Resurrection

Resurrection was Leo Tolstoy’s final novel, published in 1899. By this time, Tolstoy had undergone a radical spiritual and philosophical transformation that would define the rest of his life. Following the international success of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Tolstoy experienced a deep moral and existential crisis. He rejected organized religion and state authority and criticized private property and aristocratic privileges, even though he continued to live on his ancestral estate. He championed a personal form of Christianity rooted in the Sermon on the Mount, with a strong emphasis on pacifism, nonviolence, manual labor, and ethical living. These beliefs formed the basis of what is now called Christian anarchism—a philosophy that rejects all forms of coercive government in favor of a life modeled on the teachings of Jesus.

Tolstoy’s personal commitment to these ideals is reflected throughout Resurrection. He donated all authorial royalties from the novel to support the Doukhobors, a persecuted Christian pacifist sect in Russia. The novel itself reads as both a scathing indictment of Russian institutions and a moral parable about redemption. It reflects Tolstoy’s belief that moral reform must begin with the individual, but also critiques systems of punishment, law, and religious hypocrisy that corrupt society as a whole.