Although Lev Tolstoy's three prose works based on his experiences during the siege of Sebastopol in 1854 and 1855, are referred to as “stories” (rasskazy), following the title of the 1856 edition, the term is debatable. All three stories – Sevastopol' v dekabre mesiatse [Sebastopol in December], Sevastopol' v mae [Sebastopol in May] and Sevastopol' v avguste 1855 goda [Sebastopol in August 1855] – are largely plotless and lacking in conventional heroes. Indeed December was referred to as an “article” (stat'ia) by both Nekrasov and Turgenev, and critics (or translators) often use the word “sketch” (ocherk) to describe them. The work was not planned as a trilogy and, apart from a reference in August to the events described in May, the components are thematically independent.
Tolstoy had arrived in Sebastopol in November 1854. He was...
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Citation: Pursglove, Michael. "Sevastopol'skie rasskazy". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 June 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=15843, accessed 09 June 2026.]
