What Is Art?

In this provocative treatise, the great novelist Tolstoy rejects most of what society calls great art—including his own masterpieces and the works of Shakespeare and Beethoven—arguing that true art must communicate sincere feeling and unite people in brotherhood rather than serve the pleasure of elites. Passionate, contrarian, and deeply serious, it reflects the moral and religious convictions of his later years. Whether or not one agrees, What Is Art? poses enduring questions about beauty, sincerity, and the purpose of creativity. Bold and challenging, it is a fascinating window into the mind of a literary giant who came to distrust the very art that made him immortal.