"Father Sergius" by graf Leo Tolstoy is a short story written between 1890 and 1898. After discovering his fiancée's affair with the Tsar, proud Prince Stepan Kasatsky abandons his promising future to become a monk. Despite years of spiritual devotion and growing fame as a holy hermit and healer, he struggles with inner weakness, pride, and desire. His journey takes him from self-mutilation to resist temptation, through devastating failure, and finally toward an unexpected path of humble service and redemption. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.
