Tolstoy and Russia

"Ambivalence toward Tolstoy is new in Russia.


The Soviets planted him at the top of their literary pantheon, largely because of the radical philosophy he preached amid the early rumblings of the October Revolution. The publication of “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina” made Tolstoy so famous that one contemporary described him as Russia’s second czar. He used that position to rail against the church, as well as the police, the army, meat eating, private property and all forms of violence.

Lenin loved Tolstoy’s “pent-up hatred.” He anointed him “the mirror of the Russian Revolution,” ignoring his pacifism and belief in God. As the 50th anniversary of his death approached, the Central Committee of the Communist Party began preparing two years in advance, so a monument would be ready for unveiling. "

New York Times article on how Russia barely acknowledged the anniversary of the death of its most well-known author, and why...a fascinating theory on why:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/books/04tolstoy.html?_r=1&src=twt&twt=nytimesbooks