Divine and Human, or Three More Deaths

Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8
Word count
218K words
Chapters
22

Tags

Foreign Language Books Foreign Literature Fate and FortuneHuman NatureLife PhilosophySpiritual PracticeSpiritual ComfortDeath MeditationMoral DilemmaShort StoriesOrthodox FaithReligious Allegory

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Jumalallista ja inhimillistä eli vielä kolme kuolemaa by graf Leo TolstoyAuthor: Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910,Language: Finnish, Class: PG: Language and Literatures: Slavic (including Russian), Languages and Literature, Release Date: Oct 3, 2016

Editor's review

This is a Finnish translation of a short work by Tolstoy, released free by Project Gutenberg and originally classified under Slavic languages and literature. In his short fiction Tolstoy often addresses fundamental questions of life and death, faith, and the human condition with spare prose, and this work's title alone signals its religious and humanistic orientation. For readers learning Finnish who wish to improve their reading through literary texts, Tolstoy's relatively clear narrative structure makes this a feasible challenge; for Tolstoy scholars or comparative literature readers, the translation also offers a sample of how his work travels across languages. Note that the book is in Finnish, so readers without a foundation in the language will find it hard to read directly; a translation or language tools are recommended. While reading, attend to how the work draws out reflection on life, death, and faith through the fates of specific characters rather than rushing to summarize its themes.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. First get a general outline of the plot, then read the Finnish original to lower the threshold of comprehension.
  2. For key passages, consult translations in other languages to confirm your understanding of the original.
  3. After finishing, write a short review on the divine and the human in the title to organize your impressions.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22

FAQ

Is this book in Finnish, and can I read it without knowing Finnish? The main text is in Finnish; it is a Finnish translation of a work by Tolstoy. Readers who do not know Finnish cannot read the original directly. It is advisable to find a Chinese or other translation in a language you know for comparison, or to use it as Finnish study material.
Is this a novel by Tolstoy? No. Judging by its length and title, it is a short work belonging to Tolstoy's short fiction, unlike long masterpieces such as War and Peace, and it takes relatively little time to read.
Why is this book recommended for learning Finnish? Tolstoy's narratives usually have clear threads and straightforward plotting, making the gist easier to grasp than in highly experimental texts. With a dictionary and a parallel translation, you can build vocabulary and sentence patterns within the context of a complete story.

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About the author

Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910 Author

Leo Tolstoy (Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910) is a highly important writer in the history of Russian literature. Public information about his nationality and exact dates of birth and death is limited; the library records only his name, the number of his works, and representative titles. The library holds 81 of his works, with representative titles including Anna Karenina and War and Peace (Sota ja rauha). These titles show that he excelled at presenting characters' fates and inner conflicts against broad social panoramas, with calm narration and a reflective quality, while questions of family, morality, and the course of history run throughout. His works have been translated into many languages and have a lasting readership and wide influence.