{"product_id":"what-is-art-by-leo-tolstoy-9781853993817","title":"What is Art?","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth critics and admirers of Tolstoy's great novel were shocked by the savage iconoclasm of his \u003ci\u003eWhat is Art?\u003c\/i\u003e when it appeared in 1898. How was it that this great artist could condemn the works of Shakespeare, Raphael, Beethoven and even his own \u003ci\u003eAnna Karenina\u003c\/i\u003e as 'false art'? Today's reader still has to grapple with that paradox. The essay still has power to challenge and provoke, for it was written by a giant who took art seriously while Western civilisation toyed with it as a mere pastime. For Tolstoy, art was as natural and as necessary for humankind as speech.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn his introduction to this translation, W. Gareth Jones shows how vitally Tolstoy's personality and experience of life were engaged in creating \u003ci\u003eWhat is Art?\u003c\/i\u003e, how integral the essay was to his art and teaching, and why it continues to demand a response from us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47471928574188,"sku":"9781853993817","price":49.95,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/dbf75aa0bb6de849203ebbf9d78e55dd.jpg?v=1775692711","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/what-is-art-by-leo-tolstoy-9781853993817","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}