A Review of “On the Edge of the World.”

“The guests were all intellectuals and an interesting conversation began among them on our faith and faithlessness.”

Thus begins the remarkable short novel On the Edge of the World written by Nikolai Leskov in 1876.  It is not a s.f. novel, but it is a novel of ideas.   The quotation from the novel above is actually intended by Leskov to echo Goethe’s famous observation that “the profoundest, nay, the one theme of the history of the universe and of mankind, the theme to which all others are subordinated is the conflict between faith and unfaith.”

The novel opens with a group of intellectuals and professionals discussing contemporary politics and religion.  The host, an elderly arch-bishop, to illustrate a point tells the story of his time as bishop in Siberia (newly acquired by Russia at the time).  He recounts the successes and failures of the missionary work there among the native populations who, for the most part, were either Buddhist or members of shamanistic religions.  The bishop goes to Siberia to spread the faith to others, but in the process, he discovers an inner Truth about his own heart and its relation to Christ. 

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough.  It touches on so many important issues of faith, philosophy, and how best to evangelize those who are non-Christian.  The humble monk Kiriak is an unforgettable character, and the “snowstorm scene” is justly famous as one of the most exciting scenes in 19th century Russian literature.   Interestingly, the primitive peoples of Siberia reminded me a lot of modern Americans. 

Some reviewers have compared Leskov to the 19th century American writers Mark Twain and Jack London.  admittedly, Leskov does employ some humor and verbal comedy in the same vein as Twain, and he does describe the natural world with a depth and accuracy akin to London, but Leskov’s writing is replete with references to 17th, 18th, and 19th century European philosophers and theologians; Leskov’s writings are, as mentioned above, deeply steeped in the history of thought.  Twain and London have never been accused  of being steeped in the history of thought or ideas.  Twain is considered important to the history of ideas, but more as a result of his break from it, and his embarking and popularizing a new set of ideas, than for taking any part in building of what came before.  Twain, as the quintessential American, starts his thinking anew without regard for past development.

Another area of difference between Leskov and his American contemporaries is his incorporation of religious ideas into his writings.  Of course, by the 19th century, secularization was deeply imbedded in the European and American mindset.  Hardly any novels from this century deal with serious religious themes.  Twain and London were both atheists, the former a sarcastic one and the latter a pessimistic one, but they both treated traditional religion in a similar way.  Leskov, however, respectfully weaves religious ideas into On the Edge of the World. 

So if reading a book steeped in the 19th century discussions of faith, reason, and theology appeals to you than this book is a must read.  It does not just tell us Truth, but like all great novels should do–it is a work that presents us with  “philosophy in action.”

–pio