Three Deaths

work by Tolstoy

Also known as: “Tri smerti”

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

"Three Deaths" is a novella by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1859. It explores the theme of death through three distinct perspectives: a noblewoman who fears dying, a peasant who accepts death naturally, and a tree that dies in a purely natural way. The work contrasts human artifice with natural acceptance, suggesting that only a transcendent consciousness can unite these different experiences of mortality.1

This novella is distinct from Tolstoy's later, more famous work, The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886), which focuses on a man's realization of a wasted life as he confronts his own mortality.234

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Leo Tolstoy
First publications of Leo Tolstoy
“Tri smerti” (1859; “Three Deaths”) describes the deaths of a noblewoman who cannot face the fact that she is dying, of a peasant who accepts death simply, and, at last, of a tree, whose utterly natural end contrasts with human artifice. Only the author’s transcendent consciousness unites these…
Read More
“Tri smerti” (1859; “Three Deaths”) describes the deaths of a noblewoman who cannot face the fact that she is dying, of a peasant who accepts death simply, and, at last, of a tree, whose utterly natural end contrasts with human artifice. Only the author’s transcendent consciousness unites these…
Read More