Tolstoy's Search for the Kingdom of God by Sethness Castro, Javier;

Short description:

This book uncovers queer-anarchist dimensions of the second half of Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy's life (1828–1910), and the Russian writer's later art-works. It features queer-friendly readings of classics like Anna Karenina (1875–1877), “The Death of Ivan Ilych” (1886), and Resurrection (1899).

Long description:

Building on its predecessor, Queer Tolstoy: A Psychobiography (2023), this book uncovers queer-anarchist dimensions of the second half of Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy's life (1828–1910) and of the Russian writer's later art-works. It features queer-friendly readings of Anna Karenina (1875–1877), The Gospels In Brief (1881), “The Death of Ivan Ilych” (1886), “The Kreutzer Sonata,” (1889), “Master and Man” (1895), and Resurrection (1899), among other classics. However, the argument does not overlook the gross misogyny expressed by Tolstoy in either his art or his marriage with Countess Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya. Rather, the author explores the fundamental contradictions between sexism and anti-authoritarianism while critiquing Tolstoy's self-defeating commitment to patriarchy. The text also praises the writer's late turn toward preaching Christian anarchism, as it traces aspects of Tolstoy's artistic and political resonance in the twentieth century, including pacifist plant-based communes, the Russian and Mexican Revolutions, the Bloomsbury Group, the Catholic Worker, and Soviet-era hippies.

“Well-paced, dynamic, and written in an intriguing style, this book will appeal to audiences familiar with Tolstoy as a political philosopher as well as a literary figure. Those interested in gender issues will be greatly rewarded by reading it.”

- Charles Reitz, author of Herbert Marcuse as Social Justice Educator: A Critical Introduction, USA

“This erudite book is guided by the project of critical theoretical inquiry into the interaction between personal life and subjectivity, as revealed in biographical details, literary expressions, and social and historical phenomena. These are exhibited through both the course of events and the nature of social structures and institutions. Sethness provides an extremely detailed analysis of Tolstoy’s life and work, and of the writer’s social and historical context. It will prove very stimulating to the reader.”

- John P. Clark, author of The Impossible Community: Realizing Communitarian Anarchism, USA

“This book makes the reader intensely feel the unity of humanity and the connection between academic research and political practice. Tolstoy’s Search for the Kingdom of God is not an apologetic work, but rather, a controversial and inspiring study. It is a call to action for civil and academic disobedience against the ‘shameless imperial appropriation’ of Lev Tolstoy by propagandists of the ‘Russian world.’ Javier Sethness Castro’s transnational, anti-totalitarian, and penetratingly modern Tolstoy belongs to the ‘global union of honest people,’ adherents of humanist principles, and values of non-violence and justice.”

- Irina Gordeeva, author of The Forgotten People: A History of the Russian Communitarian Movement, Germany

Table of Contents:

List of Illustrations  

Acknowledgments                                                                                                      

1.      Introduction: The Kingdom of God and the Russo-Ukrainian War

2.      The Tragedy of Heterosexuality: Tolstoy's Aversion to Women 

3.      Sexism vs. Feminism and Landlordism vs. Anarchism in Anna Karenina           

4.      Count Tolstoy's Femicidal Misogyny, and Countess Tolstaya's Humanizing Artistic Response

5.      Kingdom of God vs. Kingdom of Tsar, and Resurrection from Living Death

6.      Theological Writings: “Confession” and The Gospels in Brief                               

7.      Mortality, Queer Anarchism, and the Animal Question in Tolstoy's Short Fiction

8.       Non-Resistance or Non-Cooperation: Which Way Forward?

9.      Tolstoy's Contributions to World Literature and Global Revolution        

10.  Conclusion: Social Revolution and Systematic Rescue                                                             

Works Cited                                                                                                                                       

Index