Sevastopol

Leo Tolstoy

Three short stories about the everyday life of besieged Sevastopol a century and a half ago. There are no main characters as such, or rather, each participant, whether an officer or a soldier, at one point or another is in the sight of the authors attention. It is felt that the essays were written by a participant in the events, an eyewitness. In the first part of the work, the writer introduces us to the military situation of that time, the faces of the military through a description of the life of the soldiers, some episodes in my imagination merge into one face of a Russian soldier, who may have to die here.

The Cause of It All. A Play in Two Acts

Leo Tolstoy

Alcoholism then and now caused endless quarrels, domestic violence, senseless violence, disintegration of families, and a decrease in the life expectancy of men. So, we see that Tolstoys message is deeply appropriate, and his strategy to convey this tale of morality for most people was to make it simple, short, with an emphasis on the destructive effect of alcohol. This is truly a moral story and thats good because it solves a real problem that destroys the structure of society.

The Cossacks. A Tale of 1852

Leo Tolstoy

The main character of the story, Dmitry Olenin, is close to the author both in spiritual experience and in moral aspirations. Like Tolstoy, he finds himself in the Caucasus in an attempt to start a new life, "in which there will be no more mistakes, there will be no remorse, and probably there will be only happiness." But instead of imagining paintings on the way to the Caucasus in the spirit of Russian romantic literature, the hero of the story had to see real life and feel like a stranger in a world untouched by civilization.

The First Distiller. A Comedy in Six Acts

Leo Tolstoy

Such was the breadth of Tolstoys talents that he was unsurpassed in stories, essays and plays. A play about a demon who was stuck on the theft of the souls of peasants. The story itself is a story about juvenile morality, which seems so heavy that Tolstoys footprints should be on every page.

The Forged Coupon and Other Stories

Leo Tolstoy

At the beginning of the story, walking along an incline, some of Tolstoys characters lie, commit robberies and even killings. The author allows his heroes to experience feelings of satisfaction and complete impunity, after they have committed terrible atrocities. Pelageyushkin, going to the massacres, is content with one own impunity. Tolstoy conducts his heroes in hellish circles: all terrible crimes are uncovered. The punishment for the crime hangs with a Damocles sword over the heads of Tolstoy literary characters. It is also interesting that the writer selects his heroes from each social group.

The Invaders and Other Stories

Leo Tolstoy

A fantastic collection of stories written by the master Leo Tolstoy himself. The war of Russia with foreign invaders is depicted in the novel as a peoples war, fair. The people defended their national independence, their historical right to decide their own destinies.

The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

Leo Tolstoy

So in this work the reader appears to be one of the companions in the train. At first, there are usual discussions on a common topic, when everyone expresses his opinion, and then, leaving at his station, he remains at his own. But those who go further can hear a frank story about passions, feelings, about the tragedy of one private life. Accurately written about the influence of music. And this moment only emphasizes that the person who so perceives music, deep down in his soul is capable of the strongest experiences. It is not surprising that it was music, observation of what was happening in the soul of musicians during a truly felt performance, that became a powerful impetus to that tragic act.

The Light Shines in Darkness. Drama

Leo Tolstoy

The drama The Light Shines reflects the events of Tolstoys life in the broadest, most typified generalizations. Therefore, it would be a gross mistake to fully identify the content of the drama with the life of Tolstoy, his family and those around him. Nevertheless, there is a close relationship between them. So, the drama of Nikolai Ivanovich Saryntsev is, of course, the drama of Tolstoy himself. In the person of Maria Ivanovna Saryntseva, some characteristic features of S. A. Tolstoy are outlined. The same should be said of the other characters in the play, which are very reminiscent of either Tolstoys family or those who came into close contact with his family. And the drunk Alexander Petrovich who appears in the fourth act is taken from real life. This is Tolstoys scribe, Alexander Petrovich Ivanov, a former officer who became trampless, an inhabitant of Rzhanovs house.