ISBN The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

A collection of some of Tolstoy’s most powerful powerful stories

The violent spiritual crisis in Tolstoy’s life that inspired his last period of creativity produced the stories in this compelling and startling collection. They portray the multifaceted nature of desire, from idealistic romance to sexual jealousy, from desperate lust to relentless longing. “The K reutzer Sonata” caused a public sensation with its indictment of so-called Christian marriage, a theme echoed in “Family Happiness.” In “The Devil,” a young man finds it impossible to resist a beautiful peasant woman with whom he had an affair before his marriage. And “Father Sergius” shows a man going to increasingly desperate ends in order to avoid the temptations of the flesh.

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About author(s)
Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) was born in central Russia. After serving in the Crimean War, he retired to his estate and devoted himself to writing, farming, and raising his large family. His novels and outspoken social polemics brought him world fame.