Sebastopol

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1887. Presumed First U. S. Edition, First printing thus. Hardcover. Format is approximately 5 inches by 7 inches. 241, [1], 12, [4] pages. Cover has some wear, soiling, and rubbed edges. Spine worn and frayed at toy and bottom. Slightly cocked. Introduction by W. D. Howells. Frontispiece. The Sebastopol Sketches, called in English translations the Sebastopol Sketches also published in English as Sebastopol are three short stories written by Leo Tolstoy and published in 1855 to record his experiences during the Siege of Sebastopol (1854–1855). The name originates from Sebastopol, a city in Crimea. The book has also sometimes been entitled Sebastopol Stories. These brief "sketches" formed the basis of many of the episodes in Tolstoy's magnum opus, War and Peace. Francis Davis Millet (November 3, 1848[1] – April 15, 1912) was an American academic classical painter, sculptor, and writer who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. In the Russo Turkish war of 1877–78, he was engaged as a war correspondent by the New York Herald, the London Daily News, and the London Graphic.[3][4] He was decorated by Russia and Romania for his bravery under fire and his services to the wounded. As well as an artist, Millet was a writer and journalist. He translated Tolstoy and also wrote essays and short stories. William Dean Howells (March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was known as editor of The Atlantic Monthly, as well as for his own writings, including the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day" and the novel The Rise of Silas Lapham. Sebastopol in December: In Sebastopol in December, Tolstoy uses second person narrative (with the pronoun 'you') in an introductory tour of life in Sebastopol. The detailed tour is arguably similar to one Tolstoy may have been given upon arrival in Sebastopol in November, 1854. As part of the tour, the narrator takes you through the dressing station, which is a makeshift hospital in the Assembly Hall. Here you find wounded soldiers, amputees, "some of them on camp beds, but most of them lying on the floor". Tolstoy also uses Sebastopol in December to introduce the reader to the settings, mannerisms, and background he uses in Sebastopol in May and Sebastopol in August. For example, when referring to the enemy, either the British or the French, only the French are featured in the Sketches; they are referred to as "'him', as both soldiers and sailors say"; Sebastopol in May: In Sebastopol in May, Tolstoy examines the senselessness and vanity of war. The story examines many aspects of the psychology of war, heroism, and the misleading presence of humanism in truces (misleading because countries continuously go to war with one another, despite past truces). Tolstoy concludes by declaring that the only hero of his story is truth; Sebastopol in August: Sebastopol in August depicts the conclusion of the siege of Sebastopol and the eventual defeat and withdrawal of the Russian forces. The narrative alternates between following Mikhail and Vladimir Kozeltsov, two brothers who both fight and eventually die for the Russian side of the conflict. Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (9 September 1828 – 20 November 1910), usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He received nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year from 1902 to 1906 and for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902, and 1909; the fact that he never won is a major controversy. Born to an aristocratic Russian family in 1828, Tolstoy's notable works include the novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1878), often cited as pinnacles of realist fiction. He first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-autobiographical trilogy, Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth (1852–1856), and Sebastopol Sketches (1855), based upon his experiences in the Crimean War. His fiction includes dozens of short stories and several novellas such as The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886), Family Happiness (1859), "After the Ball" (1911), and Hadji Murad (1912). He also wrote plays and numerous philosophical essays. In the 1870s, Tolstoy experienced a profound moral crisis, followed by what he regarded as an equally profound spiritual awakening, as outlined in his nonfiction work A Confession (1882). His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him to become a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You (1894), had a profound impact on such pivotal 20th-century figures as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Condition: Fair / No Dust Jacket present.

Keywords: Crimean War, Russian Literature, Novel, Siege, Battle, Christianity, Truth, Heroism

[Book #84957]

Price: $125.00

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