Vampires: Stories of the Supernatural

by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Fedor Nikanov (Translator)

Contains:
A preface by the translator Fedor Nikanov

"The Vampire/Upyr" (Упырь, 1841)
"The Family of the Vourdalak" (La famille du vourdalak [French] (1838))
"The Reunion after Three Hundred Years" (Le rendez-vous dans trois cent ans [French] (1912)) posthumously
"Amena" (Амена (1846) )

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Russia, Classics, Gothic, Fantasy, Fiction

183 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1841

About the author

Count Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, often referred to as A.K. Tolstoy (Russian: Алексей Константинович Толстой), was a Russian poet, novelist and playwright, considered to be the most important nineteenth-century Russian historical dramatist. He also gained fame for his satirical works, published under his own name (History of the Russian State from Gostomysl to Timashev, The Dream of Councillor Popov) and under the collaborational pen name of Kozma Prutkov.

A.K. Tolstoy was born in Saint Petersburg to the famed family of Tolstoy. His father, Count Konstantin Petrovich Tolstoy (1780–1870), a son of the army general, was a Russian state assignation bank councilor. His mother, Anna Alekseyevna Perovskaya (1796–1857), was an illegitimate daughter of Count Aleksey Kirillovich Razumovsky (1784–1822), an heir of the legendary Ukrainian hetman Aleksey Razumovsky. A. K. Tolstoy's uncle (on his father's side) was Fyodor Tolstoy (1783–1873). His uncle on his mother's side was Aleksey Perovsky (1787–1836), an author known under the pen name of Antony Pogorelsky. Aleksey Konstantinovich was a second cousin of Leo Tolstoy; Count Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy was their common great-grandfather.

Tolstoy represented the later period of Romanticism in Russian literature; art for him was a mystic link between the human world and the higher spheres where "eternal ideas dwell." Along with Fet, his artistic and spiritual ally, he saw Art as a kind of higher science, man's only instrument for a true and comprehensive understanding of the world. Romantic tendencies were best realised in Tolstoy's poetry and in some of his dramas, notably Don Juan where the hero is on a quest for a romantic ideal, looking everywhere for love "that helps one penetrate into the wonderful universal laws, our world's hidden beginnings," as he put it."Art can only be a 'means' - all of the 'ends'... it contains in itself," Tolstoy wrote in 1870, in the course of long dispute with those whom he labeled "utilitarianists in literature". Such views automatically made him a "conservative" in the eyes of the revolutionary democrats who formed a large majority in the Russian literary circles of the 1850s and 1860s. Unlike Fet, though, Tolstoy insisted on the artist's total independence from ideology and politics, and felt himself totally free to criticize and mock authorities, a trait that snubbed many people in high places.

Works

Drama

Don Juan (Дон Жуан, 1862)
The Death of Ivan the Terrible (Смерть Иоанна Грозного, 1866)
Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich (Царь Фёдор Иоаннович, 1868)
Tsar Boris (Царь Борис, 1870)[42]
Posadnik (Посадник, 1871, published in 1874-1976)

Prose

Prince Serebrenni (known also as The Silver Knight, Князь Серебряный, 1862
The Family of the Vourdalak (Семья вурдалака, 1839)
The Vampire (Упырь, 1841)

Poetry

The Sinner (Грешница, 1857)
Ioann Damaskin (Иоанн Дамаскин, 1858)
Vasily Shibanov (Василий Шибанов, 1858)
The Alchemist (unfinished, 1867)
History of the Russian State from Gostomysl to Timashev (1868)
Portrait (Портрет, 1872)
Dragon (1875)
The Dream of Councillor Popov (written 1873, first published in 1978, Berlin)

Reviews

[Kateryna Krotova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains of 4 novels named: “Upir”, “Amena”, “Meeting after 300 years” and “family of Vurdulak”.
Will tell few words about each of them.

1. “Upir” - is a old Russian name of a “vampire”. Interesting, that Aleksey Tolstoy writes this before “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. And I’m also surprised and amazed, the way author writes - really impressive!
This novel starts on the ball.. Where Mr. Runevskiy meets Rybarenko, who tells him, that there are a lot of vampires present in the ball. There he also meets Dasha - girl, that he falls in love, that happened to be a granddaughter of one of the vampires, Ms Sugrobina.
Story is really fascinating, you can’t stop reading it.. Also it is mixed with another story, that happened with Rybarenko in Como, Italy..

2. “Amena” - is really short story, that takes us to the Rome. Where leaves three friends: Amvrosiy and Victor, and Victor’s sister, Leonia, who is engaged with Amvrosiy. They are forced to renounce their faith (in Jesus Christ) and accept old Greek Faith.. Once Amvrosiy saves a beautiful girl, named Amena. How seduces him, makes him change his beliefs.. Not that scary, as a first novels but with unexpected end.

3. “Meeting after 300 years” - is another story, told by grandmother.. At the time when she was young and beautiful. About a ghostly story that happened to her once, when she mets ghosts, who were vowed to return after 300 years.

4. “Family of Vurdulac”. Vurdulac - is another name of Vampires (also old Russian). Main character- marquis D’Yurfe (we find him also in the previous novel)… Tells the awful story, that happened in his youth. When he left Paris.. And was sent to Moldova. And on the way, he meets with old man Gorcha and his family. This is really scary story! But I loved it!

[Andrew (M) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much better than I had hoped, and deserves to be in the top tier of the Russian literary cannon. Bold statement, I know, considering that the author is “the other Tolstoy” (he was Leo's older cousin) and his works much necessarily be viewed in the shadow of the greatest novelist in history. But “Vampires” succeeds on some many levels that the reader will immediately wish to read more of Alexis Tolstoy's works, and will mourn the fact that so little is readily available in English.

Compared to modern horror stories, “Vampires” feels so wonderfully understated. At first it may seem less exciting that 20th/21st century writing. There is much less "action", but the reader will soon notice that so much more going on. It reminded me of eating delicious, fresh, homegrown vegetables after years of eating processed, salty, and sugary modern food. This was a treat. But I do not mean to imply that there are no scares in “Vampires”; on the contrary, there are some shocking and thrilling moments that are all the more startling and effective because the rest of the story takes place at a more subdued register.

All four stories here are fantastic, but the first and longest story “The Vampire” was my personal favourite. The introduction, which consists of a brief biography of Tolstoy, is also fascinating reading. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

[Temucano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una gran sorpresa. A pesar de haber leído infinidad de antologías terroríficas no había tenido la suerte de cruzarme con este autor ruso y su formidable visión de los vampiros en el siglo XIX. Tiene una prosa muy ágil para la época, introduciendo de a poco lo fantástico sin mayores florituras descriptivas (si lo comparo con Hoffmann por ejemplo), logrando imágenes extravagantes, dantescas, hasta cinematográficas por algunos momentos.

Sobre los relatos destaco tres, los dos más conocidos y un tercero a guisa de ejemplo :

"Una familia de vampiros" debe ser de los mejores cuentos del género, historia que de a poco agarra vuelo hasta un final frenético, inolvidable. Por lejos el que más me gustó.

"El vampiro", mas pausado que el anterior, combina de manera fluida el romanticismo de su tiempo con delirios oníricos, a través de una leyenda familiar que se va agigantando a medida que avanza la trama.

"Dos días en las estepas de los kirguises", a pesar de no tener nada fantástico, logró llevarme a la estepa rusa de una forma entretenida, terminando de convencerme de seguir leyendo el resto de su obra.

Todo un descubrimiento.

[John M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of four tales, two interwoven, reminded me very much of a similar book by another Slavic nobleman, Count Jan Potocki. I am speaking of 'the Saragossa Manuscript'.
Tolstoy also blends fantasy and romance and terror into a poignant mixture.
My favorite of these tales was the longest, 'the Family of a Vourdalak' which was an account of a young marquis' adventures in a Serbian village.
The undead make appearances in all these stories, although actual vampires only feature in two of the stories.
I recommend this book to anyone with an aficion for tales of the supernatural or for romantic fantasy.

[Javier Alemán · Rating 4 out of 5]

En puridad sólo dos de los cinco relatos incluidos son de género vampírico, y quizá el último (traducido por primera vez al castellano) podría acabar encajándose ahí; pero lo cierto es que los cinco merecen mucho la pena. La prosa y temas de Alexéi Tolstói son muy de su época, y aún con eso y con un público ya acostumbrado a todo consiguen generar cierto miedo en algunos pasajes: nos habla de un mundo aún lleno de superstición y desconocimiento, donde la congoja tiene otra naturaleza.

Gustará a fans de lo vampírico, pero no solo a ellos.

[Dani Kass · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I ever had to go into the research section of the library to read, while not being allowed to check it out. A very precious first edition. and I couldn't find it anywhere else, which I do not understand because it's SO GOOD. Worlds better than Dracula. Tolstoy wrote such a good collection of stories about vampires and ghosts that all feel like you're at a campfire trying telling stories, with the framing of each story similar to 'The Turn of the Screw'.' The writing is so accessible, the endings just vague enough to leave you thinking but not entirely in the dark and all perfectly spooky.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read only one story - "Upirj" or "The Vampire"
Language style and narration - truly style of Russian classic. No big events, no action, only story with a lot of mystics in it.
I liked how many plot lines was created in the story to show the development of particular events.
Not all of my questions were answered in the end, actually, the ending is left for reader's imagination.
Worth to read. It is nothing like Anna Rice or Meyer, somehow similar to Carmilla .

Update: 20/05/2011
Read another short story "Vampire Family" or "Semja Vurdlaka".
First, it seems impossible to translate the titles correctly, into them are meaning which could not be explained in another language. Because vampire and vurdlak is not the same, they are just synonyms and I have to add that idea what modern reader has about vampires is completely different from the one 19th century's writers had.
And I was more afraid of these some pages that of whole Rice's novels. Moreover, you won't find here wide descriptions of killing, blood, bloodsucking process, not, here is only a story, narration. Still some moments with only faces at the window were such horrible that I was afraid to look around the room, especially as I read it in the night (better do it during the day!).
After reading this story I want to rise the evaluation to 4 stars. For 19th century's originality :)

[Javier de la Peña Ontanaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este es un libro de relatos de Alexéi Tolstói, primo segundo del gran Lev. Mi sorpresa fue que los dos mejores relatos, "La familia del vurdalak" y "El vampiro", ya los había leído por separado, por lo que me quedaron por leer cuatro de los seis que se incluyen.

"Amena" es un relato ambientado en la época de la Antigua Roma, sin ningún viso de terror. "Dos días en la estepa de los kirguises" es un interesante y costumbrista relato del Asia Central, pero tampoco sin ningún viso terrorífico. "Artemi Simionovich Bervenkovski" es un cómico relato sobre la llegada de este a la hacienda de un tipo absolutamente loco por la mecánica, que le "obliga" a hospedarse dos semanas con él por cuestión de hospitalidad y descanso, pero el bueno de Artemi acaba huyendo despavorido ante lo que parece un destino kafkiano como el de K. en El proceso. "Reunidos después de trescientos años" es el único de los cuatro relatos que he leído que tiene una atmósfera de terror.

Relatos amenos, cortos y siempre interesantes por saber que se tratan del primo lejano del inigualable Lev Tolstói. Al tratarse de una reunión de relatos sobre vampiros y terror, la sensación es fría, ya que sólo dos de ellos (justo los que ya había leído) se ajustan a esto, pero huelga decir que son dos muy buenos relatos. Los otros cuatro poco o nada tienen que ver con relatos de terror o fantasía, aunque son aceptables.

[Дмитрий · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Семья вурдалака 5/5
Холодящий кровь экшен, в котором французская изысканность слога переплетается с сербской суровой реальностью. Само произведение было написано на французском, когда автору был 21 год. Напоминает "Встреча через триста лет", но эта повесть куда эффектнее.
2. Упырь - пафосный многослойный бред

[Jose Cruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recopilación de seis relatos de 248 páginas, publicados por el primo segundo de Tolstói. Los que más me han gustado han sido "Una familia de vampiros" (La familia Vurdalak) y "Reunidos después de trescientos años". Salvo los dos primeros, el resto no son de vampiros, sino de fantasía y de humor. De todas formas, ha sido una lectura ágil y amena. Recomendada para una sola lectura.

[Iván Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las dos primeras historias: "Una familia de vampiros" y "El vampiro" me han parecido muy buenas, más viendo el año en que fueron creadas, en especial la primera de ellas y destacar también "Reunidos después de trescientos años" que me ha recordado en algo al Miserere del gran Bécquer.

[Camden Natysin · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The old man bent over me, his livid face so close to mine that I could feel his corpselike breath. Then, exerting superhuman effort, I discovered myself sitting up in bed, perspiring profusely. No one was in the room. But through the window I detected Gorcha, his face pressed against the pane, his uncanny eyes riveted upon me.” 



This somewhat obscure collection was published in 1969, and came to my attention online due to its inclusion of a story called “The Family of the Vourdalak,” which I had long been interested in reading. The story was famously adapted by Mario Bava as part of his 1963 horror triptych I tre volti della paura (released in the states as Black Sabbath), and features one of Boris Karloff’s most chilling performances as the titular Wurdulak. It’s one of the greatest accomplishments in horror cinema, so I eagerly hunted down a copy of this long out of print anthology to see how Tolstoy’s story stacks up against Bava’s interpretation, and to see if any other hidden gems had sprung from the Russian author’s imagination.

The first story, a novella from 1841 called “The Vampire,” definitely fits the bill. This pre-Dracula vampire saga cleverly weaves together several seemingly disparate threads (an ancient family legend of murderous cuckoldry, a cursed Italian villa, aristocratic Russian vampires, weird Satanic rituals, and a young woman’s ghost) into a highly entertaining puzzle-box of a narrative, all helplessly observed by our passive protagonist, a young man named Runevsky. I suspect something might be lost in the translation in terms of language (one critic of Tolstoy’s day describes his prose as “beautiful” and “poetic,” but it mostly comes across as largely practical here), but Tolstoy’s witty asides don’t suffer in the slightest. It’s a jaunty and endlessly inventive take on what has since become a tired subject, and it would’ve made a great Bava film. There is a Russian film version from the nineties, but thus far I haven’t been able to obtain a copy. This is easily the crown jewel of Tolstoy's horror output, and in itself justified the purchase for me.


Next is the famous “Family of the Vourdalak,” which Tolstoy first wrote in 1839. This quietly influential horror tale, unlike its many film versions, is framed as an anecdote told by an older gentleman to entertain a group of younger people. Our narrator, the rakish Marquis d’Urfé, tells how he went on a diplomatic mission to Moldavia during his youth after being spurned by the ravishing Duchesse de Gramont. His travels bring him to the cottage of friendly but superstitious peasants. They tell him that their father, Gorcha, went out to pursue a murderous bandit named Ali Beg, and that he warned them not to let him in if he returns after ten days, for he will then have been turned into a Vourdalak (i.e. a vampire). Meanwhile the Marquis falls in love with Gorcha’s youngest daughter, Sdenka, whose beauty is nearly identical to that of the Duchesse de Gramont. Other than the loss of the framing device, this story is pretty faithfully reproduced by most of the film versions. The story is perhaps more traditional in its depiction of vampirism (the Vourdalaks here, for instance, are repelled by crucifixes), but in other ways it’s shockingly eccentric. (SPOILERS) The climax, for example, sees one vampire pursuing d’Urfé by hoisting himself great distances on a stake, almost as if he were traveling by pole vault. He then proceeds to fling a couple of vampire children at him with the same stake, literally turning them into undead projectiles! (END SPOILERS) It makes for an entertaining read, but good taste dictates that Bava and others were wise not to attempt this insanity on the big screen. Overall I prefer the film versions, but as with “The Vampire” I was very impressed by Tolstoy’s wit and inventiveness. 



The remaining two stories occupy a lower tier of quality, but they’re still worth checking out. “The Reunion after Three Hundred Years” is a sort of prequel to “The Family of the Vourdalak,” detailing the Duchesse de Gramont’s ill-fated courtship with the Marquis d’Urfé and her run-in with some ghosts from her family's distant past. “Amena,” easily the weakest of the stories, is an old-fashioned and overly didactic story of Christianity vs. Paganism in Ancient Rome, in which a Christian is seduced from the path of righteousness by a sort of succubus. It’s far too solemn and sanctimonious to recommend, and has none of the humor and verve that made the other stories so pleasurable to read. 3 out of 4 isn’t bad, though, and is more than sufficient to merit a place in any horror fan’s collection.

[riana · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were 4 short stories in here.

The Vampire - so complicated I honestly did not understand it (too stupid 😟)

The family of a Vourdalak & The reunion after three hundred years - ⭐️4 when I found out they were connected I giggled

Amena - ⭐️5 ate devoured left no crumbs we forsake our morals not only when we fall but also when we rise. But what did the random man at the start have to do with it all other than simply being a vessel for the story to be told to him?

[Nuria · Rating 2 out of 5]

los relatos de vampiros estaban guay, teniendo en cuenta q son de hace 100 años o más y sabiendo que la forma de escribir es distinta, pero los otros 2 relatos q no eran de miedo no me han gustado nada

[ni ☀︎]

*read for class*

[Molly Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely spooky. Great fun.

[Robert burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three stories about Vampires and one supernatural written around 1840, by a cousin of Leo Tolstoy. My favorite was The Family of a Vourdalak, a grandfather leaves his family to kill a Turkish thief. "If I return after ten days, for your own sakes, do not permit me to enter the house. I order you to pierce me with a stake made from ash".
The stories contain in this book will please any vampire aficionados.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817-1875) was an older 2nd cousin of the more famous Leo Tolstoy who wrote Anna Karenina and War and Peace. He is also not to be confused with another younger, distant cousin, Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy who was a Soviet era writer who won the Stalin prize.

This volume contains 2 vampire stories and 2 ghost stories. The first one, "The Vampire" was my favorite and there were certain aspects of it that reminded me a lot of J.S. LeFanu's great vampire novella "Carmilla". Have no idea whether LeFanu ever read Tolstoy's story, but probably not since vampire stories were popular throughout the 19th century among fans of supernatural fiction which both writers were likely familiar with. Tolstoy knew several languages and spent time in the West.

I highly recommend this little volume to anyone who enjoys 19th century ghost & vampire stories.

[Taja Ofthemarigold · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Встреча через триста лет" вызвала во мне бурю непонятных ностальгических эмоций. Я плакала от жалости к призракам и оттого, как быстротечно время. Удивительно, как автору удалось гармонично описать природу и передать весь спектр красок, во время чтения, я, словно, видела все наяву!

Произведение " Семья вурдалака" вызвало не меньшую печаль. Девушка так и не смогла быть вместе со своим любимым, деревня разрушена и забыта, близкие люди превратились в кровопийц. Наверное, именно описание поселения, некогда живого и бурлящего, а ныне забытого всеми, пробудило то необъяснимое чувство тревоги и печали.

"Упырь" хоть и был наполнен интересными поворотами истории, однако, больше походил на сказку для людей более младшего возраста. Тем не менее также понравилось и держало в напряжении.

"Амена", пожалуй, запомнилась только жестокостью главной персонажки, и глупостью мужчины.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Não sei pq n tem capa nem nada aqui no site, talvez eu tenha procurado o título errado mas esse cara que não é o Tolstoy que tu pode estar acostumado a ouvir falar, escreve muito bem e de um jeito que eu não consigo parar de virar as páginas, li esse conto logo depois da família vampiro e é assinemo-nos que tem que ser lido, pls “o encontro depois de trezentos anos” é um conto tão curto de história rápida mas é tão delícia de ler e saber da história que eu não pude deixar passar!

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contains two vampire stories -- "The Vampire" and "The Family of a Vourdalak" -- and two ghost stories -- "The Reunion after Three Hundred Years" and "Amena."

In their cheesy and convoluted melodrama, the vampire stories are so horrible that they're almost great -- "The Family of a Vourdalak" being much better than "The Vampire," which is just awful.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just started this selection of short stories by the elder cousin of Leo Tolstoy who wrote "War & Peace" and "Anna Karenina". So far it's pretty tame, but interesting characters. The 1st story is about a grandmother who is suspected of being a vampire and trying to seduce her granddaughter.

[Anastasia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Безусловно поразила, можно даже сказать напугала. Толстой сумел создать очень таинственную, завораживающую атмосферу. Написано великолепнейшим языком, с какой-то вкрадчивой архаичностью. А стихи, типа прочитанные с древнего манускрипта — это просто шедевр! Надолго в память впечатываются.

[Paulette Illmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never read Alexis Tolstoy before, although I thought he was more a poet than a writer, and I am more familiar with Leo Tolstoy's work. I was pleasantly surprised to find these four vampire tales some of the best I've ever read. Short but worth the read, I highly recommend this book.

[Alenka of Bohemia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This surprised me - pleasantly so! I had no idea what to expect, but I imaged a rather slow and boring style with ambiguous stories. Oh no! This reads really quickly, the author wastes no time and all the three stories included gave me chills! A very satisfying October read!

[Irissska · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read all four stories, all four are quite good, but the first one is the most interesting I think.

[Pavel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книгу нужно читать очень внимательно и вдумчиво, так как сюжет закручен достаточно лихо. Я перечитывал произведение 2 раза подряд.

[Yadviga Kovachek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Нишмагла. Почти графоманство

[5 pound poi · Rating 2 out of 5]

1/4

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the earliest vampire stories. Well worth a look. They read like sinister fairy tales.