Let’s Not Cancel Tolstoy
Not for the first time, Russian imperialism is casting a shadow over the country’s literature. But the last work of Leo Tolstoy, Hadji Murad, provided both a mirror and an indictment.
Ilya Efimovich Repin's Portrait of Leo Tolstoy goes on view at Sotheby's on 23 November 2018 in London, England. (Tristan Fewings / Getty Images for Sotheby's)
What is to be done with Russian books? Which of them, if any, should we read now? Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, calls to cancel Russian literature have been heard from various quarters. That is nothing new, particularly when it comes to the classics. In 1908, in ‘Leo Tolstoy as the Mirror of the […]
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