Leo Tolstoy's 20 Greatest Short Stories Annotated is at a Library Near You

 

The number of libraries purchasing a copy of Tolstoy's short stories that I edited is growing by leaps and bounds. Follow this link to see if Leo Tolstoy's 20 Greatest Short Stories Annotated is at a library near you: http://www.worldcat.org/title/leo-tolstoys-20-greatest-short-stories-annotated/oclc/457080394

One of the most surprising is in Abu Dhabi. You can get a copy of the Tolstoy ebook for less than $8 on Google Books. The paperback can be had for $14.98 on Amazon. Enjoy!

391 pages : illustrations

A candle --

After the dance --

Albert --

Alyosha the pot --

An old acquaintance --

Does a man need much land? --

If you neglect the fire, you don't put it out --

Khodinka: an incident of the coronation of Nicholas II --

Lucerne --

Memoirs of a lunatic --

My dream --

Recollections of a scorer --

The empty drum --

The long exile --

The posthumous papers of the Hermit, Fedor Kusmich --

The young Tsar --

There are no guilty people --

Three deaths --

Two old men --

What men live by.

#TolstoyShortStories #TolstoyAnnotated #TolstoyStories #BestTolstoyTales #BestTolstoyShortStories

The Best Short Stories of Tolstoy on Sale Now - Edited by Andrew Barger

 

Tolstoy under the tree!

"Anna Karenina" and "War and Peace" branded Tolstoy as one of the greatest writers in modern history. Few, however, have read his wonderful short stories. Now, in one collection, are the 20 Greatest Short Stories of Leo Tolstoy Annotated, which give a snapshot of Russia and its people in the late nineteenth century. A fine introduction is given by Andrew Barger. Annotations are included of difficult Russian terms. There is also a Tolstoy biography at the start of the book with photos of Tolstoy's relatives. The 20 classic Tolstoy short stories include:

A Candle

After the Dance

Albert

Alyosha the Pot

An Old Acquaintance

Does a Man Need Much Land?

If You Neglect the Fire You Don't Put It Out

Khodinka: An Incident of the Coronation of Nicholas II

Lucerne

Memoirs of a Lunatic

My Dream

Recollections of a Scorer

The Empty Drum

The Long Exile

The Posthumous Papers of the Hermit Fedor Kusmich

The Young Tsar

There Are No Guilty People

Three Deaths

Two Old Men

What Men Live By

These Tolstoy short stories will make a great holiday gift for the special someone in your life. Put some Tolstoy under your tree and buy now!

#TolstoyShortStories #TolstoyTales #TolstoyBook #HolidayBook #BestTolstoyStories #HolidayBookIdeas #TolstoyAnnotated

Leo Tolstoy's 5 Greatest Novellas Annotated by Andrew Barger - Q & A

 

Leo Tolstoy's 5 Greatest Novellas Annotated

Below is a Q&A I did for Tolstoy's best short novels (or long short stories) that I annotated. I hope you enjoy it.

Q1: You have previously edited Leo Tolstoy's 20 Greatest Short Stories Annotated. What made you turn to his shorter novels that we today call novellas? 

A1: A dainty literary word, isn't it? Tolstoy's novellas offer much richer characters than his short stories. His war stories are especially vibrant since he drew from his war experiences in the Caucus. 

Q2: What is your favorite Tolstoy novella?

A2: "Master and Man." Only Tolstoy could write a short novel that shows the juxtaposition between the rich and the poor in such a way. There is cruelty, a Russian snowstorm, just deserves, and love. The ending is fabulous.

Q3: Why did you annotate this collection of Tolstoy novellas?

A3: Just like for his best short stories, I wanted to add color to Russian terms and many of the historical figures mentioned by Tolstoy who were popular individuals of the day. I think many people think of Tolstoy as an author who wrote during the long Russian winters in a cabin and was a bit out of touch with popular society. The opposite is true. Tolstoy was very topical for his day. He references the leading artists and met a lot of his contemporaries--at least in Russian literature. Tolstoy came from a high society family with deep ties to the military and Russian aristocrats. He was also well traveled, which only wealthy families could afford in those days. His story about the Swiss hotel he visited in Lucerne is included in Tolstoy's best short stories and is one of his best.

Q4: What do you think Tolstoy would write about if he were alive today? 

A4: He would still be calling out religious wrongs and trying to help the poor. Not much would change. Tolstoy loved gardening and living off the land. He was anti-establishment, too. He was the first to start a Montessori-type school. He wore peasant clothes and didn't shave his beard. Tolstoy was the original hippie. (Laughs)

Q5: What surprised you the most about these stories?

A5: It has to be Tolstoy's comedic side. As Americans we tend to think of Russians as rather stoic and serious people. Of course, that is not the case all the time, but it is a perception. Tolstoy is no different. Most people, myself included, think of Tolstoy as the serious Russian bear of literature. Yet most of the five novellas included in the anthology have moments that caused to me laugh out loud. That's saying a lot since some of them are 150 years old.

http://www.andrewbarger.com

#tolstoynovelas #tolstoynovellas #tosltoyshortstories #master&man #tolstoyannotated

Get Leo Tolstoy's 20 Greatest Short Stories Annotated at a Library Near You

The number of libraries purchasing a copy of Tolstoy's short stories that I edited is growing by leaps and bounds. Follow this link to see if Leo Tolstoy's 20 Greatest Short Stories Annotated is at a library near you: http://www.worldcat.org/title/leo-tolstoys-20-greatest-short-stories-annotated/oclc/457080394

If not, you can get a copy of the Tolstoy ebook for less than $8 on Google Books. Enjoy!

#TolstoyShortStories #TolstoyAnnotated

New Annotated Book of Tolstoy's Best Novellas Published

I am happy to announce that Leo Tolstoy's 5 Greatest Novellas Annotated is now published in both ebook and print formats. The cover is not too shabby, either.

After reading "War & Peace," Fyodor Dostoevsky put the book down and said, "The fool hath said in heart there is no God." Yet, Tolstoy's shorter novels (i.e., novellas) are filled with all the war, adventure, comedy, religion, tragedy, and Russian tradition that inhabit the longer novels of the Russian bear of literature. But there is much more to this anthology. I have included a short biography on Tolstoy and a chronology of his life and publications.

1) The Invaders - A Russian team moves against Shamyl and his Islamic army in the Caucasus, which is based on Tolstoy's military experiences in the 1850s.
2) The Death of Ivan Ilyich - When a man who has done good his entire life is stricken with an illness, it makes him question everything.
3) Two Hussars - When a hell-raiser takes lodging in a small Russian city, debauchery is inevitable but will it be matched years later by his son?
4) Father Sergius - The taboo subject of a priest being subjected to physical temptation is explored in one of Tolstoy's most scandalous stories.
5) Master & Man - By the end of this snowstorm adventure, you will be asking yourself, Who is the master and who is the servant?

What do some of the world's greatest literary minds have to say about the works of Tolstoy:
"A second Shakespeare." Gustave Flaubert
"No English novelist is as great as Tolstoy." E.M. Forster
"The greatest Russian writer of prose fiction." Vladimir Nabokov
"The greatest of all novelists." Virginia Woolf

Read the shorter novels of Leo Tolstoy today.