Literature Study: Leo Tolstoy

In the midst of yet another Russian appreciation phase, I decided somewhat on a whim to take on the massive novel of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. This book has sat on my bookshelves untouched for many years, always waiting for a good reason. I began the book about a month ago and have found it fairly easy to comprehended compared to War and Peace. This could be because I have seen the 2012 movie and am very familiar with the story. However I also think it is less complicated and much shorter than the 1200 pages of War and Peace. I will hopefully have a full review on the book in a week or so, but for now I wanted to make a deep dive study on the author himself, Leo Tolstoy. 

I think it was in 2008 when I lived in Chicago that I became very fascinated by Russian culture, it's history, and it's far left politics. This could be because it was the year of Obama's election, but maybe also because Chicago was a very cultural and very cold city in the wintertime (just like Russia). I also remember during that time I discovered two of my all time favorite movies concerning the Russian Revolution, Dr. Zhivago and Reds. I also should mention that my landlord in Chicago, Semir was a friendly Russian, but don't think that lead to any inspiration. I remember eventually stumbling upon the name of Leo Tolstoy while reading about political ideologies. I quickly came to admire his philosophy long before I admired his literature. 

In 2010 when I moved to Fishers, I underwent another major European renaissance. I believe it was inspired by the film Marie Antoinette which opened my eyes to the French Revolution. I studied everything that year about the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. Furthermore I made a deeper into Imperial Russian history. It was at this time I decided to take on an epic novel pertaining to this era in history. I confess now that when I decided to embark on War and Peace it was not so much because of the content or the author, but more so because it was going to be a great challenge. The book took me nearly a year to finish and is without question one of the most difficult books I ever read  (see Book review of War and Peace). Nonetheless I was glad to have finished and came to admire Leo Tolstoy even more for his rich text, characters, and deep rooted ideals. 

Upon further analysis of War and Peace, is a book that discourages the atrocities of war on both sides while celebrating the power (and complexities) of love. In this magnum opus Leo Tolstoy demonstrates his political ideals pertaining to pacifism, Christianity, anarchy, yet most so to love. He demonstrated his new found admiration of the peasants and rural working class (not so much in favor of communism rather a communal anarchism) These themes were also apparent in his novel of Anna Karenina that celebrates the simplicity and beauty of the country in contrast to the drama of the city. For these two works Leo Tolstoy is considered one of the greatest authors of all time, and in order to further understand the content one must better understand it's creator. 

Early Life

Born in 1828 to a wealthy family estate near the city of Tula, Russia Lev Nikolayevich was the fourth of five children. His father fought in Napoleon's invasion of 1812 which became a celebrated victory for Russia and no doubt led to a patriotic upbringing. However both his parents died at a very young age and Leo and his siblings were raised by other relatives. In 1844 Leo began studying law and foreign languages at Kazan University. While he demonstrated a keen intellect he lacked the academic discipline and later dropped out and moved to Moscow. Throughout his 20s he began writing in Moscow and published his first book Childhood in 1852. He later fell into debt and had to enlist in the army of which he served as an artillery officer in the Crimean War. 

It was his experience at the Crimean War that forever made Tolstoy a total pacifist against the violence of war. He further transformed into a spiritual anarchists during his travels of Europe from 1857-1861. At this point in his life Leo Tolstoy had become experienced, cultured, and quite enlightened to begin producing his classic literature. He was especially influenced by meeting and reading Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Tolstoy wanted to emulate a similar historical epic that pertained to his homeland Russia's history. He began working on War and Peace in 1863 and the final draft was later published in 1869. The book was received with great acclaim and established Leo Tolstoy as the new lion of Russian literature. 

Marriage to Sophia

In 1862 Tolstoy married Sophia Andreevna Behrs and together they had 13 children. Sophia was a very intelligent and passionate woman and helped Leo edit his books. She was very much the influence of Anna Karenina, a passionate romance pertaining to a love affair. The writing is so unique because Tolstoy is able to take the reader inside the mind of this conflicted woman. This complex character was surely influenced by his wife, who helped him better understand the mental process of a woman. The two remained married for nearly 50 years until Tolstoy's death in 1910. 

The final years of Tolstoy's life were the most difficult for Sophia, due to his growing radical beliefs. After many years of wealth and fame, Tolstoy had transformed into a spiritual prophet eager to sell off his material possessions and live a life of seclusion and simplicity. His publication of The Kingdom of God is Within You in 1894 became his new creed of non-violence and Christian Anarchism. By this point he had amassed a new following that became known as the Tolstoyan Movement. This was no doubt a difficult time for Sophia, who not only witnessed her husband sell off much of his wealth, but was now being shared and praised by communal followers. Tolstoy had undergone a spiritual transcendence while his wife was more so rooted on the ground. 

Tolstoyan Movement

I think I came to most understand Leo Tolstoy in the 2009 film, The Last Station. This movie demonstrates the final years of Tolstoy's life and his conflicted relationship with his wife Sophia. Furthermore however it demonstrates Tolstoy's spiritual following that became known as the Tolstoyan Movement. Thousands of Tolstoy followers began to take on, visit, and practice his ideology demonstrated in his written works. This following was organized into a doctrine that incorporated Tolstoy's Christian ideals of non-violence, spirituality, abstinence, simple life, vegetarianism, chastity, and love of nature. 

Tolstoy's doctrine was based around Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount by which the lord delivered these beatitudes (from Matthew 5:3-12);

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and seek for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because they are righteous, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Tolstoyan movement lives by these beatitudes and sums them up in 5 simple statements;

1. Love your enemies
2. 
   Do not be angry
3. Do not fight evil with evil, but return evil with good (turn the other cheek)
4. Do not lust
5. Do not take oaths

Another key aspect of the movement that was perhaps it's most radical was the Christian-anarchism that essentially rejected government. Tolstoy believed in the governance of one's self thru Christ, and felt that the financial/governing/legal institutions were deterrents from spiritual peace. By the 1890s many Tolstoyan colonies began to form organized by Tolstoy's most dedicated editor Vladimir Chertkov.  I think this ideology of Christian communal simple living is best incorporated today by that of the Amish (who separate themselves from today's technology and economic structure). 

Tolstoy died at the age of 82 in 1910 before the dawn of the Russian Revolution. Although he did not consider himself communism it's likely he would have supported the movement against capitalism. Tolstoy's ideals were celebrated as proud Russian heritage by both Lenin and Stalin, and even more so after the fall of the USSR. Tolstoy had many prominent followers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Doris Day, and Cesar Chavez. He is regarded today not only as one of the greatest novelists of all time, yet also as a very influential philosopher.