If Lev Tolstoy, who died 100 years ago, were alive today, he would likely be labelled an opposition extremist and possibly wind up in jail.
It may seem hard to believe, but in September 2009 a Rostov-on-Don region court, considering whether to close down a Jehovah’s Witnesses church in Taganrog, ruled that Tolstoy should be considered an extremist because he incited religious hatred.
The evidence chosen as proof was this Tolstoy statement: “I am convinced that the doctrine of the [Russian Orthodox] church is theoretically insidious and harmful lies, almost the same collection of the grossest superstition and witchcraft, hiding completely the whole meaning of Christian teaching."
Mikhail Ugarov, a Moscow theatre director and writer, says that if Tolstoy – a self-proclaimed Christian anarchist and pacifist – were living in today’s Russia, he would be a blogger in opposition to the government and the Orthodox Church.
His views would definitely land him in jail, Ugarov said.
“You know, looking at Tolstoy’s philosophical and religious writings, I’d say they would get him into a lot of trouble, because of our modern laws on extremism in Russia,” said Ugarov, who will be one of the speakers at a November 23 debate held by The Moscow News on “Tolstoy’s legacy for Russia”.
No Orthodox forgiveness
Ahead of the 100th anniversary of Tolstoy’s death, on November 20, a leading Russian Orthodox official weighed into the controversy by saying that Tolstoy, who was excommunicated in 1901 for his non-conformist religious views, would never be forgiven by the church.
Archimandrite Tikhon, a secretary to Patriarch Kirill, wrote in an open letter that the church would not grant a request to forgive Tolstoy in time for the anniversary.
“It’s not possible for the Russian Orthodox Church to grant such a wish, since Lev Tolstoy never reconciled with the Church,” Tikhon said in the letter, which came in response to a request by Audit Chamber chief Sergei Stepashin to let bygones by bygones.
On November 18, Rossiiskaya Gazeta published a letter from Stepashin, who is also president of the Russian Book Union, to Patriarch Kirill, where he asked for the church to forgive Tolstoy.
Many other followers of the Orthodox Church believe that there is no point in reconciling with Tolstoy, even 100 years on.
Ten days prior to his death in 1910, Tolstoy left his home at Yasnaya Polyana to make a pilgrimage to an Orthodox monastery in Optina, but never arrived – instead dying of pneumonia en route at Astapovo station.
Orthodox Church experts insist, however, that Tolstoy would not have been reconciled with the church – even if he had made it to the monastery in time.
“We do have an absolutely clear answer here – he very clearly and repeatedly stated that he did not want to belong to the Russian Orthodox Church and did not want to take part in the sacraments,” Anna Danilova, editor-in-chief of “Orthodoxy and the World”, told The Moscow News.
While the Orthodox Church remains determinedly anti-Tolstoy, today’s Communists – who in Soviet times severely persecuted Tolstoyans – are much more in sympathy with the writer, who was well known for his Christian-anarchist and pacifist views.
“I think Tolstoy would have not been in favour with the Russian Orthodox Church now, because the church supports our government, and Tolstoy would have been opposed to that,” Sergei Malinkovich, leader of the left-wing Communists of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, told The Moscow News.
Other commentators said that, while Tolstoy’s views were non-conformist, they would not necessarily have landed him in trouble – just left him marginalised and kept off TV screens.
Yet Tolstoy, an avid diarist, would have been right at home in today’s blogosphere, experts agreed.
“The blogosphere would have been a good platform for Tolstoy,” said Pavel Basinsky, author of “Escape from Paradise”, a book about the last 10 days of Tolstoy’s life. “He loved being interactive and fancied technology – he even used a prototype of a modern pen for writing.”
Tolstoy would have been into LiveJournal-type discussions, too. “He liked such interaction between people,” Basinsky said.
Opponent of injustice
According to Malinkovich, Tolstoy’s social conscience would have led him to strongly criticise officials in power today.
“It’s a fact that even Lenin called him a mirror of the Russian revolution,” Malinkovich said.
But Lev Ponomaryov, head of the For Human Rights NGO, told The Moscow News that Tolstoy – while having opposition views – “wouldn’t go out in the streets – he would write instead, and write a lot.”
A serving FSB officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the press, said that Tolstoy would definitely be in opposition to the government today, but would have sought a peaceful way to protest.
“Lev Tolstoy didn’t recognise violence,” the officer said. “He was a patriot of his country and believed that weapons can only be used to defend the country, not the other way round.”
Events commemorating the centenary
Film:
The Last Station (Germany, Russia, UK)
35 mm: Fri. 10:40 pm, Sat. 4:50 pm, Sun. 10 am, Mon. 12:10 pm and 10:40 pm, Tue. 9:10 pm, Wed. 5:10 pm and 9 pm
Oscar-nominated historical drama about Lev Tolstoy’s struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a righteous life.
Public events:
International Tolstoy forum – Saturday, November 20. In Moscow, Tula and Yasnaya Polyana.
In Moscow, November 24-25, Lev Tolstoy State Museum.
November 21, 2pm. Lecture: “Lev Tolstoy – Christianity after Jesus Christ” at the Lev Tolstoy State Museum.
November 20 – Free entrance to Lev Tolstoy’s mansion in Khamovniki, Moscow.
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