"Written in 1937, more than two decades after Leo Tolstoy's death, The Liberation of Tolstoy - equal parts biography, memoir, and literary study - serves as a dialogue between two great writers on the proklyatye voprosy, or "damned questions," of life.".

"Bunin conveys the drama of Tolstoy's last days; his early love and eventual hatred of his wife, Sofya; his relationship with his eccentric family; his difficulties with the Russian Orthodox Church and his embrace of Buddhism; and the politics and events surrounding his funeral. At the same time, this work reflects the drama of Bunin's own difficult circumstances and his search for spiritual deliverance."--BOOK JACKET.