The Forged Coupon [electronic resource]
2014
eAudioBook
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Though Tolstoy first conceived of this story in the late 1890s, he did not begin writing it until 1902. After struggling for several years, he finally completed the story in 1904; however, it was not published until some of Tolstoy's shorter works were collected and anthologized after his death in 1910.The story is divided into two parts. In Part I, schoolboy Mitya is in desperate need of money to repay a debt, but his father angrily denies him assistance. Dejected, under the instigation of a friend Makhin, Mitya simply changes a $2.50 note to read $12.50, but this one evil deed sets off a chain of events that affects the lives of dozens of others, when his one falsehood indirectly causes a man to murder a woman at the end of Part I, and then seek redemption through religion in Part II. Having written the novella in his dying years, after his excommunication, Tolstoy relishes the chance to unveil the ‘pseudo-piety and hypocrisy of organized religion.’ Yet, he maintains an unwavering belief in man's capacity to find truth, so the story remains hopeful, especially in Part II, which shows that good works can affect another as in a domino effect, just as evil does in Part I. The novella has also been translated with the title ‘The Counterfeit Note’ and ‘The Forged Banknote’.
Main title:
Imprint:
[Place of publication not identified] : Bolinda/Audible audio, 2014
Collation:
1 online resource (1 audio file)
ISBN:
9781489072542
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
3656409