[QVJ]⇒ [PDF] A Confession Penguin Great Ideas Leo Tolstoy 9780141042558 Books

A Confession Penguin Great Ideas Leo Tolstoy 9780141042558 Books

Download As PDF : A Confession Penguin Great Ideas Leo Tolstoy 9780141042558 Books

A Confession Penguin Great Ideas Leo Tolstoy 9780141042558 Books

I had been worn out from a lengthy Russian novel so I went for something shorter and easier to
translate into English without so many long and confusing names. As the title suggests, this
is an intense spiritual and intellectual memoir. Tolstoy goes through all the major trends of
his period in history, with a familiarity with the Russian Orthodox faith. He then moved to a
faith in science and progress before getting into philosophy. There was a period where he
wanted to teach but didn't even know what to teach, he just kept teaching and writing because
that's what the people of his class and social circles did. The section on philosophy is intense
and personal. A major influence of his century was Schopenhauer, along with Buddhism,
Socrates, Plato and Solomon (Qoheleth or Ecclesiastes), all of whom had a pessimistic
attitude toward this world, at least in Tolstoy's interpretation, and led to contemplation
of suicide. But then he continued to live and rediscovered faith. To him faith is irrational,
at least in the beginning of his account. It is a source of affirmation of life that comes
from outside reason. It seems like he would match well with Kierkegaard but there
wasn't much discussion. But there is a strong Kantian emphasis that God cannot be
proven or demonstrated, just believed. Tolstoy continued to rebel against the intelligentsia
to which he belonged and embraced popular piety as more authentic and integrated.
He returned to communion and embraced tradition, but eventually found there were
things he couldn't believe in conscience. Toward the end there is a discussion of
war, punishment and the conflict among the divisions of Christianity, where each insists
that the other is wrong and heretical. It's a nuanced and subtle argument, but oddly
after all that journey his views end up like a lot of what you hear today, although
he continued to identify clearly as a Christian.


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A Confession Penguin Great Ideas Leo Tolstoy 9780141042558 Books Reviews

Outstanding book. Tolstoy brilliantly articulates his journey out of the bubble of privilege to the sea of salvation occupied by the masses. Very strong writing about a man's personal Christian journey. Highly recommended.
As another reviewer said
"The Aegypan (hardcover) edition of this book is a scandal and should not be on the market almost every page boasts its typo -- most are harmless, but some, such as "whore" instead of "shore," leave one breathless."

The same is absolutely true of the Aegypan paperback.

Save your $$$ - buy another version - not that one! The typos are awful. Totally distracting and an insult to both Tolstoy and the reader. (I'm here on buying a replacement for that awful version of a truly great book!)
Whilst reading the Aegypan Press's publishing of "A Confession" I realized it was in large print, had numerous editing errors (I counted 50), and did not provide any copyright information. For a short ESSAY, the publishing caliber of this book is abominable. I am an avid reader but had I been just graduating from the 5th grade, I could have done a better editing job than this. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!
To buy this version of Tolstoy's "A Confession" would be to disgrace one of the most lucid and personal essay's in literature. I strongly recommend investing in this book published by another press. The afterword, containing Tolstoy's dream is a poignantly intimate and yet applicable summation of his struggle to find meaning and rest for life - a passage that has the beauty of poetry and one that will stay with me forever.
This brief read is a labyrinthine journey into Tolstoy’s struggles to find meaning in life, a reason to live, and the possibility of a God behind it all. His keen insights into his own doubts and nihilism are especially sharp, and my favorite part of the book. Here is a thinker who finally faces his own fundamental fears. In the end, I would have wished for a better religious resolution for him, a firmer hope in the only hope we have—in Christ and his undeserved grace.
Tolstoy famously could never reconcile the disparity between the Ideal and the Real. From a moral perspective, he found himself falling far short and knew that so did everyone else. He could never shake his skepticism either, so seeking refuge in Russian Orthodoxy ultimately did not fulfill him either. Where this confession succeeds is that it presents the crisis of modernity, the loss of faith in a society that was not quite Western but was experiencing the crisis perhaps more sharply than the more acclimated West.
If you value any sort of philosophical truth, or sincere introspection, this will be worth your time. If you are depressed, do not stop in the middle.
I read this while oscillating between growth and strength post difficult relationship, and staying stuck in the existentialist crisis I was thrust.
It resonates with any modern reader seeking wisdom about the here and now and tackles the question we often ask, “why are we here?”
I love the rawness with which Tolstoy confesses he was just as lost as we all will get at some point in our suffering lives.
And that through his quest for faith through reason, logic and pragmatic she eventually was capable of taking a “leap” away from his contemptuous thoughts and into a new realm.
His conclusion with a literal dream that brings him comfort is icing on the cake for me. I myself, an avid dreamer, identify with his lucid recall to wakefulness.
I had been worn out from a lengthy Russian novel so I went for something shorter and easier to
translate into English without so many long and confusing names. As the title suggests, this
is an intense spiritual and intellectual memoir. Tolstoy goes through all the major trends of
his period in history, with a familiarity with the Russian Orthodox faith. He then moved to a
faith in science and progress before getting into philosophy. There was a period where he
wanted to teach but didn't even know what to teach, he just kept teaching and writing because
that's what the people of his class and social circles did. The section on philosophy is intense
and personal. A major influence of his century was Schopenhauer, along with Buddhism,
Socrates, Plato and Solomon (Qoheleth or Ecclesiastes), all of whom had a pessimistic
attitude toward this world, at least in Tolstoy's interpretation, and led to contemplation
of suicide. But then he continued to live and rediscovered faith. To him faith is irrational,
at least in the beginning of his account. It is a source of affirmation of life that comes
from outside reason. It seems like he would match well with Kierkegaard but there
wasn't much discussion. But there is a strong Kantian emphasis that God cannot be
proven or demonstrated, just believed. Tolstoy continued to rebel against the intelligentsia
to which he belonged and embraced popular piety as more authentic and integrated.
He returned to communion and embraced tradition, but eventually found there were
things he couldn't believe in conscience. Toward the end there is a discussion of
war, punishment and the conflict among the divisions of Christianity, where each insists
that the other is wrong and heretical. It's a nuanced and subtle argument, but oddly
after all that journey his views end up like a lot of what you hear today, although
he continued to identify clearly as a Christian.