Leo Tolstoy - The First Distiller, A Comedy: “All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.”

By Leo Tolstoy

Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was born on September 9th 1828 into Russian nobility but abandoned his title and through his interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus became a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist. His writings on non-violence were to have a profound impact on Gandhi and Martin Luther King. His reputation for many people is based on the epic, in length and scope, of his novel ‘War & Peace’. For that alone Tolstoy would be widely considered to be one of the greatest novelists of all time. But such was the breadth of his talents that he was consummate at short stories, essays and plays. Here we publish ‘The First Distiller’ one of those classic plays.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Copyright Group
• Release date: Oct 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781783945146

Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian author of novels, short stories, novellas, plays, and philosophical essays. He was born into an aristocratic family and served as an officer in the Russian military during the Crimean War before embarking on a career as a writer and activist. Tolstoy’s experience in war, combined with his interpretation of the teachings of Jesus, led him to devote his life and work to the cause of pacifism. In addition to such fictional works as War and Peace (1869), Anna Karenina (1877), and The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886), Tolstoy wrote The Kingdom of God is Within You (1893), a philosophical treatise on nonviolent resistance which had a profound impact on Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. He is regarded today not only as one of the greatest writers of all time, but as a gifted and passionate political figure and public intellectual whose work transcends Russian history and literature alike.

Book preview

The First Distiller: A Comedy by Leo Tolstoy

Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was born on September 9th 1828 into Russian nobility but abandoned his title and through his interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus became a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist.  His writings on non-violence were to have a profound impact on Gandhi and Martin Luther King. His reputation for many people is based on the epic, in length and scope, of his novel ‘War & Peace’.  For that alone Tolstoy would be widely considered to be one of the greatest novelists of all time.  But such was the breadth of his talents that he was consummate at short stories, essays and plays.  Here we publish ‘The First Distiller’ one of those classic plays.

Leo Tolstoy died acclaimed and admired throughout the world on November 20th 1910.

Table of Contents

Characters

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Act 5

Act 6

Leo Tolstoy – A Short Biography

Characters

A PEASANT.

HIS WIFE.

HIS  MOTHER.

HIS GRANDFATHER.

HIS LITTLE DAUGHTER.

A NEIGHBOUR.

FOUR VILLAGE ELDERS.

OLD WOMEN, WOMEN, GIRLS AND LADS.

THE CHIEF OF THE DEVILS.

HIS SECRETARY.

A DANDY IMP.

THE OFFICIALS' IMP.

THE PEASANTS' IMP.

SENTINELS, DOORKEEPERS AND IMPS.

ACT I

PEASANT [ploughing. Looks up] It's noon. Time to unharness. Gee up, get along! Fagged out? Poor old beast! One more turn and back again, that will be the last furrow, and then dinner. It was a good idea to bring that chunk of bread with me. I'll not go home, but sit down by the well and have a bite and a rest, and Peggy can graze awhile. Then, with God's help, to work again, and the ploughing will be done in good time.

[Enter Imp; hides behind a bush.]

IMP. See what a good fellow he is! Keeps calling on God. Wait a bit, friend, you'll be calling on the Devil before long! I'll just take away his chunk. He'll miss it before long, and will begin to hunt for it. He'll be hungry, and then he'll swear and call on the Devil.

[Takes the chunk of bread and sits down behind the bush watching