- Paperback: 214 pages
- Publisher: Zondervan (25 April 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0310223679
- ISBN-13: 978-0310223672
- Product Dimensions: 22.2 x 14.4 x 2.1 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,052,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Book Description
Divine and Human is a collection of previously undiscovered and untranslated (into English) stories by the great Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy that probes the complexities of life and faith.
From the Back Cover
Divine and Human stands apart as both a landmark in literary history and master-piece of spiritual and ethical reflection. Suppressed in turn by the tzarist and Soviet regime, the tales contained in this book have, for the most part, never been published in English until now. Emerging at last, they offer western readers fresh glimpses of novelist and philosopher Leo Tolstoy. Divine and Human consists of choice selections from The Sunday Reading Stories, the second volume in a two-part work titled The Circle of Reading. In the words of translator Peter Sekirin, "Tolstoy considered The Circle of Reading to be the major work of his life. Considering its difficult history, it is not surprising that only recently has it been rediscovered." From its sparkling vignettes to its lengthier stories, Divine and Human probes the complexities of life and faith. Its characters range the spectrum of human emotions and qualities, from hatred to love and joy to grief; from sublime nobility to grotesque self-absorption. Tolstoy's world, though far-removed from today's information age, becomes our world -- indeed, has always been and always will be our world. Motor cars may have replaced horse-drawn cars, but human hearts remain the same, and questions of truth, mercy, forgiveness, devotion, justice, and the nature of God knock as insistently on the doors of our lives today as they did in Tolstoy's time. Welcome, then, to Divine and Human: a buried treasure at last unearthed, and certain to be prized by Tolstoy readers and lovers of great literature.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
One day the city court convened for a jury trial. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
One day the city court convened for a jury trial. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Amazon.com:
6 reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Tolstoy still sparkles
5 Jun 2000
Format:Paperback
For those who find Tolstoy's novels too long, or love them anyhow, this is a collection of tiny, perfect short stories written near the end of Tolstoy's life, and newly translated into English. Well-developed characters circle around ethical and spiritual knots which refuse pat endings. All is illuminated by Tolstoy's intense and gentle wisdom. Suitable for children or adults, these characters will stay with you for a long time.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Excellent selection of the prose of life, death and God
21 April 2000
Format:Paperback
I'll be brief: this is a wonderful book to buy for your child and for your own reading pleasure. These short little stories are so true to life, easy to read and so full of wisdom that they haunted me for a long time after I read them. They make you stop and think. They make you wonder. They make you ask yourself questions. The characters described and their problems are very easy to identify with and, more importantly, they help you draw a line between the temporal and ordinary and the eternal truth of life. Very good read.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A Post-conversion, Beautifully Radical Tolstoy
21 Sep 2005
Format:Paperback
For every person who started War and Peace and got bogged down somewhere between page 300 and 1000, this book is for you. For every Christian who thinks that USAmerican churchianity has taken a dreadfully wrong road, this book is for you. For every libertarian, whether you know you are one or not, this book is for you. For every lover of 19th century Russia fiction, this is a must have for your collection.
A collection of short stories, parables, and an essay, you need to know that Divine and Human is not the Tolstoy of War and Peace or Anna Karenina. This is post-conversion Tolstoy. This is the kind of stuff that got Count Leo Tolstoy declared a heretic by the Russian Orthodox Church and an anarchist by the Russian government. Be prepared: although these tales are beautifully written, kind and gentle in their approach, a truly radical Christianity shines brightly through every sentence. Tolstoy seriously believed that the authentic manifestation of Christianity was in the following of Jesus Christ and His gospel, particularly the Sermon on the Mount. Recognizing the authority of Jesus Christ as the vanquisher of principalities and powers and following His teachings is a permanently life-altering experience. This is what Divine and Human is about.
Among these small gems, my personal favorites are "The Poor People," "Kornei Vasiliev," "The Berries," "The Son of a Thief," and the essay "The Requirements of Love." These are parables of generosity, forgiveness, faith and responsibility.
Tolstoy's sword cuts in every direction. He shows very succinctly how neither conservative nor liberal approaches to human and social problems holds the answers, but only the radical following of Christ which brings about the eradication of the causes of those problems. The pursuit of peace and justice is the answer of the authentic Christian, which means, to Tolstoy, simply following Jesus Christ with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our minds. And, if necessary, to lay our bodies down for Him.
Dr. Mike Kear
A collection of short stories, parables, and an essay, you need to know that Divine and Human is not the Tolstoy of War and Peace or Anna Karenina. This is post-conversion Tolstoy. This is the kind of stuff that got Count Leo Tolstoy declared a heretic by the Russian Orthodox Church and an anarchist by the Russian government. Be prepared: although these tales are beautifully written, kind and gentle in their approach, a truly radical Christianity shines brightly through every sentence. Tolstoy seriously believed that the authentic manifestation of Christianity was in the following of Jesus Christ and His gospel, particularly the Sermon on the Mount. Recognizing the authority of Jesus Christ as the vanquisher of principalities and powers and following His teachings is a permanently life-altering experience. This is what Divine and Human is about.
Among these small gems, my personal favorites are "The Poor People," "Kornei Vasiliev," "The Berries," "The Son of a Thief," and the essay "The Requirements of Love." These are parables of generosity, forgiveness, faith and responsibility.
Tolstoy's sword cuts in every direction. He shows very succinctly how neither conservative nor liberal approaches to human and social problems holds the answers, but only the radical following of Christ which brings about the eradication of the causes of those problems. The pursuit of peace and justice is the answer of the authentic Christian, which means, to Tolstoy, simply following Jesus Christ with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our minds. And, if necessary, to lay our bodies down for Him.
Dr. Mike Kear
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