Tolstoy wrote this book shortly after he finished “Anna Karenina”. He was in his early 50s, in full possession of his mental and physical powers. wealthy, famous and well-respected, and yet he despaired of life so much that he was on the verge of suicide. This state of mind is also partly reflected in the character of Levin in “Anna Karenina”. This book gives a candid, stunning account of the […]
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“Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy
A good case can be made that this book should be titled Konstantin Levin, not Anna Karenina. Tolstoy described Levin in great detail, his personality, his emotions, his life, and the political, religious and economic environment in Russia as experienced and perceived by him. If it’s true that Tolstoy based Levin on himself, then I must say that I enjoyed the book as his autobiography. As a novel, however, this […]
Read more“Walden” by Henry David Thoreau
[Posted to commemorate the 192nd anniversary of Thoreau’s birthday] A Thought-Provoking And Sobering Essay on Life In this book, Thoreau reflected on the necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter and fuel), while he experimented with building his own shelter in the woods and growing crops himself. He pitied the lives of working men, “buying and selling, and spending their lives like serfs”, expressed a strong desire for adventure, a higher, […]
Read more“QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter” by Richard Feynman
Having already read his autobiographies “Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman” and “What Do You Care What Other People Think“, I was convinced that I could gain valuable insights into quantum electrodynamics (QED) from Feynman, who had a unique ability to explain the most complex concepts. “What one fool can understand, another can” (even though that one fool was a Nobel Laureate). Feynman did not disappoint. He was not only a […]
Read more“War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy
It took me at least three attempts and more than a year’s time to finish “War and Peace”, and I’m certainly glad that I finally did. A True of Work of Art Like a good farmer who sows the seeds, cultivates, waters, and patiently waits for the crops to mature, Tolstoy lets his characters develop slowly, giving vivid descriptions of their external and internal lives as they unfold. “War and […]
Read more“What is Art” by Leo Tolstoy
This is one of the, if not the, best essay on art I’ve ever read. It has broadened and deepened my understanding and appreciation of art. I especially enjoyed the summary of various aesthetic theories and definitions of beauty by philosophers and aestheticians. For Tolstoy, their definitions of beauty are too obtuse or confusing to be applicable in art, so his own definition of art is based not on beauty […]
Read more“Resistance to Civil Government” by Henry David Thoreau
Current Title: On the Duty of Civil Disobedience Beyond the Majority Rule Thoreau argued that the State should recognize and respect the autonomy and rights of the individual, and improve further upon the current form of democracy, i.e., the majority rule. “All voting is a sort of gaming, …, a playing with right and wrong, with moral questions; … The character of the voters is not staked. I cast my […]
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