It was time to read my first book for #RedOctoberRussianReads. I decided to read the slimmest book I had in my Russian reading list – ‘The Kreutzer Sonata‘ by Leo Tolstoy.
The story told in ‘The Kreutzer Sonata‘ goes like this. There are a few people travelling in a train. They are mostly strangers and don’t know each other. The discussion turns to equal rights for women and marrying for love. People have different opinions on the subject. Then one of the quieter passengers asks the others what they mean by love and whether it is possible for someone to love another for their whole life. There is some passionate conversation which happens here, and then this man, who feels that love cannot last long, tells his story to prove his point. What happens after that – you have to read the book to find that.
In ‘The Kreutzer Sonata‘, Leo Tolstoy takes aim at romantic love and the institution of marriage and fires his cannon. When it is all over, the building has collapsed and is in ruins, there is smoke all around and it is scary, heartbreaking and depressing. The love that Tolstoy talks about in the book is far removed from the beautiful love that Pierre and Natasha have for each other in ‘War and Peace‘ – this love looks more real and is filled with jealousy, anger, hurt, darkness. It is scary to read. The book is a frank portrayal of a marriage, with all the light and the darkness – mostly darkness – thrown in. When this story was first published, it created a lot of controversy, and it was censored. Tolstoy’s wife Sofya went and met the czar and pleaded with him and only after the czar acquiesced, was this story included in Tolstoy’s collected works. After we read the book, we understand why it created so much controversy.
I loved ‘The Kreutzer Sonata‘. It is a small, slim book with big font, with deep amazing insights in every page. It is a late start for me for #RedOctoberRussianReads, but I think it is a great start.
I will leave you with one of my favourite passages from the book.
“A terrible thing is that sonata, especially the presto! And a terrible thing is music in general. What is it? Why does it do what it does? They say that music stirs the soul. Stupidity! A lie! It acts, it acts frightfully, but not in an ennobling way. It acts neither in an ennobling nor a debasing way, but in an irritating way. How shall I say it? Music makes me forget my real situation. It transports me into a state which is not my own. Under the influence of music I really seem to feel what I do not feel, to understand what I do not understand, to have powers which I cannot have. Music seems to me to act like yawning or laughter; I have no desire to sleep, but I yawn when I see others yawn; with no reason to laugh, I laugh when I hear others laugh. And music transports me immediately into the condition of soul in which he who wrote the music found himself at that time. I become confounded with his soul, and with him I pass from one condition to another. But why that? I know nothing about it? But he who wrote Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ knew well why he found himself in a certain condition. That condition led him to certain actions, and for that reason to him had a meaning, but to me none, none whatsoever. And that is why music provokes an excitement which it does not bring to a conclusion…and that is why music is so dangerous, and sometimes acts so frightfully.”
Have you read ‘The Kreutzer Sonata‘? What do you think about it?
Vishy's Blog 
I have not read it, but Vishy, you chose a superb quote. Stunning.
Glad you liked the quote, Val. So beautiful, isn’t it? Would love to hear your thoughts, if you get to read this book.
I read The Kreutzer Sonata in 2007 when I came across a reference to it in a fictionalised life of Sonya Tolstoy (War and Peace and Sonya by Judith Armstrong, see https://anzlitlovers.com/2011/12/28/war-and-peace-and-sonya-by-judith-armstrong/) and I was quite shocked. The novel is based on Sonya’s diaries, and so with that information fresh in my mind I could see that Sonya (the real one) would have recognised Tolstoy’s cruel portrait of their marriage immediately. It must have been humiliating for her, and yet, as you say, she went to the czar and talked him into relaxing the ban on it.
Very fascinating to know that, Lisa! Thanks so much for sharing! I want to read Judith Armstrong’s book now. I didn’t know that ‘The Kreutzer Sonata’ was based on Sonya’s diaries. She must have felt really betrayed at her private thoughts being shared in public without her permission. In ‘The Kreutzer Sonata’, I felt that the main character was flawed and I didn’t understand why he didn’t like his wife, because she seemed to be a nice person. If that portrayal is accurate in the real world, and she was Sonya and he was Tolstoy, then Tolstoy seems to have had some real problems with his own way of thinking and behaving.
That’s what makes the Armstrong book so good. I have fallen under the Tolstoy spell, I watched that film about him dying at the railway station, I’ve read his books and I saw everything from his PoV. Armstrong had the depth of knowledge to turn it on its head and show us a different reality.
Very fascinating to know that! I want to read the Armstrong book soon. Thanks for telling me about it, Lisa 🙂