Do you have answers to Tolstoy’s “three questions”?

FRIYAYYYYYY!

And you know what this means. 🍕🍕

Good day, friends of the mighty baked Italian dough! 🤗

I am in an incredibly good mood this morning (surprise, surprise, I dream of PIZZA with my eyes open wide), and thus, let’s kick off today with one of the most important songs in the recent history of pop music:

Sorry! I couldn’t resist. 😜

Leo Tolstoy might have liked Jessica Black’s simple lyrical enthusiasm*.
Born in 1828 in the Russian Empire, Tolstoy is considered to be one of the greatest authors of all times. The creator of timeless classics such as ‘Anna Karenina’ (1878), ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’ (1886), and of course the most lied about book in the history of dinner parties (“Oh yes, of course I read it!” 🙈), ‘War and Peace’ (1869). And what a guy: He was the first writer to refuse the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1901 before it was even awarded to him.** Tolstoy died while travelling in the year 1910 in the home of a train stationmaster, and left his wife and 9 living children with an estate valued at the equivalent of $1.5 million - which was a lot of money back then!

His work was driven by the desire to create lasting change.
Tolstoy did not only write to become famous (or to be left alone by his wife, as many critics claim***), no, he sincerely believed that a novel is a tool that can enable its readers to become kinder, more empathetic and more generous towards each others. Thus, he plays an important role in the development of ‘bibliotherapy’ - a concept, I will soon introduce to you in much more detail.💖 #staytuned

Why should we actually read his epic novel ‘War and Peace’’?
This wonderful 5-minutes long TED video gives great insight into the context of a book that is the literary equivalent of a marathon (featuring 100+ characters, numerous plot threads, and a battle sequence that lasts over 20 chapters), and is considered by many as the “greatest novel ever written”. Enjoy! 🤗

But don’t worry - you don’t need to actually read the 1,225 pages of ‘War and Peace’ over the next years to get your daily dose of Tolstoy!
What many don’t know is that the man wrote wonderful short stories and parables, too. One great example is “The three questions” from 1885. It tells the tale of a king who wants to find answers to what he considers the three most important questions in life:

1. When is the best time to do each thing?
2. Who are the most important people to work with?
3. What is the most important thing to do at all time?

So lean back, close your eyes, and enjoy this 12-minute long recording.

How would you have answered the questions? Let me know - I am curious to hear your thoughts! 💖

With love from Goa,
and many slices of pizza,
Isabelle 🌿

P.S.: If you are looking for more weekend reading inspiration, check out Tolstoy’s list of 50 books that influenced him as a writer and human.

P.P.S.: If you ever come to Goa, my absolute favourite pizza is from Luna’s Ristorante in Anjuna. It’s the kind of pizza that hugs you from inside! 💖 Best are the Classic Margarita, Vegetariana, and there is a lovely vegan option, too. And if you order, don’t forget to call me. 😅

*He firmly believed in his quote that “great things are always simple and modest” - exactly like Black’s lyrics:
It's Friday, Friday Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah),
Partyin', partyin' (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun,
Lookin' forward to the weekend
Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes after... wards.
I don't want this weekend to end!”
You HAVE to be a genius to be so on point. 🤗

**When Tolstoy learnt from one of the writers the rumor about him allegedly having been picked as the Nobel laureate, he wrote a letter to Arvid Jarnefelt, the translator of his books into Finnish, asking him to talk the Committee out of this decision. “I have a great request for you, dear Arvid,” he wrote, “please keep all the information I will write discreet… There is a chance of the Nobel Prize going to me. Should it happen, I will be very uncomfortable refusing, therefore, I am asking you if you have any connections – as I suppose you do – in Sweden, to try and arrange it so that my candidacy is eliminated from the list of nominees… Certainly, I could have learnt the address and sent my appeal to the chairman himself, but I find it odd to refuse what might not end up being awarded to me...” Sources: Russipedia.rt.com, Nobelprize.org

***Tolstoy and his wife Sophia shared a very unhappy marriage despite the 13 children they had together.