Though remembered as a novelist, in his own lifetime Count Leo Tolstoy was just as well known as a philosophical guru. His letters, diaries, and treatises reveal a man constantly exploring meaning and identity. Tolstoy himself traced this obsession back to his old nanny who loved to listen to the clock. Its ticking sounded like a question, she explained, one that asked over and over: “Who are you? What are you?”
A fascination for self-examination is evident in Tolstoy’s early journals. The Count aspired to frugality, industry, justice, moderation, and chastity. Using columns and lists, the brothel-visiting, gambling young Tolstoy documented his copious failures with candour. Years later, he gave these journals to his bride-to-be. Eighteen-year-old Sofia was shattered by his many affairs, particularly with Axinya, a woman who lived…
