Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy (Perennial Classics) [Paperback]

Leo Tolstoy (Author), Louise Maude (Translator), Aylmer Maude (Translator), J. D. Duff (Translator), Sam A. Carmack (Translator), John Bayley (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Perennial Classics | Publication Date: March 2, 2004

The brilliant shorter novels of Tolstoy, including The Death of Ivan Ilych and Family Happiness, collected and reissued with a beautiful updated design.

Of all Russian writers Leo Tolstoy is probably the best known to the Western world, largely because of War and Peace, his epic in prose, and Anna Karenina, one of the most splendid novels in any language. But during his long lifetime Tolstoy also wrote enough shorter works to fill many volumes. Here reprinted in one volume are his eight finest short novels, together with "Alyosha the Pot", the little tale that Prince Mirsky described as "a masterpiece of rare perfection."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is the author of War and Peace, Anna Karenina, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Family Happiness, and other classics of Russian literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (March 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060586974
• ISBN-13: 978-0060586973
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Russian

More About the Author

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) wrote two of the great novels of the nineteenth century, War and Peace and Anna Karenina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable collection, July 18, 2000

By 

Nathaniel Grublet (New Haven, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy (Perennial Library) (Paperback)

This paperback gathers many of Lev Tolstoy's most masterfully crafted short works. The Death of Ivan Ilych, Hadji Murad, The Cossacks, The Kreutzer Sonata ... they are all here. While it is impossible to give an adequate review of each of the stories in this collection, I will say that Tolstoy's short stories are a joy to read. His style is vivid, clear, and engaging, and his themes are interesting and profound. Tolstoy tackles the issues of death, war, religion, sex, and others. While I do not agree with many of his views, the beauty and subtlety with which he expresses them is tremendous.

On a more technical note, the translation is more than adequate. While reading Tolstoy in Russian is best, this translation is seamless and does not interfere with the reading. I would enthusiastically recommend this collection to anyone who is intrigued by this influential and quirky author.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intense stuff, June 29, 2001

By 

Extollager (Mayville, ND United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy (Perennial Library) (Paperback)

I turn to some of these stories repeatedly. Tolstoy gives searching portraits of obsessed souls in stories such as "The Devil" (an unforgettable account of lust), "Father Sergius," and "The Kreutzer Sonata." Here is a more "Dostoevskian" Tolstoy than we see in War and Peace. Providing balance in the collection are masterpieces such as "Hadji Murad." Don't overlook this book; it is a convenient compilation of some of the finest literary works of Russia's 19th century. I bought a second copy because my first one wore out.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best single volume of the short fiction, June 1, 2006

By 

A. Lowry (Madison, MS United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy (Perennial Classics) (Paperback)

I prefer the Everyman's volumes because the typesetting is so much nicer. The present volume is a trade-sized paperback with the text simply photo-enlarged from the original mass-market edition. Both volumes use the Maudes' translations, but the Everyman's includes a great many more stories, including the Sevastopol Sketches. On the other hand, Everyman's publishes The Cossacks as a third volume, whereas you get that in here and all the other can't-miss stories.

If you can't afford the Everyman's, this is the one to get.