Tolstoy; "The Kreutzer Sonata"

• Date: 1851 - 1899 & 1926 - 1950

• Location: Russia & Central Asia & USA & Europe

• Subject: Sexuality

• Medium: Literature

• Artist/Author/Producer: Tolstoy, Leo (1828-1910)

• Confronting Bodies: Russian State, The U.S. Post Office Department, the U.S. Attorney General

• Dates of action: 1880+

• Location: Russia, United States, Soviet Union, Italy, Hungary

Description of the Art Work

"The Kreutzer Sonata", 1889: originally it was the title of the Sonata in A major for piano and violin, Opus 47, 1803 composed by Beethoven, dedicated to the French composer and violin virtuoso Rodolphe Kreutzer. Violently emotional music, the work came to symbolize the destruction of morals in Tolstoy's story. The problem of sex, which deeply concerned Tolstoy in his new belief that men專 moral health depended on his ability to approach closer to the ideal of chastity becomes the central theme of the book. "The Kreutzer Sonata" is a convincing artistic study of jealousy and ill tempered polemic against society's sexual education of young men and women.

Description of incident

1880 Russia: Various works forbidden publication were printed in Switzerland, England, and Germany. In his early days, the writings of Tolstoy were greatly influenced by the philosophy of Rousseau.

1890 United States: The Post Office Department barred the mailing of copies of newspapers serializing "The Kreutzer Sonata."

Results of incident

1890 United States: the U.S. Attorney General ruled the department could do this with respect to any installments containing material postal officials considered obscene. Theodore Roosevelt, then a state politician, denounced the author as a "sexual moral pervert."

1926 Soviet Union: Many ethical works were banned or confined to the large libraries.

1926 Hungary: All works banned.

1929 Italy: All works banned except in expensive editions.

1936 Soviet Union: Works topped the sales of books.

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Record no 259