The Gospel in Tolstoy

Book excerpt: We know of no better introduction to the spiritual vision of one of the greatest writers of all time, Leo Tolstoy. This anthology vividly reveals - as none of his novels, novellas, short stories, plays, or essays could on its own - the great Russian novelist's fascination with the life and teachings of Jesus and the gospel themes of betrayal and forgiveness, sacrifice and redemption, death and resurrection. Drawn from War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Resurrection, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, The Kingdom of God Is Within You, Master and Man, Walk in the Light, and Twenty-Three Tales, the selections are each prefaced by a contextual note. Newcomers will find in these pages a rich, accessible sampling. Tolstoy enthusiasts will be pleased to find some of the writer's deepest, most compelling passages in one volume.