I have my doubts knowing who the peasant was, or what they said, would enlighten us much. Many things happen in context and have meanings to particular people at particular moments which may not translate generally. In the passage you quote, Tolstoy also says that reading of “Chetyi-Minei and the Prologues” (thank you for the wikipedia link for that) had the same effect on him as listening to the peasant. Would reading these ancient books have the same effect on us? Maybe some of us. But not many of us, if any.

An irony is that Tolstoy says he regards supernatural miracles “as fables to express thoughts”. But almost certainly the illiterate peasant that had such an effect on him would have considered supernatural miracles to be literal historical facts. I would guess that this person likely embraced in many ways the very things Tolstoy found repulsive in the church. But there was something to what they were saying that day which struck him.

We do not entirely have to guess. In the quoted passage, Tolstoy seems to emphasize “that death does not exclude life” being an insight he finds mirrored in many religious stories. So my guess is that there was something about what the peasant was saying, or the way they were saying it, that spoke of this simple and transcendent theme to Tolstoy’s heart. The person may have been a raving lunatic. The person may have been a statue seen in a particular light. The person may have been a gifted savant, an uneducated genius. The person may have been a mystic who spoke in peculiar riddles that happened to echo Tolstoy’s thoughts. The possibilities are endless. Almost anything can bring a sense of insight to those looking.

Anyhow, thanks for sharing. It’s been a long time since I thought about Tolstoy.

‘her lawyer reminded her they were fighting for “the principle of free speech.” “I’m hoping that the activists will now realize there are limits to their behavior,” she said.’

So the “principle of free speech” they were fighting for was the principle of limits to free speech?

My suggestion for the steam winter sale is chech out the GOG winter sale. But maybe that’s just me.