A Confession is a short novel on questions of religion by Leo Tolstoy. It was first distributed in Russia in 1882.

Consisting of autobiographical notes on the development of the author's belief, A Confession shows the process of searching for answers to the profound questions: "What will come of my life?" and "What is the meaning of life?", without answers to which life to him is impossible.

Tolstoy shows different attempts to find answers on the examples of science, philosophy, eastern wisdom and the opinions of his fellow novelists. Not having found an acceptable solution in any of these, Tolstoy recognizes the deep religious convictions of ordinary people as containing the key to true answers. However he also finds "a great deal of superstition mixed with the Christian truths" and rejects some positions and customs of the Christian church.

External link

• A Confession, full text