Master and Man (Readings Classics)

Vasili Andreevich Brekhunov is a prosperous and self-interested merchant. Accompanied by his servant Nikita, he sets out on a winter journey to complete a profitable business deal. Ignoring warnings of an approaching storm, the two become lost in the snowbound Russian countryside, where their struggle for survival forces an unexpected reckoning with fear, mortality, and human responsibility. First published in 1895, Master and Man brings together many of the moral and spiritual concerns that defined Tolstoy's later writing. Through stark winter landscapes, psychological insight, and a striking contrast between material ambition and human compassion, Tolstoy examines the values by which a life is measured. Economical yet deeply affecting, this powerful novella transforms a simple journey into a profound meditation on selflessness, redemption, and the recognition of shared humanity.