Tolstoy as Philosopher. Essential Short Writings: An Anthology

The Society for Textual Scholarship Richard J. Finneran Award, Honorable Mention, 2023 is awarded to the most excellent edition or book about editorial theory and/or practice published in the English language during 2021-2022. This anthology assembles seventy-seven unabridged texts that cover more than seven decades of Tolstoy's life, from 1835 to 1910, and includes four reprinted translations personally checked and authorized by Tolstoy. The texts exemplify Tolstoy as an artistically inventive and intellectually absorbing thinker, addressing issues such as freedom of the will, religious tolerance, gender inequality, and the sources of violence.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 426 pages
Publication date: 10 November 2022
Publisher: Academic Studies Press

The Society for Textual Scholarship is proud to announce that Richard J. Finneran Award, Honorable Mention, 2023 has been awarded to the best edition or book about editorial theory and/or practice published in the English language during 2021-2022. This remarkable anthology, spanning over seven decades of Tolstoy's life, from 1835 to 1910, comprises seventy-seven unabridged texts, making it the most comprehensive single-volume edition of his philosophical output to date.

Included in this anthology are apothegmatic sayings, visions, intimate sketchbook and day notes, book reviews, open letters, dialogues, pedagogic talks, public lectures, programs, and rules for personal behavior, fiction, and reminiscences. Most of these newly translated and thoroughly annotated texts have never been available in English before. Among the four reprinted translations personally checked and authorized by Tolstoy is the text titled "Tolstoy on Venezuela," an archival restoration of an authentic first publication in English of "Patriotism, or Peace?" (1896) that had been deemed lost.

In the inaugural piece, a seven-year-old Tolstoy vividly describes violent yet natural animal life, contrasting it with the leisurely life of a peaceful barnyard in the countryside. The last entry in the anthology, written by an eighty-year-old Tolstoy for his grandchildren, offers a profound lesson on vegetarianism and non-violence, imparted by a hungry wolf to a hungry boy during their conversation on their way to lunch.

Tolstoy's philosophical pursuits were driven by the insolvable and "scandalous" problems that never left him rest. These problems encompassed freedom of the will, religious tolerance, gender inequality, the tonal shape of music, the value of healthy life habits, the responsibilities of teaching, forms of social protest, cognitive development, science, and more. His profound insights and unwavering dedication to these topics continue to resonate with readers worldwide, making his work a timeless treasure of intellectual exploration.

The Society for Textual Scholarship congratulates the author and publishers of this exceptional edition, and we encourage all scholars and enthusiasts of editorial theory and practice to explore the rich tapestry of Tolstoy's philosophical output.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781644694022