"The Coffee-House of Surat" (Russian:Суратская кофейная; also "A Surat Café"[1]) is a short story byLeo Tolstoy written in 1891,[2] first published in Russian in 1893, and first published in English in 1901.[3] Like several other of Tolstoy's works (e.g., The Port), this work is based on a French piece translated by Tolstoy himself, byJacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. Due to the censorship in Russia, Tolstoy had to adjust the tale somewhat.[4]
The story takes place inSurat,India, where a single follower of Judaism, Hinduism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Islam argue with each other about the true path to salvation, while a quiet Chinese man looks on without saying anything, the piece concluding when the followers turn to him and ask his opinion.[5]
This story is a chapter in the common Tolstoy compilation,Twenty Three Tales.[6]
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