Three Deaths

Leo Tolstoy

The Collected Works of Leo Tolstoy 66권 · Imperial Press

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"Three Deaths," known in Russian as "Три смерти," was written in January 1858 and first published in 1859 in the journal "Библиотека для чтения" (Biblioteka dlya chteniya). The story presents the demise of three distinct beings: a lady, a coachman, and a tree. The lady, Maria Dmitrieva, is depicted as dying miserably, consumed by complaints and falsehoods even in her final moments. This concise composition juxtaposes the final moments of three disparate entities, a complaining noblewoman, a stoic coachman, and a felled tree, offering a stark contemplation of mortality and the varying degrees of acceptance in the face of ultimate cessation. It compels a consideration of what constitutes a "good" end to existence.

In stark contrast, the old coachman, Fyodor, faces his end with a calm acceptance, having made peace with his fate. The third "death" is that of a tree, which is felled, its collapse described with the visceral impact of a living creature's demise, set against the backdrop of renewing spring nature. Tolstoy's own commentary on the work shows the lady's pathetic end due to her lifelong deceit, contrasting it with the peasant's tranquil departure, thereby inviting a philosophical inquiry into the authenticity of life and death.

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Leo Tolstoy (1828 to 1910) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and religious thinker. His books include War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Resurrection, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and Hadji Murat, alongside essays on Christianity, art, education, violence, and social life.