Leo Tolstoy - Peter Verigin Correspondence

Canadian Slavonic Papers, Sep-Dec 1999 by Victor O Buyniak

Andrew Donskov, ed. Leo Tolstoy - Peter Verigin Correspondence. Prepared and with an introduction by Lidia Gromova-Opul'skaya. Trans. John Woodsworth. Ottawa: Legas, 1995. xi, 101 pp.

Sometimes, philosophical, ethical and moral ideas based on a sincere Christian spirit, when literally applied to practice, do not produce the desired effect and might even occasionally cause hardship to those who espouse them. Such appears to have been the experience of the Doukhobors who were inveterate seekers of truth both in Russia and in Canada. Although they meant well, their consistent and sometimes unorthodox ways of implementing ideas caused them at times disappointment and generated misunderstanding and conflict between them and their neighbours and the authorities.

This book represents an important aspect of Tolstoyana: the Russian writer's relationship with the Doukhobors and their leader, Peter Verigin. Tolstoy's interest in the group was strengthened when he saw in December 1894, at the Moscow Butyr railway station, some dignified-looking men saying farewell to one of their own being escorted by the police into exile. His acquaintance with Verigin developed through correspondence, which began in November 1895 and ended in May 1910. Altogether, 16 letters by Tolstoy and 22 by Verigin, plus some other additions, are reproduced here in Russian and in English. The Tolstoy Jubilee Edition includes only the Russian original of Tolstoy's letters; among them only a section of one letter has been previously translated into English. Thus, in this publication, readers have for the first time the full correspondence, as preserved in the Russian State Archives and in English translation. Lidia Gromova-Opul'skaya of the World Literature Institute (Russian Academy of Sciences) prepared the edition. Her colleagues from the University of Ottawa translated and edited the text.

The Doukhobors' philosophy of non-violence coincided with Tolstoy's own beliefs and attracted him to them. Indeed, the writer defended the Doukhobors' cause after their public burning of arms in June 1895. Along with friends and followers, Tolstoy published, nationally and internationally, appeals to the Russian authorities for clemency and dedicated his efforts and revenues from his latest novel, Resurrection, to enable a part of the persecuted group to look for alternative areas of settlement. When in 1897 Tolstoy was named a candidate for the first Nobel Peace Prize, he suggested that the Committee award this prize to the Doukhobors. Lamentably, the Committee did not heed his advice.

The correspondence between Tolstoy and Verigin reveals how their ideas on certain topics were mutually influential. Both were essentially self taught, but Verigin had a peasant background whose Weltanschauung was shaped by Doukhobor religious views and knowledge derived from extensive reading on various topics during a long period in exile. The thirty-year difference in age and life experience between the two correspondents did not place the junior but naturally intelligent Verigin at a disadvantage vis-a-vis Tolstoy's reasoning power and clarity of thought. Their views on religion, ethics and morals were similar, but whenever they differed Verigin could effectively argue his points. He was a practical individual as can be seen from the letters he wrote after being released and from his actions in Canada where he went in 1902 to manage Doukhobor economic affairs. Being a recognized leader by his group, Verigin did not show the same amount of humility-a Doukhobor virtue-toward his brethren as Tolstoy tried to do in his later years. On the basis of his letters-some written, others even typed on special stationery with letterheads-one could infer that Verigin tried to impress Tolstoy with the power and influence of his position among fellow believers in Canada.

The epistolary discussion between the two included such topics as, for example, whether the spoken word is a more true expression of the human spirit and mind than the written one. At that time the Doukhobors rejected the written word as prevarication of truth and were against any education derived from books. Tolstoy, whose opinions about book-learning were changing, nevertheless tried to defend the idea that writing and education are not always a negative thing and that they are a necessary means of improving human life physically, mentally and spiritually.

Among others, an important event is discussed in the correspondence: the Doukhobor pilgrimage of late autumn 1902. At the time, both Tolstoy and the Doukhobors were vegetarians and strongly rejected the consumption of animal meat and other animal parts. Furthermore, they were against the coercion of humans and animals to perform tasks which were unnatural to them. Some Doukhobors thought that domestic animals should not be used as farm labour. A large segment of Doukhobor settlers in the Prairies abandoned their homes, let all their domestic animals go free, and went on a pilgrimage in an easterly direction just before their leader arrived in Canada. The local Canadian authorities and surrounding population were perplexed when faced with such bizarre behaviour. One of the government colonization agents at the time, Leon Roy, the father of the well-known writer Gabrielle Roy, felt that the Doukhobors meant well as true Christians but their actions were extreme. Both Tolstoy and Verigin could not understand the radical behaviour of the Doukhobor flock, not realizing that they had entertained similar ideas in their theoretical discussions. A few years later, Verigin also mentions in one of his letters that the population of the Prairies was even more amazed to see the very Doukhobors-who earlier had paraded in the nude, gone on a pilgrimage, and turned out their domestic animals to fend for themselves-start various communal businesses by borrowing money from the bank and buying modern agricultural machinery.