Twenty-Three Tales: (Annotated)

Unique Elements<br/>Historical Context from the 20th Century as bonus material<br/><br/>"Twenty-Three Tales" was written by Russian author Leo Tolstoy and published in 1906. He is recognized as one of literature's all-time greats. In his twenties, he initially attracted literary attention with his semi-autobiographical trilogy "Childhood", "Boyhood and Youth" and "Sevastopol Sketches." He was born in 1828 to an aristocratic Russian family.<br/>Although mostly known for his longer works, "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina", "Twenty-Three Tales" show his mastery of the short narrative.<br/>This book is divided into seven sections according to topics. The stories in Part I are geared at youngsters, whereas the ones in Part 2 toward adults. In "Ivan the Fool," the third instalment of his fairy tale, Tolstoy subtly criticizes capitalism. Several short stories in Part 4 were initially published with images to promote the low-cost duplication of visual works. The Russian folktales in Part 5 cover a range of subjects while two French short stories are found in Part 6 that Tolstoy translated and edited.<br/>Lastly, Part 7 includes a collection of parabolic short stories that Tolstoy dedicated to Russia's oppressed Jews in the early 1900s. All ages will enjoy Tolstoy's imaginative short stories, which are brimming with deeper spiritual significance.