Book Description: Here are some of Tolstoy?s extraordinary short stories, from ?The Death of Ivan Ilyich??in a masterly new translation?to ?The Raid,? ?The Wood-felling,? ?Three Deaths,? ?Polikushka,? ?After the Ball,? and ?The Forged Coupon,? all gripping and eloquent lessons on two of Tolstoy?s most persistent themes: life and death. More experimental than his novels, Tolstoy?s stories are essential reading for anyone interested in his development as one of the major writers and thinkers of his time.