How Much Land Does a Man Need? (Tolstoy)
Short summary
Russian countryside, 19th century. A peasant overheard his wife arguing with her sister about country versus city life. When his wife boasted that peasants feared nothing if they had enough land, the Devil, who was listening, decided to use land to trap the peasant.
Pahóm first bought forty acres from a local landowner, borrowing money to do so. Though initially satisfied, he soon grew frustrated with trespassing neighbors and disputes. When he heard about cheap, fertile land beyond the Volga, he sold everything and moved his family there, acquiring 125 acres of communal land.
Still unsatisfied, Pahóm learned from a passing dealer about the Bashkirs, who sold vast lands for almost nothing. He traveled to them with gifts. The Bashkirs offered him as much land as he could walk around in one day for 1000 roubles, but warned that if he didn't return to the starting point by sunset, his money would be forfeited.
Pahóm died from exhaustion just as he reached the starting point at sunset. The Bashkirs buried him.
Six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed.
Detailed summary by chapters
Chapter titles are editorial.
Chapter 1. The sisters argument and Pahóms fateful boast
Two sisters met to discuss their different ways of life. The elder sister, married to a tradesman in town, boasted about urban advantages - fine clothes, entertainment, and comfort.
The younger sister defended peasant life, arguing it was safer and free from anxiety. Their husband Pahóm listened from atop the oven and made a fateful declaration:
If I had plenty of land, I shouldn't fear the Devil himself!
Chapter 2. The ladys land sale and Pahóms first purchase
The Devil, who had been listening behind the oven, accepted Pahóm's challenge and planned to use land to ensnare him.
All right... We will have a tussle. I'll give you land enough; and by means of that land I will get you into my power.
A local lady landowner employed a harsh steward who constantly fined the peasants. When she decided to sell her estate, the peasants feared worse treatment from potential buyers. They arranged to purchase the land individually. Pahóm scraped together money by selling livestock and borrowing, eventually buying forty acres. He was initially delighted with his land ownership.
Chapter 3. The troubles of being a landowner
Pahóm's contentment was short-lived as neighboring peasants trespassed on his land.
Despite his initial patience, he eventually took trespassers to court. This created resentment among his neighbors, who began deliberately letting their cattle onto his property. One peasant even cut down five lime trees from his wood. Though Pahóm suspected Simon and took him to court, Simon was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Pahóm's relationships with his neighbors deteriorated further, and threats were made against his property. When he heard rumors of people moving to new regions with better land, he decided to investigate, traveling to Samára and beyond.
He found the reports were true - settlers received twenty-five acres each and could buy additional land cheaply.
Chapter 4. Moving to new land and meeting the dealer
Pahóm sold his property and moved his family to the new settlement, where he received 125 acres of communal land. Initially satisfied with being ten times better off than before, he soon wanted more land for wheat cultivation. He rented additional land and considered buying freehold property. After three years of renting, he found a peasant willing to sell thirteen hundred acres for 1,500 roubles. Just as they were about to finalize the deal, a dealer arrived with news of an even better opportunity.
The dealer had just returned from Bashkir territory where he had purchased thirteen thousand acres for only 1,000 roubles by befriending the chiefs with gifts. He described the Bashkirs as simple people and the land as virgin prairie near a river. Pahóm realized he could get much more land for his money there.
Chapter 5. Journey to the Bashkirs
Pahóm prepared for the journey, buying gifts as the dealer had advised. After traveling over three hundred miles for seven days, he reached the Bashkir settlement. The nomadic people lived in felt tents by a river, herding cattle and horses, drinking kumiss, and living a carefree existence. They welcomed Pahóm warmly, offering him food and drink. When he explained his desire for land, they were delighted and promised to give him as much as he wanted in return for his gifts. Some Bashkirs wanted to consult their chief before making any land deals.
Chapter 6. The Bashkir chief and the peculiar land deal
The Bashkir chief arrived wearing a large fox-fur cap. Pahóm presented him with the finest gifts - a dressing-gown and tea.
The chief agreed to sell land and explained their unique pricing system:
Our price is always the same: one thousand roubles a day... As much as you can go round on your feet in a day is yours
The chief explained the conditions: Pahóm must start from a designated spot at sunrise, walk in a circuit marking his path, and return to the starting point before sunset. If he failed to return in time, he would lose his money. All the land within his circuit would be his for 1,000 roubles.
Chapter 7. The prophetic dream and preparation
Unable to sleep from excitement, Pahóm planned his route:
What a large tract I will mark off!... I will sell the poorer land... About a hundred and fifty acres shall be plough-land, and I will pasture cattle on the rest.
Just before dawn, Pahóm had a disturbing dream. He saw the Bashkir chief laughing, but the figure transformed into the dealer, then the peasant from the Volga, and finally into the Devil himself with hoofs and horns. Before the Devil lay a dead man:
He saw that the man was dead, and that it was himself! He awoke horror-struck.
Chapter 8. The fateful race for land
At sunrise, the Bashkirs and Pahóm rode to a hillock on the steppe. The chief placed his fox-fur cap on the ground as the starting marker, and Pahóm put his 1,000 roubles on it. The land stretched endlessly before him - virgin black soil with various grasses. Pahóm began walking eastward at sunrise, digging holes and piling turf to mark his path. Initially walking at a steady pace, he gradually increased his speed as the day grew warmer. By noon, he had covered considerable distance and turned left for the second side of his circuit. The heat became oppressive, but he pressed on, driven by greed for more land.
Chapter 9. Death and the answer to the question
When Pahóm realized he had made his circuit too large and the sun was already halfway to the horizon, panic set in. He abandoned his planned route and headed straight for the hillock. Exhausted and overheated, he began running desperately, throwing away his coat, boots, and flask:
I have grasped too much, and ruined the whole affair. I can't get there before the sun sets.
As the sun touched the horizon, Pahóm summoned his last strength and ran up the hillock. The Bashkirs cheered him on, and he could see the chief sitting by the cap. Just as the sun seemed to set from below, Pahóm reached the top where it was still light. He fell forward, reaching the cap with his hands, but the effort killed him. His servant found him dead with blood flowing from his mouth.
The servant dug a grave exactly six feet long - from head to heels. That was all the land a man truly needed, answering the story's title question.