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Le réveillon du jeune tsar
Rare Book
83 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1894
8 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Leo Tolstoy
7,831 books29k followersLev 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 16, 2018
القيصر الشاب
قصة قصيرة لتولستوي يبدو فيها حالما جدا.
بالحلم يمر على مواقع كثيرة في مملكته وما فيها من ظلم وفساد واستبداد .
وهناك من يزين له ان قراراته هي لمصلحة الشعب وما يحدث هي اخطاء لافراد ارتكبوا الأفعال السيئة.
لكن ايضا الفساد والظلم موجود.
فأي طريق سيختار القيصر طريق الانسان الذي يشعر مع الانسان ام الحاكم الذي لا يأتيه الباطل.
بعد ٥٠ سنة سيحكم الناس عليه
قصة قصيرة لتولستوي يبدو فيها حالما جدا.
بالحلم يمر على مواقع كثيرة في مملكته وما فيها من ظلم وفساد واستبداد .
وهناك من يزين له ان قراراته هي لمصلحة الشعب وما يحدث هي اخطاء لافراد ارتكبوا الأفعال السيئة.
لكن ايضا الفساد والظلم موجود.
فأي طريق سيختار القيصر طريق الانسان الذي يشعر مع الانسان ام الحاكم الذي لا يأتيه الباطل.
بعد ٥٠ سنة سيحكم الناس عليه
April 7, 2019
This short story about a young tsar taken on a dream journey to see all the evil of his empire reads like Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It's quite short and not nearly a satisfying as Dickens' take on the subject, but decently executed nonetheless.
December 27, 2021
القصير الشاب
قصة قصيرة اخرى من روائع تولستوى و اجمل ما فيها انها تناقش امر طالما كان فى اذهاننا نحن ابناء الشعب و هل الحاكم يرى ما نراه ، يشعر بما نشعر به !! اما الفساد فهل هو على علم به , الظلم هل يوافق عليه ، اسئلة لا حصر لها .
هنا ياخذنا تولستوى فى حكاية القصير الشاب الذى بعد انتهاء يومه اخيرا يلجا للراحة فيغفو قليلا و يحلم حلم اقرب الى الواقع , ياخذه شخص الى الازقة و الفقراء , الى المصالح الحكومية , الى الحدود و العساكر ليرى الظلم و الفساد المنتشر بين المسئولين و الفقراء المطحونين بين هولاء .
لنرى عندما يصحو اخيرا هل سوف يصلح الاخطاء ام يصدق المحيطين به ؟
سوف نرى بعد 50 عام كما قال تولستوى ما سيقوله التاريخ
رسالة لكل الحكام .
قصة قصيرة اخرى من روائع تولستوى و اجمل ما فيها انها تناقش امر طالما كان فى اذهاننا نحن ابناء الشعب و هل الحاكم يرى ما نراه ، يشعر بما نشعر به !! اما الفساد فهل هو على علم به , الظلم هل يوافق عليه ، اسئلة لا حصر لها .
هنا ياخذنا تولستوى فى حكاية القصير الشاب الذى بعد انتهاء يومه اخيرا يلجا للراحة فيغفو قليلا و يحلم حلم اقرب الى الواقع , ياخذه شخص الى الازقة و الفقراء , الى المصالح الحكومية , الى الحدود و العساكر ليرى الظلم و الفساد المنتشر بين المسئولين و الفقراء المطحونين بين هولاء .
لنرى عندما يصحو اخيرا هل سوف يصلح الاخطاء ام يصدق المحيطين به ؟
سوف نرى بعد 50 عام كما قال تولستوى ما سيقوله التاريخ
رسالة لكل الحكام .
November 30, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2026
First finished read of the year!
Tbh, I started this one on a whim from a short story collection I have of Tolstoy and it was actually not bad. Nothing exceptional but still a quick and good read.
Tbh, I started this one on a whim from a short story collection I have of Tolstoy and it was actually not bad. Nothing exceptional but still a quick and good read.
November 28, 2014
Free download available at LibriVox.
June 21, 2015
A story that has a lot to offer in just a couple of pages.
June 29, 2017
On reconnaît Tolstoï dans le personnage de "mémoire d'un fou" le jeune homme en guerre avec ses crises d'angoisse (des fois exagérés), torturé par l'absurdité de son existence.
"Ainsi meurt l'amour" était le meilleur récit, là où Tolstoï analyse l'impact de la conscience sociale, et comment l'homme finit par être absorbé par les convictions du milieu où il vit (donnant l'exemple d'Ivan qui a renoncé à l'amour de sa vie "Evanka" parce que son père a fait preuve de bassesse envers un prisonnier).
Extrait de la fin (calme mais bouleversante):
"Je ne sais comment j'arrivai jusqu'à mon domicile et comment je me couchai. Mais je ne pus m'endormir, je sursautais à chaque instant.
- Il doit connaître quelque chose que j'ignore, pensais-je en songeant au colonel. Si je le savais, je comprendrais peut-être ce que j'ai vu et cela ne me torturerait plus.
Mais j'eus beau réfléchir, je ne pus trouver. Et je m'endormis seulement vers le soir ; et encore après m'être préalablement enivrer avec un camarade.
En avais-je conclu que le supplice était inique ? Pas le moins du monde : si cela se faisait avec une telle assurance et était considéré comme nécessaire, c'est qu'une raison qui m'était inconnue justifiait l'acte. Et je cherchais à percer le mystère, mais en vain.
Aussi, dans cet état de doute, je renonçai à entrer dans l'armée comme je l'avais longtemps désiré. Je ne servis donc nulle part et, comme vous le voyez, je n'ai pas été bon à grand'chose.
- Nous dirons, au contraire, qu'il y a bien des gens qui ne vous valent pas.
- Ça, ce n'est qu'un sottise certaine,s'écria Ivan Vassilievitch avec une colère très sincère.
- Et l'amour ? dit l'un de nous.
- L'amour ?... Depuis ce jour-là, il partit à la dérive... Quand, suivant son habitude, souriante et rêveuse, elle me regardait, je voyais aussitôt le colonel sur le champ de torture et je ressentais une gêne extrême. Nos entrevues devinrent de plus en plus rares et l'amour descendit à zéro... Et voilà comment vont les choses, voilà comment se détermine une vie... Et vous dites?... termina-t-il".
"Ainsi meurt l'amour" était le meilleur récit, là où Tolstoï analyse l'impact de la conscience sociale, et comment l'homme finit par être absorbé par les convictions du milieu où il vit (donnant l'exemple d'Ivan qui a renoncé à l'amour de sa vie "Evanka" parce que son père a fait preuve de bassesse envers un prisonnier).
Extrait de la fin (calme mais bouleversante):
"Je ne sais comment j'arrivai jusqu'à mon domicile et comment je me couchai. Mais je ne pus m'endormir, je sursautais à chaque instant.
- Il doit connaître quelque chose que j'ignore, pensais-je en songeant au colonel. Si je le savais, je comprendrais peut-être ce que j'ai vu et cela ne me torturerait plus.
Mais j'eus beau réfléchir, je ne pus trouver. Et je m'endormis seulement vers le soir ; et encore après m'être préalablement enivrer avec un camarade.
En avais-je conclu que le supplice était inique ? Pas le moins du monde : si cela se faisait avec une telle assurance et était considéré comme nécessaire, c'est qu'une raison qui m'était inconnue justifiait l'acte. Et je cherchais à percer le mystère, mais en vain.
Aussi, dans cet état de doute, je renonçai à entrer dans l'armée comme je l'avais longtemps désiré. Je ne servis donc nulle part et, comme vous le voyez, je n'ai pas été bon à grand'chose.
- Nous dirons, au contraire, qu'il y a bien des gens qui ne vous valent pas.
- Ça, ce n'est qu'un sottise certaine,s'écria Ivan Vassilievitch avec une colère très sincère.
- Et l'amour ? dit l'un de nous.
- L'amour ?... Depuis ce jour-là, il partit à la dérive... Quand, suivant son habitude, souriante et rêveuse, elle me regardait, je voyais aussitôt le colonel sur le champ de torture et je ressentais une gêne extrême. Nos entrevues devinrent de plus en plus rares et l'amour descendit à zéro... Et voilà comment vont les choses, voilà comment se détermine une vie... Et vous dites?... termina-t-il".
July 22, 2011
Quatre contes, vraiment très bons, qui condensent les thèmes chers à Tolstoï.
February 15, 2015
J'ai apprécié cette lecture et j'en suis même sorti avec de petites "citations" qui m'ont plu !
Les mémoires d'un fou :
"Il me semblait que j'avais peur de la mort, mais, devant la vie, je tremblais encore plus. Imperceptiblement, la vie et la mort s'amalgamaient, s'unissaient."
Le réveillon du jeune tsar (Mon conte préféré dans ce recueil, et qui me semble-t-il va me pousser à faire une connaissance plus profonde de la culture ainsi que la littérature Russe) :
"Ils sont ainsi des centaines de mille, et des meilleurs. Les uns, perdus par une fausse éducation, les autres, que l'on a volontairement pervertis, car l'Etat a besoin de pervers. Et c'est ainsi que se perd tout ce qui est jeune, l'espoir du monde. Mais malheur à celui qui sacrifie toute cette claire jeunesse!"
"Il faudrait remettre une partie de ton pouvoir au peuple [..] tout en gardant cette parcelle de pouvoir qu'exige la direction générale des affaires."
Les mémoires d'un fou :
"Il me semblait que j'avais peur de la mort, mais, devant la vie, je tremblais encore plus. Imperceptiblement, la vie et la mort s'amalgamaient, s'unissaient."
Le réveillon du jeune tsar (Mon conte préféré dans ce recueil, et qui me semble-t-il va me pousser à faire une connaissance plus profonde de la culture ainsi que la littérature Russe) :
"Ils sont ainsi des centaines de mille, et des meilleurs. Les uns, perdus par une fausse éducation, les autres, que l'on a volontairement pervertis, car l'Etat a besoin de pervers. Et c'est ainsi que se perd tout ce qui est jeune, l'espoir du monde. Mais malheur à celui qui sacrifie toute cette claire jeunesse!"
"Il faudrait remettre une partie de ton pouvoir au peuple [..] tout en gardant cette parcelle de pouvoir qu'exige la direction générale des affaires."
March 4, 2012
Un recueil de contes sympathique à la Tolstoï. De belles descriptions des sentiments et un petit pied de nez au pouvoir tsariste.
August 17, 2017
بعض من سحر الأدب الروسي
January 26, 2020
Conclusion: You're not just a tsar, or a king, or a pilot or an enginner. You're a human being. Take responsibility for what you can control and happens around you.
January 24, 2026
Mission 2026: Binge reviewing all previous Reads, I was too slothful to review back when I read them.
Rereading and binge reviewing Tolstoy in 2026
'The Young Tsar' is Tolstoy in parable mode—lean, symbolic, and quietly devastating. Often read as a moral tale for younger audiences, the story is anything but innocent. Beneath its simple surface lies one of Tolstoy’s most persistent obsessions: power and conscience do not mature at the same speed.
The narrative follows a newly crowned young tsar who begins his reign with sincerity, curiosity, and a desire to rule justly.
He listens. He observes. He wants to understand his people. For a moment, the machinery of power appears almost humane. But Tolstoy, ever the realist, is not interested in fairy-tale governance. As the story unfolds, the tsar’s good intentions collide with entrenched systems, inherited violence, and the seductive ease of authority.
What Tolstoy captures with frightening precision is how quickly power educates its holder. The young tsar does not become cruel overnight. He becomes efficient. He learns when to stop asking questions, whom to trust, and which suffering to ignore. Compassion slowly gives way to abstraction. People turn into categories. Justice turns into procedure. The crown grows heavier—and less human.
The brilliance of the story lies in its restraint. Tolstoy does not dramatise corruption; he normalises it. The young tsar’s moral erosion is quiet, almost polite. There are no villains twirling moustaches, only advisors, traditions, and expectations doing their work. Power here is not tyrannical by nature—it is corrosive by design.
Stylistically, the prose is clear, almost fable-like, which makes the moral blow land harder. Tolstoy strips language down to essentials, allowing actions and silences to speak. The simplicity is deceptive; every sentence carries ethical weight. This is Tolstoy trusting the reader to connect the dots—and daring them to look away.
Rereading 'The Young Tsar' now, it feels less like a historical sketch and more like a universal political anatomy. Replace the crown with any modern form of authority—state power, corporate leadership, or institutional control—and the pattern remains unchanged. Idealism enters. Structure absorbs it. Humanity leaks out.
Why should one read the story in the 21st century?
Because 'The Young Tsar' is a warning about how systems train rulers faster than conscience can keep up. In a century obsessed with youthful leaders, fresh faces, and reformist promises, Tolstoy reminds us that intentions do not survive institutions intact.
The story speaks directly to modern politics, where charisma substitutes for ethics and efficiency replaces justice. It questions the fantasy that goodness at the top guarantees goodness in practice. Tolstoy shows that without constant moral resistance, power does not merely fail—it reshapes the soul.
In the 21st century, where authority is increasingly centralised yet emotionally distant, 'The Young Tsar' urges vigilance. It asks readers not to worship rulers, but to scrutinise structures. Not to trust youth or sincerity alone, but to demand accountability that outlives good intentions.
Read this story today because it dismantles the myth of benevolent power.
Tolstoy reminds us that the real test of leadership is not how it begins—but what it learns to ignore.
Most recommended.
Rereading and binge reviewing Tolstoy in 2026
'The Young Tsar' is Tolstoy in parable mode—lean, symbolic, and quietly devastating. Often read as a moral tale for younger audiences, the story is anything but innocent. Beneath its simple surface lies one of Tolstoy’s most persistent obsessions: power and conscience do not mature at the same speed.
The narrative follows a newly crowned young tsar who begins his reign with sincerity, curiosity, and a desire to rule justly.
He listens. He observes. He wants to understand his people. For a moment, the machinery of power appears almost humane. But Tolstoy, ever the realist, is not interested in fairy-tale governance. As the story unfolds, the tsar’s good intentions collide with entrenched systems, inherited violence, and the seductive ease of authority.
What Tolstoy captures with frightening precision is how quickly power educates its holder. The young tsar does not become cruel overnight. He becomes efficient. He learns when to stop asking questions, whom to trust, and which suffering to ignore. Compassion slowly gives way to abstraction. People turn into categories. Justice turns into procedure. The crown grows heavier—and less human.
The brilliance of the story lies in its restraint. Tolstoy does not dramatise corruption; he normalises it. The young tsar’s moral erosion is quiet, almost polite. There are no villains twirling moustaches, only advisors, traditions, and expectations doing their work. Power here is not tyrannical by nature—it is corrosive by design.
Stylistically, the prose is clear, almost fable-like, which makes the moral blow land harder. Tolstoy strips language down to essentials, allowing actions and silences to speak. The simplicity is deceptive; every sentence carries ethical weight. This is Tolstoy trusting the reader to connect the dots—and daring them to look away.
Rereading 'The Young Tsar' now, it feels less like a historical sketch and more like a universal political anatomy. Replace the crown with any modern form of authority—state power, corporate leadership, or institutional control—and the pattern remains unchanged. Idealism enters. Structure absorbs it. Humanity leaks out.
Why should one read the story in the 21st century?
Because 'The Young Tsar' is a warning about how systems train rulers faster than conscience can keep up. In a century obsessed with youthful leaders, fresh faces, and reformist promises, Tolstoy reminds us that intentions do not survive institutions intact.
The story speaks directly to modern politics, where charisma substitutes for ethics and efficiency replaces justice. It questions the fantasy that goodness at the top guarantees goodness in practice. Tolstoy shows that without constant moral resistance, power does not merely fail—it reshapes the soul.
In the 21st century, where authority is increasingly centralised yet emotionally distant, 'The Young Tsar' urges vigilance. It asks readers not to worship rulers, but to scrutinise structures. Not to trust youth or sincerity alone, but to demand accountability that outlives good intentions.
Read this story today because it dismantles the myth of benevolent power.
Tolstoy reminds us that the real test of leadership is not how it begins—but what it learns to ignore.
Most recommended.
November 28, 2025
From the collection, "A Very Russian Christmas," this moralistic story shares some similarities to Dickens' "Christmas Carol" because the tsar has a sobering dream where he learns just how his actions have impacted others. Initially, he was flippant and nonchalant about the laws he was passing, but he recognizes how his choices can literally kill others; in the end, he is presented with three choices: ignore the dream, imitate the West's political design with people and their representatives, or to establish God's kingdom here on earth (this last is clearly what the author advocates, but how this last would be attempted is unclear).
Since he allows the sale of alcohol, the entire nation from adults to children are utterly intoxicated, unable to refrain from drinking alcohol. I found this criticism a little preposterous; it ignores the fact that people have free will and don't need to be treated as children (the companion tells the tsar that another time, when the tsar says, "They are beasts," he responds saying, "No, they are children." Actually, they should be respected enough to make decisions for themselves. If they themselves can't control their behavior or think for themselves, what makes the tzar more capable? With this view, people clearly should not be delegated and have representatives because they are too ignorant. But what exactly gives the tzar more credibility when he can't even keep himself from falling asleep?
When the tzar awakes, in desperation he cries out, "How can I put an end to all this evil? It is bound up with the very existence of the State. I am the head of the State! What am I to do?" He recognizes the corruption in the state and how responsible and ineffectual he and the government are.
But if the government is ineffective and the people are incapable, what really is left? I guess the author's point is that God himself should rule, and this can be done by establishing His kingdom on earth, but this is an ideal and not reality.
Since he allows the sale of alcohol, the entire nation from adults to children are utterly intoxicated, unable to refrain from drinking alcohol. I found this criticism a little preposterous; it ignores the fact that people have free will and don't need to be treated as children (the companion tells the tsar that another time, when the tsar says, "They are beasts," he responds saying, "No, they are children." Actually, they should be respected enough to make decisions for themselves. If they themselves can't control their behavior or think for themselves, what makes the tzar more capable? With this view, people clearly should not be delegated and have representatives because they are too ignorant. But what exactly gives the tzar more credibility when he can't even keep himself from falling asleep?
When the tzar awakes, in desperation he cries out, "How can I put an end to all this evil? It is bound up with the very existence of the State. I am the head of the State! What am I to do?" He recognizes the corruption in the state and how responsible and ineffectual he and the government are.
But if the government is ineffective and the people are incapable, what really is left? I guess the author's point is that God himself should rule, and this can be done by establishing His kingdom on earth, but this is an ideal and not reality.
October 2, 2025
This is one of Tolstoy's short stories. I listened to this story a couple of times. It's posted by Neural Surfer (Prof David Christopher Lane) on You Tube.
Tolstoy relates in detail, the dreams of a young emperor, who wakes up from his dreams in confusion, being conflicted because of his duties and responsibilities of an emperor.
In his dreams, the young Tsar is taken on journeys that 'messes' with his head. Can he make the a moral decision to change the way he rules and leads. The setting is 19th Century Russia and the story ends with --- we will know in 50 years.
==========================================================================
Aside:
In the bibliography of Rosamund Bartlett's book, Tolstoy: A Russian Life, she references Roza Lyuksemburg, who said that Tolstoy wanted full economic and social equality, a complete abolition of militarism, brotherhood of nations, universal peace etc. he showed the stubbornness of a great and vehement prophet.
Another reference, mentioned by Rosamund Bartlett is William Thomas Stead, who stated that Tolstoy was ... a man of genius who spends his time in planting potatoes and cobbling shoes, a great literary artist ...
Tolstoy relates in detail, the dreams of a young emperor, who wakes up from his dreams in confusion, being conflicted because of his duties and responsibilities of an emperor.
In his dreams, the young Tsar is taken on journeys that 'messes' with his head. Can he make the a moral decision to change the way he rules and leads. The setting is 19th Century Russia and the story ends with --- we will know in 50 years.
==========================================================================
Aside:
In the bibliography of Rosamund Bartlett's book, Tolstoy: A Russian Life, she references Roza Lyuksemburg, who said that Tolstoy wanted full economic and social equality, a complete abolition of militarism, brotherhood of nations, universal peace etc. he showed the stubbornness of a great and vehement prophet.
Another reference, mentioned by Rosamund Bartlett is William Thomas Stead, who stated that Tolstoy was ... a man of genius who spends his time in planting potatoes and cobbling shoes, a great literary artist ...
May 1, 2020
A very interesting and thought provoking story revolving a young Tsar recently come to the position. The story does not state exactly which Tsar it is, but, potentially Nicholas II.
The story looks at the early moments of becoming a Tsar and his awakening of his role, responsibilities and the overall power he has. What to do and what path to take?
The story looks at the early moments of becoming a Tsar and his awakening of his role, responsibilities and the overall power he has. What to do and what path to take?
June 18, 2025
Ce recueil de quatre contes est facile et rapide à lire. L’auteur aborde des sujets divers comme les structures sociales ou encore le leadership et ses responsabilités. J’ai une préférence pour le conte « les mémoires d’un fou », j’apprécie la manière dont l’auteur décrit le piège des pensées excessives et compulsives du personnage.
January 23, 2018
القيصر الشاب
القصة من ضمن كتاب باسم موت ايفان ايليتش ترجمة مها جمال
القصة من ضمن كتاب باسم موت ايفان ايليتش ترجمة مها جمال
October 28, 2022
Evidently, Czar Nicholas II listened to the priest, only to be overthrown by those people he had formerly banished as unwelcome members of the criminal element.
October 27, 2024
Tolstoy’s super short, less effective, and non-Christmas take on Dickens’ “A Christmas Carole”
December 26, 2024
Comme d’habitude, l’écriture de Tolstoï est de haut calibre. Très facile à lire malgré que ce soit complexe. Bon livre.
August 6, 2025
Juste de la frappe, 25 pages légères et très digestes. Morale qui bien que d'un autre temps fait tout de même gamberger.
T'es le roi Léon.
T'es le roi Léon.
September 29, 2025
I always thought every politician has to read Tolstoy. He is my moral compass
January 11, 2026
ça va sympa rien de transcendant
November 12, 2020
A Christmas Carol with the twist of Imperial Socialism. The Young Tsar is brought to terms with the weight upon his shoulders as ruler of the people, actual human beings, living real lives under his dictate. And then,
WAM,
our young man is faced with his eternal condition before
GOD.
March 2, 2024
Good reading for Tzar 💩Sn.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews