{"title":"L. N. Tolstoy","description":"W. Gareth Jones is Professor of Russian at the University of Wales, Bangor, UK. He is the author of Tolstoi and Britain (1995), and Nikolay Novikov: Enlightener of Russia (2009).","products":[{"product_id":"tolstoy-what-is-art-paperback","title":"Tolstoy: What Is Art? - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth critics and admirers of Tolstoy's great novel were shocked by the savage iconoclasm of his \u003ci\u003eWhat is Art?\u003c\/i\u003e when it appeared in 1898. How was it that this great artist could condemn the works of Shakespeare, Raphael, Beethoven and even his own \u003ci\u003eAnna Karenina\u003c\/i\u003e as 'false art'? Today's reader still has to grapple with that paradox. The essay still has power to challenge and provoke, for it was written by a giant who took art seriously while western civilisation toyed with it as a mere pastime. For Tolstoy, art was as natural and as necessary for humankind as speech. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn his introduction to this translation, W. Gareth Jones shows how vitally Tolstoy's personality and experience of life were engaged in creating \u003ci\u003eWhat is Art?\u003c\/i\u003e, how integral the essay was to his art and teaching, and why it continues to demand a response from us.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50887203750111,"sku":"9781853993817","price":55.71,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/qIlx9YF5gF9781853993817.webp?v=1785934949"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/l-n-tolstoy.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}