Leo Tolstoy

Rare edition with unique illustrations and elegant classic cream paper. THE STORY OF IVAN THE FOOL AND HIS TWO BROTHERS SIMON THE WARRIOR AND TARAS THE POT-BELLIED, AND OF HIS DEAF AND DUMB SISTER, AND THE OLD DEVIL AND THREE LITTLE DEVILKINS. Once upon a time there lived a rich peasant, who had three sons-Simon the Warrior, Taras the Pot-bellied, and Ivan the Fool, and a deaf and dumb daughter, Malania, an old maid. Simon the Warrior went off to the wars to serve the King; Taras the Pot-bellied went to a merchant's to trade in the town, and Ivan the Fool and the old maid stayed at home to do the work of the house and the farm. Simon the Warrior earned a high rank for himself and an estate and married a nobleman's daughter. He had a large income and a large estate, but he could never make both ends meet, for, what he managed to gather in, his wife managed to squander; thus it was that he never had any money. And Simon the Warrior went to his estate one day to collect his income, and his steward said to him, "There is nothing to squeeze money out of; we have neither cattle, nor implements, nor horses, nor cows, nor ploughs, nor harrows; we must get all these things first, then there will be an income." Includes vintage illustration

In the Sevastopol Sketches, Leo Tolstoy evocatively recollects his experiences at the Siege of Sevastopol in 1854-1855, over the course of three short stories. Although the trio of tales which comprise the Sevastopol Sketches are ostensibly fictional and written in the second person, they accurately recall Tolstoy's experiences as a young man witnessing the Crimean War. All three possess philosophical overtones, with the overarching theme being a vilification of war as a wasteful, senseless and foolish expenditure of human life. The Sevastopol Sketches establish Tolstoy as a pacifist who considered war to be one of the most depraved and lamentable events characterizing mankind. Years after publishing these sketches, Tolstoy would draw upon the Siege of Sevastopol as a critical supplement to the narrative of his epic novel - War and Peace.

The story begins with the childhood and exceptional and accomplished youth of Prince Stepan Kasatsky. The young man is destined for great things. He discovers on the eve of his wedding that his fianc e Countess Mary Korotkova has had an affair with his beloved Tsar Nicholas I. The blow to his pride is massive, and he retreats to the arms of Russian Orthodoxy and becomes a monk. Many years of humility and doubt follow. He is ordered to become a hermit. Despite his being removed from the world, he is still remembered for having so remarkably transformed his life. One winter night, a group of merry-makers decide to visit him, and one of them, a divorced woman named Makovkina, spends the night in his cell, with the intention to seduce him. Father Sergius discovers he is still weak and in order to protect himself, cuts off his own finger.

Hadji Murad, is a short novel written by Leo Tolstoy from 1896 to 1904 and published posthumously in 1912 (though not in full until 1917). The theme of struggle while remaining faithful resonated with Tolstoy even though he was in ailing health; later letters suggest this work gave him a brief, final moment of vigor. Just as the author was struggling with his near death, his extended meditation on the concept of the individual refusing to give in to the demands of the world helped him to complete the book, although he himself had no inclination to publish it and was only concerned with its completion. In addition to the theme of resistance, there are many other ideas that can be found in the novel, such as determinism; this echoes Tolstoy's major work War and Peace. An even clearer theme is the struggle between a Christian Russia and Muslim Caucasian Imamate, the classic West vs. East theme found in Russian history and many different stories and novels (and which is once again pertinent in light of First and Second Chechen Wars in Chechnya and Russia).

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy an translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude. The Death of Ivan Ilyich, first published in 1886, is a novella by Leo Tolstoy, considered one of the masterpieces of his late fiction, written shortly after his religious conversion of the late 1870s. "Usually classed among the best examples of the novella", The Death of Ivan Ilyich tells the story of a high-court judge and his sufferings and death from a terminal illness in 19th-century Russia. Ivan Ilyich lives a carefree life that is "most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible". Like everyone he knows, he spends his life climbing the social ladder. Enduring marriage to a woman whom he often finds too demanding, he works his way up to be a magistrate, thanks to the influence he has over a friend who has just been promoted, focusing more on his work as his family life becomes less tolerable.

The Kingdom of God is Within You: Christianity Not as a Mystic Religion but as a New Theory of Life, translated from The Russian of Leo Tolstoy (Count Leo Tolstoi) by Constance Garnett. New York, 1894. The Kingdom of God Is Within You is a non-fiction book written by Leo Tolstoy. A philosophical treatise, the book was first published in Germany in 1894 after being banned in his home country of Russia. It is the culmination of thirty years of Tolstoy's thinking, and lays out a new organization for society based on a literal Christian interpretation. Mohandas Gandhi wrote in his autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Part II, Chapter 15) that this book "overwhelmed" him and "left an abiding impression." Gandhi listed Tolstoy's book, as well as John Ruskin's Unto This Last and the poet Shrimad Rajchandra, as the three most important modern influences in his life. Reading this book opened up the mind of the world-famous Tolstoy to Gandhi, who was still a young protester living in South Africa at the time.

So much contention, so much anger, so much violence, and so much war exists in our world. It is easy to get caught up in the negativity of it all, but such a mindset will only further drag us down. In this stirring discourse by Leo Tolstoy, we are reminded of the need for peace. He encourages us to align ourselves with the powers of goodness and kindness rather than the evils of the world. Bethink Yourselves is just as relevant today as when it was first published.

The four classic tales in this volume illuminate Leo Tolstoy's radical orientation toward war and commerce, revealing his vision for a sustainable, peaceable world. The feature story, Ivan the Fool, presents an archetypal fool who works hard, cooperates with everyone, and manages to foil every attempt to cause his downfall. In the end, peasant life comes out on top, while the pillars of imperial Russian society topple down. Esarhaddon, King of Assyria explores a king's empathy-based revelation to end all violence; and A Grain as Big as a Hen's Egg playfully looks at the relationship between health, soil, labor, and food economies. Three Questions sums up Tolstoy's highest ideal of serving others in the present moment. Some may critique these stories as being too simplistic or too moralistic. But these tales have stood the test of time precisely because they entertain well while evoking universal truths that lift us above humanity's self-serving impulses. ""A rare gem This small book draws one into the sacred wisdom of the holy fool. Readers will savor kernels of life-giving insight, will find the soul smiling at truths it always knew but had forgotten, and will gain more power for the art of living rightly on this good Earth."" --Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (GTU) ""Ivan the Fool re-presents the ancient tradition of holy foolery for our postmodern age with tales of transgressive humor that disrupt power, scandalize the elite, and delight the masses. In Ivan's world, you don't have to pay to get in, but it'll cost you your life to get out. Welcome to the upside down."" --Rose Marie Berger, Sojourners magazine ""If Russia at feudalism's dusk had heeded these pointed folktales from her literary son, she might not have had to endure so many impish terrors, from Stalin to Putin. Yet Tolstoy's parables are just as relevant to toxic American militarism and plutocracy right now."" --Ched Myers and Elaine Enns, Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was one of the foremost Russian authors of the nineteenth century, known well for his novel, War and Peace. His ethical writings and short stories, which dealt with anarchist and pacifist themes, had a strong influence on Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. One collection of his tales can be found in Walk in the Light & Twenty-Three Tales. Ted Lewis (Editor) is a restorative justice consultant and trainer for the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking (University of Minnesota). He lives in Duluth, Minnesota, where he runs the Agape Peace Center.

Tolstoy's exceptional account of the New Testament summarises the principle teachings of Jesus Christ. Though principally renowned for his fiction, Leo Tolstoy was an avid reader and enthusiast of religion. His stories were commonly imbued with a spiritual element, and he would vest much energy in researching and absorbing the tenets of faith. To this end, he published numerous works surrounding his philosophy and religious beliefs. The Gospel in Brief is a commentary of the New Testament. The chapter titles are modelled after The Lord's Prayer, with each chapter examining various points in Jesus Christ's life as well as the principles of faith which the Son of God spoke of. Concepts such as the Kingdom of God and how to avoid the many temptations inherent to life are examples of leading subjects. Using his skills as a writer, Tolstoy ably and accurately relays the stories which Jesus tells his followers. Christ's allies and adversaries are mentioned, alongside their interactions with Jesus.

Tolstoy's exceptional account of the New Testament summarises the principle teachings of Jesus Christ. Though principally renowned for his fiction, Leo Tolstoy was an avid reader and enthusiast of religion. His stories were commonly imbued with a spiritual element, and he would vest much energy in researching and absorbing the tenets of faith. To this end, he published numerous works surrounding his philosophy and religious beliefs. The Gospel in Brief is a commentary of the New Testament. The chapter titles are modelled after The Lord's Prayer, with each chapter examining various points in Jesus Christ's life as well as the principles of faith which the Son of God spoke of. Concepts such as the Kingdom of God and how to avoid the many temptations inherent to life are examples of leading subjects. Using his skills as a writer, Tolstoy ably and accurately relays the stories which Jesus tells his followers. Christ's allies and adversaries are mentioned, alongside their interactions with Jesus.