The Kreutzer Sonata

work by Tolstoy

Also known as: “Kreytserova sonata”

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The "Kreutzer Sonata" is a novella by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1891. It explores themes of jealousy, sexuality, and morality through the story of a man who murders his wife after suspecting her of infidelity with a violinist. The novella is named after Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata in A Major for Piano and Violin, Opus 47, which was dedicated to violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer but never played by him. Tolstoy's work delves into the destructive power of passion and societal hypocrisy, reflecting his later philosophical and religious views that emphasized nonresistance to evil and sexual abstinence.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Leo Tolstoy
Conversion and religious beliefs
…afterword to Kreytserova sonata [1891; The Kreutzer Sonata], a dark novella about a man who murders his wife) total abstinence as an ideal. Tolstoy’s wife, already concerned about their strained relations, objected. In defending his most-extreme ideas, Tolstoy compared Christianity to a lamp that is not stationary but is carried…
Read More
…afterword to Kreytserova sonata [1891; The Kreutzer Sonata], a dark novella about a man who murders his wife) total abstinence as an ideal. Tolstoy’s wife, already concerned about their strained relations, objected. In defending his most-extreme ideas, Tolstoy compared Christianity to a lamp that is not stationary but is carried…
Read More