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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Complete? Not even a start.
Not only is this not a complete series of Tolstoy's plays, it isn't even one play. Rather, it is a list of plays. It's hard to complain about something that is free, but this "book" is worthless, unless you get your jollies reading play titles. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endure the hypocrisies of society. Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia, the novel's seven major characters create a dynamic imbalance, playing out the contrasts of city and country life and all the variations on love and family happiness. ... Read more

Product Description
These short works, ranging from Tolstoy's earliest tales to the brilliant title story, are rich in the insights and passion that characterize all of his explorations in love, war, courage, and civilization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

" A man can only wear one pair of pants at a time" Reuben Kelly Freedman
James Joyce considered the title - story of this collection the finest story - ever written. The tale which was part of a series Tolstoy constructed for peasants seems to me to lack much of the subtle description and psychological insight of Tolstoy's greatest works. Nonetheless it is a fine and interesting moral tale.
The message if I read it rightly is that "Greed does not pay". The story which opens with a debate between sisters over the relative advantages of sophisticated city and rustic simple life becomes the tale of a landowner who goes to the spacious country of the Bashkirs , engages in a marathon run to add more and more land to himself, and in the process drops- dead.
Tolstoy in this collection is primarily the moral and spiritual sage , providing advice of the kind he himself never took.
The old great man was however such a great writer that even in these relatively simple pieces one gets a real sense of strong narrative and literary surprise and revelation.

Excellent!
This is a great book of short stories with an unabashed Christian moral slant.Very entertaining.

Tolstoy Sampler.
Tolstoy wrote some remarkable short fiction.There is, for example, the detached observer of war and its effect.The early stories based on his military experience in the Caucasus "The Raid," "The Woodfelling," and "The Prisoner of the Caucasus" are examples of this aspect of Tolstoy's craft.Tolstoy anticipated authors such as Stephen Crane and Ernest Hemingway in his unglamorous portrait of war.Tolstoy's slice of life sketches have little blood and thunder.The writing speaks more of futility than of glory or Mother Russia.Except for wasteful, impersonal death, men at war do not progress; their only goal is survival.Then there is the spiritual side of Tolstoy's art.Simple parables patterned on the Gospels in their truth and biblical purity.The title piece speaks of a landowner's greed and its result."Where Love Is, God Is," and "What Men Live By" are examples of the later Tolstoy and his spiritual views.Although Tolstoy was grounded in Chritianity, Russian Orthodoxy and organized religions left him cold.Tolstoy was more mystic than cleric.His spiritual views rejected dogma and flowed from springs of human compassion.Love inevitably provokes action.Feed the hungry, comfort the sick, and care for widows and orphans.Then we find God among us.This collection of stories has an insightful introduction by editor and biographer A. N. Wilson.It's a good cross sample of Tolstoy's short fiction.;-)

it is love
these stories have changed my life.tolstoy makes us want to love one another.i think the world would be a better place if everybody read these stories.

A great introduction to Tolstoy
It is hard to recommend Tolstoy because his best novel is long.These short stories are less intimidating and give a great introduction Leo Tolstoy's beliefs such as resisting violence, loving your neighbor, andfollowing Jesus' example set forth by the gosphel.These stories are oftenstunning and will provoke and stir your soul. ... Read more

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An array of beautifully drawn characters presents the complexities of emotions and feelings in this work. Tolstoy has yet again come up with a work that delves into the traditions of society and attitudes of people. The protagonist finds herself in midst of a situation where her own feelings are not comprehensible to her. Captivating!

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Customer Reviews (1)

4 Stars for Story, 1 for Edition
"Family Happiness" is one of Leo Tolstoy's great short stories, but the fact that it is included in so many collections makes it difficult to justify purchasing a standalone. Even those requiring large print or some other specialty can find it to their liking alongside other works.

However, the story itself is excellent. "Family" is notable in anticipating much of later Tolstoy with its female protagonist and focus on women's and other domestic issues. It is on one level a comedy of manners showing how upper class courtship worked in mid-nineteenth century Russia. The characterization is so strong and the story so well-told that it would be engaging even on this level, but there is far more. Most immediately and perhaps importantly, it vividly portrays universal emotions familiar to anyone who has fallen in love, dramatizing everything from initial euphoric excitement to last-minute doubt. However, it quickly turns darker, showing the disappointment and bitterness that often sadly result. This is all the more remarkable in being shown through a woman by a male writer - distinctly unusual then and still noteworthy. Tolstoy's knowledge of and sensitivity to women and their concerns is truly incredible; he pulls off the difficult narrative voice with as much verisimilitude as in more famous works. Some may find the ending too pat, and it is certainly not politically correct by our standards, even seeming to fall back on Victorian stereotypes about women's proper role. However, the important thing to pick up on is the glorification of traditional Russian family life, specifically its redemptive power. Tolstoy eventually had almost the opposite view, and it is very interesting to see how well and convincingly he argued for this early in his career.

Anyone interested in Tolstoy should read this, whether here or elsewhere.
... Read more

Product Description
When most think of Tolstoy, they think of the great author.'War and Peace' and 'Anna Karenina' brought him worldwide fame, and a good deal of money. Had he done nothing else in life, these two novels would have ensured him status and respect. Few others had written both a national epic and a great love story; and some might have been content with that. For his last thirty years, however, Tolstoy walked a different track. After his spiritual crisis, when he was 50, he exchanged his author's clothes for those of a prophet - a prophet who was to have a great influence on Gandhi amongst others. Through his prolific writing, he now became the scourge of the rich, the Church and the Government. Neither did he miss an opportunity to denounce both science and art. Darwin? Dostoyevsky? Shakespeare? No one was to be left standing. In 'Conversations with Leo Tolstoy',The conversation is imagined, but not Tolstoy's answers. This is Tolstoy is his own words, drawn from his extensive books, essays and letters; and the military, vegetarianism, marriage, non-violence, death, God and sex are all on the agenda.'I want people to come away feeling they know Tolstoy,' says Simon Parke, who was keen to use only Tolstoy's authentic words. 'They will be become aware of his opinions certainly, for he was forthright in those. He had an opinion on everything! But I hope also that people leave with a sense of the man beneath the opinions. I don't always agree with him; but it is hard not to admire him. He was far from perfect, but as he says: just because he walks the road like a drunk, doesn't mean it's the wrong road.' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The last station
If you love Tolstoy's books, but want to know the man himself, his views, opinions, judgements, this book will not disappoint.

In fact, the whole of the great man's spiritual, moraland intellectual development is condensed here between the covers of this small but perfectly formed book.

Parke is relentless is subjecting Tolstoy to some very tough questioning, and rightly so.He's also very clever at highlighting his subject's psychological blind spots. The Tolstoy that emerges from these 'conversations' is brilliant, fussy, cruel, worthy, priggish, righteous, saintly, honest, conceited, a right plonker.. Anything but a two-dimentional character.

Tolstoy disapproved of almost everything(think about something that you really enjoy, and it can be guaranteed that Tolstoy would disapprove!), wrote immortal literature, tried to change the world, took on the Russian State, the Church, the Army, even Shakespeare.

For all his genius, this was a deeply tortured and unhappy soul, who spent a great deal of time wondering why NOT to kill himself.

Parke was very brave to 'interview' him, and I salute him for it!

Sitting at the feet of Tolstoy.
Simon Parke has done a remarkable job of bringing the real Tolstoy and his views to life. I came to this book not knowing anything about Tolstoy the man, but left it feeling as if I had truly met him.

The questions Simon Parke poses and his clarification of some of the answers that Tolstoy gives, help the reader to engage and come away with a real understanding of Tolstoy's opinions.

Because all the words Tolstoy speaks are his own, reading this book felt like I was sitting at this great man's feet. It was difficult not to see the sense of his arguments and I felt myself nodding my head in agreement.

The power and authority of the man came over so strongly that I felt myself mesmerized and my own thoughts were stopped in their tracks. No wonder the Church and Authorities of the time saw him as dangerous!

I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to meet the real Tolstoy. ... Read more

Product Description
What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? Nikolai knows that he wants to be the best person he can be, but often he is unsure if he is doing the right thing. So he goes to ask Leo, the wise turtle. When he arrives, the turtle is struggling to dig in his garden, and Nikolai rushes to help him. As he finishes work, a violent storm rolls in. Nikolai runs for Leo's cottage, but on his way, he hears cries for help from an injured panda. Nikolai brings her in from the cold, and then rushes back outside to rescue her baby too.Amazon.com Review
Nikolai is a boy who believes that if he can find the answers to his three questions, he will always know how to be a good person. His friends--a heron, a monkey, and a dog--try to help, but to no avail, so he asks Leo, the wise old turtle. "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Leo doesn't answer directly, but by the end of Nikolai's visit, the boy has discovered the answers himself.

Award-winning illustrator Jon J Muth's lovely watercolors are the most appealing aspect of this book about compassion and living in the moment. The simple Zen-based profundity of the boy's philosophical exploration may escape young readers, but they will enjoy the tale of a child who, in doing good deeds (for a panda and her baby, no less!), finds inner peace. Muth based his story on a short story of the same title by Leo Tolstoy. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (77)

Don't buy it in hardcover
The paperback version should do just fine.

Not worth paying so much for a (really) very simple "three question" story.

Or better yet - wait for the kids to grow up and they can download thereal Tolstoy story in their upgraded Dwindle, and read it themselves.

Saves so many trees that way.

The Three Questions
I loved this book.I was inspired to purchase the Leo Tolstoy book that it was taken from.Excellent illustrations.I have read it many times since purchasing it.

A Reshaping of Tolstoy's Short Story
Themes: decisions, friendship
Content areas: Excellent read aloud for elementary school students. Reading- prediction, Writing- using a writers concept to create a new story, Art- visual expression, Guidance- kindness, respect

Muth has a unique way of bringing an odd assortment of creatures together to tell a tale. This particular tale, based on Leo Tolstoy's "Three Questions", brings a boy together with three unlikely friends (bird, monkey, dog). His friend's respond with rather self-centered answers. This pushes the boy to seek out the wise old turtle for the three answers. The answers are simple, yet profound.

Truth
Truth! Inspiring! Understanding! Loving every part of this book. 'The three questions' is a book that creates thought, motivation and creativity within children and adults alike. I love the way it portrays the animals as the boys friends and the deep thought that has gone into writing this story. The universal message is loving and nurturing for all readers! A lesson to take with you wherever you go. Loved it.
Isabella Gentilin. Author of 'Whispers of an Angel'

Beautiful images and story
I bought this for my niece and was really thrilled with the book. The artwork is so amazing and his interpretation of the Tolstoy story is wonderful. ... Read more

Product Description
Leo Tolstoy's Writings on EducationEdited with an Introduction by Bob BlaisdellTranslated by Christopher Edgar

In the years before Leo Tolstoy wrote War and Peace, the great Russianwriter founded and ran his own school on his estate at YasnayaPolyana. Brimming with progressive ideas on schooling, he undertook toteach the peasant children at Yasnaya Polyana reading, history,arithmetic, and notably, imaginative writing. The school was aparadise for Tolstoy, and he published many articles about histeaching experiences during these years. This new collection featuresthe most important of these articles--among them the famous essay,"Are the Peasant Children to Learn to Write from Us, or Are We toLearn from the Peasant Children?"--and two short stories by Tolstoy'sstudents. Tolstoy as Teacher also includes an introductory essay thatexamines the role of the school in Tolstoy's life and work, anannotated bibliography, and an essay with ideas on how to useTolstoy's fiction to inspire students to write imaginatively. Thisbook will surprise and delight writers, teachers of imaginati!vewriting from elementary to college level, teachers of English andother subjects, and anyone interested in education or in Tolstoy'swork and thought. ... Read more

Product Description
Written in 1883, ‘The Gospel in brief’ is Tolstoy’s harmonization of the four Christian gospels into one. So now we have Matthew, Mark, Luke, John – and Tolstoy. It is, he says, ‘an examination of Christian teaching not according to the church’s interpretations, but solely according to what has come down to us of Christ’s teaching, as ascribed to him in the gospels.’
That which Tolstoy retains from the originals, and that which he leaves out, tells us much about what he regards as essential Christianity. So here we find Tolstoy not concerned with events, but with the teaching; for it is the teaching that gives meaning to life. In his version, there is no place for the famous birth story; the healing miracles or Christ’s resurrection. In Tolstoy’s view, these were put there to persuade people of Christ’s divinity, and are therefore superfluous. We should not be focusing on Christ the Son of God, but on Christ the teacher; and to this end, Tolstoy always refers to Jesus’ disciples as ‘pupils’. He also never misses a chance to place the Orthodox Church firmly with Christ’s opponents. He calls the Scribes ‘Orthodox professors’ and refers to the teachers of the law, simply as ‘Orthodox.’
We also find expressed clearly here the 5 commands that Tolstoy regarded as the essence of the gospel:
1 Do not be angry, but live at peace with all men.
2 Do not indulge yourself in sexual gratification.
3 Do not promise anything on oath to anyone.
4 Do not resist evil, do not judge and do not go to law.
5 Make no distinction of nationality, but love foreigners as your own people.
Will the church like this version? Tolstoy doubts it, and expects a response: ‘If they will not disavow their lies, only one thing remains for them: to persecute me – for which I, completing what I have written, prepare myself with joy and with fear of my own weakness.’ But Tolstoy was both too aristocratic and too famous to be seriously harmed.

Simon Parke, author of The One Minute Mystic
... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Reminds me of a Legal Brief
Love this book. Sharp and to the point. Really enjoyed the focus on Jesus' teachings. It was like siting down and having coffee with your instructor.

A must.
This reading requires extreme attention to those familiar with Jesus and his word.All there is...is Word. Tolstoy brings together an intimate and raw image of Jesus and his purpose.The reader must not forget the real significance of this Man, G-d or not G-d, the word and meaning is intensely exalting.The reader must also remember that Jesus was a Jew, and obviously spoke of the Jewish G-d that can be found in Kabbalah.Jesus was indeed the Jewish Messiah, and this beautiful cry for humanity for its currently deformed knowledge of metaphysics speaks to all.For a deeper read consult"The Kingdom of G-d is within you" by Tolstoy.Spread the word by Physical Deeds not words or man made rules. Peace is evolution not an illusion.

The Gospel in Brief
The first book that I have ever seen that could literally not be read.Apparently the original document was some how scanned in and a optical character recognition (OCR) process was used to come up with the words.However, the OCR process must have been seriously flawed in that a significant portion of the words were unreadable. Just a glob of characters put together not even forming a word.You would have thought that the publishers would have at least run the output of their OCR process through a spell checker to determine it the output was even a word.Apparently NO post OCR processing took place (i.e. no spell checking and no editing).Needless to say the result was a total disaster.I had to return this book and get my money back.The first book that I have ever returned.

A creative, deep, and meaningful rendition of the Gospels
For the most part I have greatly enjoyed Tolstoy's rendering of the four gospels into one narrative.Tolstoy also removes the passages about Jesus' young life, miracles, and the resurrection while focusing entirely on His moral teachings and religious philosophy.This presents Christ in a new light for someone who had only read the traditional Bible.One can see Him as a sage or wisdom teacher, not just theological savior.When I read this book, I felt it was easier to apply its principles (all from the NT) to my life directly than if I had read the Bible.Tolstoy's project also seems to have much in common with Thomas Jefferson's Bible, and hence it doesn't support any Christian dogmas or creeds.It points back to the original words of Jesus and his spiritual wisdom beyond the church's Christianity.

The only complaint I would have is about the translation.The Gospel in Brief lacks some of the poetry and accuracy found in the KJV or English Standard Versions of the Bible--I assumed this was because Tolstoy's work has been translated through multiple languages before reaching English.Tolstoy translated from a Greek text into Russian, which was then translated to English.

Overall, I'd recommend this book as a guide and teacher for life, a philosophy to live by!

This is an inportant book

The Russian Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), best known for his novels, such as War and Peace and Anna Karenina, considered by many to have been the greatest novelist, had a spiritual crisis when he was fifty years old. He met with many wise individuals seeking answers to his questions, but was unsatisfied with their responses. So he turned to the study of Christianity and discovered a solution to his problems in his own unique understanding of the Christian Gospels.
Tolstoy, like many other writers, such as George Bernard Shaw, was convinced that Jesus' teachings were perverted by the people who transmitted them and that the explanations of his teachings in the non-Gospel New Testament books and in the writings of the church after his death have little or no relation to what he actually said. All of Jesus' disciples, Tolstoy wrote, without exception, were illiterate and uneducated workmen who the New Testament itself repeatedly testifies did not understand what Jesus was saying. Those who followed the disciples wrote what they wanted to write using Jesus to promote their own agenda.
The Bible writers, he says, inserted all kinds of miracles and superstitious notions that, being unnatural, could never have occurred.
So Tolstoy decided to rewrite the Gospels as a single book and only include the ethical teachings of Jesus. He took statements from each of the four Gospels, without concern for chronology, mixing the wording of one Gospel writer into the discussion by another. By mixing the ideas, he erased the agenda of each Gospel writer, for each had his own program, and created his own. Additionally, the Tolstoy version of Jesus' teaching is totally unlike the teachings of the Christian churches.
Why Tolstoy can say on the one hand that the Gospel writers did not understand Jesus while using their words in his own Gospel is difficult to understand. Be this as it may, the Tolstoy reading of the Gospel, as translated masterfully by Isabel Hapgood, is very thought provoking. Readers may accept his theology in whole, or in part, or reject it out of hand. But all who pay attention to his ideas will find them interesting.
Tolstoy did not believe in the conventional notion of God. God is the name given to "the infinite source of being." This infinite source of being is incomprehensible. It is not involved in current human affairs. It created everything out of love. People are related to the infinite source in spirit, not in the flesh, for the source is not physical.
People are the product or sons of this "father," another name that people apply to the infinite source. Thus Jesus is the son of what people call God, and so are all other humans the father's son. Jesus was not God; he was as human as all other people.
However, Jesus understood what others do not, that everything that the infinite source created was created with love. Therefore, if people want to relate to God, as they should, they can only do so by being like God, showing love to all people, indeed to all that God created. Tolstoy writes, "The Gospel puts in the place of what men call 'God' a right understanding of life. Without this understanding there is no life; men only live in so far as they understand life." Thus, the basic human command is to love unconditionally, to "love thy neighbor as thyself." As stated in Matthew 5:44, "love not only your own countrymen, but people of other nations." Tolstoy emphasizes that loving means acting toward people with love, not just thinking or feeling, and not just celebrating religious ceremonies.
Matthew 5 mentions five basic commands, and love is the fifth mentioned, but the first in importance. The others are (1) "Do not be angry, do not abuse; but having quarreled, make peace in such a way that no one may have cause for offense against you." (2) "Do not think that love toward woman is good; do not admire the beauty of women, but live with the one to whom you have become united, and do not leave her." (3) "Understand that every oath is evil" and therefore never swear. (4) "Do not resist evil, do not judge and do not go to law (courts), do not complain and do not punish."
Tolstoy followed the dictates of the first and fifth commands by remarkably translating the New Testament phrase "Pharisees" as "orthodox." This is an extremely significant innovation. Unfortunately, beginning in the second half of the first century C.E., disputes arose among the traditionally-minded Jews and the Jews who accepted the teachings of Jesus and the non-Jews that they converted to their beliefs. These disputes led to insults thrown by both groups. Some of these insults made their way into the New Testament. As a result, the New Testament used the term Pharisees, a noun that described some of the Jews, Jews who later evolved into Rabbinic Judaism, to describe Jews as a whole. This usage led many New Testament readers to suppose that all the Jews of Jesus' time rejected him and has led some people to anti-Semitism. These readers ignored other New Testament statements that made it clear that many Jews accepted Jesus' teachings. An example is John 12:19, "And the orthodox high priest saw all this and said to each other: `See what this man is doing. The whole people are following him."
Tolstoy removes this egregious problem by substituting the word "orthodox."This not only voids the text of anti-Jewish notions, but makes the writing clearer. The text is saying that from time to time, "orthodox" teachers, meaning those who held the ancient teachings, questioned Jesus' new instructions.
By making this change, Tolstoy is illustrating Jesus basic teaching to show love for everyone.
Years later, in 1903, Tolstoy showed his compliance with the first and fifth commands again when he wrote and published stories in aid of Jews who were made destitute by the massacres throughout Russia in that year. These very sensitive tales can be read in collections such as Twenty-Three Tales by Leo Tolstoy, translated by L. and A. Maude, Walking Lion Press, 2006.

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Product Description
ONCE upon a time, in a certain province of a certain country, there lived a rich peasant, who had three sons: Simon the Soldier, Taras the Stout, and Ivan the Fool, besides an unmarried daughter, Martha, who was deaf and dumb. Simon the Soldier went to the wars to serve the king; Taras the Stout went to a merchant's in town to trade, and Ivan the Fool stayed at home with the lass, to till the ground till his back bent. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Twenty-threeTales, by Tolstoy
I had enjoyed Tolstoy's short stories when I was younger. They always left me thoughtful about life. So much of what I read today or watch on TV, "harden one's heart", yet purport to be realistic. I bought this book because it is no longer at my city libraries. I am very happy I did buy it. Not only did the stories remain valid to the inner human thoughts toward value, but I am keeping it moving, rather than its gathering dust on a shelf. It is loaned out again, now, and being enjoyed by friends. The large print is a positve additive that I have not experienced before. This, too, I want to find again.

Take a look at REAL Christian Fiction
While thousands of books have been written to tell us what Christianity is all about, there are few works outside the parables in the Gospels themselves that actually show us what it really is all about.In this book you will find some stories that are short and simple, others longer and more complex in structure, but all of them with the signature of the literary giant who after receiving world recognition for his masterpieces "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina" converted to Christianity and gave up the then popular idea of art for art's sake for one where art always serves a higher purpose.That is very clear in this volume, where the stories simple plot lines and explicitly stated "moral of the story" at the end of each one make few demands on the reader in regards to interpretation, but nonetheless leave one pondering on its meaning long after having finished it. At a time when the term "Christian Fiction" has sadly come to mean catastrophic, apocalyptic tales with Jesus a harsh, merciless judge who has little in common with the gentle Teacher in the gospels who talks to people in parables; preachers, priests, and other clergymen would do well to encourage people to read this book which drives home the meaning of timeless Christian truths (i.e. love of one's neighbor, self-sacrifice, redemption through suffering, the futility of man's efforts without God's grace, etc..) in a way few others have been able to do. ... Read more

Product Description
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
Starring Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, & James McAvoy

In 1910, Count Leo Tolstoy, the most famous writer in the world, is caught in the struggle between his devoted wife and an equally devoted acolyte over the master's legacy. Sofya Andreyevna fears that she and the children she has borne Tolstoy will lose all to Vladimir Chertkov and the Tolstoyan movement, which preaches the ideals of poverty, chastity, and pacifism.

As Tolstoy seeks peace in his final days, Valentin Bulgakov is hired to be his secretary and enlisted as a spy by both camps. But Valentin's loyalty is to the great man, who in turn recognizes in the young idealist his own youthful struggle with worldly passions.

Deftly moving among a colorful cast of characters, drawing on the writings of the people on whom they are based, Jay Parini has created a stunning portrait of an enduring genius and a deeply affecting novel.Amazon.com Review
Book Description
Set in the last tumultuous years of Leo Tolstoy's life, The Last Station centers on the battle for his soul waged by his wife, Sofya Andreyevna, and his leading disciple, Vladimir Cherkov.

Torn between his professed doctrine of poverty and chastity and the reality of his enormous wealth, his thirteen children, and a life of relative luxury, Tolstoy makes a dramatic flight from his home. Too ill to continue beyond the tiny rail station at Astapovo, he believes that he is dying alone, while over one hundred newspapermen camp outside awaiting hourly reports on his condition. A brilliant re-creation of the mind and tortured soul of one of the world's greatest writers, The Last Station is a richly inventive novel that dances between fact and fiction.

The Last Station is now a major motion picture based on the novel, starring Christopher Plummer as Leo Tolstoy, Helen Mirren as Sofya Tolstoy, James McAvoy as Valentin Bulgakov, Paul Giamatti as Vladimir Chertkov, and Anne-Marie Duff as Sasha Tolstoy. Enjoy these images from the film, and click the thumbnails to see larger images.

(Photos by Stephan Rabold, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

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... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

My Impression: The Last Station
I was browsing among the books at Costco, where I had gone to buy groceries. I came across this novel about Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian novelist. I showed it to my husband, and he said he would buy this book because he knows something about Jay Parini, the author.Before I started reading the book, I found out that a movie had been made, based on it.I began the book hoping it would have an interesting story, a serious plot, a villain, and two or three good characters.I read the first forty pages, butdid not find anything to inspire a person to make a movie based on this book.I started pestering my husband, saying, "What is in this book to make a movie of?There is nothing in it to excite anybody."He just said, "Keep reading."I took his advice and continued reading, and suddenly the novel was bursting with drama after drama.There was an explosion of anger, crying, uncontrollable jealousy, suspicion, cheating, and manipulation.The screaming, cursing, abusing, and shouting echoed in my ear. Tolstoy'swife, Sophya, suspected Tolstoy's attachment to his male secretary,Cherktov, and she felt her husband did not love her anymore. Once I reached that part of the novel, I was hooked.I clung to the book and carried it wherever I went. Although this book is fiction, it is mostly based on facts.It is obvious that the author has done an intensive research on Tolstoy's life.The book is a real thriller.The author has highlighted the unintentional consequences of extreme jealousy and suspicion.We all have the positive and negative emotions but how to handle them is the art of life itself.Although Tolstoy led an unhappy life in his old age, he had a great success and became a world famous writer. Tolstoy moved heaven and earth to uplift the peasants' life and made us aware of their plight. In that respect, Tolstoy was undoubtedly a great man.

To understand why Sophya was seething with jealousy, I read another book about Tolstoy, and I can say that she had many good reasons to be jealous.

This is a powerful novel, and it is realistic.We all must have experienced
these types of emotions, and the author has explicitly described the
behavior of a jealous woman.Her suspicion and jealousy made her lose her mind, and made not only her life miserable but also the people who lived around her.

It was difficult to live with a man who was full of contradictions.Leo
Tolstoy was an aristocrat and lived in style but then suddenly decided to live like a hermit and expected his family to do the same.Naturally, Sophya could not go through the abrupt change.On the one hand, he was very kind and on the other, he would become rude. He gambled when he was young, was free with women but later became a pious man.It was difficult to adjust to a person when that person changes constantly his mode of life, his views, and his living style.My sympathies are with Sophya who believed in the welfare of her children and fought for their rights.

I would like people to read other biographies of this great person as well as this book with all its fiction and melodrama.

"Supreme Fiction"
As one who is fascinated with historical fiction, and yet usually disappointed in it, I found this a surprisingly sensitive and intelligent interpretation of the last year of Tolstoy's life.I believe it is also about as historically accurate as it is possible for a novel to be.We follow the aged genius, unable to take the expected pride in his literary accomplishments or bask in their rewards.Instead, he is afflicted with regrets for his over-privileged life and obsessed with the need for atonement through grand gestures of pacifism, self-abnegation, and Christian service...

Unable to participate in such lofty idealism stands his wife of fifty years, the Countess Sofya, and the novel examines unsparingly their still-loving but deeply conflicted relationship.A creature of intelligence and passion, the countess is steeped in aristocratic values and determined to maintain a life of enlightened privilege for herself and her family.She is deeply fearful of losing all she holds dear (including some of her children) to her husband's enthusiasms.Her fears, which have rendered her increasingly unstable, are not without foundation; neither is her self-image of one who has sacrificed her own life to her wifely duties.Like so many women, she was willing to do that as long as she felt cherished and appreciated, but not in her perceived state of physical and emotional abandonment.

Theirs was a tragic estrangement, through which vestiges of their former passion sometimes reappear, and it is Parini's great
achievement that he can divide our sympathies equally and include both in his understanding, affection, and respect.

The novel's other characters are also skillfully etched, including the quite chilling acolyte Vladimir Chertkov, the young disciple Bulgakov (any relation to the author of "The Master and Margarita"?), and several of the Tolstoy offspring.And
excerpts from actual letters and diaries add a special interest to an unusually humane and beautiful work.

A Beautifully Constructed Novel
What an achievement! Parini captures a real sense of tension between Tolstoy, his wife and his ideals in a way that makes those ideals feel material and full of consequence. A compelling structure orders the whole novel as the characters surrounding Tolstoy tell their story and what they understand of his) The characters circle Tolstoy like cars about a roundabout--Tolstoy the font, the center, mysterious, and revolving around him a cast of characters with utterly divergent positions. It is a triangulation of great character. Tolstoy's dialogue, all of it authentically reproduced from his contemporaries' journals, rings out like a bell.

Perhaps the largest challenge of the novel is the portrait of Sophia, Tolstoy's wife, her violent tempers and changes in mood, the pressure between her past importance and her present capacity. It is difficult to capture crazy, but Parini manages it, and in the process unpacks her wild attitudes and explosiveness with a sympathetic probing of her past and her bleak view of a future without her husband. She comes alive on the page.

All in all, a wonderful read. I highly recommend it.

Retelling of False Information!!!
The Last Station is yet another retelling of Tolstoy's life based on false information.While the author does tell us at the end of the book that he based this historical fiction on diary's of the characters, what he does not do is present a balanced story.He presents the last years of Tolstoy's life as being controlled and manipulated by a paranoid and hysterical wife (which, by the way is exactly what Chertov wanted everyone to believe).The author does not give Tolstoy's wife, Sofia Andreeva the credit due her for all her life's work with Tolstoy.If it had not been forSofia A, we would know much less about Tolstoy and even fewer details of his transition from a genius writer to a hypocritical pundit.I am disappointed that the author did very little to balance this incredible love story and life of two brilliant people and instead took the easy way of vilifying a woman to make his story more dramatic.This should not be called historical fiction but rather creative writing on people who lived 100 years ago.

The Last Station
The book is narrated by each of the people closest to Tolstoy in his final year, by alternating chapters.

Sofya Andreyevna - his wife for nearly 50 years - to me had the loudest voice. She was an extremely complex character and not someone that I liked at all. She was paranoid, neurotic and extremely jealous of all the people surrounding Tolstoy. She was constantly trying to find out what he'd written about her; she wanted to read his diaries and letters. They even sent letters to each other, even while living in the same house!

I learnt so much about Tolstoy while reading this novel, he was such a revered man in Russia, very much like a celebrity of today, people hung on his every word. Indeed, his own physician, Dr Makovitsky, used to write down nearly everything Tolstoy said, even in front of him, which he didn't seem to mind, he was a very patient man.

Jay Parini's writing was never boring, and due to the many varied voices including his wife, daughter, physician and secretary all seeing him in a different way, I felt, by the end of the book, as if I got to know the many sides of Leo Tolstoy's character which made the story all the more fascinating, and sad. Tolstoy comes across as a humble man, tormented by his wealth and feeling guilty by living in a big house and wanting to be free; to live like a peasant; and to be free of his jealous wife; but never doing anything about it until his last days.

The book is based on the many diaries written by him and the people who surrounded him, and is definitely one that I will remember. ... Read more

Product Description
As a result of his controversial works criticizing the Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church, Tolstoy was excommunicated in 1901, dismissing the event lightly as he continued his search for a practical religion. "A Confession and Other Religious Works" is the product of years of introspection, resulting in a drastic reorientation of Tolstoy's beliefs and values. He felt undeserving of the wealth and fame he had accumulated, while millions around him were illiterate and afflicted, and therefore sought an acceptable faith wherein he could find the answers to life's most profound questions. In this autobiographical work of exceptional emotional honesty, he records his various attempts to find those answers in areas of science, philosophy, eastern wisdom, and the opinions of his fellow novelists. As a result of this process, Tolstoy recognizes in ordinary people a deep religious conviction, in which he may find the true answers to questions without which life, to him, is impossible. This collection includes Tolstoy's "Confession" as well as the following three other religious essays: "What is religion? and What is its Essence?", "Religion and Morality", and "The Law of Violence and The Law of Love." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A Confession And Other Religious Writings
Tolstoy's "Confession" is a description of my own religious journey.As with all of the other religious writings of his, the entire book represents a clear explanation of a moral life based on Jesus' teachings, with a thorough rejection of the mysticism and magic that was added to it by men.

"I'm not going to get into the ring with Tolstoy."
Sooner or later my deeds, whatever they may have been, will be forgotten and will no longer exist. How can a person carry on living and fail to perceive this? That is what is so astonishing. It is only possible to go on living while you are intoxicated with life; once sober it is impossible not to see that it is all a mere trick.

There is an old eastern fable about a traveller who is taken unawares on the steps by a ferocious wild animal. In order to escape the beast the traveller hides in an empty well, but at the bottom of the well he sees a dragon with its jaws open, ready to devour him. The poor fellow does not dare climb out because he is afraid of being eaten by the rapacious beast, neither does he dare to drop to the bottom of the well for fear of being eaten by the dragon. So he seizes hold of a branch of a bush that is growing in the crevices of the well and clings on to it. His arms grow weak and he knows that he will soon have to resign himself to the death that awaits him on either side. Yet he still clings on, and while he is holding on to the branch he looks around and sees that two mice, one black and one white, are steadily working their way round the bush he is hanging from, gnawing away at it. Sooner or later they will eat through it and the branch will snap, and he will fall into the jaws of the dragon. The traveller sees this and knows that he will inevitably perish. But while he is still hanging there he sees some drops of honey on the leaves of the bush, stretches out his tongue and licks them. In the same way I am clinging to the tree of life, knowing full well that the dragon of death inevitably awaits me, ready to tear me to pieces, and I cannot understand how I have fallen into this torment. And I try licking the honey that once consoled me, but it no longer gives me pleasure. The white mouse and the black mouse - day and night - are gnawing at the branch from which I am hanging. I can see the dragon clearly and the honey no longer tastes sweet. I can see only one thing, the inescapable dragon and the mice, and I cannot tear my eyes away from them. And this is no fable but the truth, the truth that is irrefutable and intelligible to everyone.

The delusion of the joys of life that had formerly stifled my fear of the dragon no longer deceived me. No matter how many times I am told; you cannot understand the meaning of life, do not think about it but live, I cannot do so because I have already done it for too long. Now I cannot help but see because it is the only truth. All the rest is a lie. Those two drops of honey, which more than else had diverted my eyes from the cruel truth, my love for my family and for my writing, which I called art - I no longer found sweet.

`The family...,' I said to myself. But my family, my wife and children, are also human beings. They are in exactly the same position as I am: they too must either live a lie, or face the terrible truth. What do they live for? Why do I love them and look after them, bring them up and watch over them? In order to reach the same state of despair that fills me, or in order to be dull-witted. If I love them I cannot conceal the truth from them. Each step taken in knowledge leads them to this truth.

And the truth is death.

A great man's realizations
To read this is to reveal the logic of a great thinker's enlightenment about the real science of Christ's thinking and healing even if under the cloud of domination of an establishment and state church. He was brave to write it out to the extent of his excommunication in 1901. It is a thought opener. Pertinent in thie time of growing spirituality and questioning of religion.

Frederick R. Andresen, Author of "Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia," over sixteen years in Russian business, six years in residence.

Tolstoy's ideal version of himself
There are at least three Tolstoys. There is the Tolstoy whose mind and capacity for creation, whose ability to observe human life and transform it into the highest form of Literature- this is the first Tolstoy. The second Tolstoy is Tolstoy the man of appetite, the sinner who not only endlessly forced himself upon his wife but who took tens of peasant women for his own pleasure. The third Tolstoy is the would- be- saintly Tolstoy of the 'Confession'. This is the Tolstoy who longs for simplicity in life, for renunciation of wealth and sensual pleasure, for a kind of Christian- like total Love and Devotion to others.
It is true that Tolstoy's greatest works were created before he wrote 'The Confession' And it is true that as his age his physical powers diminished somewhat. But both of those Tolstoys remained with him all his life even if in diminished form. And this third Tolstoy this holy character who nonetheless made his wife and some of his childrens' life a torment, he too persisted with Tolstoy to the end.
Is this to say that the great man was a hypocrite? Yes, and more strongly 'no' He was an enormously complicated human being and a very great creator of Literature.
If however to be judged in terms of his relations to the closest people in his life, sainthood would certainly have to be denied him.

A Search Unfulfilled
This book includes some of Tolstoy's essays written during his time of deep internal spiritual struggle.Upon his renunciation of a life of aristocratic wealth and worldly pleasure, Tolstoy longed for the sense of true peace that he saw in the peasant class.Thus he embarked upon a search for meaning and happiness through a life of simple faith, manual labor, and poverty.He formulated his own Christian philosophy based on Christ's Sermon on the Mount stressing the existence of the Kingdom of God within the human heart, civil disobedience, and total pacifism.This "law of love" is explored deeply in confessional form throughout the works in this collection.Although this particular approach to living the life in Christ ultimately did not cultivate in Tolstoy the deep inner peace that he yearned for, I feel that many of his ideas can be beneficial to people both within the Church as well as not.Regardless of the validity of his doctrine, it cannot be denied that this is an authentic, genuine, and very human confession of a man searching for God and the meaning of life on earth.Although I personally disagree with many of Tolstoy's points, I still hold his Confession to be a universal work that deserves a fair exploration by all who have ever felt a similar need for inner peace and true reconciliation with God. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction by ARTHUR HOPKINS ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
In this landmark biography of Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, A.N. Wilson narrates the complex drama of the writer's life: his childhood of aristocratic privilege but emotional deprivation, his discovery of his literary genius after aimless years of gambling and womanizing, and his increasingly disastrous marriage. Wilson sweeps away the long-held belief that Tolstoy's works were the exact mirror of his life, and instead traces the roots of Tolstoy's art to his relationship with God, with women, and with Russia. He also breaks new ground in recreating the world that shaped the great novelist's life and art--the turmoil of ideas and politics in nineteenth-century Russia and the incredible literary renaissance that made Tolstoy's work possible. 24 pages of illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Tolstoy In Situ
A.N. Wilson's biography of Tolstoy is quite different from a traditional by the dates hagiography.Instead, Wilson succeeds both in telling the story of Tolstoy's life and placing it in the turbulent times in which he lived.The result is a very satisfying work that ranges widely in Russian history, Russian literature and a touch of Christian theology.Wilson's writing also departs from the typical just-the-facts narrative of so many biographies; his own observations and wit are laced through the book.Mostly that style is very effective, although occasionally I felt like Wilson was simply showing off his erudition.

Beyond simply reporting the details of Tolstoy's life, Wilson offers an overview of most of Tolstoy's fiction and some additional analysis of his non-fiction work, particularly his later life essays on religion and government.One of the great insights in the book is how carefully Wilson ties the events and characters in War and Peace and Anna Karenina to the people who shaped Tolstoy's life.While it is a commonplace to say that novelists recycle themselves in their work to some degree, Wilson demonstrates how Tolstoy's life and fiction were thoroughly interwoven.For me, Wilson's analyses of Tolstoy's other fiction was so compelling that I immediately added a number of them to my short-term reading list.

It is not possible to discuss Tolstoy without considering the era in which he lived and his own role in 19th century Russian history.Tolstoy lived through the period in which Russia awoke from centuries of torpid slumber as the nascent intelligentsia and later the radicals sowed the seeds of the Russian revolution and the tragedy that became 20th century Russia.As others have done, Wilson tells how Russia's tiny educated class grew increasingly hostile to the entrenched and largely repressive monarchy and bureaucracy.While Wilson's focus is one Tolstoy's personal disaffection, and how Tolstoy's idiosyncratic quest for God shaped the evolution of his views, he also puts in the context of the growing atmosphere of radicalization. Wilson also makes the point that as Tolstoy's charismatic cult grew, many of his followers were indifferent to or cared little about his literary works. To them he was simply a holy man who would no more traffic in the machinery of the Tsar. One fact that I had not known was that Tolstoy's views on disengagement were an influence on Gandhi's thinking about passive resistance to government.

For all these reasons I highly recommend this biography.

Fascinating!
Have been researching Molokans in Russia.The fascinating story of this eccentric and talented man included many tidbits applicable to our family history in Samara as well as recounting his personal story.Well written, enjoyable reading as well as informative.

AN Wilson
A fascinating biography,very well written!
Makes me want to read more from Tolstoy and Wilson as well!

A decent, albeit slanted, introduction.
Wilson's book is similar to books published by an author such as Robert Payne in that its entertaining and informative, but isn't the sort of book that would be very helpful in conducting graduate research or something of that sort.Much like the biographies of Robert Payne, there's a number of factual inaccuracies that would be patently obvious to scholars of the era.

If you're searching for a brisk and entertaining read, and aren't too hung up on some small detail that Wilson got wrong, then I would definitely recommend Wilson's book.But if you're trying to write a MA thesis, and need the most thorough and accurate information on Tolstoy available, you might want to look elsewhere; as this would probably fit more into the genre of popular biography.Unfortunately, no book exists that is analogous to Joseph Frank's 5 volume biography of Dostoevsky, that focuses on his counterpart Leo Tolstoy, so the best option for someone doing a research paper would probably be Henri Troyat's.

An objective look into the life of a great author
This book is something you can easily read over the span of several sittings, as it is sectioned into several chapters that chronicle each era of Tolstoy's life, making it easy to read.An excellent source of both research and simple enjoyment.

Being a lover of Tolstoy's literature and philosophy, and having read brief snippets of Tolstoy's life in the preface of his novels, I was interested in learning more about the man himself.Wilson has produced a well researched biography that is informative and interesting to read.What I especially like is its clarity on what is fact and what are speculations based on his erratic diaries, using painstaking quotes, footnotes, literary excerpts, and bibliography to back up the author's and literary community's theories.

The result is a portrait of a man at odds with himself, who like Dostoevsky was a living representation of the duality of man.No wonder these writers were so profound at portaying the the human condition, mind, spirit, and soul.If only we could go back in time and walk with these men and speak with them personally, how rich we would be. ... Read more

Product Description
In Petersburg in the eighteen-forties a surprising event occurred. An officer of the Cuirassier Life Guards, a handsome prince who everyone predicted would become aide-de-camp to the Emperor Nicholas I and have a brilliant career, left the service, broke off his engagement to a beautiful maid of honor, a favorite of the Empress's, gave his small estate to his sister, and retired to a monastery to become a monk. This event appeared extraordinary and inexplicable to those who did not know his inner motives, but for Prince Stepan Kasatsky himself it all occurred so naturally . . . ... Read more

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Selections of literary criticism on Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. ... Read more

Product Description
The Short Stories of Leo Tolstoy is an anthology consisting of over 80 short stories of famed Russian author,Leo Tolstoy. This selection includes an active table of contents and the Kindle "go to" options are enabled. Selections in this anthology include:

After the Ball
Albert
The Bear Hunt
The Candle
The Captive in the Caucasus
The Coffee House of Surat
The Cutting of the Forest
The Devil
A Dialogue Among Clever People
Diary of a Lunatic
The Empty Drum
Esarhaddon, King of Assyria
Evil Allures, But Good Endures
Exiled to Siberia
Fables for Children
Father Sergius
The Forged Coupon
After the Dance
Alyosha the Pot
My Dream
There are No Guilty People
The Young Tsar
The Godfather
The Godson
The Grain as Big as a Hen's Egg
The Great Bear
Strider:The Story of a Horse
How Much Land Does One Man Need?
Llyas
The Imp and the Crust
Ivan the Fool
Little Girls Wiser Than Men
A Lost Opportunity
Lucerne
A Spark Neglected Burns the House
Polikushka
The Porcelain Doll
An Old Acquaintance
Recollections of a Billard-marker
The Repentant Sinner
The Snowstorm
Three Deaths
The Three Hermits
Three Parables
Three Questions
Too Dear!
The Two Brothers and the Gold
Two Old Men
What Men Live By
Where Love is, There God is Also
Work, Death and Sickness
God Sees the Truth, but Waits
The Children Wiser than the Elders
The Death of Ivanllich
Hatred is Sweet, but God is Strong
Works of Guy de Maupassant
Church and State
Census in Moscow
Significance of Science and Art
Labor and Luxury
To Women
Why to Men Stupefy Themselves?
Why Do People Stupify Themselves?
The First Step
Help for the Starving
To God or Mammon
Shame
A Letter to Russian Liberals
Two Wars
Thou Shalt Not Kill
Thoughts on God
A Great Iniquity
What the Orthodox Religion Really Is
Last Message to Mankind
For a Single Word
I Cannot Be Silent
A Comparison of America and Europe
Patriotism and Government
To the Working People
The Slavery of Our Times
Bethink Yourselves
Reason and Religion
How to Read the Gospels
Nikolai Palkin
A Terrible Question
Help!
Emigration of the Doukhobors
What's to be Done?
An Appeal to Russians ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent formatting for Ipad
This version has vary nice formatting and working links on the iPad, plus you get all of the authors works for 1.99. An amazingly good deal.

A Mixed Collection
Tales.Anna Karenine (Abridged novel)The Kreutzer Sonata.The Cossacks.TALES:1.Too Dear!2.Love3.The Chinese Pilot4.The Three Questions5.Much Land6.Elias7.Wisdom of Children8.The Right Way9.The Grain10.Martin Avdeitch11.Efim and Elijah12.The Vision At Sea13.The Confesssed Crime14.Promoting a Devil15.Repentance16.Cruelty Avenged17.Payment18.Croesus and Fate19.Quench the Spark.20.The Death of Ivan Ilyitch21.Polikushka22.Two Husars23.Master and Man24.The Snow-Storm.This is a mixed bag of works -- some complete works, one abridged. ... Read more