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The four classic tales in this volume illuminate Leo Tolstoy's radical orientation toward war and commerce, revealing his vision for a sustainable, peaceable world. The feature story, Ivan the Fool, presents an archetypal fool who works hard, cooperates with everyone, and manages to foil every attempt to cause his downfall. In the end, peasant life comes out on top, while the pillars of imperial Russian society topple down. Esarhaddon, King of Assyria explores a king's empathy-based revelation to end all violence; and A Grain as Big as a Hen's Egg playfully looks at the relationship between health, soil, labor, and food economies. Three Questions sums up Tolstoy's highest ideal of serving others in the present moment. Some may critique these stories as being too simplistic or too moralistic. But these tales have stood the test of time precisely because they entertain well while evoking universal truths that lift us above humanity's self-serving impulses.
About the author
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was one of the foremost Russian authors of the nineteenth century, known well for his novel, War and Peace. His ethical writings and short stories, which dealt with anarchist and pacifist themes, had a strong influence on Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. One collection of his tales can be found in Walk in the Light & Twenty-Three Tales.
Ted Lewis (Editor) is a restorative justice consultant and trainer for the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking (University of Minnesota). He lives in Duluth, Minnesota, where he runs the Agape Peace Center.
