^Lot 666 Leo Tolstoy

Russian novelist and moral philosopher (1828–1910) best known for his epic novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina. TLS in Russian, one page, 8 x 3, July 20, 1910, affixed to two slightly larger cardstock mounts. In a remarkable letter written in Russian shortly before his death, Tolstoy writes to Bogdanov, advising him on the steps that must be taken in life to guard the purity of one's soul, translated, in part: “Let us be like Aleksander in using any opportunity to get rid of all evil which clouds our soul." In very good condition, with creasing, scattered light spotting, show-through from adhesive remnants on the reverse, one affecting the beginning of the signature, and a sliver of paper loss along the left side of the bottom edge. Written just weeks before Tolstoy’s death, the probable reference to Russian poet, Aleksander Bogdanovich, and his musings on the soul provide a unique glimpse into the last days of the iconic author’s life.