I Cannot Be Silent: Articles on War, Violence, Love, Unbelief and Non-Resistance to Evil

In front of you is an audiobook collection of selected articles by the great Russian writer, whose powerful voice has sounded—and still sounds—to the whole world. Leo Tolstoy always responded to the sharpest, most painful problems of Russia; he was infinitely concerned with the fate of the country’s citizens. The collection includes three articles by the writer that reveal his gift as a thinker and publicist. “Reconsider!” — an anti-war article. It was written after the start of the Russo-Japanese War and first saw publication in English due to censorship.

In the manifesto “I cannot be silent,” the writer firmly speaks out against the death penalty, and in the article “The Law of Violence and the Law of Love” he condemns any violence of some people over others. Reflecting on war and peace, love and death, faith, duty, and freedom of will today, we cannot do without references to these vivid, polemical texts. The preface to the book was written by Pavel Basinsky — a laureate of the “Big Book” prize, and the biographer of Leo Tolstoy.