Tolstoy and sport

[O.F. Boele]

Dear Seelangers,

A student of mine is writing a thesis on Tolstoy -- a project we’ve
provisionally called “Tolstoy  and Sport”. Obviously, “sport” should be
understood in the widest possible sense, meaning any form of physical
activity (or exercise) that’s considered to be beneficial to one’s health
(including hunting and fishing). In Tolstoy’s case weight lifting, horse
riding and cycling should definitely be considered. I guess that a more
explicit definition of the subject for this thesis could be: “models of
physical (and simultaneously spiritual) well-being in Tolstoy”. At this
early stage we do not distinguish between his fiction and his diaries, or
the memoirs of other people.

Of course, browsing “Anna Karenina,” the diaries of Sof’ya Tolstaya
and Dushan Makovitsky, we’ve found quite a few references to sport
and physical exercise.  Yet since there’s so much material on Tolstoy and
our interest in him is very specific, we would welcome any suggestions
or references from anyone. Where -- apart from “Anna Karenina”  -- does
Tolstoy treat the theme of sport, if only in passing? Are there any
scholarly studies that address the questions outlined above? Did
Tolstoy at any stage have any contacts with Russia’s budding sport
movement? Any help would be highly appreciated.

Cheers.

Otto Boele
University of Groningen
The Netherlands