Tolstoy, the Writer

In Tolstoy's body of work, we explore his intellectual development and his relationship with religion. We overview the life situations that led the writer to delve into these themes.

From a literary perspective, the most significant benefit of his childhood upbringing was the importance of family happiness and the experiential knowledge of his noble family's ancestors. Though he received a secular education, he witnessed an example of a devout life in his surroundings, particularly with his aunt.

Even in his youth, Tolstoy read extensively, and biblical stories were among his favorites. Since adolescence, he conducted self-examinations of conscience and formulated life rules for himself. In these, he summarized the duties towards his "neighbor" and obligations to God, which he regularly held himself accountable for. His primary goal was self-perfection, aspiring to develop himself as a moral exemplar. Seeing the source of vitality within himself, he gave up prayer and attending church.

Since 1847, he maintained a diary for 63 years until his death, contributing to the autobiographical nature of his works. Instead of formal education, he educated himself through reading, abandoning his university studies early. His youth had a dark, indulgent period when he didn't even keep a diary for three years due to a guilty conscience. Revelry, card games, hunting, and nights spent with gypsies characterized this period.

At the age of 22, he started writing, deciding on this path due to the enthusiastic reception of his work. Escaping from bad habits, debts, and himself, he "exiled" himself to the Caucasus in 1851. This period was one of maturation and gaining experiences as a writer. The overwhelming beauty of nature fascinated him, feeling that by "merging" with nature, he could become closer to God.

The next stage of his life was the Crimean War and the siege of Sevastopol (1854-55). Initially filled with patriotic feelings, he soon recognized the senselessness of war. Here, he developed an affection for ordinary soldiers and, through them, for the Russian "people." He encountered beautiful examples of self-sacrifice.

Contemplating the fate of humanity during the war, in a diary entry from 1855, he wrote about wanting to establish a new, Christ-like religion, purged of dogmas and supernatural elements in line with the rational thinking of the time, for the unity of humanity. He advocated a return to the ancient Christianity nourished by the Gospels, based on the foundations of material happiness and moral purity.

His Western European journey in 1857 enriched him with further transformative experiences. He was not impressed by the advanced nature of Western civilization or the bourgeois way of life. He perceived this world as harsh, unjust. He found France decadent, Switzerland soulless, and Germany vulgar.

Upon returning home, he moved to the family estate. The clearer moral values of rural life and his care for the peasants had a positive impact on the writer. He felt his own moral development and, according to his friends, underwent an "amazing transformation," becoming unrecognizable.

Turning away from literature, he focused on education for a year (1859), aiming to improve the living conditions of peasants. Following Rousseau's "laissez faire" principle, he believed in providing children with free development, as humans are born good. Later, he became disillusioned with this thesis, seeing that children are not untainted and possess innate bad instincts.

In 1860, he traveled abroad again to study Western pedagogy. However, it was not this journey but his brother's death and the Bible that shaped Tolstoy's soul further. The horror of death led him to the conclusion that life was "meaningless and purposeless." To clarify this question and lay the foundation for his educational principles, he rediscovered the Scriptures.

He professed that a child's development and social maturity are inconceivable without the Bible. It should be the first book a child reads, serving as a model for all children's books in form and content. He insisted that the Bible be part of the curriculum, assigning it a prominent place, helping children understand universal "sacred" history. No other work introduces to a new world and endears knowledge to children like the Scriptures. There is no other intellectual product in the world that combines thoughts with poetry in this way. With its help, every question can be explained, including the simplest natural phenomena, basic human relationships, and even societal and state life.

Tolstoy particularly emphasized poetry and impactful narratives in literature, as these are most capable of stirring emotions. He himself was moved while reading them. He asserted that the Bible alone guides the formation of a moral personality. He condemned those who did not respect the word of God in the Scriptures, omitting what seemed irrational. Despite his enthusiasm and sincere good intentions, he viewed the Scriptures only through the eyes of an artist, appreciating it for its literary and moral value.

In 1862, Tolstoy married, and initially, his marriage brought happiness: a large family and a supportive wife could have sufficed. However, he desired more. His sinful thoughts about women, loneliness, constant searching, fanatical obsession with his chosenness, and mission hindered his happiness. He felt that his family life distracted him from the search for the meaning of life. Later, this became one of the main sources of his problems and suffering, also a major theme in his works.

After his literary successes, he felt that his life had derailed, being drawn towards suicide. By the end of the 1870s, he emerged from the crisis as a new person. Subsequently, religious philosophy interested him instead of literature, becoming the defining theme of the second half of his life.

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