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The theme of the peasantry is central throughout most of Tolstoy's long career. His obsession with this class is seen not just as a matter of social or humanitarian concern, but as a response to the questions of "how to live a good life" and "what is the meaning of life that an inevitable death will not destroy?" These questions plagued him his entire life. The letters he exchanged with the four major peasant sectarian writers (Bondarev, Zheltov, Verigin, and Novikov) reveal that Tolstoy was matched as a profound thinker by his correspondents, as they converse on religious-moral questions, the meaning of life and how one should strive to find it, and on a wide array of burning social and personal problems. Reading through the analysis and the extensively annotated letters as a unified whole, elucidates the progressive development of the ideas they shared (and where these diverged) and which guided Tolstoy's and his correspondents' lives. Juxtaposing Tolstoy's letters with those of his four sectarian correspondents makes them even more significant as it shows them in their original context -- a dialogue, or conversation. Also, with the aim to present the conversation in an even broader context, Andrew Donskov briefly discusses Tolstoy's relationship with peasants in general as well as with each of the four individual writers in particular. In addition, he provides a background sketch of two major religious groups, namely the Doukhobors and the Molokans, both of which still claim sizeable populations of followers in North America today.

Dissenters, Religious --- Authors, Russian --- Peasants as authors --- Peasants' writings, Russian. --- Russian peasants' writings --- Authors --- Russian authors --- Believers' church --- Conformity (Religion) --- Nonconformists, Religious --- Nonconformity (Religion) --- Protestant dissenters --- Separatism (Religion) --- Congregationalism --- Dissenters --- Established churches --- Free churches --- Liberty of conscience --- Sects --- History --- History. --- Tolstoy, Leo, --- Bondarev. --- Correspondence. --- Doukhobors. --- Leo Tolstoy. --- Letters. --- Molokans. --- Novikov. --- Peasantry. --- Tolstoy. --- Verigin. --- Zheltovv. --- analyse de classe. --- class analysis. --- letters. --- lettres. --- paysannerie. --- peasant sectarian writers. --- peasantry. --- problèmes sociaux. --- questions de moralité. --- questions de religion. --- religious-moral questions. --- social problems. --- écrivains sectaires.

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This book is published in English. Following the completion of his major novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Russian writer Leo Tolstoy experienced a spiritual crisis that led him to denounce the privileges of his social class and its attendant material wealth and embrace the simple rural life of the peasantry. In the persecuted Russian Doukhobor sect, who also rejected militarism and church ritual in favour of finding God in their hearts, he saw a prime example of how it was possible to live his new-found pacifist ideals in everyday life. He was so taken with their lifestyle, calling the Doukhobors "people of the 25th century," that, in 1898, he decided to help finance their mass emigration to Canada, away from the persecutions of the Russian church and state. Donskov's expanded study presents an outline of Doukhobor history and beliefs, their harmony with Tolstoy's lifelong aim of "unity of people", and the portrayal of Doukhobors in Tolstoy's writings. This edition features Tolstoy's complete correspondence with Doukhobor leader Pëtr Vasil'evich Verigin. Three guest essays by prominent Canadian Doukhobors are also included. Supported by a considerable array of source materials, Donskov's monograph will be of relevance to anyone interested in religious, philosophical, sociological, pacifist, historical, or literary studies.

Tolstoy, Leo, --- Tolstoj, Lev Nikolaevič --- Tolstoi, Leo --- Tolstoj, Leo --- Tolstoj, Lew Nikolajewitsj --- Tolstoy, Leo --- Tolstoï, Léon --- Толстой, Лев, --- Толстой, Лев Николаевич, --- Tolstoĭ, Lev Nikolaevich, --- Dōlsdōy, L. N., --- Ṭālsṭāy, --- Ṭālsṭāy, Liyō, --- Talstoĭ, Leŭ, --- Tʻo-erh-ssu-tʻai, --- Tʻo-erh-ssu-tʻai, Lieh-fu, --- Ṭôlasṭāya, Liyo, --- Толстой, Л. М., --- Tolstoĭ, L. M., --- Толстой, Л. Н. --- Tolstoĭ, L. N. --- Tolstoi, Leo N., --- Tolstoï, Léon, --- Tolstoï, Léon Nikolaevitch, --- Tolstoi, Leone, --- Tolstói, Lev, --- Tolstoi, Lew, --- Tolstoı̂, Lion, --- Tolstoi, Lyof N., --- Tolstoj, Lav Nikolajević, --- Tolstoj, Law, --- Tolstoj, Lev Nikolajevič, --- Tołstoj, Lew, --- Tolstoy, L. N. --- Tolstoy, Léon, --- Tolstoy, Lev, --- Tolsztoj, Lev, --- Ttolsŭttoi, --- Tūlstūy, Līf, --- Tuo'ersitai, --- Tuo'ersitai, Liefu, --- Талстой, Леў, --- טאלסאטי, לעא, --- טאלסטאי, ל. --- טאלסטאי, ל., --- טאלסטאי, ל.נ --- טאלסטאי, ל. נ., --- טאלסטאי, לאװ, --- טאלסטאי, לעא --- טאלסטאי, לעא, --- טאלסטאי, לעװ --- טאלסטאי, לעװ, --- טאלסטאי, לעוו --- טאלסטאי, לעוו, --- טאלסטאי, ליעװ --- טאלסטאי, ליעוו --- טאלסטאי, גראף לעא --- טאלסטוי, ל., --- טאלסטוי, ל. נ., --- טאלסטוי, לאר, --- טאלסטוי, לעא, --- טולסטאי, לב נ., --- טולסטױ, ל. --- טולסטױ, ל., --- טולסטױ, ל. נ. --- טולסטוי --- טולסטוי, ל. --- טולסטוי, ל., --- טולסטוי, ל. נ. --- טולסטוי, ל.נ., --- טולסטוי, ל. נ., --- טולסטוי, לב --- טולסטוי, לב, --- טולסטוי, לב ניקולוביץ, --- טולסטוי, ליב --- טולסטוי, ליב, --- تولستوى، ل، --- لئون تولستوى --- レオ.トルストイ, --- 托爾斯泰, 列夫, --- Tolstojs, L̦evs N., --- Tolstoi, Leo Nikolaievich, --- Tolstojus, L. N., --- Tolstoĭ, Lev Nikolaevich --- Political and social views. --- Tolstoj, Lev Nikolaevitsj --- Толстой, Лев Николаевич --- Tolstoj, Lev Nikolajevitsj --- Canadian history. --- Class analysis. --- Doukhobors. --- Immigration. --- Moral questions. --- Pacifism. --- Religious persecution. --- Religious questions. --- Social problems. --- Tolstoy. --- Verigin.