Leo Tolstoy — Short Works

"The Raid" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1853. The story, set in the Caucasus, takes the form of a conversation between the narrator and a military captain about the nature of bravery. The story is based on Tolstoy's own experiences as an artillery cadet stationed in the Caucasus.

Also translated as "A Marker's Notes."

"Recollections of a Billiard-marker" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written and published in 1855, early in Tolstoy's career. It was translated to English by Nathan Haskell Dole. George Herbert Perris described the work as containing "scenic and incidental realism."

Also translated as "The Wood-Felling."

"The Cutting of the Forest" is a short novella by Leo Tolstoy written and published in 1855, early in Tolstoy's career.

"The Snowstorm" is a short story by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. It was first published in 1856, in the literary and political magazine Sovremennik.

Also translated as "A Landowner's Morning" and "A Farmer's Morning."

"A Landowner's Morning", also translated as "A Morning of a Landed Proprietor" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written and published in 1856, early in Tolstoy's career. It is a fragment of Tolstoy's unfinished Novel of a Russian Landowner.

"Lucerne: From the Recollections of Prince D. Nekhliudoff" is a first person narrative, in the form of diary and based on personal experiences, written by Leo Tolstoy in 1857 and translated into English in 1899 by Nathan Haskell Dole. It takes the form of a travel diary of someone in Lucerne, Switzerland.

"Albert" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy. It was originally published in 1858 in Sovremennik. The eponymous main character is a talented but drunken violinist who is invited to live with the nobleman Delesof, but who quickly sours the relationship by his continuous drinking and refusal to play.

"Three Deaths: A Tale" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy first published in 1859. It narrates the deaths of three subjects: a noblewoman, a coachman and a tree.

Also translated with the title "Exiled to Siberia" and "The Long Exile."

"God Sees the Truth, But Waits" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy first published in 1872. The story, about a man sent to prison for a murder he did not commit, takes the form of a parable of forgiveness. English translations were also published under titles "The Confessed Crime", "Exiled to Siberia", and "The Long Exile". The concept of the story of a man wrongfully accused of murder and banished to Siberia also appears in one of Tolstoy's previous works, War and Peace, during a philosophical discussion between two characters who relate the story and argue how the protagonist of their story deals with injustice and fate. Along with his novella The Prisoner of the Caucasus, Tolstoy personally considered this short story to be his only great artistic achievement.

Originally published in А́збука, Tolstoy's ABC book for Russian children.

The Prisoner of the Caucasus is an 1872 novella written by Leo Tolstoy for his ABC book. The story, originally intended for rural children, is written in simplified language. It was inspired by an incident from the Caucasian War that had happened to Tolstoy himself in June 1853 near Grozny. The title contains an allusion to the 1821 poem by Pushkin. It is included in the English-language compilation Twenty-Three Tales.

"The Bear Hunt" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1872. It was translated as Desire Stronger than Necessity in 1888 by Nathan Haskell Dole.

Also translated as "Hatred is Sweet, but God is Strong."

Also translated as "Where Love Is, There Is God Also" and "Martin the Cobbler"

"Where Love Is, God Is" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy. The title references the Catholic hymn Ubi Caritas. One English translation of this short story as translated by Nathan Haskell Dole uses the alternate title translation of "Where Love Is, There God Is Also". It was published in the United States under Crowell Company's "Worth While Booklet" Series. It was written in 1885.

"The Two Brothers and the Gold" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1885.

Translated by Leo Wiener in 1904.

"Two Old Men" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1885. It is a religious piece that was translated to English by Leo Wiener in 1904. According to Christianity Today, it is the story of Efim and Elisha, two neighbors who decide to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem before dying, "but one gets sidetracked caring for a needy family".

Also translated as "Little Girls Wiser than Men."

"Wisdom of Children" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy first published in 1885. It takes the form of a parable about forgiveness.

Also translated as "Elias."

"Ilyás" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1885. It is the story of the farmer, Ilyas, who grew up successful but loses his fortune through mistake, in the end only finding peace without having property.

This is a list of works by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910), including his novels, novellas, short stories, fables and parables, plays, and nonfiction.

Also translated as "A Spark Neglected Burns the House."

"Quench the Spark" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy first published in 1885. The story takes the form of a parable concerning the virtues of reconciliation.

Also translated as "That Whereby Men Live" and (literally) as "What People Live By."

"What Men Live By" is a short story written by Russian author Leo Tolstoy in 1885. It is one of the short stories included in his collection What Men Live By, and Other Tales, published in 1885. The compilation also included the written pieces "The Three Questions", "The Coffee-House of Surat", and "How Much Land Does a Man Need?".

More literal translation title: "A Grain as Big as a Hen's Egg."

"The Godson" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy published in 1886. Inessa Medzhibovskaya, professor of English at New School for Social Research, describes the short story as the tale of a godson who is forbidden to open a certain sealed room in his godfather's palace, but then opens it and is banished, leading to his need for redemption.

Also translated as "The Imp and the Crust."

Promoting a Devil is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy first published in 1886.. It is a cautionary tale story about a man who fell into a sinful life when he was given more than he needed.

Also translated as "The Repentant Sinner."

"Repentance" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy first published in 1886 by Intermediary. The story details the difficulties of a repentant sinner's attempts to enter Heaven. Like several other of Tolstoy's stories, it was based on folklore and religious tales.

Also translated as "Croesus and Solon"

"Croesus and Fate" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy that is a retelling of a Greek legend, classically told by Herodotus, and Plutarch, about the king Croesus. It was first published in 1886 by Tolstoy's publishing company The Intermediary. Tolstoy's version is shorter than that by Herodotus, and Tolstoy's characterization of Croesus was designed to parallel the title character in his 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilych.

"The Godson" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy published in 1886. Inessa Medzhibovskaya, professor of English at New School for Social Research, describes the short story as the tale of a godson who is forbidden to open a certain sealed room in his godfather's palace, but then opens it and is banished, leading to his need for redemption.

"How Much Land Does a Man Require?" is an 1886 short story by Leo Tolstoy about a man who, in his greed, forfeits everything.

FULL TITLE: Сказка об Иване-дураке и его двух братьях: Семене-воине и Тарасе-брюхане, и немой сестре Маланье, и о старом дьяволе и трех чертенятах. [The Tale of Ivan the Fool and his two brothers, Semyon called the Warrior and Taras called the Pot-Belly, of his mute sister Malanyia, and of the Old Devil and Three Little Devils]

"The Three Hermits" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy written in 1885 and first published in 1886 in the weekly periodical Niva (нива). It appeared in the short-story collection Twenty-Three Tales which was first translated into English for an edition released by Funk & Wagnalls in 1907. The title refers to its three central characters; unnamed simple monks living on a remote island in a life of prayer and contemplation "for the salvation of their souls."

"A Lost Opportunity" is an 1889 fable by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. The story was included in The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories publication of 1889.

Also translated with the title "The Empty Drum: A Russian Folk Tale Retold by Leo Tolstoy."

"The Empty Drum: A Russian Folk Tale Retold by Leo Tolstoy" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy published in 1891. According to Aylmer Maude, famous Tolstoy translator, it was originally written in 1887, and is based on a folk story that reflects the Russian peasant's deep hatred of military service. It is based specifically on a folktale from the Volga region.

"Franciya." This was a translation/adaption of an 1889 story by de Maupassant.

"The Port" is a short story by Guy de Maupassant written in 1889 and translated by Leo Tolstoy into Russian in 1891 as Françoise: A Story After Maupassant ("Франсуаза"). Other works by Maupaussant translated by Tolstoy include Too Dear!, which is often included in the popular collection of Tolstoy's work Twenty Three Tales.

First English translation published 1901.

"The Coffee-House of Surat" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1891, first published in Russian in 1893, and first published in English in 1901. Like several other of Tolstoy's works, this work is based on a French piece translated by Tolstoy himself, by Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. Due to the censorship in Russia, Tolstoy had to adjust the tale somewhat.

Also known as "The Dream of a Young Tsar."

"The Young Tsar" ("Нечаянно") is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1894. According to Tolstoy's diary, he recalled having titled it "The Dream of a Young Tsar". The introduction that prefaces the story is by Aylmer Maude.

"Master and Man" is an 1895 short story by Leo Tolstoy.

"Too Dear!" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy first published in 1897. It is a humorous account of the troubles of dealing with a criminal in the kingdom of Monaco.

"Esarhaddon, King of Assyria" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1903. Tolstoy wrote it as part of an anthology dedicated to the victims of the Kishinev pogrom in Russia, with all of the proceeds going to a relief fund. It is the story of a king who oppresses his subjects.

Also translated as "Labour, Death, and Disease"

"Work, Death, and Sickness", sometimes also translated as "The Right Way", is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy written in 1903. The story takes the form of a parable about the creation of work, death, and sickness.

This was an adaptation of an 1854 story by Victor Hugo.

"The Poor People" is a short story written by Victor Hugo in 1854, translated into Russian by Lidia Veselitskaya, and then rewritten or retold by Leo Tolstoy in 1908. It is the story of a woman, the protagonist, her husband, their five children, and how some romantic feelings survive amidst their struggle in poverty. According to Sophia Tolstoy, in the story, the wife of another fisherman dies while giving birth, and Jeanne must take in the children.

Unfinished at the time of Tolstoy's death.

"There Are No Guilty People" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1909. According to the Cambridge Companion on Tolstoy, the work is directed against the death penalty. It was incomplete, and when published after Tolstoy's death, resulted in a flood of letters, the reaction mixed. The government tried to censor the work, sentencing one person distributing copies of it to prison.

"Three Days in the Village" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1909, one year before Tolstoy's death. Although classified as fiction, it is autobiographical in nature and details Tolstoy's life on his estate and his travels to nearby villages, and the contrasts between the two. It was translated by Louise Maude and Aylmer Maude.

"Singing In The Village" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1909 and published in 1910. While classified as a short story, translator and biographer Aylmer Maude described the piece as a sketch. According to The Spectator in 1910, the story details "...the incidents of his daily life, his conversations with his village friends and with the tramps and beggars who gather at his door, and his reflections upon them."

"Alyosha the Pot" is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy in 1905 about the life and death of a simple, uncomplaining worker. It was published after Tolstoy's death in 1911 and received high praise from Tolstoy's contemporaries. D. S. Mirsky considered it "a masterpiece of rare perfection." Alyosha's simple life, soft-spoken manner, and calm acceptance of death epitomizes Tolstoyan principles.

"Father Sergius" is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy between 1890 and 1898 and first published (posthumously) in 1911.

Also translated as "After the Dance."

"After the Ball" is a short story by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, written in the year 1903 and published posthumously in 1911. The short story serves as an example of Tolstoy's commentary on high culture and social governance, as explored through one man's experience with love.

Also translated as "Memoirs of a Madman" or "The Diary of a Madman."

"Diary of a Lunatic" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1884.

Also translated as "The Posthumous Notes of the Elder Fyodor Kuzmich."

"Posthumous Notes of the Hermit Fëdor Kuzmich" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in December, 1905, and then only published in 1912, over the ferocious objections of the tsarist censors and two years after Tolstoy's death. It was never completed.

An unfinished story published posthumously.

"Khodynka: An Incident of the Coronation of Nicholas II" ("Ходынка") is an unfinished short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1898. It is about the Khodynka Tragedy, where 1,300 people were crushed to death in a stampede at the coronation of Nicholas II in 1896. It is loosely based on the story Khodynka: The story of one not trampled to death by V.F. Krasnov. According to award-winning biographer Alexandra Popoff, Leo Tolstoy frequently talked with his wife, Sophia Tolstoy, about the tragedy and how it weighed on his heart. According to Ronald Hingley, it was only published posthumously in 1912.