God, Man, and Tolstoy

This book examines Leo Tolstoy’s struggle to understand the relationship of God and man, in connection with his attempt to answer questions regarding the meaning of life. Tolstoy addressed such issues in a systematic way and with great concerns for the future of humanity. Predrag Cicovacki approaches Tolstoy both as a thinker and as an artist, and examines various sides of his intellectual and artistic engagement: his social criticism, his ambiguous relationship to nature, his understanding of art, and his attempted reconstruction of the true religion. By combining philosophical, religious, and literary analysis, Cicovacki undertakes an interdisciplinary study, showing much can be learned from Tolstoy's insights, as well as from his mistakes.

Predrag Cicovacki is Professor of Philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross, USA. He is the author of eleven books, including Dostoevsky and the Affirmation of Life (2012), Gandhi’s Footprints (2015), The Luminosity of Love (2018), and The Meaning of Life. A Quick Immersion (2021).

“Predrag Cicovacki, a professor of peace and conflict studies, is perfectly situated to guide us through Tolstoy’s powerful, often infuriating practical ethics. Blending theology with anthropological argument, he suggests that Tolstoy insisted above all that we cease to mutilate: ourselves, the world, the resources of the present and the meaning of love. Not an easy task and Tolstoy can be a stubborn mentor, but Cicovacki makes a subtle, respectful, even-handed case.”

—Caryl Emerson, A. Watson Armour III University Professor Emeritus of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Princeton University, USA

“Combining the resources of a trained philosopher with an ear for a great writer, Predrag Cicovacki has produced an insightful and panoramic evaluation of Tolstoy the God-driven man who found meaning in becoming a “slave” – of God, not of man, of the divine truth, not of the fictions of humankind. An impressive achievement.”

—John D. Caputo, Professor Emeritus, Syracuse University, USA, and author of In Search of Radical Theology: Expositions, Explorations, Exhortations and Cross and Cosmos: A Theology of Difficult Glory.