The Devil

by Leo Tolstoy

"The Devil" by graf Leo Tolstoy is a novella written in 1889. After inheriting his father's debt-ridden estate, Eugene Irtenev settles into rural life and begins an affair with a local peasant woman, Stepanida. When he marries for love and attempts respectability, Stepanida's presence on his estate reawakens a consuming desire he cannot escape. Tormented by lust and unable to confide in anyone, Eugene faces an impossible choice that spirals toward a desperate conclusion.