Two Old Men (story)

"Two Old Men" ("Два старика") is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1885. It is a religious piece that was translated to English by Leo Wiener in 1904.^[1] According to Christianity Today, it is the story of Efim and Elisha, two neighbors who decide to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem before dying,^[2] "but one gets sidetracked caring for a needy family".^[3]

Publication and Commentary

The story was retold in a sermon by Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast, who concluded his retelling with, "Who really got to the goal of the pilgrimage?"^[4] The story is included in numerous Tolstoy collections, such as Twenty-Three Tales (1924),^[5] Leo Tolstoy's 20 Greatest Short Stories (2009),^[6] and Tolstoy: Tales of Courage and Conflict (1986).^[7]

See also

• Bibliography of Leo Tolstoy
• Twenty-Three Tales