Holy against the Lion. Saint John of Kronstadt and Leo Tolstoy: The Story of a Feud

At the turn of the XIX - XX centuries in Russia there were two places of mass pilgrimage - Yasnaya Polyana and Kronstadt. Why did crowds of people go to Leo Tolstoy and Father John of Kronstadt? Pavel Basinsky in the book “The Holy Against Leo” traces the story of the relationship between the most famous writer and the most beloved by the priest of that time, who have become sworn enemies.

- Tell me, whom do you find the most remarkable and popular people in Russia? -asked the sovereign.
-Firstly-Leo Tolstoy ...
-I expected. And then?
- I will call another person.
- But who?
- Father John of Kronstadt.
The sovereign laughed and answered:
- I did not remember that . But I agree with you.

Pavel Basinsky - writer, journalist, literary critic. Laureate of the Prize Big Book. His fascinating documentary studies about the life and work of Leo Tolstoy raised a new wave of interest in the phenomenon of the “Yasnaya Polyan Apostle”. The “Holy Against Leo” continues the series “Tolstoy: a new look”, begun by the book “The true story of Anna Karenina”