Walk in the Light While There Is Light and Twenty Three Tales. Inclds God Sees the Truth, But Waits, Ivan The Fool, How Much Land Does a Man Need?, The Bear Hunt & more

by Leo Tolstoy

Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude Table of Walk in the Light While There Is LightA Talk Among Leisured People Twenty-Three God Sees the Truth, But Waits- The Prisoner of the Caucasus - The Bear Hunt - What Men Live By- A Spark Neglected Burns the House - Two Old Men - Where Love is, There God is Also - Ivan The Fool- Evil Allures, But Good Endures - Little Girls Wiser Than Men; or, Wisdom of Children- Ilyás - The Three Hermits - The Imp and the Crust- How Much Land Does a Man Need? - A Grain As Big As A Hen's Egg- The Godson - The Repentant Sinner- The Empty Drum - The Coffee-House of Surat- Too Dear! - Esarhaddon, King of Assyria- Work, Death, and Sickness - Three Questions Leo Tolstoy Biography More e-Books from MobileReference - Best Books. Best Price. Best Search and Navigation (TM) All fiction books are only $0.99. All collections are only $5.99.Designed for optimal navigation on the Kindle and other electronic readers. Search for any enter mobi (shortened MobileReference) and a keyword; for mobi ShakespeareTo view all books, click on the MobileReference link next to a book title Literary Over 10,000 complete works by Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Dickens, Tolstoy, other authors. All books feature hyperlinked table of contents, footnotes, and author biography The Illustrated King James Bible, American Standard Bible, World English Bible (Modern Translation), Mormon Church's Sacred Texts Rousseau, Spinoza, Plato, Aristotle, Marx, Engels Travel Guides and FREE 25 Language Phrasebook, New York, Paris, London, Rome, Venice, Prague, Beijing, Greece - Travel Guides for all major cities Anatomy and Physiology, Pharmacology, Abbreviations and Terminology, Human Nervous System, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry - Quick-Study Guides for most medical/nursing school classes FREE Periodic Table of Elements, FREE Weight and Measures, Physics Formulas, Math Formulas, Chemistry, Statistics - Quick-Study Guides for every College class English Grammar and Punctuation, Philosophy, Psychology, Greek and Roman Mythology Art History, Encyclopedia of Roman Empire, Ancient Egypt, American Presidents, U.S. History Acupressure Guide, First Aid Guide, Art of Love, Cookbook, Cocktails, Feng Shui, Astrology The World's Biggest Mobile Encyclopedia-1.5 Million Articles; CIA World Factbook, Illustrated Encyclopedias of Birds, Mammals, Plants

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, Literature, Russia, Russian Literature, Christianity

351 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

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.

Reviews

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of many fine short stories from Tolstoy. They are Tolstoy's attempts to exhibit the qualities that he thought made for good, authentic art: they transmit feelings that either serve to unite people under what Tolstoy thought of as the religious consciousness of our age (the brotherhood of man and sonship to God) or unite people in universal, everyday ways. They stand in sharp contrast to Tolstoy's well-known novels (which he later repudiated--along with the vast majority of what has been considered great art--as being either counterfeit or bad). Some readers may find some of the stories to be didactic, even preachy. I generally find the more preachy stories to be the more edifying, although some of the less preachy stories are also excellent. There are a few that stand out as clearly inferior to the others. The stories are simple and their messages are clear. The best among them have the same effect as parables from the Gospels. They make a simple but powerful point or promote compassion and fellow-feeling. Very good stuff.

[niceu_a · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. Almost biblical.

[Ahmetom734 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became muslim after reading this book. It reminded me of what is just and unjust, what is true and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. All the stories were delighting. All were written by a genius.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have somewhat mixed feelings about these stories. On the one hand, I often find the naive and overdone. But on the other hand, after reading them for a while, I start to see why they're so good; they remind me, in my sleepy intellectual world, what life is really about.

[Don Siegrist · Rating 1 out of 5]

These short stories by Tolstoy are considered by some to be profound philosophical statements. I had great expectations but was unfortunately very disappointed. The ones I read ( I did not complete the book) were simply parables focused on teachings from the New Testament. Parables explained by Jesus in a few lines whereas Tolstoy's go on for 20 pages or more.

[Phillip Mast · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Tolstoy as long as he didn't get too long winded so getting ahold of this book was great. It was interesting to see some of the stories that aren't as well known, or, at least don't appear in Mennonite curriculum. I was also a bit surprised that some stories, such as, How Much Land Does a Man Need had had the magical portions edited out when I read them before.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5*

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A happy introduction to the world of Russian literature! Tolstoy writes about the virtues of poverty, self-sufficiency, and humility. The heroic characters say things like "God's will be done" and "That's none of my business"; their hands are dirty with the hard work they've done in the fields, and their minds are so filled with the logistics of immediate tasks that they have no time for politics or pompous speculation. This is an admirable collection of ways to say "Your way, not mine" to God. I am inspired to make my life more sparse after reading this. I'd like to devote each day to the work of God and forget myself; I'd like to perform the most menial of tasks with the spirit of a saint. The old man in "Walk In the Light While There is Light" says to Julius, "Work, brother! Work is joyous! ... God's work is infinite. God's work is you." This is a a vision, a destination, a meaning of a life that's worth living.

I agree with the general picture of possessions possessing their owners. I admire simplicity, humility and industry with Tolstoy. I do notice, however, that he has a scorn for the thinking/abstract/learned people of society, which feels both disproportionate and unwise. It is the devil who tells good King Ivan's citizens to work with their heads; of course he has malicious intentions since he's the devil, but is it so inconceivable that any good work might be done with the head? Isn't that what this entire collection is, anyway? The bishop on the boat, a likable and good character, makes a fool of himself when he tries to teach three Holy hermits how to pray the "Our Father", what he calls the "right" way to pray. True, the hermits were holy enough without his help (they can walk on water, for Christ's sake) but is it so prideful for a man who wants to shepherd other men toward holiness to want to teach unlearned men Jesus' special prayer? This was the only real eyebrow raiser I had for dear old Tolstoy. Next: Anna Karenina!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, I know I am a bad person for not being all that into Tolstoy, but I wasn't. :) I read the main story "Walk in the Light," and the Christians were these kind of idealistic hippie commune dwellers. Personally, I think the main character could have become a Christian, remained in his home, and reformed his life instead of moving to the commune, so I don't get it. Maybe it was about how Christians are not of this world, so in the story, Tolstoy literally had them living somewhere else. But I just didn't like the commune aspect of it. Even if you're a Christian, you are still sinful. It's not all love and wonderfulness. I read a couple of the other stories as well, and they were good, just felt like I wasn't that into the book. Life is short--you don't have to finish every book.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a religious person by any means, and these are very Christian-centered stories. I still enjoyed this book as Tolstoy is a very good story teller. Most of the characters are fairly simple, and nearly all face ethical and moral dilemmas that are worked out by the end of the stories. All of the stories are fairly short and easy reads. I will admit that towards the end of the book I was tired of the "to be a good person you must believe in Christ" message. There were a couple of stories that had no blatantly obvious Christian message, one of which was based on a true story of a bear hunt that Tolstoy was involved in.

[James Millikan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite short stories from this collection:
"A Spark Neglected Burns the House"--This ought to be obligatory reading for all mediators.
"The Story of Ivan the Fool"--Excellent reflections for anyone who thinks overly highly of their intellect.
"The Godson"--Tolstoy's contribution to the tradition to nonviolence, which he inherited from H.D. Thoreau, and passed on to Gandhi and later Dr. King.
"How Much Land Does a Man Need"--An important reality check for anyone consumed with ambition.

[Mena · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories are heavily influenced by Tolstoy's Christian anarchist leanings (which I didn't know about until I started reading them). They are powerfully written - often based on popular folk tales - and effortlessly combine the Biblical lessons with beautiful depictions of Russian life in the 19th century. I think some of these stories would be great for kids especially.

[Danamanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories includes very simple, accessible tales that convey Tolstoy's special insights and understanding of Christian brotherhood. It is hard for me to imagine that my favorite, "What Men Live By," could have been written by the same giant that wrote Anna Karenina. The power is still there, but it is so restrained.

[Carl Palmateer · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a reason Tolstoy is still widely read in such a vast array of languages. However, one must admit that his novels can be daunting. This collection of stories is a good introduction to his style, his passions and his humanity. I took my time with this reading a story or a chapter every now and then, usually at night and it was a very favorable experience.

[Daniel Callister · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories were hit or miss, but those that hit, hit hard. The best from this collection are:

-A Talk Among Leisured People
-God Sees the Truth, but Waits
-What Men Live By
-A Spark Neglected Burns the House
-Two Old Men
-Where Love Is, God Is

My favorite was Where Love Is, God Is. It's a Christmas tale, very touching and a great message.

[Karen Storey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collection of classic, timeless stories and most if not all render valuable lessons. These were written in the late 1800's - 1903, so as expected, the writing style is pretty different from today. This is one of my favorite books & I'll surely read it again.

[Andrew Weitzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of short stories, mostly religious ones. This collection was produced by a Bruderhof owned publishing house, which makes a ton of sense as that sect shares a lot of Tolstoy's communal, anarchist Christian sympathies.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a collection of short stories. I enjoyed them all to some extent. Some I really enjoyed. He's a good, inspiring, thought-provoking author. I plan to read more of his.

[Hashem · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is soooooooooooo great :D
a collection of short and lovely stories.
one of them that I like it very much is
"How much land does a ma need?" a really nice story

[Mwangi Mugo · Rating 5 out of 5]

good stuff for the soul

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of short stories and fables by Tolstoy is one of my favorites. Many of Tolstoy's characters live out the teachings of Christ in practical ways. Entertaining and full of wisdom.

[Joshua Novalis]

A long, rewarding journey.

[هديل الحمامة · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتآب جميل جداً وكثير من القصص الي فيه حبيتهه من قلبي وحفظتها من أول قراءه فعلاً يحمل الكثير من الحُب والنور بين طياته

[Naddo Moon · Rating 1 out of 5]

~

مسيحيـة الكتـآب أفقدتني الاستمتـآع
بإستثنـآء الحكـآية الأخيرة
( ثلاثة أسئلة )
قرأت البدآية حتى الصفحة 20
ثم مررت بعيني على بقية العنـآوين

إجمـآلا .. لم أجني منه أية فـآئدة

[وليد الشايجي · Rating 4 out of 5]

مجموعة من القصص المسيحية المليئه بالمواعظ والحكم والصبر على البلاء الى ان تفرج من قبل الله... ولانها بانامل السيد تولوستوي فهي اسره

[Kaia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profound... highly recommend and will reread!

[Faith Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

outstanding book .

[Cindy Marsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love watching a master's imagination play with classic tales, keeping them current in the world's imagination. Tolstoy does it well in this collection.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

More telling than showing. Morals are not subtle. Feel like I am being hit over the head with dogma.

[Layla Jawad · Rating 5 out of 5]

الكتاب الذي رافقني في عمر المراهقة ، كم احببت وتعجبت من تصرفات ايفان المغفل ، كم هي عظيمة قصة بما يحيا الانسان ... من اعظم الكتب التي تركت فيَّ بصمة..
شكراً تولستوي ايها العظيم 🌌💜