A Pacifist and Anarchist Manifesto and Masterpiece Tolstoy presented to the readers the essence of Christianity as he himself understood it, namely, the Law of Love, stripped of all superstitions, relics, hypocrisies, mystifying rituals and theological arguments. He expounded in a most logical, thoughtful and comprehensive manner how true Christianity is or should be, mutually incompatible with violence and all forms of government founded on violence, including monarchies, capitalists and socialists. […]
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“Hadji Murad” by Leo Tolstoy
During the last years of his life, Tolstoy told the story of a freedom fighter, whose vitality and tenacity he admired, though he denounced violence. He perhaps sensed in himself the strength and growth of an inner life despite the deterioration of his health. Quote: I gathered myself a large nosegay and was going home when I noticed in a ditch, in full bloom, a beautiful thistle plant of the […]
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“Resurrection” by Leo Tolstoy
The last major novel by Tolstoy. According to Wikipedia, Vladimir Nabakov heaped superlatives upon “Anna Karenina”, but questioned the reputation of “War and Peace”, and sharply criticized “Resurrection” and “The Kreutzer Sonata”. My opinion is the exact opposite. To me, this is a more mature and riveting work than “Anna Karenina”, because it contains deeper spiritual and social insights, the upshot of the author’s personal struggles and growth in the […]
Read more“Round the Moon” by Jules Verne
A sequel to “From the Earth to the Moon”, a wonderful and exciting imaginary tale of space travel. The three salient features of Verne’s science fictions, namely, scientific vision, industrial knowledge and humorous imagination, personified in the book by three space travellers, make it a worthy read, though I could do with a little less of the hypothesized selenographic details.
Read more“Memories, Dreams and Reflections” by C. G. Jung
A Fascinating and Unique Autobiography Jung explores many fields that are both familiar and strange, such as astrology, alchemy, philosophy, psychology and religion. For someone with limited knowledge and experience, Jung is quite understandable, as he conveys his ideas and feelings very well despite the broad scope and complexities of the subjects. He has a truly synthesizing mind. It’s a unique autobiography, because, instead of a record of events in […]
Read more“The War of the Worlds” by H. G. Wells
A speculative, apocalyptic tale in which Martians landed on earth and almost wiped out the entire local population. According to the nebular hypothesis, Mars was more advanced in the life cycle of the planet than Earth, and therefore the Martians were evolutionarily more advanced than humans, having a superior intelligence and no sex or digestive organs. When their planet was no longer habitable, and they were facing extinction, they invaded the […]
Read more“Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde” by Oscar Wilde
A compilation of nine fairy tales from “The Happy Prince and Other Tales” The Happy Prince The Nightingale and the Rose The Selfish Giant The Devoted Friend The Remarkable Rocket and “A House of Pomegranates” The Young King The Birthday of the Infanta The Fisherman and His Soul The Star-Child I remember reading “The Happy Prince”and “The Selfish Giant” when I was a child. Sad but beautiful stories about miseries […]
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