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.
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.
Tolstoy’s rejection of modern excess was material, but it was also deeply philosophical. His radical interpretation of Christianity focused not on Jesus’ miracles or divinity but on his teachings—especially the Sermon on the Mount. This led him to embrace an ascetic life of vegetarianism, pacifism, and abstention from alcohol, tobacco, and even marital relations. He believed true faith was found in simplicity and self-discipline, inspiring his followers—the Tolstoyans—to form utopian communities centered on self-sufficiency and nonviolence.
These ideals—self-discipline, clean living, and a rejection of industrialized excess—later echoed in early Freikörperkultur (FKK) in Germany. Like Tolstoyans, early German naturists saw their lifestyle as a moral and social reform, emphasizing harmony between the body, the earth, and personal ethics. They believed stripping away modern indulgences—whether in diet, consumption, or clothing—was necessary to restore human vitality and authenticity.
Tolstoy’s influence extended beyond literature, shaping anarcho-pacifist movements that sought to dismantle hierarchical power structures through nonviolence and rural self-sufficiency. His philosophy profoundly impacted Mahatma Gandhi, who corresponded with Tolstoy and incorporated his teachings into his own philosophy of nonviolent resistance. Gandhi’s ideas were also shaped by Jainism, which, like Tolstoyanism, emphasized asceticism, self-discipline, and harmony with nature. Jain Digambara monks take this principle to its extreme, renouncing all possessions—including clothing—to fully detach from materialism. This radical shedding of worldly attachments reflects a broader pattern among movements that sought liberation through simplicity, including early naturists, who saw nudity as a rejection of social and economic oppression.
In the early 20th century, anarcho-naturists in Spain and Germany merged Tolstoyan pacifism with social nudism, believing that stripping away clothing was part of freeing oneself from all forms of societal restraint—physical, ideological, and economic. At the same time, Tolstoy’s call for rural self-sufficiency helped shape the back-to-the-land movement, which encouraged individuals to reject industrialized life in favor of agrarian simplicity. Tolstoyan communes, established in Russia, England, and beyond, embodied these ideals, promoting manual labor, pacifism, and communal living as a pathway to a more authentic existence.
Tolstoy himself, however, likely would not have embraced nudism. As much as he championed stripping away the unnecessary, he also held rigid moral views, particularly about modesty and chastity. For him, farming alongside peasants in simple clothes was enough of a rejection of aristocratic life. Yet, his followers in England and beyond pushed further, embracing social nudity as part of their vision of living naturally.
If Tolstoy had been less concerned with modesty, might he have seen naked gardening as a natural extension of his ideals? Perhaps. He believed in stripping away the unnecessary—whether wealth, pretense, or industrial excess—to live simply and honestly. And what’s more unpretentious than working the land fully exposed to the sun and soil?
So this year, garden naked. Do it first and foremost because it’s fun and feels good. But consider, as you do it, that it’s more than just a novelty—it’s a radical act, a quiet rebellion, and a return to something real. It’s a rejection of shame, of artificial barriers, of the idea that our bodies must always be hidden. It’s a way to reconnect with yourself, the earth, and a way of living that Tolstoy, in his own way, spent his life searching for. 🪐
Early 20th-century anarcho-naturists in Spain? Wow - I need to look into this!