/lit/ - Literature

>>20768813
I liked the one with the peasant guy and the pickles. I saw it in an illustrated children's edition back in my childhood. I haven't read any other by him.

>>20768823
Thanks for sharing anon, I think you would really enjoy 'How much land does a man need' or 'God sees the truth but waits'

Good news! A lot of Tolstoy's works are 100% free online as audio books / text! Check it out!

>>20768813
The Kreutzer Sonata

>>20768856
thanks, I honestly im surprised i never listened to this I think

thank you again anon - btw any other tolstoy works you've read?

bump

>>20768813

based tolstoi

>>20768813
I haven't read Tolstoy much but I think about Tolstoy's fear of death quiet a lot. If anyone wants to see how giants fell then they should study Tolstoy's existence.

>There is an Eastern fable, told long ago, of a traveller overtaken on a plain by an enraged beast. Escaping from the beast he gets into a dry well, but sees at the bottom of the well a dragon that has opened its jaws to swallow him. And the unfortunate man, not daring to climb out lest he should be destroyed by the enraged beast, and not daring to leap to the bottom of the well lest he should be eaten by the dragon, seizes s twig growing in a crack in the well and clings to it. His hands are growing weaker and he feels he will soon have to resign himself to the destruction that awaits him above or below, but still he clings on. Then he sees that two mice, a black one and a white one, go regularly round and round the stem of the twig to which he is clinging and gnaw at it. And soon the twig itself will snap and he will fall into the dragon's jaws. The traveller sees this and knows that he will inevitably perish; but while still hanging he looks around, sees some drops of honey on the leaves of the twig, reaches them with his tongue and licks them. So I too clung to the twig of life, knowing that the dragon of death was inevitably awaiting me, ready to tear me to pieces; and I could not understand why I had fallen into such torment. I tried to lick the honey which formerly consoled me, but the honey no longer gave me pleasure, and the white and black mice of day and night gnawed at the branch by which I hung. I saw the dragon clearly and the honey no longer tasted sweet. I only saw the unescapable dragon and mice, and I could not tear my gaze from them. and this is not a fable but the real unanswerable truth intelligible to all. The deception of the joys of life which formerly allayed my terror of the dragon now no longer deceived me. No matter how often I may be told, "You cannot understand the meaning of life so do not think about it, but live," I can no longer do it: I have already done it too long. I cannot now help seeing day and night going round and bringing me to death. That is all I see, for that alone is true. All else is false. The two drops of honey which diverted my eyes from the cruel truth longer than the rest: my love of family, and of writing -- art as I called it -- were no longer sweet to me. "Family"... said I to myself. But my family -- wife and children -- are also human. They are placed just as I am: they must either live in a lie or see the terrible truth. Why should they live? Why should I love them, guard them, bring them up, or watch them? That they may come to the despair that I feel, or else be stupid? Loving them, I cannot hide the truth from them: each step in knowledge leads them to the truth. And the truth is death.

Leo Tolstoy, A Confession

>>20768813
Hadji Murad
The Death of Ivan Ilyich

>>20769068
thank for sharing that anon - I too am going through a bit of an existential crisis which is why I am using Tolstoy to console me. Any advice?

>>20769068
I don't know much at all about him but didn't he have faith at least?
Surely by the time he died he knew about genes and passing them on, and surely even before humans knew about that there was the obvious truth that your decedents live past you.
I know fear of death can be much much more than all of that but surely a man who saw cities come to life with more and more lights in his time had some peace about the world.

>>20769506
I am sorry anon I have no advice. Personally I am also going through it from last 5 years. But what I have found is that there's something noble about wallowing in these problems. And I am at the point where basic happiness feels vulgar to me. I have sort of accepted that this is going to stay with me.

>>20769774
Tolstoy, despite having a large family and mad amount if fame he never managed to cure his fear of death. At the night of his death he ran from his home after fighting with his wife. Surely the problem was much deeper. His last words were "How do the peasants die?". Cioran said that he envied peasants because how light their death is without much philosophical and worldly baggage.

>>20769802
>despite having a large family and mad amount if fame he never managed to cure his fear of death
thats probably why he was so afraid of dying. while the act of dying violently scares me quite a bit, dying in general doesn't really scare me much because i grew up poor and fucked my life up hard through my choices throughout, and i dont have much to live for now that ive gone and caused actual chronic physical issues that will never go away no matter how hard I try.

I imagine if i was wealthy and had a big family I might not be quite so apathetic about the end

>>20769802
This sounds rude, but what an interesting death.

>>20769802
>>20769506
For me it's the fear hitting you at night as you're laying in bed and you deliberately dwell on it, knowing that you cannot keep existing and you will die feebly or through some sudden issue, but there will be a moment when you must deal with it.
I think about it hard and let my heart sink into my stomach, then I shake it off and pretend I'm with a pretty girl for the night.
I wonder how long I'll be able to shake it off?

>>20769878
>I imagine if i was wealthy and had a big family I might not be quite so apathetic about the end
Yes, like Cioran said for "failures" death is a sweet embrace but for "successful" people it is like a fucking slap on the face.

>>20769896
Tolstoy was quite ruthless in life, too much testosterone and genius.

>>20769901
I know this feel anon. I have just experienced a severe panic attack last week. My body went cold and in these moments I feel a metallic taste in my mouth, I call it the taste of death. I have tasted it many times before. That's a horrible experience. But one time /sci/ anon told that he seen people in hospitals who genuinely wanted to die. He told me it's like talking to women in the club, you have fear of talking to them but when you got and start interacting the fear dissipates. Ironically one solution to fear of death is to live life fully and see how pathetic it is and how little it can offer to you. When you have lived fully you will have no expectations from life.

>>20768813
>how much land does a man need?
by definition one (1) acre.

>>20768813
I read this translated into my native language. Isn't this the one where they have him do some kind of race to circle lands and he gets to keep the land he's covered or did I read some retarded ass translation?

>>20769901
>>20770121
Hey friends. I struggled with this feeling immensley from 15-25, I'd wake up in night terrors about the idea of my own non-being and typically it led me to do some very irresponsible things (mainly sex addiction). There are a couple of things driving it but mainly it's actually an illusion. I got over it when I did magic mushrooms and also after having read the Bible, as pretty much you can read the Earth-man-Jesus relationship as an eternal game that God plays with Itself through planets and universes. The aliens are us, so to say. Virgil in book 6 of the Aeneid spills the beans of what's the revealed Truth of the afterlife and Christ agrees, essentially there is a fire of purification of our deeds and then we return to infinite eternity with every soul ever made and we all forgive and love one another despite our flaws.

>>20768813
I like the one where the horse and the dude freeze

I read the death of Ivan ilyich before going on a date.
Literally the worst idea ever. I read the book waiting to go out but after I read it I literally couldn’t stop thinking about death and was completely overcome with a deep moodiness and just sadness for lack of a better term. We met up for drinks n food but I couldn’t stop thinking about the book n just got silent and awkward. She kept trying to save the conversation but it was already a loss. It was like the way Ivan describes his futility in escaping the inevitable. We ended up having 5 minute pauses of just dead awkward silence. We then paid for our own meals and left. As we were walking to our cars she said thank you for driving (it was 40 minutes away for me, she lived next to the bar) or something along those lines. The worst part was, afterwards I was still more saddened by the book than I was at completely killing any chance with an actually hot bitch

>>20770547
Also this was the first date/first time meeting eachother

>>20768813
Family happiness

>>20770121
>Ironically one solution to fear of death is to live life fully and see how pathetic it is and how little it can offer to you.
Maybe it's because I'm a hedonist, but I have an absolutely unquenchable thirst for everything this life has to offer, even the mundane daily routine I live most days is endlessly fascinating to me and contains a millions different pleasures which arrest me in their delicious grip every time without exception and without any diminishing returns. I can't get enough of life and the prospect that it will inevitably end is thus multiplied indefinitely more.

>>20768813
The one about Martin and his quest for God

>>20769068
>they must either live in a lie or see the terrible truth.
Fuuuuuuuggggggg....

>>20768813
To be honest, his short stories aren't nearly as memorable as the big novels, but I like
>Hadji Murad
>Father Sergeius
>Death of Ivan Illych
>Kreutzer Sonata
>Master and Man
>Demon (Devil?)
>After the Ball
Actually now that I think about it I can remember quite a few of his short stories.

Ivan the fool

>>20770189
a man goes to the bashkirs and they say he can have as much land as he walks around in a day after paying 1000 rubles
don't be a greedy goy

>>20770552
good, fuck women

>>20768856
This.

How do you guys feel about his non-fiction writing? I read Confession, Bethink Yourselves and and The Kingdom of God is Within you. I love Confession, but I'm much more ambivalent about the other two. I respect his moral radicalism, but it also strikes me as very naive.

>>20769901
>I think about it hard and let my heart sink into my stomach, then I shake it off and pretend I'm with a pretty girl for the night.
the words "literally me" have never been more pertinent

So happy this tolstoy thread took off

I found a list online about the rules tolstoy made for himself, not sure how true these are but if they are its worth posting.


>Wake at five o’clock
>Go to bed no later than ten o’clock
>Two hours permissible for sleeping during the day
>Eat moderately
>Avoid sweet foods
>Walk for an hour every day
>Love those to whom I could be of service
>Disregard all public opinion not based on reason
>Only do one thing at a time
>Disallow flights of imagination unless necessary

He later added:

>Never to show emotion
>Stop caring about other people’s opinion of myself
>Do good things inconspicuously
>Keep away from women
>Suppress lust by working hard
>Help those less fortunate

My first experience with Tolstoy was in highschool where my teacher Mr Toy first introduced us. We read Death of Ivan Ilytch and How much land does a man need. I miss Mr Toy and I am incredibly grateful he introduced me to Tolstoy

>>20775592
Have you read 'the gospel in brief'? - I think it will help with your understanding of how tolstoys belief system worked.

Also check out 'A calendar of wisdom' love that book

>>20769802
God bless you brother anon, hope you will triumph

>>20770547
pretty somber thing to read before a date - I remember we read this in highschool

>>20769068
This is just Tolstoy being based, not "falling". You can only assume it is a giant falling if you thought the previous position that life is meaningful was the true position. It turns out the latter is true, and anything else is a cope that the brain invents in order to get on with consciousness existing in a universe that is red in tooth and claw.

Unfortunately Tolstoy failed at accepting this truth and instead even still attempted to cling to meaning.

>>20777016
One thing I admire the most about Tolstoy is that he was not afraid to go against the crowd. For right or wrong he did what he believed in and that alone is incredibly based.

He even got excommunicated by the russian orthodox church due to his beliefs..

>>20776892
>>Wake at five o’clock
6:30 is fine if you sleep at 10, especially if you're young and physically active. The body needs rest.
>>Go to bed no later than ten o’clock
Agreed.
>>Two hours permissible for sleeping during the day
I don't nap so I'm switching this to the sleep in until 6:30 previously mentioned.
>>Eat moderately
>>Avoid sweet foods
>>Walk for an hour every day
>>Love those to whom I could be of service
>>Disregard all public opinion not based on reason
Agreed.
>>Only do one thing at a time
This prevents feeling haggard, but I like juggling multiple hobbies, so, tentative neutral.
>>Disallow flights of imagination unless necessary
>>Never to show emotion
Disagree. Showing emotions is acceptable. Flights of imagination keeps the dream juice flowing and makes writing a joy.
>>Stop caring about other people’s opinion of myself
>>Do good things inconspicuously
Agree.
>>Keep away from women
>>Suppress lust by working hard
Disagree. Women are half the population and are worth understanding at least. You may understand that they are worth avoiding, but at least then you understand them. In general, lust is an extremely strong word for a feeling that you should be suppressing anyways. Get married and lust should drain away.
>>Help those less fortunate
Agree, but help those less fortunate take their lives into their own hands, rather than giving them anything they want.

>>20777026
Tolstoy was indeed based.

As to the point of the thread, I have to say the Death of Ivan Ilyich. Mostly because of one part in the story where the protagonist learns that his acceptance of life as it was, was not true. He did all the things he was "supposed to" but still did not live a meaningful life. He comes to the realization that he never did accept death as a real reality until the moment he was himself dying. He understood death as a concept, but it was something that happened to other people, not to him. He was the protagonist of the story, he was the one who had a story. I think most people operate like this.

>>20768813
So far it is Family Happiness - although it is a bit of a slow burn. And I also think it is much more impactful when you are older.

Everyone should checkout The Gospel in Brief - I didn't understand Christianity too much before reading this but it truly showed me the way.

Here are some helpful links - most of Tolstoy's works are in the public domain

I am forever thankful to have stumbled upon it and hope someone learn what I have as well

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gospel_in_Brief

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Gospel_in_Brief

bump for tolstoy

>>20777291
OP here bumpin for Tolstoy

>>20768856
one of the most based and redpilled things i've read
honestly i enjoy tolstoy so much that even Anna Karenina and War & Peace felt like short stories to me.

>>20770547
It helped me a lot when my dad was dying. I wish he could have read it himself but he was too sick.

>>20769901
Don’t worry bro as you get older that fear of death becomes a longing

>>20771661
It’s prob cos you are 18, everyone was once like that, it’ll pass

>>20777706

Honestly lit is so much for comfy than /biz/ or /pol/ it gives me the same vibes as /his/

gonna stick around here

>>20777061
Retard

Picture of Tolstoy

Rare Tolstoi

Another Tolstoi picture for you <3

God Bless

Trying to get

>>20777777
What did he mean by this

>>20777777
lame

>>20777777
checked

>>20777777
replying for tolstoy

>>20777777

Fun fact about Tolstoy is that he belonged to Russia‘s nobility and as the youngest of the family he inherited the family estate of Yasnaya Polyana which was roughly 4000 acres

>>20777777
get what? please finish the sentence. also, did you ever get soup in your beard? dip it straight into the bowl etc

>>20777736
Just keep your shitposting on boards that are shitpost boards. /lit/ is one of the few browsable, readable boards still left where discussion is possible.

>>20777777
tolstoy get
based

>>20777916
I know a kid who has an estate. Nowhere near that big, but at least 15 buildings on a single plot of land with bunch of farm fields, gardens, tenants and workers. I like to walk around his property and pretend to be a Russian aristocrat.

>>20769068
If he felt like that while having a meaningful and fulfilled life imagine how the average anon feels.

Would Tolstoy be in the top 5 authors of all time?

>>20777777
woah

>>20777698
that sucks about your dad anon but thats good it brought you some comfort. I wish I could share the books i love with my dad but he's "above reading" so its not really going to ever happen. and our relationship is terrible anyway.

>>20778418
absolutely

>>20777777
somehow I'm automatically kneeling

'The hero of my tale, whom I love with all the power of my soul, whom I have tried to portray in all his beauty, who has been, is, and will be beautiful, is Truth.'

What a line...

>>20779052

i know its perhaps often unfocused and not as refined as anna kerenina, but man I love the way this book blends the staple vibes and themes of russian christian 19th century realism with the setting of the napoleonic wars so perfectly. I'm constantly on the look our for other books that do the same, not even necessarily russian stuff, and I have yet to find anything quite like it. it really is something special

>>20779250
thank you anon - gonna have to muster up the courage to read it

Reading war and peace and actually comprehending it is a feat in itself

>>20779317
I dont think there is any need for you to be intimidated in such a way, its pretty straight forward. even tolstoys not-so-great rambling bits present in a few places throughout are at least easy to understand

the real challenge is remembering all of the more minor characters, but even i managed to catch on and i have awful memory

>>20777777
Based

>>20779317
W&P really isn't a difficult book, its just long. Very comfy.

>>20779688
Agreed, comfy is how I would describe Anna. It's like watching a drama show you're really into but explaining that to someone else only makes them think of, say, Jersey Shore.

bump

>>20779250
Some anon suggested reading Andrew Robert's Napoleon before War and Peace. What do you men think about that?

>>20777777
i kneel

In your opinion, what's the best translation of anna karenina?

>>20781681
the penguin P&V one is good. i know they arent good for dostoyevsky and other stuff but it worked well for anna kerenina

>>20780993
never read war and peace but surely you can watch a documentary to acclimate yourself with the prior and current events of the era

>>20781681
Aylmer and Louise Maude, not sure if they translated Anna Karenina but they translated so much of Tolstoys work faithfully

>>20782134
>>20782632
Ok, thanks!