After the Ball

About the work

Ivan Vasilyevich tells his friends how a single morning changed his whole life. As a young man he was in love with the beautiful Varenka and spent a happy evening with her at a ball. Walking home at dawn, he witnessed a scene after which he saw the world differently.

Contents

1. IChapter 1

How it was written

Tolstoy wrote the story in 1903 but did not publish it during his lifetime. It came out in 1911, after the writer's death, in a collection of his posthumous works of fiction.

Context

The story takes place in the 1840s, under Nicholas I. It is built on the contrast between its two parts and is short - a good text for getting a feel for late Tolstoy.

Interesting facts

• The story's earlier titles were Daughter and Father and And You Say.
• It is written as a tale the hero tells to his listeners - a frame narrative.