ABSTRACT
LEO NIKOLAYEVITCH TOLSTOY is one of the few authors of the last century whose greatness is no longer questioned. Having stood the test of time, he is now among the world-classics. His art has proved strong and vital enough not only to defy, but also to ignore the whims of literary fashions. This does not mean that Tolstoy the prophet and the guide in matters of the spirit is of the same importance as Tolstoy the artist. Yet only by clarifying, as far as possible, the relationship between the two, can we perhaps obtain an Idea of the essential Tolstoy, and of what is truly valuable in him and his work. In this task we are no longer hampered by Tolstoy the myth or the legend. The generation which was able to watch the last years of Tolstoy's life could not help being affected by the wellnigh legendary aura emanating from that figure. From afar, at any rate, he looked like a mysterious (and often mystifying) giant, entitled by nature itself to judge, to value, to approve or to condemn. The more so because he actually commanded universal attention. An epoch which was rapidly losing its moral, social, and political responsibility, was quite willing to label Tolstoy as a sage and even to regard him as the 'conscience of Europe'-in order to continue its own nefarious dealings with the same lack of conscience as before. But for this very reason it was primarily Tolstoy the legend with whom millions of people became familiar. They were vaguely puzzled by the famous Russian Count who suddenly denounced his wealth, his class, even his artistic genius, and, having donned a peasant's garb, wanted to distribute his property among the poor. And
what commotion was caused, from one end of the earth to the other, during his tragic flight and death, at the age of eighty-two! There certainly was plenty of material to give the name of Tolstoy not only a dramatic but also a sensational flavour which need, however, no longer trouble us in our study of his personality and work.
