A vibrant translation of Tolstoy s most important short fiction by the award-winning translators of War and Peace . Here are eleven masterful stories from the mature author, some autobiographical, others moral parables, and all told with the evocative power that was Tolstoy s alone. They include The Prisoner of the Caucasus, inspired by Tolstoy's own experiences as a soldier in the Chechen War, Hadji Murat, the novella Harold Bloom called the best story in the world, The Devil, a fascinating tale of sexual obsession, and the celebrated The Death of Ivan Ilyich, an intense and moving examination of death and the possibilities of redemption. Pevear and Volokhonsky s translation captures the richness, immediacy, and multiplicity of Tolstoy s language, and reveals the author as a passionate moral guide, an unflinching seeker of truth, and ultimately, a creator of enduring and universal art."