Russian culture has long been a part of the Village of Sea Cliff, and former Mayor Edward Lieberman has spent over a year preparing to highlight one of the country’s most iconic authors.
Lieberman will examine the life and legacy of Leo Tolstoy during a presentation at the Sea Cliff Library titled “Tolstoy: The Life of a Conflicted Genius.” The talk, scheduled for 4 p.m. on Nov. 13, will explore the Russian writer’s novels, essays, and personal contradictions.
Tolstoy was a 19th-century Russian author, philosopher, and social reformer best known for the epic novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Lieberman said the presentation’s title reflects the dualities of Tolstoy’s life — from his aristocratic status to his embrace of nonviolence and spiritual humility.
“He believes in marriage, but in his marriage, there was constant bickering and constant fighting and suicide attempts and on both sides,” Lieberman said. “He was a genius, but he couldn't handle school, teachers, or curriculums. He had serf house servants, and yet he deplored slavery.”
The former mayor has done extensive preparation for the presentation. “I started reading everything I can get my hands on for the last year on Tolstoy,” he said, adding that in addition to reading Tolstoy’s novels he went through several biographies about the writer including Henri Troyat's ‘Tolstoy’, A.N. Wilson's ‘Tolstoy: A Biography’, and Rosamund Bartlett's ‘Tolstoy: A Russian Life.’
Lieberman called Tolstoy a genius for his “writing, philosophy, and things that he did,” adding that the Russian writer “always wanted to seek the truth, no matter what it was.”
Tolstoy’s influence stretched far beyond Russia. Playwright Anton Chekhov, writer Maxim Gorky, Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., and author Ernest Hemingway, all cited him as an inspiration.
Lieberman will present his latest historical lecture — this time on Russian literary giant Leo Tolstoy — at the Sea Cliff Library on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m.
Courtesy Edward Lieberman
Lieberman and Sea Cliff Library Director Camille Purcell are frequent collaborators on his presentations. The upcoming presentation, Purcell said, is “probably our fifth or sixth go around together.” adding that “I'm always up for helping in that way, I also learn a lot about the subject matter that he's doing.”
Purcell’s responsibility for the presentation is to put it into a format that is easy for people to view, while Lieberman conducts research. “They're usually PowerPoint presentations,” she said. “I do more the artistic side of it and also the tech side of it.”
His upcoming presentation, Lieberman said, is “probably three times longer than anyone that I've ever done,” explaining that he has around 138 photos from throughout Tolstoy’s life. “We go through a lot of material,” he added.
Purcell said that responses to the presentations have been overwhelmingly positive. “We have gotten some of the biggest crowds that we've ever had, people just love it,” she said. “He really does a great job presenting the information, researching the information, and he has just a natural way to convey the information.”
Lieberman, 74, began giving historical lectures in 2021 after stepping down from village government.
His past subjects have included Vincent Van Gogh, Theodore Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy, and Flag Day.
“Besides having the extra time,” he said. “I've always been into reading.” His interest in learning more about Russian writing through Tolstoy is not just academic, it’s also familial. Lieberman’s grandparents– Bernard Lieberman and Sadie Spaun–grew up in Minsk, Russia and fled in the early 1900s during the rule of Tzar Nicolas II.
Sea Cliff’s Russian influence goes back to the 1920s, when nobles fleeing the Russian Revolution settled in the village.
“Russian history is embedded in the history of Sea Cliff,” Civic Association President Ann DiPietro said, adding that the village once had “many princesses and princes,” and is home to two established Russian Orthodox churches —
Our Lady of Kazan and
Saint Seraphim of Sarov. Easter bazaars and other cultural traditions followed.
DiPietro encouraged residents to attend the presentation, explaining that Liberman “comes with all sorts of slides, and it's so much more than just a speech, he throws himself into a lot of research, and it's great.” She also added that it will “give those that are well versed in Russian literature and those who are new to it, an insight into a people, and also a greater insight into Sea Cliff.”
Admission to the event is free and those interested in registering can do so by reaching out to SCinfo@SeaCliffLibrary.org. The presentations are usually around an hour to 75 minutes. As for their favorite Tolstoy line, Lieberman and Purcell agree: the famous opening to Anna Karenina, set amid the backdrop of 19th-century Russian high society.
“All happy families are alike. Each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
