I've read My Confession by Tolstoy... a must-read book !

Submitted by camo544 t3_z2n5ge in books

Hello everyone,

Firstly, I've started to read Russian literature few months ago with The Devil by Leo Tolstoy and The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Fyodor Dostoevsky (these are quite small novels compared to other books written by them, but I think it is a good start to get used to Russian writing and thinking). The Russian literature has always been a literature type I wanted to read, specifically for its capacity to introspect the human soul ; its contradictions, its feelings, its guilt, its search for meaning and so one. Last time I've read such a good book about the human mind and fear was Oscar Wild with The Picture of Dorian Gray.

I've just finished to read My Confession by Leo Tolstoy a short work on the subject of melancholia, philosophy and religion. It's an autobiographical work in which Tolstoy explains how his vision of life changed, how he found the meaning of what he called this "stupid and senseless life" at the beginning. What is really interesting in this reading is the radical personal and spiritual transformation that Tolstoy undergoes, moving from an almost "nihilistic" point of view where the absurdity of life justifies to surrender to the material pleasures of life (in that way, the story begins with the eastern fable of the dragon in the well, where the man prefers to lick two drops of honey to escape from the reality of the death and its fatality represented by the dragon), to a more mystical, intuitive affirmation of God's presence, which gives more meaning to the life he leads.

All the story is about this change, how the author moves from one point to another and why. His change, and all the answers that flow from this revelation of religion, is a lesson in humility because it first comes from the observation of the "human mass". How the majority of people can live without worrying about the meaning of life ? How they can bear this absurdity all along theirs lives ? How could he, Tolstoy, a great author and thinker, as Schopenhauer, Solomon, Epicurus before him, be wrong ? Why should he learn anything from a mass of people who do not think ?

A beautiful journey into the mind of a tortured writer in search of truth. A look at the world that deserves to be seen.

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pierre_WaP t1_ixh3juw wrote

Thank you for providing this. War and Peace is my favourite book. I will need to put this on my reading bucket list

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Lesland t1_ixh5qx1 wrote

I’ve never read any Russian literature. Been curious about the Lolita book. Wondering if it’s really as pedophilic as people say.

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NGTTwo t1_ixhd6p0 wrote

Replying to Lesland (#630,706)

Lolita is... complicated, and also not Russian. Nabokov was of Russian origin, but emigrated from Russia in the interwar period (when he was in his early 20s) and lived the rest of his life in western Europe and the US. Lolita in particular was written in 1955, a few years before he left the US for Switzerland.

And, yes, it includes pedophilic imagery and themes. It's not particularly graphic in the sense that a reader of erotic literature might expect, but obviously still not for the squeamish given the subject matter. With that warning out of the way, it's well worth a read, though obviously it makes for difficult material.

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Gloomy_Rest_1979 t1_ixhf2l2 wrote

My way to read Russian writers was the learning of Russian language. Dostoïevski, by example, is a gateway to begin make philosophy.

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Gloomy_Rest_1979 t1_ixhf8d7 wrote

Sincerely, Gogol was really the most Russian of the Russian writers.

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Evil_Morty_C131 t1_ixhqdpu wrote

I was recommended 2 short stories by Leo Tolstoy and I was amazed by their humanity. Russian literature always seemed intimidating but I found Tolstoy‘s writing to be tragic and beautiful. I’ve been looking for a recommendation and this really intrigues me. Thank you.

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notawriterlol t1_ixhsec9 wrote

I read this book during a particularly difficult time in my life. It became one of my favorite books I have ever read. While it did not provide the answers I wanted, it helped me emphathize with Tolstoi and that disregarding the fact that we has already at the peak of his literary career and had what most people only dream of accomplishing, he was still a human being plagued with doubts and fears. He ultimately found his answer in religion. I dont agree with that conclusion but the mere fact of looking for an answer was enough for me to feel a little bit less alone in this world.

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boxer_dogs_dance t1_ixht2pw wrote

Don't skip the Death of Ivan Ilyich. It is one of the best books in my opinion and also short.

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camo544 OP t1_ixhupw6 wrote

Replying to Evil_Morty_C131 (#632,844)

Hello ! I share your opinion about their humanity. I started with short stories too. I can also recommend you : The Death of Ivan Ilyich / The Devil / In Pursuit of Happiness by the same author. I don't know much other Russian authors, but I liked Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky (which is around 300 pages long, but still very short compared to other works such as Crime and Punishment or The Brothers Karamazov and so one).

My next big Russian read will probably be Anna Karenina !

Have a good read :)

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DryOutside4757 t1_ixhvu59 wrote

Replying to Gold-Decision-7994 (#631,451)

Lolita is a remarkable book which is written from the point of view of the narrator, Humbert Humbert, who is frequently described as "unreliable." This is an understatement. While the book concerns the narrator's obsession with the title character, who he first meets when she is 12 and ends when she is 17, it is so much more a work of literature about Humbert's psychological condition than being one about pedophilia. I completely agree with NGTTwo's comment that it is not graphic in its consideration of an arguably erotic subject. I also agree that it is definitely worth reading.

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camo544 OP t1_ixhw35c wrote

Replying to notawriterlol (#633,091)

I completely agree with you and that's the feeling it left me with at the end of the reading. I wouldn't call myself an "overthinker", but these types of books help me a lot to understand my thoughts and feel more comfortable with them.

If you have any other recommendations for books like this, I'm interested.

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notawriterlol t1_ixhxwgg wrote

Replying to camo544 (#633,525)

Books like this help you expand your thoughts and what you can learn from the world and the life at large. What impressed me the most is the dialectical nature of the work, you feel as if you are talking to Tolstoi over a dinner table on these things that matter most to him.

So far I have not been able to find another book like this, but many people seem to recommend The Meaning of Life by E D Klemke. I would also like to try Schopenhauer or Emil Cioran, but they offer amore pessimistic outlook of life , not sure though.

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Greessey t1_ixi5yr3 wrote

I've not read this but I have been reading Anna Karenina and I'm convinced that Russian literature is just built different.

I can't claim to be the most well read person, but there aren't a lot of books that just give me chills from describing the most basic scenes. It's a beautiful (LONG) story for sure.

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bass9045 t1_ixiroei wrote

I'm a huge fan of Russian literature and encourage you to keep seeking out other classical works. Anna Karenina is one of my favorite books of all time, not to mention one of the most complicated morally speaking. I think what draws me to Russian literature the most is the fact that things are spelled out or obvious. You are given all the pieces of the puzzle, every possible scrap of related information, and then left to put the pieces together on your own and draw your own conclusions. I love that.

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danellender t1_ixj7xfc wrote

I found this a very inspiring and honest record of Tolstoy's experience.

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R3cko t1_ixt8phc wrote

It’s been a while since I’ve read that book. I think my copy was a companion to The Death of Ivan Ilych. I had a different takeaway. It seemed like he kind of trashed his most famous works. He came off as kind of bitter and said they were nonsense.

Or perhaps it was that I had just read ilych and it crept in about a man who did what he thought he was “supposed to do” his whole life and never what he wanted to do. In the end none of it mattered and everything went away.

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