The Aesthetic Testaments of Leo Tolstoy

And so far we have no book on Tolstoy's aesthetic views. It is a pity. Such a book would help us not only to comprehend the artistic consequences and theoretical positions of the brilliant writer, but also to penetrate more deeply into some essential and complex problems of our contemporary art. However, this topic has long attracted the attention of our science. In the works of V. Asmus, B. Bursov, S. Bychkov, K. Lomunov, L. Opulska, V. Malinkovsky and other researchers, many essential aspects of Tolstoy's aesthetic system have been revealed. But it is so broad and contradictory that from time to time it is necessary to re-check or specify some of its boundaries in order to present the general picture as reliably as possible. Only in this case can one clearly understand what of Tolstoy's aesthetic heritage belongs to the past and what continues to live actively now. The aesthetic views of the great artist are always interesting - interesting because we involuntarily connect these views with his living creative practice and in this way we can visually verify their vitality and depth. Therefore, we should far from consider Tolstoy's aesthetics only as "the self-knowledge of a brilliant artist." Such a view, which sometimes exists in our country, narrows and impoverishes its meaning. Tolstoy's aesthetic views summarize not only his own work, but also the artistic experience of Russian and world literature.