Tolstoy’s case for radical simplicity

How a philosophy of labor, self-discipline, and freedom points toward naked gardening

This article was originally written for The Bulletin magazine, a monthly benefit for members of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), and debuted there earlier this month. We’re publishing it here on Planet Nude under a different title as a paid-member exclusive.

If you’d like to receive The Bulletin and enjoy other member benefits, I encourage you to consider joining AANR.

Portrait of Leo Tolstoy, 1893. Public Domain.

Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian novelist, spent his later years rejecting wealth and status, convinced that true happiness lay in simplicity, manual labor, and a return to nature. He saw working the land not just as a means of survival but as a path to humility, equality, and spiritual renewal. While there’s no evidence that Tolstoy gardened in the nude, his philosophy of stripping life down to its essentials—removing anything artificial or unnecessary—feels oddly in tune with the spirit of naked gardening.