Two Old Men

by Leo Tolstoy, Tim Newcomb (Translator)

Two Old Men, first printed in the folk-oriented journal Russkaya Mysl in 1885, offers a quiet pilgrimage tale that undercuts cliché about holiness. The slender narrative, recounting two villagers’ journey to Jerusalem, invites the reader to weigh ritual travel against immediate charity in a way that still pricks the conscience.

Written during Lent of 1885 and printed the same year, later entering book form in the Posrednik series Stories for the People, the tale belongs to Tolstoy’s didactic phase when he sought to translate Gospel precepts into everyday Russian scenarios; the plain diction, few characters, and direct moral aim suited the censorship climate, allowing the text to circulate without the obstructions that had haunted his more confrontational essays. Efim and Elisha, neighbours bound by a vow to visit the Holy Sepulchre, set out together, yet along the dusty road famine pushes Elisha into a starving household where he spends his pilgrimage alms rescuing children from death, while Efim presses on to the sacred sites, only to discover upon return that his companion’s mercy has fulfilled the spirit of the vow better than any footprint on foreign soil; Tolstoy narrates this divergence with almost documentary restraint, letting gestures replace sermonising. The story’s unsentimental equation of love with practical aid resonated with Russia’s burgeoning charitable movements and later informed the ethical programme of Tolstoyan communes from England to South Africa; its structure also prefigured the narrative minimalism of Chekhov’s mature stories, making it a pedagogical fixture in early Soviet classrooms where ideological censors judged its call for spontaneous service safe yet morally bracing.

This critical reader's edition presents a modern translation of the original manuscript, crafted for the modern reader with clean, contemporary language and simplified sentence structures that clarify his complex Russian phrasing and specific antiquated references. Supplementary material enriches the text with autobiographical, historical, and linguistic context, including an afterword by the translator on Tolstoy’s personal history, impact, and intellectual legacy, an index of the philosophical concepts he employs—emphasizing Existentialism and influence by Schopenhauer—a comprehensive chronological list of his published writings, and a detailed timeline of his life, highlighting the personal relationships that shaped his philosophy.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Classics, Russian Literature, Russia, Religion, Book Club

177 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1885

About the author

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Николаевич Толстой; most appropriately used Liev Tolstoy; commonly Leo Tolstoy in Anglophone countries) was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist fiction. Many consider Tolstoy to have been one of the world's greatest novelists. Tolstoy is equally known for his complicated and paradoxical persona and for his extreme moralistic and ascetic views, which he adopted after a moral crisis and spiritual awakening in the 1870s, after which he also became noted as a moral thinker and social reformer.

His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and anarcho-pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

See also:
French → Léon Tolstoï
Spanish → León Tolstói

Reviews

[Pakinam · Rating 3 out of 5]

"ماذا يستفيد الإنسان لو ربح العالم كله، وخسر نفسه؟!‏ "

العجوزان نوفيلا قصيرة لتولستوي تدور أحداثها حول عجوزين اتفقوا معاً علي الحج إلي أورشليم و بيوضح فيها الكاتب إزاي الإنسانية ومساعدة الآخرين ممكن تكون وسيلة للتقرب إلي الله وأهم أحياناً من ممارسة بعض الشعائر الدينية...

نوفيلا صغيرة و لكنها مكتوبة ببراعة...

[Graham “Smell the Ink” · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful little tale about belief. So long as we live, by loving others and doing them good.

[Muthu · Rating 5 out of 5]

இந்த உலகிற்கு நாம் வந்ததற்கு காரணம் இருவருடைய தூய்மையான காதல் நாம் மென்மேலும் வளர்வதும் இந்த சமூகம் நமக்கு பல கசப்புகள் தந்தாலும் மேற்கொண்டு இந்த வாழ்க்கையை நடத்த நமக்கு பயன்படுவது அன்பு.வாழும் வாழ்க்கை முழுவதுமே பிறருக்கு அன்பு செலுத்தி வாழ்வதே உண்மையான வாழ்க்கை புனிதமான யாத்திரை

[Ann Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two old men set out on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with drastically different experiences. A beautiful short story that begs the question, how does one’s own disposition dictate what we get out of life? Really enjoyed this one!

[Dineshsanth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

கடவுளைத் தேடி புனிதத் தலங்களுக்கு அலைவதை விட உதவிக்கு ஏங்கும் ஏழை மனிதர்களுக்கு உதவுவது உயர்ந்ததும் கடவுளுக்கு மிகவும் உவப்பானதும் கூட என்பதை வலியுறுத்தி எழுதப்பட்ட சிறுகதை.
எளிமையான, இயல்பான கதாபாத்திரங்கள், அலட்டல் இல்லாத உரைநடை. சிறப்பான மொழிபெயர்ப்பு. வாசித்து முடிக்க இருமணி நேரம் போதுமானது.
மதம் மற்றும் கடவுள் விடயத்தில் டால்ஸ்டாயின் கருத்துக்கள் எனது எண்ணங்களோடு ஒத்துப் போவதை இந்நூல் மூலம் அறிந்து கொண்டேன்.

[Dhulkarnain · Rating 4 out of 5]

மனிதநேயம் மடிந்து கொண்டிருக்கும் நம் இந்திய சூழலில்,இந்தக் கதை எழுதப்பட்டு ஒரு நூற்றாண்டுக்கு மேலாகியிருந்தாலும் இந்தக் கதை சொல்லும் மையக்கருத்து இன்றைய சூழலுக்கு மிக அவசியமான ஒன்றாய் இருக்கின்றது. பசித்தவனுக்கு உணவளிப்பது, பிறருடைய துன்பங்களை நீக்க தன்னாலான உதவிகளை செய்வது அதுதான் கடவுளின் அன்பைப் பெறும் வழி என்று எலிஷா என்ற கதாபாத்திரத்தின் மூலம் தான் சொல்லவரும் விஷயத்தை மிக நேர்த்தியாக டால்ஸ்டாய் எழுதியிருக்கிறார்..

[Katie Groom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!! It’s free online to read, I definitely recommend

[Vanessa Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"One never really gets to the end of things. Why, only the other day our women at home were washing the linen and getting ready for the festival — first one thing having to be done, and then another, as if there would never be an end to it all — when at last my eldest daughter-in-law (and
she is a clever woman) exclaimed: 'Never mind if the festival is coming on and we shan't be ready. However much we do, we can't do everything.'"

Beautiful story! I was reminded of "Alyosha the Pot."

[Rui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um exemplo de humanidade.

[الآنسة ليلى · Rating 4 out of 5]

رائعة إلى أبعد الحدود.

[Angelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth reading-I like Tolstoy more than I thought I would. Lots of Biblical references and symbols-a classic pilgrimage tale, woven of familiar icons of parables into something new.

[Kami S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read Leo Tolstoy, I always was intimidated by the idea. But I must say, this short story was very easy to follow and full of Catholic sentiments! Readable in one sitting and a satisfying tale with ponderous thoughts throughout.

[Siva Karthikeyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. In the pilgrimage journey between two old men one does good deeds on the way helping people in need and prematurely ends the journey. This books takes us to the actual scenes. Positive takeaways.

[Vinoth Srinivasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple book teaching "Anbae Sivam".

[Anand Chauhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best way to keep one's vows to God and to do His will, is for each man while he lives to show love and do good to others.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and easy to follow tale focusing on how it's never about the destination, and it's always more about the journey.

Two men, same destination, took different paths. Whether they succeed in reaching their goal is up to you to decide.

If you are like me and want to start your Tolstoy era but are scared, this can be a very good step.

[Karthick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elisha's godly message is Its not Pilgrimage but showring love and doing good to others are steps to reach god.

Humanity is everything

[Dev Shani]

मैने इस कहानी का हिन्दीकरण पढा. जिसमें पात्रों के नाम और स्थान को बदलकर हिन्दी भाषी अनुरूप किया गया था. जो मौलिकता को खो deta है इसलिए मैं रेटिंग नहीं करूंगा.ये 0 स्टार नहीं है

[Megan Medley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfect story. So much to reflect on. I fully recognize that I’m Efim in this story and I wish I was Elisha.

[WaliD · Rating 4 out of 5]

لا يوجد ما هو أغلى أو أثمن من الروح.. ماذا يستفيد الإنسان لو ربح العالم كله، وخسر نفسه؟!‏

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The journey may look one way while the Providential hand of God is making a different way. Embrace the journey God has planned. Great story.

[TabacariuR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving others and being good to one another!

[Cassie Conger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely short story. Very worth it. Just beautiful.

[Ravi Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this thought-provoking short story, Tolstoy explores the profound themes of friendship, mortality, and the search for meaning in life.

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly written and conceived, but naïve to the point of idiocy; for when they'd recovered, the peasants would have robbed Elisha, slit his throat from ear to ear, and made sausages out of his carcass, and not necessarily in that order. NB: "Little Russia" is better known as Ukraine and "Mary of Egypt" was a reformed whore (evidently whores had lots of money which the church coveted)... The Brothers Grimm had a much better conception of peasant baseness.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story that I’ll remember for awhile.

[Abdul Raheem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only 48 pages.. Simple & Worthy. Humanity wins..

[#DÏ4B7Ø Chinnamasta-Bhairav]

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To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~

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Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~

Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct

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" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”

Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous

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Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind

A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through

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[Ricardo Kazakevich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful little tale that pulls you into Russian peasant life.

The lesson it teaches, mainly about humility and spiritual purity, is rather dull and most likely familiar to readers. Yet, I find the way Tolstoy writes this all-too-familiar arc refreshing and captivating; his style truly teleports you into the moment. The story of Elisey reads like an old hagiography. The reader cannot help but feel a sense of shame when confronted with the fact that they likely resemble the character of Efim more than they would have liked. We should, in turn, all strive to be more like Elisey: humble, unbothered by worldly things, and naturally aligned with the Good.

If anything, the work illustrates Tolstoy's attitude towards meaningless ritual, preferring a ‘true pilgrimage’ over a ‘correct pilgrimage’.

[Ihthar Zeenath · Rating 5 out of 5]

ஜெருசல யாத்திரை செல்ல எண்ணும் இரண்டு கிழவர்கள், எபிஃம் மற்றும் எலிஷா. தன் வேலைகளை பற்றி எல்லாம் கவலை கொள்ளாமல் யாத்திரை மட்டுமே இலக்கு என தயாராகின்றார் எலிஷா. தன் தொழில், குடும்பம், தான் கட்டிக்கொண்டிருக்கும் வீடு பற்றி எல்லாம் கவலைப்பட்டுக்கொண்டே பயணத்தில் இணைந்து கொள்கிறார்கள் எபிஃம். பயணத்தில் இடையில் பிரிய நெர்க்கிறது எலிஷாவிற்க்கு . இடையில் இணைந்து கொள்வதாக எலிஷா கொடுத்த வாக்குறுதியால், எப்போதும் அவர் பயணத்தில் இணைய கூடும் என வழி நெடுகிலும் விசாரித்துக்கொண்டே செல்கிறார் எபிஃம். இறுதியில் ஜெருசலேமில் அவரைக் கண்டும் விடுகிறார்.

ஆனால் எலிஷாவோ இடையிலேயே பயணத்தை முடித்துக் கொண்டு வீடு திரும்புகிறார். வீட்டுக்கு திரும்பிவிட்ட எலிஷாவை ஜெருசலேமில் எபிஃம் கண்டது எப்படி???. இதற்கான பதிலே "இரண்டு கிழவர்கள்".

டால்ஸ்டாயின் ஆன்மீகத்தின் மீதான பார்வையை காட்டுவதே இந்த கதை.