My Religion

A vivid portrait unfolds of a man who moved from the privileged halls of Russian aristocracy to the battlefield’s harsh reality, and then onto the pages of literature that would become timeless classics. The early chapters trace his formative years—home education, university studies, a brief military tenure, and the meteoric rise of his first works, which captured the public’s imagination with their fresh honesty and sweeping scope. Listeners hear how his personal experiences in war and society fed the raw material for novels that still resonate today.

Beyond the accolades, the narrative turns to the inner turmoil that drove him to question the very foundations of his world. He wrestles with the contradictions of wealth and moral responsibility, explores the allure and limits of freemasonry, and strives—often imperfectly—to improve the lives of the peasants on his estates. This early journey sets the stage for a deeper, more intimate examination of faith, simplicity, and the search for a new moral compass.