Ljudi i ljudskaja pylj vokrug L.N. Tolstogo : listki iz blok-nota (People and “People Dust” Surrounding L.N. Tolstoy : Sheets From the Notebook) [Biography essay]

The book is in Good condition; cover shows some soiling, slight foxing and darkening to the edges, small creases across cover corners, few small closed horizontal tears on the cover to the spine edge repaired by gluing to the spine strip, rebacked; internally foxing on two first pages, very few occasional foxing on the fore-edge margins. 

Book’s author Boris Dunaev was the son of Tolstoy’s follower, who had an affinity for Tolstoy in late 1890s and early 1900s. Due to such a close relationship of his father, B. Dunaev had witnessed Tolstoyan movement at his own home attended by Tolstoyans from around the world. Tolstoyan movement was based on the philosophical and religious views of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910). However, perception of his teachings by the followers was not so unambiguous. In the memoirs of B. Dunaev and his contemporaries, the Tolstoyans were devided in two kinds, which author called “the people” and “the people dust”. To “the people dust” he attributed those Tolstoy followers, who was taken dogmatically his teaching and ideas without going into an essence, also indolent, useless, shallow, selfish people, while “the people” implied persons truly imbued with the depths of Tolstoy’s worldview. Thus author provides detailed characteristics of twenty one person (each in separate sub-chapter) from the Tolstoy’s circle based on his observings. The book also contains Tolstoy’s discourses (passages from the diary, extracts from the conversations, meetings) on parenting, women, war, afterlife, etc. Book’s constructivist cover by V. S. (undearable signature).