How Much Land Does a Man Need?

How Much Land Does a Man Need?

Leo Tolstoy2015
A parable of a Russian peasant's bargain with the devil - considered by James Joyce to be the world's greatest story.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of Reiza H
Reiza H@rererei93
4 stars
May 21, 2024

Fast enough to read on a 2-hour short trip. It consists of two short stories: 1. How Much Land Does a Man Need? - A story about man's unlimited greed and a harsh reality about its end. 2. What Men Live By - About finding the real truth about life, and the goodness among humans. It's easy to read and easy enough to bring you into the stories.

Photo of Maximus
Maximus@maximus09
4 stars
Feb 11, 2024

This book contains 2 stories: 1. "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" 2. "What Men Live By". - Story 1 is a story about a peasant farmer named Pakhom who monitors his wife and sister-in-law squabbling because the sister-in-law claims to live a better life than her sister (Pakhom's wife). Upon hearing this boastful conversation, Pakhom believes that owning lots of land is his answer to escaping poverty and by extension making himself invulnerable to fearing the devil. However, the devil is secretly present in the room and hears Pakhom's claim. - The moral of this story focuses on the notion of greed and how its consequences can easily lead to one's ruin. - Story 2 follows a man and wife (Semyon and Martyona) during a season of Winter and their encounter with a man who Semyon has found freezing oustide by a chapel and has subsequently brought home. A decision that will unexpectedly change their lives. - This story encompasses the effects and lessons gathered from moral decision-making, highlights the influence of faith/religion and expresses, both brief and brilliantly, how people do not realise how much they really need one another. Both stories were wonderful. It was interesting to learn that James Joyce considered "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" to be the world's greatest story. I was also surprisingly enticed and enlightened by the second story given its religious centre of interest and how I do not consider myself religious. Overall, a great reading experience. Highly recommend.

Photo of Ed
Ed @unnspeakkable
5 stars
Jan 7, 2024

read this for at most an hour and it was so amusing. this falls under the stories that i don't necessarily, personally like but i like because it's sooo well-written. i never had much of trouble reading, most of the words are simple but so powerful (favourite scene was so vivid), and i never thought i would relate to the mc so much... i can't put out a literary criticism or articulate what's it all about atm but it's so goodddd

Photo of Aislinn G.
Aislinn G.@aes
4 stars
Jan 7, 2024

the penguin little black classic had both how much land does a man need? and what men live by and its an interesting decision to put these fables together when they sit at opposing aspects of human nature: how much land does a man need? explores human greed and our inclination to take more than what we need and what men live by is about our innate desire to help others. overall, i preferred how much land does a man need? over what men live by. the ending of the how much land does a man need? was very !!! tolstoy you madman!! medj mas mababa yung impact ng what men live by compared to how much land does a man need but i still enjoyed it. pano ba magreview nang matino shuta naman di ko to kaya

Photo of Wilde
Wilde@wildeaboutoscar
4 stars
Jul 3, 2023

Parables both short and sweet.

Photo of E-thar
E-thar@winji
5 stars
May 3, 2023

This is a timeless story. We can easily see that the devil is this dystopian society where the ideal employee is a slave. People work all day and night like dogs to gain more and make their lives more comfortable. Unfortunately in the process they lose themselves. Lots of people nowadays suffer from anxiety and depression, and even commit suicide. We all are Pahóm in a way. We are products of this ruthless, greedy society.

Photo of Toyah Blackburn
Toyah Blackburn@rockabillybibliophile
5 stars
Sep 28, 2022

An ageless parable that's still as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Photo of ni
ni@poetics
3.5 stars
Jul 24, 2022

mid (for a tolstoy)

Photo of Tija
Tija@itstija
4 stars
May 3, 2024
Photo of diya
diya@diyankilaco
5 stars
Jan 7, 2024
Photo of jess
jess@visceralreverie
3 stars
Jan 7, 2024
Photo of Nica Rhiana
Nica Rhiana@paperback
4 stars
Nov 19, 2022
Photo of Reymarck Esaguirre
Reymarck Esaguirre@waspeatstacos
3.5 stars
Apr 12, 2022
Photo of Ali
Ali@inblackink
3 stars
May 5, 2024
Photo of Witek Bobrowski
Witek Bobrowski@witek
5 stars
Apr 3, 2024
Photo of jack
jack@statebirds
5 stars
Jan 27, 2024
Photo of Athiyya adristi
Athiyya adristi@aadrst
5 stars
Jan 8, 2024
Photo of isa/bella
isa/bella@belb
3 stars
Jan 6, 2024
Photo of Lexy Tex
Lexy Tex@lexytex
5 stars
Dec 28, 2023
Photo of Carmen Maria
Carmen Maria@carmen2611
3 stars
Dec 27, 2023
Photo of Andy
Andy@handyandy
4 stars
Mar 18, 2023
Photo of Hrishikesh Bhaskaran
Hrishikesh Bhaskaran@stultus
5 stars
Nov 21, 2022
Photo of Courtney
Courtney@courtney30
3 stars
Nov 1, 2022
Photo of Oguz Gelal
Oguz Gelal@oguzgelal
5 stars
Aug 14, 2022