This is my first interaction with Tolstoy. Every now and then I have heard of people saying Tolstoy: author of world's greatest novel – War and Peace.
Finally I have got it. My first Tolstoy's book!!
This one is very collection of few short stories, can be found at –
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6157
All the stories had a moral lesson, but the beauty of it was, all those were "Stories".
I think the simplicity with which Tolstoy put forward the best of lessons in life makes these stories special.
In one of the story, The Coffee House of Surat, we have people sitting in coffee house, each of them belonging to different religion. Each of them is proud of their own religion and they get into debate, which is
the best?, until wise man amongst them settles the debate.
The other story, rather the most famous of them all, How much land does a man need?, is about greed.
The shortest of them all, Three questions - has the most impact.
How can I learn to do the right thing at the right time?
Who are the people I most need?
What affairs are the most important, and need my first attention?
And, of course the one with from which the book got its name, What men live by, is another one with three questions.
Learn what dwells in man?
Learn what is not given to man?
What men live by?
I am purposely not writing what answers does Tolstoy gives to these questions. Because then someone reading this will miss the beautiful character building of the stories.
This one is smallest of book and the name "Leo Tolstoy" is enough for anyone to pick it up..
Finally I have got it. My first Tolstoy's book!!
This one is very collection of few short stories, can be found at –
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6157
All the stories had a moral lesson, but the beauty of it was, all those were "Stories".
I think the simplicity with which Tolstoy put forward the best of lessons in life makes these stories special.
In one of the story, The Coffee House of Surat, we have people sitting in coffee house, each of them belonging to different religion. Each of them is proud of their own religion and they get into debate, which is
the best?, until wise man amongst them settles the debate.
The other story, rather the most famous of them all, How much land does a man need?, is about greed.
The shortest of them all, Three questions - has the most impact.
How can I learn to do the right thing at the right time?
Who are the people I most need?
What affairs are the most important, and need my first attention?
And, of course the one with from which the book got its name, What men live by, is another one with three questions.
Learn what dwells in man?
Learn what is not given to man?
What men live by?
I am purposely not writing what answers does Tolstoy gives to these questions. Because then someone reading this will miss the beautiful character building of the stories.
This one is smallest of book and the name "Leo Tolstoy" is enough for anyone to pick it up..
No comments:
Post a Comment