Dostoevsky; God Sees The Truth, But Waits By Leo Tolstoy; How A Muzhik Fed Fed Two Officials By Mikhial Saltykov-Shchedrin; Banquet Given by The Mayor; The Shades, A Phantasy By Vladimir G. Korolenko; The Signal By Vsevolod M. Garshin; The Darling By Anton P. Chekhov; The Bet By Anton P. Chekhov; Vanka By Anton P. Chekhov; Hide And Seek By Fyodor Sologub; Dethroned By Ignaty N. Potapenko; The Servant By Sergey T. Semyonov; One Autumn Night By Maxim Gorky; Her Lover By Maxim Gorky; Lazarus By Leonid Andreyev; The Revolutionist By Mikhail P. Artsybashev; The Outrage-A True Story By Aleksandr I. Kuprin.

Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. Dmitry Andreich Olenin, in the hope of escaping the hollowness of his privilege, joins the army and heads to the Caucasus. There among the foothills he will meet the Cossacks: a people he considers to be at one with the land. In their company he will hunt, he will drink, he will fall in love and, slowly, he will begin to understand that between people, between cultures, there is often a space that cannot be traversed...'It is the richness of Tolstoy's genius that strikes us most in this story' Virginia Woolf

Revisit the timeless classic in this graphic retelling of Tolstoy’s celebrated 1869 novel. In this beautifully rendered graphic adaptation, both fans and newcomers alike will be immersed in the world of War and Peace, one of the most celebrated Russian novels of all time, about the misadventures of Pyotr Kirillovich, Ilya Rostov, and company during the Napoleonic era of Russia. With richly detailed settings recreating the villas and ballrooms of 19th century Russia, character design based on the real-life inspirations for the figures in the book, and visual depictions of elements from the original text, War and Peace: The Graphic Novel brings Tolstoy's masterpiece to life as never before. Including forewords from Russian literature experts from the Moscow Central Library and the Leo Tolstoy Library in Moscow, this graphic adaptation distills the major plotlines and characters of the sprawling epic for readers to experience this classic novel in a whole new way.