Tolstoy: Katiaكاتيا

Translated to Arabic, «Katia» (1859), an alternate translation of the classic novella «Family Happiness», by Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). This tale revisits a theme that resonates throughout Tolstoy's work and is perhaps best elucidated in Anna Karenina: «All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.» A young woman who is still reeling from the death of her mother agrees to be wed to a much older family friend. After a happy beginning, differences begin to strain the marriage, as she is dazzled by life in St. Petersburg's high society and he wants a life in the quiet countryside. Translated to Arabic by Lutfi Sultan.