A Russian Proprietor, and Other Stories

The anthology gathers several of Tolstoy’s early short works, penned in the 1850s before his great novels. Though written in different moods—from the restless energy of a gambler to the quiet lyricism of a mountain village—they all reveal the same restless search for meaning. The pieces are unified by a vivid, unadorned realism that brings nineteenth‑century Russian life into sharp focus.

The centerpiece, “A Russian Proprietor,” follows a nineteen‑year‑old prince who quits university to run his family estate. In a sincere letter to his aunt, he explains his belief that true purpose lies in improving the peasants’ lives through honest labor. The story captures his youthful idealism and the tension between noble expectations and the gritty reality of rural work.

Other tales—like the gambling‑filled “Recollections of a Scorer,” the vivid “Prisoner in the Caucasus,” and the stark “The Three Deaths”—show Tolstoy’s early experiments with morality and human frailty. This modest collection offers a window into the writer’s formative years, perfect for a first listening experience.