147 Leo Tolstoy

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Arts, Books

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 13 June 2018

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When asked to name the three greatest novels ever written, William Faulkner replied, “Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina.” Nabokov said, “When you are reading Turgenev, you know you are reading Turgenev. When you read Tolstoy, you are reading because you just cannot stop.” And finally, there's this compliment from author Isaac Babel: “If the world could write itself," he said, "it would write like Tolstoy.” But who was Leo Tolstoy? How did he become the person who could write War and Peace and Anna Karenina, two of the pinnacles of the novel form - and two of the greatest achievements in the history of human civilization? Why did he stop writing novels, and what did he do with the rest of his life? In this episode, host Jacke Wilson takes a look at the life and works of Count Leo Tolstoy, one of the most fascinating and revered figures in all of literature. Links and Other Treats: More of a Chekhov person? You might like Episode 63, where author Charles Baxter talks about how important Chekhov has been to him. For a look at Anna Karenina's "French cousin," check out Episode 79 - Music That Melts the Stars - Madame Bovary. Love the Russians? Listen to more in Episode 130 on the great poet Anna Akhmatova and her surprising affair with sculptor Amedeo Modigliani. Why did Tolstoy hate Shakespeare? Learn more in Episode 104 - King Lear. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature. Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. FREE GIFTS! The gift-giving continues! This month, we're giving away a copy of Nabokov's Lectures on Russian Literature and an Amazon.com gift certificate for the book of your choice. Sign up at patreon.com/literature to be eligible to win. Good luck! *** This show is a part of the Podglomerate network, a company that produces, distributes, and monetizes podcasts. We encourage you to visit the website and sign up for our newsletter for more information about our shows, launches, and events. For more information on how The Podglomerate treats data, please see our Privacy Policy. Since you're listening to The History of Literature, we'd like to suggest you also try other Podglomerate shows surrounding literature, history, and storytelling like Storybound, Micheaux Mission, and The History of Standup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglamorate Network and LIT Hub Radio. Hello. When asked to name the three greatest novels ever written, William Faulkner replied,
0:28.0	Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina. Anacarenina.
0:33.0	Nabokov declared that its author Leo Tolstoy was the greatest writer of Russian prose fiction.
0:40.0	He contrasted him with other great authors by saying,
0:42.6	quote,
0:43.7	when you are reading Turgenev,
0:45.8	you know you are reading Turgenev.
0:48.2	When you read Tolstoy, you are reading
0:51.4	because you just cannot stop.
0:54.3	But who was Leo Tolstoy? How did he become the person who could write war and peace and
0:59.8	Anna Karenina, two of the pinnacles of the novel form, and two of the Pinnacles of the novel form,
1:03.0	and two of the greatest achievements
1:05.0	in the history of human civilization.
1:08.0	And why do we not have more than two novels like these by him?
1:11.0	What did he decide to do with the rest of his life?
1:15.0	And what did he sound like?
1:18.0	Actually, I can answer that question, thanks to Thomas Edison.
1:22.0	After Edison invented the phonograph he thought we need to preserve the voices of great world figures
1:30.4	While there's still time the man he thought of was Leo Tolstoy. So in
1:36.2	1908 he sent a phonograph to Tolstoy and Tolstoy for all his devotion to simplicity loved new inventions and he delighted in showing
1:48.6	them off to his household once this hobby of his backfired when he his
1:53.3	backfired when he eagerly gathered everyone around to demonstrate an electric pencil
	...

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