Forged Coupon

by Leo Tolstoy

Book Overview

Out of the initial act of counterfeiting a ruble note grows a series of evil deeds, in this, Tolstoy s last short novel. His theme is the consequences of every human action, for both good and ill: our responsibilities run deep. The escalation of evil can be stopped only by one who humbly absorbs it, without passing it on."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393303004
• ISBN13: 9780393303001
• Release Date: June 1986
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 100 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Temptations of purity

vgraine's summary of the novella's plot line doesn't have to be repeated, but the collection as a whole is very nicely done for a free download, and even if one disagrees with Tolstoy's premise, as I do, his metaphysical pushback against material gratification is somehow necessary, at least for the Russian soul. I have my issues with Tolstoy, and do not care for the message of Anna Karenina in its entire, but this quiet collection in his maturity asks us, I believe, not to be so grounded in certainty--and here the woman with the child out of wedlock survives, as opposed to throwing herself under a train--perhaps Tolstoy's realization that on balance, Levin and Anna were not given the same opportunities to pull themselves through. More than anything else, The Forged Coupon reconciles me, in small doses, to Tolstoy's stubborn insistence that a Christianty based on humbled peasant simplicity is somehow incorruptible. All religions are human systems, and he comes closest to remembering that here.

for every action there is a reaction

This brief novel, which does rather diminish into a sermon, nevertheless introduces a rich and varied range of characters. All of them are shown in terms of what they do or what happens to them. In either case there may be good, there may be evil. Regardless of which, there will always be reactions, responses, outcomes. And it's not necessary that evil actions beget evil responses, or that good actions have fortunate outcomes. The story also spreads across the continent and, like the famous butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the world, the impacts are far-reaching and unanticipatable.

What goes around...

Short, simple, and yet truly profound, The Forged Coupon reads like Tolstoy's last wish for humanity; compassion, kindness, and responsibility toward our fellow man/woman. Young Fedor Mikhailovich needs money to repay a debt. After his father angrily refuses to give him any more money, Fedor simply changes a $2.50 note to read $12.50. What follows is an intricate tale of how one evil deed, one selfish act, affects the lives of dozens of others. Tolstoy wrote this novella in his last years, after his excommunication, and he relishes the chance to unveil the pseudo-piety and hypocrisy of organized religion. Yet, his belief in the individual's capacity to find truth is unwavering. Regardless of the theological overtones, however, this novella is priceless for its Aesopian message...that every act, good or bad, goes out into the world like so many ripples.I give The Forged Coupon four stars only because The Death of Ivan Illych is superior. Still, I wouldn't want my bookshelf to be without this work from the master.