Leo Tolstoy's Writings on Education Edited with an Introduction by Bob Blaisdell Translated by Christopher Edgar

In the years before Leo Tolstoy wrote War and Peace, the great Russian writer founded and ran his own school on his estate at Yasnaya Polyana. Brimming with progressive ideas on schooling, he undertook to teach the peasant children at Yasnaya Polyana reading, history, arithmetic, and notably, imaginative writing. The school was a paradise for Tolstoy, and he published many articles about his teaching experiences during these years. This new collection features the most important of these articles--among them the famous essay, "Are the Peasant Children to Learn to Write from Us, or Are We to Learn from the Peasant Children?"--and two short stories by Tolstoy's students. Tolstoy as Teacher also includes an introductory essay that examines the role of the school in Tolstoy's life and work, an annotated bibliography, and an essay with ideas on how to use Tolstoy's fiction to inspire students to write imaginatively. This book will surprise and delight writers, teachers of imaginati! ve writing from elementary to college level, teachers of English and other subjects, and anyone interested in education or in Tolstoy's work and thought.