Written in 1857 and 1858, these two stories are a tribute to Tolstoy's passion for music and are inspired by episodes from his life. In "Lucerne," he offers evocative descriptions of the lakeside city and recreates in first-person detail the struggles of his protagonist, Prince Nekhlyudov, whom a charming melody briefly lifts from his gloom and restores his pure love of life: "What more is needed? Everything is yours, everything is good..." In "Albert," he tells the story of a highly talented violinist whom he actually had the opportunity to hear in St. Petersburg and whose miserable fate deeply moved him, judging by an entry in his diaries where he referred to him as a "genius maniac." These are two stories in which the great Russian writer's prodigious talent for observation and attention to detail shines through.
