Izabrana djela 9: Obiteljska sreća / Polikuška / Smrt Ivana Iljiča / Vlast tame / Plodovi prosvjete / Živi leš / Uspomene

The ninth volume of Selected Works of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, published by Matica hrvatska, brings together a selection of the author's most significant short prose and dramatic works from different periods of his creative work. The book brings together the novel Family Happiness, the short stories Polykushka and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, the plays The Power of Darkness, The Fruits of Education and The Living Corpse, and the autobiographical text Memories, providing a comprehensive insight into the development of Tolstoy's artistic and philosophical thought.

Family Happiness explores the maturation of love from romantic infatuation to everyday marital reality through the relationship between the young Masha and the older Sergei Mikhailovich. Polikushka depicts the tragic fate of a poor peasant whose attempt at an honest life ends fatally, exposing the social injustices of the Russian countryside. One of Tolstoy's most famous novels, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, presents a poignant account of a distinguished judge's confrontation with an incurable illness and his own mortality, raising questions about the meaning of life and the authenticity of human existence.

The dramas The Power of Darkness and The Living Corpse speak of moral decline, guilt, hypocrisy, and the possibility of redemption, while the satirical comedy The Fruits of Education mocks fashion, superstition, and the hypocritical Russian aristocracy. The final text, Memoirs, provides an autobiographical look at Tolstoy's childhood, family, and spiritual development. As a whole, this volume represents a cross-section of Tolstoy's literary oeuvre, combining psychological analysis, social criticism, and profound ethical reflections that rank him among the greatest writers in world literature.