Primary sourceBookwritten 1879–1880, published 1882
A Confession
Leo Tolstoy · written 1879–1880, published 1882
Tolstoy's autobiographical account of his mid-life existential despair and his turn toward a rational, ethics-based Christianity.
Tolstoy's own account of his suicidal despair and his turn to a new, rational Christian faith.
About this source
What it is
A Confession (also called My Confession) is a short autobiographical work by Leo Tolstoy, written between 1879 and 1880 when he was in his early fifties. It describes his struggle with questions of life's meaning in the face of death.
Why it matters
The book records Tolstoy's own despair and near-suicidal crisis in the 1870s, and his eventual turn to a personal, intuitive faith in God and a rational, ethics-centred Christianity. It was censored by the Russian Orthodox Church and only published abroad, showing the tension between Tolstoy's beliefs and the official church of his time.
Look closer
- Why might Tolstoy have used the fable of the dragon in the well to explain his feelings?
- Why was this book banned by church censors in Russia?
- What does the four possible 'attitudes' Tolstoy describes tell you about his state of mind?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Leo Tolstoy on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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