title: The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories (Oxford World's Classics)
author:  Leo Tolstoy 
description: <br><strong>Richard Gustafson</strong> is Professor of Russian at Barnard College, Columbia University and a specialist in Russian literature and religious philosophy. He is the author of <em>Leo Tolstoy: Resident and Stranger</em> (1986).<br>
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  # The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Leo Tolstoy
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  On comparing with the original Russian some English translations
  
  
  of Count Tolstoi's works, published both in this country and in
  
  
  England, I concluded that they were far from being accurate. The
  
  
  majority of them were retranslations from the French, and I found
  
  
  that the respective transitions through which they had passed
  
  
  tended to obliterate many of the beauties of the Russian language
  
  
  and of the peculiar characteristics of Russian life. A
  
  
  satisfactory translation can be made only by one who understands
  
  
  the language and SPIRIT of the Russian people. As Tolstoi's
  
  
  writings contain so many idioms it is not an easy task to render
  
  
  them into intelligible English, and the one who successfully
  
  
  accomplishes this must be a native of Russia, commanding the
  
  
  English and Russia