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Primary sourceArtifact1908

Tolstoy Speaks on Religion (1908 Recording)

Leo Tolstoy · 1908

A 1908 audio recording of Leo Tolstoy himself speaking French about the nature of religion.

This is Tolstoy's own recorded voice, sharing his personal religious philosophy late in life.

Leo Tolstoy, spoken recording on religion, 1908.

About this source

What it is

This is a 1908 sound recording of Leo Tolstoy speaking French about religion. It captures his actual voice.

Why it matters

By 1908 Tolstoy was an old man known worldwide not just as a novelist but as a religious and moral thinker. In this recording he explains that true religion is not fixed belief in miracles or rituals, but a reasoned relationship between a person and eternal life and God. This recording lets us hear his ideas directly from him, rather than through a book or translator.

Look closer

  • Why might Tolstoy have chosen to speak in French rather than Russian?
  • How does his definition of religion differ from

This artifact 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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