How Much Land Does a Man Need? and Other Stories (Penguin Classics)

Quite interesting generally, but there are some stories I simply don't understand.I found several of the stories to be well written and beautiful, particularly those with a clear Christian/moral basis. I particularly enjoyed the title story and "What Men Live By". These two stories showed a real grasp of human nature and presented memorable insights.On the other hand, the military stories are hard to read and the language is basically 19th century gargon to me. I'd love to see a modern version of "The Two Hussars" for example, where a more current setting and scenario may help to clarify what the story is about. I stopped reading "the Woodfelling" about half-way through because it just wasn't going anywhere in my opinion.I'll buy it again to be honest, because there are a few gems in it...and who knows, maybe I'll re-read the other stories in a few years and be better able to grasp their meaning.

Wonderful short stories that should be read by everyone. I love them all, but my favorite is "What Men Live By". I couldn't put the book down, read it all in one day! Highly Recommend!!

Terrific story about greed and what is does to a person. Application to modern living, e.g. how much money does a man need, how much house does a man need, how much clothing does a man need, etc.

HOW MUCH LAND DOES A MAN NEED? AND OTHER STORIES (Penguin Books, 1993) contains 9 pieces of Leo Tolstoy's shorter fiction (2 novelettes and 7 short stories), translated by Ronald Wilks. With its short Introduction by A. N. Wilson, this book is 234 pages long.Following the order of the table of Contents, these 9 stories are——1. THE WOODFELLING: A CADET'S STORY (1855); a young Russian army cadet tells about a bloody encounter with Tartars during a wood-cutting mission in Chechnya.—2. TWO HUSSARS (1856); a 2-part "Pattern Story," contrasting a dashing Hussar's encounter with a beautiful young widow and (20 years later) his would-be-dashing Hussar son's parallel encounter with that widow's beautiful young daughter.—3. "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" (1886); a didactic tale about a man tempted to be greedy by the Devil.—4. "Where Love Is, God Is" (1885); a didactic Christian tale about a shoemaker (whose wife and young son have died) who studies the New Testament and has a very mysterious experience confirming he is leading the "right" kind of life.—5. "What Men Live By" (1881); another didactic Christian tale about another shoemaker—who rescues a naked stranger on a freezing night, teaches him to make shoes, and discovers this stranger has supernatural powers and a deep need for knowledge of mankind.—6. "Neglect a Spark and the House Burns Down" (1885); a didactic Christian tale in which, when a hen lays an egg in a neighbor's yard, a small argument escalates into a near-fatal feud ... until an elderly man's advice is heeded.—7. "The Two Old Men" (1885); a didactic Christian tale in which a wealthy old man and his poorer friend set out on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, become separated, and one returns home without reaching their intended goal—but in different ways, both succeed in their journeys.—8. "The Raid: A Volunteer's Story" (1853); a young Russian civilian in the Caucasus tells about a bloody military expedition he joined despite an army captain's advice.—9. "A Prisoner of the Caucasus: A True Story" (1872); 2 Russian soldiers with very different personalities are captured by Tartars and attempt to escape—with mixed results.In my judgment, the 4 best stories are TWO HUSSARS, "How Much Land Does a Man Need?," "Where Love Is, God Is," and "A Prisoner of the Caucasus." I gave all 4 of them grades in the "A" range, the first, TWO HUSSARS, getting an "A+" and the last getting an "A-". Their descriptive details, their intensely perceptive psychology, and their better structural unity set them above the other 5 stories in this book.Slightly below these 4 stories, in my view, are "Two Old Men" (one of 4 short didactic tales with a Christian moral about helping others in need) and "The Raid"; both received "B+" grades from me.THE WOODFELLING (in which Tolstoy recycles several of the details he had used in "The Raid") and "What Men Live By" both received "B" grades, and the weakest story in this book—"Neglect a Spark and the House Burns Down"—received a "B-" grade. While all of the 4 didactic "Christian" tales have several intensely touching moments, 2 of them have rather long stretches of duller material.When I averaged the grades of these 9 stories, I doubled the score of TWO HUSSARS, which is 58 pages long (i.e., more than a quarter of the total length of all the fiction in this collection). The result was an "A-" grade (5 stars) for this book as a whole.

Tolstoy wrote some remarkable short fiction. There is, for example, the detached observer of war and its effect. The early stories based on his military experience in the Caucasus "The Raid," "The Woodfelling," and "The Prisoner of the Caucasus" are examples of this aspect of Tolstoy's craft. Tolstoy anticipated authors such as Stephen Crane and Ernest Hemingway in his unglamorous portrait of war. Tolstoy's slice of life sketches have little blood and thunder. The writing speaks more of futility than of glory or Mother Russia. Except for wasteful, impersonal death, men at war do not progress; their only goal is survival. Then there is the spiritual side of Tolstoy's art. Simple parables patterned on the Gospels in their truth and biblical purity. The title piece speaks of a landowner's greed and its result. "Where Love Is, God Is," and "What Men Live By" are examples of the later Tolstoy and his spiritual views. Although Tolstoy was grounded in Chritianity, Russian Orthodoxy and organized religions left him cold. Tolstoy was more mystic than cleric. His spiritual views rejected dogma and flowed from springs of human compassion. Love inevitably provokes action. Feed the hungry, comfort the sick, and care for widows and orphans. Then we find God among us. This collection of stories has an insightful introduction by editor and biographer A. N. Wilson. It's a good cross sample of Tolstoy's short fiction. ;-)

This is a great book of short stories with an unabashed Christian moral slant. Very entertaining.

bought as present

I enjoy reading my new book of great stories.