The Kreutzer sonata

by Leo Tolstoy

95 pages

English language

Published June 19, 2003 by Modern Library.

ISBN:: 978-0-8129-6823-1
OCLC Number:: 52038071

(10 reviews)

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.

40 editions

Dee reviewed The Kreutzer sonata by Leo Tolstoy (Modern Library classics)

Review of 'The Kreutzer sonata' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A surprising read...

The Kreutzer Sonata is the tale (or rather narrative) of a man who kills his wife on the mere suspicion of her committing infidelity.

The story itself starts off with his seemingly rather preposterous misogynistic claims and his viewing of women as inferior beings that only act to charm and "trap" men. Frankly, it is quite alarming how misogynistic it is initially but the quality of the writing and description will keep you reading to at least understand Pozdnishef's (the murderer and narrator of this story) mentality and actions.

Pozdnishef emphasises Christian ideals such as sexual abstinence before marriage and mentions his faithfulness to his wife which he felt was not being reciprocated several times. Despite there being no definite evidence of his wife's infidelity the great detail he uses to explain his mechanism of thought that led him to committing the murder seems almost logical and justified.

Taking a break halfway through the story and letting it sit in your mind makes you realise that Pozdnishef is not wrong in his claims about women and they can actually be seen as a criticism of the objectification of women by society. This also partially explains the censorship of this piece by Russian authorities and the public of that time declaring it an "immoral" and "improper" piece of writing. It is beyond easy to use the theme of this book (jealousy being portrayed as a justifiable means to murder) as a way to condemn it but notably harder to understand the allusions to systematic misogyny and sexism made by this story.

4/5
To conclude, the "moral" of this story may not be something very conspicuous to all but definitely something that brought this book from a 2 star review to a 4 star review.

okenwillow reviewed La Sonate à Kreutzer by Leo Tolstoy

Review of 'La Sonate à Kreutzer' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Un homme raconte le drame de sa vie à un voyageur durant un trajet en train. Il a tué sa femme, a été acquitté, et explique ce qui l’a poussé à passer à l’acte.
Ce personnage est profondément exécrable, mais fascinant. Il relate sa vie passée depuis son adolescence jusqu’à son mariage, puis sa vie conjugale, jusqu’à l’inexorable tragédie. Sa vision des choses est abominable et reflète un tempérament instable, presque délirant. D’abord libéré et coureur de jupon, il devient misogyne, coincé, presque puritain dans sa façon de voir le mariage, les femmes, et leur rôle dans le couple. Tolstoï a écrit ce court roman lorsqu’il traversait lui-même une phase difficile et l’on peut se demander à quel point il y a de lui dans cet odieux individu.
Le « héros » réalise très vite qu’il n’a rien en commun avec sa femme, le sexe étant la seule raison qui les rapproche entre deux disputes. L’amour laisse rapidement la place à une haine réciproque, tempérée ponctuellement par le plaisir charnel, malgré le manque total d’affinités. Une jalousie maladive ne tarde pas à le torturer, son égocentrisme finit par avoir raison de lui. On assiste à la lente évolution d’un homme qui devient fou, qui malgré son acte criminel persiste dans son délire et croit détenir la vérité.
Fascinant et dérangeant, ce roman gagnerait à être lu suivi des réponses de Sofia Tolstoï, l’épouse de l’auteur, À qui la faute ? et Romance sans paroles.