Collected Shorter Fiction

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Written over a period of more than half a century, these stories reflect every aspect of Tolstoy's art and personality. They cover his experiences as a solder in the Caucasus, his married life, his passionate interest in the peasantry, his cult of truth and simplicity, and, above all, his growing preoccupation with religion. Ranging in scope from mini-novels like The Kreutzer Sonata and Hadji Murad to tiny folktales a few pages long, they provide a marvelous opportunity to become closely acquainted with a writer whose major novels some people find daunting. In these two handsome volumes, every aspect of Tolstoy's art and personality is reflected: his experiences as a soldier in the Caucasus, his married life, his passionate interest in the peasantry, his belief in truth and simplicity, and above all, his growing preoccupation with religion. Ranging in scope from the short novels Hadj Murad and The Kreutzer Sonata to folktales only a few pages long, they bring us intimately into the world of the great Russian novelist.