Family Happiness and Other Stories

"Family Happiness and Other Stories" collects six stories by Russian born Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). Most known for "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina," considered two of the greatest novels in world literature, Tolstoy also penned numerous novellas and short stories which remain valuable classics in their own regards. First published as a novella in 1859, "Family Happiness" explores the female identity within changing romantic relationships. Narrated in first person by the female protagonist Masha, the tale is a skilled and engrossing story of woman's difficult position in a shifting society. "Three Deaths" follows three characters who each are stricken with fatal cases of consumption. Tolstoy examines death with an eloquence and realism unseen in his contemporaries. In "The Three Hermits" an archbishop on a sea voyage pursues three wise men on a secluded island. In "The Devil," two brothers struggle with a new inheritance riddled with debts when sudden romance and lust threaten to turn their world upside down. "Father Sergius" tells of a young aristocrat who, upon discovery of his fiancé's infidelity, retreats into the life of a monastic Orthodox Christian, though this radically new life proves to be difficult. Lastly, in "Master and Man," a landowner and his peasant journey to purchase a small forest only to get caught in a blizzard. The ethics of self-sacrifice resolve this moralizing tale. These classic short stories from Russia's greatest author demonstrate his supreme skill and timeless talent.