Summary
A Russian novelist to whom the people of Selca dedicated a park and a stone bust. His connection with Brač belongs to the history of reading, cultural ideas and public monuments.
A municipal source distinguishes the idea for a monument in 1911 from the installation of the bust in 1914.
A writer and questions of ethics
Tolstoy wrote the novels ‘War and Peace’, ‘Anna Karenina’ and ‘Resurrection’. His work centres on the individual, history and moral responsibility. His books and ideas had an influence far beyond Russia, including in cultural circles along the eastern Adriatic.
Sources: [1]
The park and stone bust in Selca
Park Tolstoj was laid out in the early 20th century. A municipal account states that the idea for a monument arose in 1911 and that the stone bust was installed in 1914. It was carved by students of the stone-carving school from a model by Jaroslav Barda. The different years refer to different stages in the creation of the memorial.
Sources: [2]
Kukučín and the transmission of cultural ideas
Martin Kukučín, a Slovak writer and the doctor in Selca at the time, is linked in the municipal history with the ideas surrounding the creation of the park. Tolstoy’s presence in Selca is therefore literary and commemorative. The monument itself does not confirm that Tolstoy came to the island.
Sources: [2]
