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In his study of The Kreutzer Sonata, Peter Ulf Moeller examines the actual literary process in all its stages, from the genesis and structure of the tale to its publication, reception and effect. He describes how Tolstoj shaped his ascetic message in a provocative artistic form, how it was received by the censors, the critics, the clergy, by the general public, by other writers and - last but not least - by the author's wife. Moeller goes on to show how Tolstoj's tale immediately gave rise to a counter-literature and, in the long term, led to the eulogies to the body and the senses, characteristic of Russian decadence. By shedding light on the sexual debate, Moeller's book adds a new dimension to our understanding of the interaction between literature and society in a crucial decade of Russian history. His account of the censorship, publication and reception history of The Kreutzer Sonata corrects and supplements existing information by making use of hitherto unpublished materials in Soviet archives. These materials include Countess Sof'ja Andreevna Tolstaja's counter-story Who is To Blame?, which affords valuable new insights into the Tolstoj's dramatic marriage.

Russian literature --- Sexual ethics in literature. --- Themes, motives. --- Tolstoy, Leo, --- Ethics. --- Russia --- Intellectual life