DOI: 10.46726/H.2026.3.1
The author of this article examines the relationship and correspondence between Leo Tolstoy and the journalist, linguist, and translator Emil Joseph Dillon (1854—1933), and also examines the latter’s book, Count Leo Tolstoy: A New Portrait (1934), which was conceived by the author during his meetings with Tolstoy in the 1890s, created more than 20 years after the classic writer’s death, and published after Dillon’s own death. The article notes that, written in English and for foreign readers, this book is of particular interest because it contains a vivid interpretation of Tolstoy’s path and worldview, given by a foreigner who knew Russian well and
reflected extensively on the peculiarities of life in Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author of this article identifies key issues in Tolstoy’s artistic and journalistic work that interested Dillon and were most vividly captured in his narrative. She also analyzes the intersection of the views of representatives of two cultures and traditions (Tolstoy and Dillon), who found themselves addressing the same religious and philosophical questions. The relevance of this study is enhanced by the fact that Dillon’s book has not yet been translated into Russian and is not mentioned in the works of Russian scholars.
Acknowledgments: This work was carried out at IWL RAS with financial support from the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 26-18-00120 “L.N. Tolstoy — the reader and readers of L.N. Tolstoy: at the crossroads of cultures and eras”, https://rscf.ru/en/project/26-18-00120/
For citations: Andreeva V.G. E. Dillon’s book “Count Leo Tolstoy: a new portrait”: features of the interpretation of the path and views of the Russian writer, Ivanovo State University Bulletin, Series: Humanities, 2026, iss. 3, pp. 5—14.