Early Spread And Influence Of Leo Tolstoy In England

Since 1862,when the English version of Childhood and Youth appeared,Tolstoy's works have gradually come into the view of the British public.The introduction of the translations of War and Peace and Anna Karenina has strengthened the interest of British critics in this great writer.The magazines such as Saturday Review,Spectator and the Contemporary Review have carried out extensive discussions.The dramatic description of historical events,the strength of the description of nature,and the strong moral and religious imprints in his views gave Victorian readers a profound literary experience.By the end of the nineteenth century,Tolstoy's reputation as a writer had been firmly established in Britain.Throughout Tolstoy's early acceptance and research in the UK,Tolstoy rarely showed himself as a philosopher and religious thinker.The concept of Christian anarchism based on non-violent anti-evil is concentrated in foreign publications,and the research on this aspect is trivial and unsystematic.Looking back at Russia,at the beginning of the 20th century,various Russian periodicals were published in different countries around the world.Unlike journalism in the 19th century,they kept pace with politics,gradually eliminated literature and turned into a self-sufficient public life phenomenon,mostly dominated by political parties.The Tsarist government was not interested in the rise of political parties,which caused most parties to move underground,and the main opposition political forces left the motherland.During their exile,they established a circle of supporters with the help of existing news organizations,and then spread their ideas.Judging from the current literature and historical data,there are many types of publications outside of Russia,mostly in the form of periodicals,brochures,leaflets,newspapers,and announcements.Due to the lack of financial support to maintain printing,these publications have a short circulation life.It cannot be denied that the foreign press and publishing industry is a laboratory of Russian political thought,they actively interact with external political forces and update their own ideological system in a timely manner,it is no exaggeration to say that the European civilization of this period gave birth to the future Russian Revolution.Many articles written by Tolstoy have not been published due to the restrictions of the domestic censorship system,and their transmission paths have naturally turned to the United Kingdom,which is open for freedom of speech.After his close friend Chertkov arrived in London,he founded the Free Age Press and the publication ?????????? ?????,aiming to show Tolstoy's works to the English speaking world.Based on historical materials,this paper attempts to discuss the relationship between the Free Age Press and Tolstoy's literary and philosophical creation after 1880s,and the cultural relationship between Russia and the European continent in the historical period from the European Revolution in 1848 to the abolition of Russian Serfdom.