Why did Leo Tolstoy REFUSE the Nobel Prize?

Records preserved in the Nobel Committee’s archives indicate that Tolstoy stated he would refuse the prize if it were awarded to him.

The writer’s refusal was rooted in two convictions. First, he believed that money was an evil and had no desire to take on the burden of managing a large sum. Second, he felt a moral aversion toward Alfred Nobel, the prize’s founder, because he had invented dynamite.

Seeking to have his name removed from the list of candidates, in Fall 1906, Tolstoy wrote to his friend and Finnish translator, Arvid Järnefelt:

"Biryukov told me that, according to Koni, it is possible that I might be awarded the Nobel Prize. If that were to happen, it would be very unpleasant for me to have to refuse it; therefore, I earnestly ask you, if you have – as I believe you do – any connections in Sweden, to try to ensure that I am not awarded this prize."

In his reply, Järnefelt informed Tolstoy that he had conveyed the substance of his request.

The writer was nominated five (!) times (in 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906) for the Nobel Prize in Literature and three times (in 1901, 1902, and 1909) for the Nobel Peace Prize. However, the Nobel Committee itself also rejected his candidacy for various reasons.