Two Shining Souls Jane Addams, Leo Tolstoy, and the Quest for Global Peace

In Two Shining Souls, Cracraft explores the decades-long encounter of Jane Addams (1860-1935), the famous American social reformer and peace activist, with Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), the acclaimed Russian writer and sage. The book shows how deeply Tolstoy influenced Addams' career citing many previously unknown or neglected sources. Aside from reading Tolstoy's writings-his largely forgotten religious tracts more than his celebrated fiction-Addams also traveled to Russia to meeting him personally. Addams greatly admired Tolstoy and described him as a shining soul. Cracraft adds an enduring religious dimension to Addams' rich legacy while newly delimiting, by contrast, the legacy of Tolstoy.The relationship between Addams and Tolstoy also brings into focus issues of public concern that are still with us today. They include the often conflicting demands on the individual, particularly on women, of family and society; the legitimacy of violence in pursuit of political aims; the problem of poverty; the role of government in social reform; and the place of religion in both public and private life. The distinctive ways in which these two shining souls dealt with these ever controversial issues offer insights that may be valuable even now.The single most important link between Addams and Tolstoy was their preoccupation with the question of peace: from world peace and social peace to personal peace. Two Shining Souls explores the steps each of them took in their pursuit of global peace and their reactions to the great crisis in the history of global pacifism precipitated by World War I.

James Cracraft is professor of history emeritus at the University of Illinois, Chicago.