Master and Man

By: Leo Tolstoy, Louise Maude - translator, Aylmer Maude - translator

Narrated by: Walter Zimmerman

Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude.

Tolstoy is know primarily for his epic novels like War and Peace and Anna Karenina, but he also wrote a number of excellent short pieces that carry the same kind of themes on a much smaller scale. Two of the best are Master and Man and The Death of Ivan Ilych.

In the story, a land owner named Vasili Andreevich Brekhunov takes along one of his peasants, Nikita, for a short journey to the house of the owner of a forest. He is impatient and wishes to get to the town more quickly to purchase the forest before other contenders can get there. They find themselves in the middle of a blizzard, but the master in his avarice wishes to press on. They eventually get lost off the road and they try to camp. The master's peasant soon finds himself suffering from hypothermia.

The master attains a spiritual and moral revelation, and Tolstoy once again repeats one of his famous themes: that the only true happiness in life is found by living for others as the master acts a way he never thought was possible.

©2008 Louise Maude and Aylmer Maude (P)1981 Jimcin Recordings

Worth a listen every so often

Rich story. Easy to bite off for a Tolstoy installment. Give it a listen - won’t be disappointed.

excellent. totally enngaging. naratorr quite wonderful!

a most enngaging tolstoy offering! rread in onee sitting as unable to put it down!

Great story. Horrible narration.

Narration was worst I've heard. Story was worthwhile. Different narrator could make a tremendous difference.

Simple and very normal

A lot of the book is comings and goings. The end is great, but buildup is drag on purpose.

Tolstoy a great thinker and observer

I think this author was an amazing thinker in his time. I should say he was ahead of his time. He writes this story as if he was there or this telling were part of his experience.
He nails the thinking of the characters as one who might have know them. I felt bad about the horse in the end.
The foolishness and the arrogance of the man in charge does not escape my own thoughts about some of the people I have met, not willing to listen to reason. It was amazing to see someone who was living in such an environment and should have understood the danger, but so full of himself that he ignored all the tell tale signs. He did vindicate his main character in the end in a very dramatic way. Tolstoy, one of the best writers ever.

Stolen from The Grinch

I don't care if you say this came first, The Grinch is better, more believable, and narrated (the original cartoon) expertly. This book summed up: stink, stank, stunk.

It's not plausible from the point of them getting lost the fist time and to just Sally forth over the frozen countryside to "get somewhere." Then they're lost again. And then they decide to strike forth a third time, in a snow storm at night... if you were looking for the definition of pig headed stupidity, may I present Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy.

Then the light of God touches this otherwise obstinate idiot and his heart grows three sizes that day.

Not a big fan of the narration either.