Full biography of L.N. Tolstoy: life and work
Count, Russian writer, corresponding member (1873), honorary academician (1900) of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Starting with the autobiographical trilogy “Childhood” (1852), “Adolescence” (1852 54), “Youth” (1855 57), the study of the “fluidity” of the inner world, the moral foundations of the individual became main theme works of Tolstoy. A painful search for the meaning of life, a moral ideal, hidden general laws of existence, spiritual and social criticism, revealing the “untruth” of class relations, runs through all of his work. In the story "Cossacks" (1863), the hero, a young nobleman, seeks a way out by connecting with nature, with a natural and integral life. common man. The epic "War and Peace" (1863 69) recreates the life of various layers of Russian society in Patriotic War 1812, the patriotic impulse of the people, which united all classes and led to victory in the war with Napoleon. historical events and personal interests, ways of spiritual self-determination of a reflective personality and the elements of Russian folk life with its “swarm” consciousness are shown as equivalent components of natural-historical existence. In the novel “Anna Karenina” (1873 77) about the tragedy of a woman in the power of destructive “criminal” passion Tolstoy exposes the false foundations of secular society, shows the collapse of the patriarchal structure, the destruction of family foundations. He contrasts the perception of the world by an individualistic and rationalistic consciousness with the intrinsic value of life as such in its infinity, uncontrollable variability and material concreteness (“the seer of the flesh” D. S. Merezhkovsky). Since the late 1870s, experiencing a spiritual crisis, later captured by the idea of moral improvement and “simplification” (which gave rise to the “Tolstoyism” movement), Tolstoy came to an increasingly irreconcilable criticism of the social structure modern bureaucratic institutions, the state, the church (in 1901 he was excommunicated from the Orthodox Church ), civilization and culture, total way of life"educated classes": the novel "Resurrection" (1889 99), the story "The Kreutzer Sonata" (1887 89), the dramas "The Living Corpse" (1900, published in 1911) and "The Power of Darkness" (1887). At the same time, attention to the themes of death, sin, repentance and moral rebirth is increasing (the stories “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”, 1884 86; “Father Sergius”, 1890 98, published in 1912; “Hadji Murat”, 1896 1904, published . in 1912). Journalistic works of a moralizing nature, including “Confession” (1879 82), “What is my faith?” (1884), where the Christian teaching about love and forgiveness is transformed into a preaching of non-resistance to evil through violence. the desire to harmonize the way of thinking and life leads to Tolstoy leaving his home in Yasnaya Polyana; died at Astapovo station.
Biography
Born on August 28 (September 9 n.s.) in the Yasnaya Polyana estate, Tula province. By origin he belonged to the oldest aristocratic families in Russia. He received home education and upbringing.
After the death of his parents (his mother died in 1830, his father in 1837), the future writer with three brothers and a sister moved to Kazan, to live with his guardian P. Yushkova. As a sixteen-year-old boy, he entered Kazan University, first to the Faculty of Philosophy in the category of Arabic-Turkish Literature, then studied at the Faculty of Law (1844 47). In 1847, without completing the course, he left the university and settled in Yasnaya Polyana, which he received as property as his father's inheritance.
The future writer spent the next four years in search: he tried to reorganize the life of the peasants of Yasnaya Polyana (1847), lived a social life in Moscow (1848), took exams for the degree of candidate of law at St. Petersburg University (spring 1849), decided to serve as a clerical employee in the Tula Noble Society parliamentary meeting (autumn 1849).
In 1851 he left Yasnaya Polyana for the Caucasus, the place of service of his older brother Nikolai, and volunteered to take part in military operations against the Chechens. Episodes of the Caucasian War were described by him in the stories “Raid” (1853), “Cutting Wood” (1855), and in the story “Cossacks” (1852 63). Passed the cadet exam, preparing to become an officer. In 1854, being an artillery officer, he transferred to the Danube Army, which operated against the Turks.
In the Caucasus, Tolstoy began to study seriously literary creativity, writes the story "Childhood", which was approved by Nekrasov and published in the magazine "Sovremennik". Later the story “Adolescence” (1852 54) was published there.
Soon after the outbreak of the Crimean War, Tolstoy, at his personal request, was transferred to Sevastopol, where he participated in the defense of the besieged city, showing rare fearlessness. Awarded the Order of St. Anna with the inscription "For bravery" and medals "For the defense of Sevastopol". In "Sevastopol Stories" he created a mercilessly reliable picture of the war, which made a huge impression on Russian society. During these same years, he wrote the last part of the trilogy, “Youth” (1855 56), in which he declared himself not just a “poet of childhood,” but a researcher of human nature. This interest in man and the desire to understand the laws of mental and spiritual life will continue in his future work.
In 1855, having arrived in St. Petersburg, Tolstoy became close to the staff of the Sovremennik magazine and met Turgenev, Goncharov, Ostrovsky, and Chernyshevsky.
In the fall of 1856 he retired (" Military career not mine..." he writes in his diary) and in 1857 he went on a six-month trip abroad to France, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany.
In 1859 he opened a school for peasant children in Yasnaya Polyana, where he himself taught classes. Helped open more than 20 schools in surrounding villages. In order to study the organization of school affairs abroad, in 1860 1861 Tolstoy made a second trip to Europe, inspecting schools in France, Italy, Germany, and England. In London he met Herzen and attended a lecture by Dickens.
In May 1861 (the year of the abolition of serfdom) he returned to Yasnaya Polyana, took office as a peace mediator and actively defended the interests of the peasants, resolving their disputes with the landowners about land, for which the Tula nobility, dissatisfied with his actions, demanded his removal from office. In 1862, the Senate issued a decree dismissing Tolstoy. Secret surveillance of him began from Section III. In the summer, the gendarmes carried out a search in his absence, confident that they would find a secret printing house, which the writer allegedly acquired after meetings and long communications with Herzen in London.
In 1862, Tolstoy’s life and his way of life were streamlined for many years: he married the daughter of a Moscow doctor, Sofya Andreevna Bers, and patriarchal life began on his estate as the head of an ever-increasing family. The Tolstoys raised nine children.
The years 1860 and 1870 were marked by the publication of two works by Tolstoy, which immortalized his name: “War and Peace” (1863 69), “Anna Karenina” (1873 77).
In the early 1880s, the Tolstoy family moved to Moscow to educate their growing children. From this time on, Tolstoy spent winters in Moscow. Here in 1882 he took part in the census of the Moscow population and became closely acquainted with the life of the inhabitants of the city slums, which he described in the treatise “So what should we do?” (1882 86), and concluded: “...You can’t live like that, you can’t live like that, you can’t!”
Tolstoy expressed his new worldview in his work “Confession” (1879㭎), where he spoke about a revolution in his views, the meaning of which he saw in a break with the ideology of the noble class and a transition to the side of the “simple working people.” This turning point led Tolstoy to the denial of the state, the state-owned church and property. The awareness of the meaninglessness of life in the face of inevitable death led him to faith in God. He bases his teaching on the moral commandments of the New Testament: the demand for love for people and the preaching of non-resistance to evil through violence constitute the meaning of the so-called “Tolstoyism,” which is becoming popular not only in Russia, but also abroad.
During this period he came to a complete denial of his previous literary activity, took up physical labor, plowed, sewed boots, and switched to vegetarian food. In 1891 he publicly renounced copyright ownership of all his works written after 1880.
Under the influence of friends and true admirers of his talent, as well as personal need for literary activity, Tolstoy changed his negative attitude towards art in the 1890s. During these years he created the drama "The Power of Darkness" (1886), the play "The Fruits of Enlightenment" (1886 90), and the novel "Resurrection" (1889 99).
In 1891, 1893, 1898 he participated in helping peasants in starving provinces and organized free canteens.
In the last decade, as always, I have been engaged in intense creative work. The story "Hadji Murat" (1896 1904), the drama "The Living Corpse" (1900), and the story "After the Ball" (1903) were written.
At the beginning of 1900, he wrote a number of articles exposing the entire system of public administration. The government of Nicholas II issued a resolution according to which the Holy Synod (the highest church institution in Russia) excommunicated Tolstoy from the church, which caused a wave of indignation in society.
In 1901, Tolstoy lived in Crimea, was treated after a serious illness, and often met with Chekhov and M. Gorky.
IN last years life, when Tolstoy made his will, he found himself in the center of intrigue and contention between the “Tolstoyites,” on the one hand, and his wife, who defended the well-being of her family and children, on the other. Trying to bring your lifestyle into line with your beliefs and being burdened lordly way of life life on the estate. Tolstoy secretly left Yasnaya Polyana on November 10, 1910. The health of the 82-year-old writer could not withstand the journey. He caught a cold and, falling ill, died on November 20 on the way at the Astapovo Ryazans station of the Ko-Ural railway.
He was buried in Yasnaya Polyana.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is one of the greatest Russian writers who made incredible contributions to our classical literature. From his pen came monumental works that gained worldwide fame and recognition. He is considered one of best writers not only in Russian literature, but also on a global scale.
The great writer was born in the early autumn of 1828. His small homeland became the village of Yasnaya Polyana, located on the territory of the Tula province Russian Empire. He was the fourth child in a noble family.
In 1830, a great tragedy happened - his mother, Princess Volkonskaya, passed away. All responsibility for the children fell on the shoulders of the father of the family, Count Nikolai Tolstoy. His cousin volunteered to help him.
Nikolai Tolstoy died 7 years after the death of his mother, after which his aunt took charge of the children. And she died. As a result, Lev Nikolaevich and his sisters and brothers were forced to move to Kazan, where the second aunt lived.
Childhood, darkened by the deaths of relatives, did not break Tolstoy’s spirit, and in his works he even idealized memories from childhood, recalling these years with warmth.
Education and activities
Tolstoy received his primary education at home. People who speak German and French were chosen as teachers. Thanks to this, Lev Nikolaevich was easily accepted to study at the Imperial Kazan University in 1843. The Faculty of Oriental Languages was chosen for training.
The writer was not successful in his studies and, due to low grades, he transferred to the Faculty of Law. Difficulties arose there too. In 1847, Tolstoy left the university without completing his studies, after which he returned to his parents’ estate and began farming there.
In this path he also failed to achieve success due to constant trips to Moscow and Tula. The only successful thing that Tolstoy did was keeping a diary, which later created the ground for full-fledged creativity.
Tolstoy loved music, and his favorite composers included Bach, Mozart and Chopin. He played the works himself, enjoying the sound of epoch-making works.
At a time when Lev Nikolayevich’s older brother, Nikolai Tolstoy, was visiting, Lev was asked to join the army as a cadet and serve in Caucasus mountains. Lev agreed and served in the Caucasus until 1854. In the same year he was transferred to Sevastopol, where he took part in the battles of the Crimean War until August 1855.
Creative path
During his military service, Tolstoy also had free hours, which he devoted to creativity. At this time, he wrote “Childhood,” where he described the most vivid and favorite memories of his childhood years. The story was published in the Sovremennik magazine in 1852 and was warmly received by critics who appreciated the skill of Lev Nikolaevich. At the same time, the writer met Turgenev.
Even during the battles, Tolstoy did not forget about his passion and wrote “Adolescence” in 1854. At the same time, work was carried out on the trilogy “Sevastopol Stories”, and in the second book Tolstoy experimented with narration and presented part of the work from the perspective of a soldier.
At the end of the Crimean War, Tolstoy decided to leave the army. In St. Petersburg, it was not difficult for him to enter the circle of famous writers.
Lev Nikolaevich's character was stubborn and arrogant. He considered himself an anarchist, and in 1857 he went to Paris, where he lost all his money and returned to Russia. At the same time, the book “Youth” was published.
In 1862, Tolstoy published the first issue of the Yasnaya Polyana magazine, of which twelve were always published. It was then that Lev Nikolaevich got married.
At this time, the real flowering of creativity began. Epoch-making works were written, including the novel “War and Peace.” A fragment of it appeared in 1865 on the pages of the Russian Messenger with the title “1805”.
- In 1868, three chapters were published, and the next time the novel was completely finished. Despite questions regarding historical accuracy and coverage of the events of the Napoleonic Wars, all critics recognized the novel's outstanding features.
- In 1873, work began on the book “Anna Karenina,” which was based on real events from the biography of Leo Tolstoy. The novel was published in fragments from 1873 to 1877. The public admired the work, and Lev Nikolaevich's wallet was replenished with large fees.
- In 1883, the publication “Mediator” appeared.
- In 1886, Leo Tolstoy wrote the story “The Death of Ivan Ilyich,” dedicated to the struggle of the main character with the threat of death hanging over him. He is horrified by how many unrealized opportunities there were during his life's journey.
- In 1898, the story “Father Sergius” was published. A year later - the novel "Resurrection". After Tolstoy's death, the manuscript of the story "Hadji Murat" was found, as well as the story "After the Ball", published in 1911.
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is one of the five most widely read writers. His work made Russian literature recognizable abroad. Even if you haven’t read these works, you probably know Natasha Rostova, Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky at least from films or jokes. The biography of Lev Nikolaevich can be of interest to every person, because his personal life is always of interest famous person, parallels are drawn with his creative activity. Let's try to follow life path Lev Tolstoy.
The future classic came from a noble family known since the 14th century. Peter Andreevich Tolstoy, the writer’s paternal ancestor, earned the favor of Peter I by investigating the case of his son, who was suspected of treason. Then Pert Andreevich headed the Secret Chancellery, and his career took off. Nikolai Ilyich, the father of the classic, received a good education. However, it was combined with unshakable principles that did not allow him to advance at court.
The fortune of the father of the future classic was upset due to the debts of his parent, and he married the middle-aged but wealthy Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya. Despite the initial calculation, they were happy in marriage and had five children.
Childhood
Lev Nikolaevich was born fourth (there was also the youngest Maria and the elders Nikolai, Sergei and Dmitry), but after his birth he received little attention: his mother died two years after the birth of the writer; the father moved with the children to Moscow for a short time, but soon died too. The impressions from the trip were so strong that young Leva created his first essay, “The Kremlin.”
The children were raised by several guardians at once: first T.A. Ergolskaya and A. M. Osten-Sacken. A. M. Osten-Sacken died in 1840, and the children went to Kazan to live with P. I. Yushkova.
Boyhood
Yushkova’s house was secular and cheerful: receptions, evenings, external splendor, high society– this was all very important for the family. Tolstoy himself strived to shine in society, to be “comme il faut,” but shyness did not allow him to unfold. Real entertainment for Lev Nikolayevich was replaced by reflection and introspection.
The future classicist studied at home: first under the guidance of the German tutor Saint-Thomas, and then with the Frenchman Reselman. Following the example of the brothers, Lev decides to enter the Imperial Kazan University, where Kovalevsky and Lobachevsky worked. In 1844, Tolstoy began studying at the Faculty of Oriental Studies (the admissions committee was amazed by his knowledge of the “Turkish-Tatar language”), and later transferred to the Faculty of Law.
Youth
The young man had a conflict with his home history teacher, so the grades in the subject were unsatisfactory, and he had to take the course again at the university. In order to avoid repeating what had happened, Lev switched to law school, but did not finish, left the university and went to Yasnaya Polyana, his parents’ estate. Here he is trying to run a household using new technologies, he tried, but was unsuccessful. In 1849, the writer went to Moscow.
During this period, keeping a diary begins; entries will continue until the death of the writer. They are the most important document; in Lev Nikolaevich’s diaries he describes the events of his life, and engages in introspection, and reasons. It also described the goals and rules that he tried to follow.
History of success
The creative world of Leo Tolstoy took shape in his adolescence, in his emerging need for constant psychoanalysis. Systematically, this quality was manifested in diary entries. It was as a result of constant self-analysis that Tolstoy’s famous “dialectics of the soul” appeared.
First works
The children's work was written in Moscow, and the real works were also written there. Tolstoy creates stories about gypsies, about his daily routine (unfinished manuscripts have been lost). In the early 50s, the story “Childhood” was also written.
Leo Tolstoy – participant in the Caucasian and Crimean wars. Military service gave the writer many new plots and emotions, described in the stories “Raid”, “Cutting Wood”, “Demoted”, and in the story “Cossacks”. “Childhood”, which brought fame, was also completed here. Impressions from the battle for Sevastopol helped write the cycle “Sevastopol Stories”. But in 1856, Lev Nikolaevich left the service forever. Personal story Leo Tolstoy taught him a lot: having seen enough bloodshed in the war, he realized the importance of peace and true values - family, marriage, his people. It is these thoughts that he will subsequently put into his works.
Confession
The story “Childhood” was created in the winter of 1850-51, and published a year later. This work and its sequels “Adolescence” (1854), “Youth” (1857) and “Youth” (never written) were supposed to form the novel “Four Epochs of Development” about spiritual formation person.
The trilogies tell about the life of Nikolenka Irtenyev. He has parents, an older brother Volodya and a sister Lyubochka, he is happy in his home world, but suddenly his father announces his decision to move to Moscow, Nikolenka and Volodya go with him. Their mother dies just as unexpectedly. A severe blow of fate ends childhood. In adolescence, the hero conflicts with others and with himself, trying to comprehend himself in this world. Nikolenka’s grandmother dies, he not only grieves for her, but also bitterly notes that some people only care about her inheritance. During the same period, the hero begins to prepare for university and meets Dmitry Nekhlyudov. Having entered the university, he feels like an adult and rushes into the pool of secular pleasures. This pastime does not leave time for study, the hero fails his exams. This event led him to the idea that the chosen path was wrong, leading to self-improvement.
Personal life
It is always difficult for the families of writers: a creative person may not be able to live in everyday life, and besides, he always has no time for earthly things, he is overwhelmed by new ideas. What was life like for Leo Tolstoy’s family?
Wife
Sofya Andreevna Bers was born into a doctor's family, she was smart, educated, simple. The writer met his future wife when he was 34 and she was 18. The clear, bright and pure girl attracted the experienced Lev Nikolaevich, who had already seen a lot and was ashamed of his past.
After the wedding, the Tolstoys began to live in Yasnaya Polyana, where Sofya Andreevna took care of the house, children and helped her husband in all matters: she rewrote manuscripts, published works, was a secretary and translator. After the opening of a hospital in Yasnaya Polyana, she helped there too, examining patients. Tolstoy's family was supported by her cares, because all economic activity It was she who led.
During a spiritual crisis, Tolstoy came up with a special charter of life and decided to renounce his property, depriving his children of his fortune. Sofya Andreevna opposed this, family life gave a crack. However, Lev Nikolaevich has only one wife, and she made a great contribution to his work. He had an ambivalent attitude towards her: on the one hand, he respected and idolized her, on the other, he blamed her for being more involved in material matters than spiritual ones. This conflict was continued in his prose. For example, in the novel “War and Peace” the surname negative hero, angry, indifferent and obsessed with hoarding, - Berg, which is very consonant with his wife’s maiden name.
Children
Leo Tolstoy had 13 children, 9 boys and 4 girls, but five of them died in childhood. The image of the great father lived in his children, all of them were connected with his work.
Sergei was involved in his father’s work (he founded a museum, commented on works), and also became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory. Tatyana was a follower of her father's teachings and also became a writer. Ilya led a chaotic life: he dropped out of school, did not find a suitable job, and after the revolution he emigrated to the USA, where he lectured on the worldview of Lev Nikolaevich. Leo, too, at first followed the ideas of Tolstoyism, but later became a monarchist, so he also emigrated and was engaged in creativity. Maria shared her father’s ideas, abandoned the light and was engaged in educational work. Andrei highly valued his noble origins, participated in the Russian-Japanese War, then stole his wife from his boss, and soon died suddenly. Mikhail was musical, but became a military man and wrote memoirs about life in Yasnaya Polyana. Alexandra helped her father in all matters, then became the keeper of his museum, but due to emigration, they tried to forget her achievements in Soviet times.
Creative crisis
In the second half of the 60s and early 70s, Tolstoy experienced a painful spiritual crisis. For several years the writer was accompanied by panic attacks, thoughts of suicide, and fear of death. Lev Nikolaevich could not find the answer to the questions of existence that tormented him anywhere, and he created his own philosophical teaching.
Change of worldview
The path to victory over the crisis was unusual: Leo Tolstoy created his own moral teaching. His thoughts were expressed in books and articles: “Confession”, “So what should we do”, “What is art”, “I cannot remain silent”.
The writer’s teaching was anti-Orthodox in nature, since Orthodoxy, in the opinion of Lev Nikolaevich, distorted the essence of the commandments, its dogmas are not acceptable from a moral point of view, and were imposed by centuries-old traditions forcibly instilled in the Russian people. Tolstoyism found a response among the common people and the intelligentsia; pilgrims from different classes began to come to Yasnaya Polyana for advice. The Church reacted sharply to the spread of Tolstoyism: in 1901 the writer was excommunicated from it.
Tolstoyism
Morality, ethics and philosophy are combined in Tolstoy's teachings. God is the best in man, his moral center. That is why one cannot follow dogma and justify any violence (which the Church did, according to the author of the teaching). The brotherhood of all people and victory over world evil are the ultimate goals of humanity, which can be achieved through self-improvement of each of us.
Lev Nikolaevich took a different look not only at his personal life, but also at his work. Only the common people are close to the truth, and art should only separate good and evil. And this role is fulfilled by folk art alone. This leads Tolstoy to abandon his past works and simplify his new works as much as possible with the addition of edifying content (“Kholstomer”, “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”, “The Master and the Worker”, “Resurrection”).
Death
Since the early 80s family relationships aggravated: the writer wants to give up the copyright on his books, his property and distribute everything to the poor. The wife sharply opposed it, promising to accuse her husband of being crazy. Tolstoy realized that the problem could not be solved peacefully, so he decided to leave his home, go abroad and become a peasant.
Accompanied by Dr. D.P. Makovitsky, the writer left the estate (later his daughter Alexandra joined). However, the writer’s plans were not destined to come true. Tolstoy's temperature rose and he stopped at the head of the Astapovo station. After ten days of illness, the writer died.
Creative heritage
Researchers distinguish three periods in the work of Leo Tolstoy:
- Creativity of the 50s (“young Tolstoy”)- during this period, the writer’s style, his famous “dialectic of the soul” takes shape, he accumulates impressions, military service also helps with this.
- Creativity of the 60s-70s (classical period)- it was at this time that the most famous works writer.
- 1880-1910 (Tolstoyan period)- bear the imprint of a spiritual revolution: renunciation of past creativity, new spiritual principles and problems. The style is simplified, as are the plots of the works.
In 1828, on August 26, in the Yasnaya Polyana estate, the future great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was born. The family was well-born - his ancestor was a noble nobleman who received the title of count for his services to Tsar Peter. The mother was from the ancient noble family of the Volkonskys. Belonging to a privileged layer of society influenced the behavior and thoughts of the writer throughout his life. A brief biography of Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich does not fully reveal the entire history of the ancient family.
Serene life in Yasnaya Polyana
The writer's childhood was quite prosperous, despite the fact that he lost his mother early. Thanks to family stories, he preserved her bright image in his memory. A short biography of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy indicates that his father was the embodiment of beauty and strength for the writer. He instilled in the boy a love of hound hunting, which was later described in detail in the novel War and Peace.
He also had a close relationship with his older brother Nikolenka - he taught little Levushka various games and told him interesting stories. Tolstoy's first story, “Childhood,” contains many autobiographical memories of the writer’s childhood years.
Youth
A serene, joyful stay in Yasnaya Polyana was interrupted due to the death of his father. In 1837, the family was taken under the care of an aunt. In this city, as he claims short biography Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, the writer’s youth passed. Here he entered the university in 1844 - first at the Faculty of Philosophy and then at the Faculty of Law. True, studies attracted him little; the student preferred various amusements and revelries.
In this biography of Tolstoy, Lev Nikolaevich characterizes him as a person who disdainfully treated people of the lower, non-aristocratic class. He denied history as a science - in his eyes it had no practical use. The writer retained the sharpness of his judgments throughout his life.
As a landowner
In 1847, without graduating from university, Tolstoy decides to return to Yasnaya Polyana and try to improve the life of his serfs. Reality sharply diverged from the writer’s ideas. The peasants did not understand the master’s intentions, and a short biography of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy describes his management experience as unsuccessful (the writer shared it in his story “The Morning of the Landowner”), as a result of which he leaves his estate.
The path to becoming a writer
The next few years spent in St. Petersburg and Moscow were not in vain for the future great prose writer. From 1847 to 1852, diaries were kept in which Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy carefully verified all his thoughts and reflections. A short biography tells that during his service in the Caucasus, work was being carried out in parallel on the story “Childhood”, which will be published a little later in the magazine “Sovremennik”. This marked the beginning of further creative path great Russian writer.
Ahead of the writer lies the creation of his great works "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina", but for now he is honing his style, publishing in Sovremennik and basking in favorable reviews from critics.
Later years of creativity
In 1855, Tolstoy came to St. Petersburg for a short time, but literally a couple of months later he left it and settled in Yasnaya Polyana, opening a school there for peasant children. In 1862 he married Sophia Bers and was very happy in the first years.
In 1863-1869, the novel “War and Peace” was written and revised, which bore little resemblance to the classic version. It lacks traditional key elements of the time. Or rather, they are present, but are not key.
1877 - Tolstoy completed the novel Anna Karenina, in which the technique of internal monologue is repeatedly used.
Since the second half of the 60s, Tolstoy has been going through an experience that was only overcome at the turn of the 1870s and 80s by completely rethinking his previous life. Then Tolstoy appears - his wife categorically did not accept his new views. The ideas of the late Tolstoy are similar to socialist teachings, the only difference being that he was an opponent of the revolution.
In 1896-1904, Tolstoy completed the story, which was published after his death, which occurred in November 1910 at the Astapovo station on the Ryazan-Ural road.
Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich (August 28, 1828, Yasnaya Polyana estate, Tula province - November 7, 1910, Astapovo station (now Leo Tolstoy station) Ryazan-Ural railway) - count, Russian writer.
Born into an aristocratic count family. He received home education and upbringing. In 1844 he entered Kazan University at the Faculty of Oriental Languages, then studied at the Faculty of Law. In 1847, without completing the course, he left the university and came to Yasnaya Polyana, which he received as property under the division of his father's inheritance. In 1851, realizing the purposelessness of his existence and, deeply despising himself, he went to the Caucasus to join the active army. There he began working on his first novel, “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth.” A year later, when the novel was published, Tolstoy became a literary celebrity. In 1862, at the age of 34, Tolstoy married Sophia Bers, an eighteen-year-old girl from a noble family. During the first 10-12 years after his marriage, he created War and Peace and Anna Karenina. In 1879 he began to write "Confession". 1886 “The Power of Darkness”, in 1886 the play “The Fruits of Enlightenment”, in 1899 the novel “Sunday” was published, the drama “The Living Corpse” 1900, the story “Hadji Murat” 1904. In the autumn of 1910, fulfilling his decision to live out his last years in accordance with his views, he secretly left Yasnaya Polyana, renouncing the “circle of the rich and learned.” He fell ill on the way and died. He was buried in Yasnaya Polyana.
DONKEY IN LION'S SKIN
The donkey put on a lion's skin, and everyone thought it was a lion. The people and cattle ran. The wind blew, the skin opened, and the donkey became visible. The people came running: they beat the donkey.
WHAT IS DEW ON THE GRASS?
When you go into the forest on a sunny morning in summer, you can see diamonds in the fields and grass. All these diamonds sparkle and shimmer in the sun in different colors - yellow, red, and blue. When you come closer and see what it is, you will see that these are drops of dew collected in triangular leaves of grass and glistening in the sun.
The inside of the leaf of this grass is shaggy and fluffy, like velvet. And the drops roll on the leaf and do not wet it.
When you carelessly pick a leaf with a dewdrop, the droplet will roll off like a light ball, and you will not see how it slips past the stem. It used to be that you would tear off such a cup, slowly bring it to your mouth and drink the dewdrop, and this dewdrop seemed tastier than any drink.
CHICKEN AND SWALLOW
The chicken found the snake eggs and began to hatch them. The swallow saw it and said:
“That's it, stupid! You bring them out, and when they grow up, they will be the first to offend you.”
VEST
One man took up trading and became so rich that he became the first rich man. Hundreds of clerks served him, and he didn’t even know them all by name.
Once a merchant lost twenty thousand of his money. The senior clerks began to search and found the one who stole the money.
The senior clerk came to the merchant and said: “I found the thief. We need to send him to Siberia.”
The merchant says: “Who stole it?” Senior Clerk says:
“Ivan Petrov admitted it himself.”
The merchant thought and said: “Ivan Petrov must be forgiven.”
The clerk was surprised and said: “How can I forgive? So those clerks will do the same: they will steal all the goods.” The merchant says: “Ivan Petrov must be forgiven: when I started trading, we were comrades. When I got married, I had nothing to wear down the aisle. He gave me his vest to wear. Ivan Petrov must be forgiven.”
So they forgave Ivan Petrov.
FOX AND GRAPES
The fox saw ripe bunches of grapes hanging, and began to figure out how to eat them.
She struggled for a long time, but could not reach it. To drown out her annoyance, she says: “They’re still green.”
UD ACHA
People arrived on an island where there were many expensive stones. People tried to find more; they ate little, slept little, and everyone worked. Only one of them did nothing, but sat still, ate, drank and slept. When they began to get ready to go home, they woke up this man and said: “What are you going home with?” He picked up a handful of earth under his feet and put it in his bag.
When everyone arrived home, this man took his land out of his bag and in it found a stone more precious than all the others together.
WORKERS AND COCK
The mistress woke up the workers at night and, as soon as the roosters crowed, set them to work. The workers felt it was hard, and they decided to kill the rooster so that it would not wake up the mistress. They killed them, they got worse: the owner was afraid to oversleep and even earlier began to wake up the workers.
FISHERMAN AND FISH
The fisherman caught a fish. The fish says:
“Fisherman, let me into the water; you see, I’m petty: I won’t be of much use to you. If you let me grow up, then if you catch me, it will be of more benefit to you.”
The fisherman says:
“He is a fool who waits for great benefits and lets little benefits slip through his fingers.”
TOUCH AND VISION
(Reasoning)
Braid your index finger with your middle and braided fingers, touch the small ball so that it rolls between both fingers, and close your eyes. It will seem like two balls to you. Open your eyes, you will see that there is one ball. The fingers deceived, but the eyes corrected.
Look (preferably from the side) at a good, clean mirror: it will seem to you that this is a window or a door and that there is something behind there. Feel it with your finger and you will see that it is a mirror. The eyes deceived, but the fingers corrected.
FOX AND GOAT
The goat wanted to get drunk: he climbed down the steep slope to the well, drank and became heavy. He started to get back and couldn’t. And he began to roar. The fox saw and said:
“That's it, stupid! If you had as much hair in your beard as there was in your head, then before getting off you would think about how to get back out.”
HOW A MAN REMOVED THE STONE
In a square in one city there lay a huge stone. The stone took up a lot of space and interfered with driving around the city. They called in engineers and asked them how to remove this stone and how much it would cost.
One engineer said that the stone should be broken into pieces with gunpowder and then transported piece by piece, and that it would cost 8,000 rubles; another said that a large roller should be placed under the stone and the stone should be transported on the roller, and that this would cost 6,000 rubles.
And one man said: “I’ll remove the stone and take 100 rubles for it.”
They asked him how he would do it. And he said: “I will dig a large hole next to the stone; I will scatter the earth from the pit over the square, throw the stone into the pit and level it with earth.”
The man did just that, and they gave him 100 rubles and another 100 rubles for his clever invention.
THE DOG AND HIS SHADOW
The dog walked along a plank across the river, carrying meat in its teeth. She saw herself in the water and thought that another dog was carrying meat there - she threw her meat and rushed to take it from that dog: that meat was not there at all, but her own was carried away by the wave.
And the dog had nothing to do with it.
TRIAL
In the Pskov province, in the Porokhov district, there is a river called Sudoma, and on the banks of this river there are two mountains, opposite each other.
On one mountain there used to be the town of Vyshgorod, on another mountain in former times the Slavs held court. Old people say that on this mountain in the old days a chain hung from the sky and that whoever was right could reach the chain with his hand, but whoever was wrong could not reach it. One man borrowed money from another and opened the door. They brought them both to Mount Sudoma and told them to reach the chain. The one who gave the money raised his hand and immediately took it out. It's the turn of the guilty one to get it. He did not deny it, but only gave his crutch to the one with whom he was suing to hold it, so that he could more dexterously reach the chain with his hands; He reached out and took it out. Then the people were surprised: are they both right? But the guilty man had an empty crutch, and in the crutch was hidden the very money with which he opened the door. When he gave the crutch with the money to hold in the hands of the one to whom he owed it, he also gave the money with the crutch, and therefore took out the chain.
So he deceived everyone. But since then the chain rose to the sky and never came down again. That's what old people say.
GARDENER AND SONS
The gardener wanted to teach his sons to garden. When he began to die, he called them and said:
“Now, children, when I die, you will look in the vineyard for what is hidden there.”
The children thought there was treasure there, and when their father died, they began to dig and dug up all the ground. The treasure was not found, but the soil in the vineyard was dug up so well that much more fruit began to be born. And they became rich.
EAGLE
The eagle built itself a nest on a high road, far from the sea, and brought out its children.
One day, people were working near a tree, and an eagle flew up to the nest with a large fish in its claws. People saw the fish, surrounded the tree, began to shout and throw stones at the eagle.
The eagle dropped the fish, and the people picked it up and left.
The eagle sat on the edge of the nest, and the eaglets raised their heads and began to squeak: they asked for food.
The eagle was tired and could not fly to the sea again; he went down into the nest, covered the eaglets with his wings, caressed them, straightened their feathers and seemed to ask them to wait a little. But the more he caressed them, the louder they squeaked.
Then the eagle flew away from them and sat on the top branch of the tree.
The eaglets whistled and squealed even more pitifully.
Then the eagle suddenly screamed loudly, spread its wings and flew heavily towards the sea. He returned only late in the evening: he flew quietly and low above the ground, and again he had a big fish in his claws.
When he flew up to the tree, he looked back to see if there were people nearby again, quickly folded his wings and sat down on the edge of the nest.
The eaglets raised their heads and opened their mouths, and the eagle tore the fish apart and fed the children.
MOUSE UNDER THE BARN
There lived one mouse under the barn. There was a hole in the floor of the barn, and bread fell into the hole. The mouse's life was good, but she wanted to show off her life. She gnawed a bigger hole and invited other mice to visit her.
“Go,” he says, “for a walk with me.” I'll treat you. There will be enough food for everyone.” When she brought the mice, she saw that there was no hole at all. The man noticed a large hole in the floor and repaired it.
HARES AND FROGS
Once the hares came together and began to cry for their lives: “We die from people, and from dogs, and from eagles, and from other animals. It’s better to die once than to live and suffer in fear. Let's drown ourselves!
And the hares galloped off to the lake to drown themselves. The frogs heard the hares and splashed into the water. One hare says:
“Stop, guys! Let's wait to drown; The life of frogs, apparently, is even worse than ours: they are afraid of us too.”
THREE ROLLERS AND ONE BARANKA
One man was hungry. He bought a roll and ate it; he was still hungry. He bought another roll and ate it; he was still hungry. He bought the third roll and ate it, and he was still hungry. Then he bought a bagel and, when he ate one, he became full. Then the man hit himself on the head and said:
“What a fool I am! Why did I eat so many rolls in vain? I should eat one bagel first.”
PETER I AND THE MAN
Tsar Peter ran into a man in the forest. A man is chopping wood.
The king says: “God’s help, man!”
The man says: “And then I need God’s help.”
The king asks: “Is your family big?”
— I have a family of two sons and two daughters.
- Well, your family is not big. Where are you putting your money?
“And I put the money into three parts: firstly, I pay off the debt, secondly, I give it as a loan, and thirdly, I put it into the water of the sword.”
The king thought and did not know what it meant, that the old man was paying his debt, lending money, and throwing himself into the water.
And the old man says: “I pay the debt - I feed my father and mother; I lend money and feed my sons; and into the water with the sword - a grove of daughters.”
The king says: “Your head is smart, old man. Now take me out of the forest into the field, I won’t find the road.”
The man says: “You’ll find the way yourself: go straight, then turn right, and then left, then right again.”
The king says: “I don’t understand this letter, you bring me in.”
“I don’t have time to drive, sir: a day is expensive for us peasants.”
- Well, it’s expensive, so I’ll pay for it.
- If you pay, let's go.
They got on the one-wheeler and drove off. The dear king began to ask the peasant: “Have you been far away, peasant?”
- I’ve been somewhere.
-Have you seen the king?
“I haven’t seen the Tsar, but I should take a look.”
- So, when we go out into the field, you will see the king.
- How do I recognize him?
- Everyone will be without hats, only the king will be wearing a hat.
They arrived in the field. When the king’s people saw them, they all took off their hats. The man stares, but does not see the king.
So he asks: “Where is the king?”
Pyotr Alekseevich tells him: “You see, only the two of us are wearing hats - one of us and the Tsar.”
FATHER AND SONS
The father ordered his sons to live in harmony; they didn't listen. So he ordered a broom to be brought and said:
“Break it!”
No matter how much they fought, they could not break it. Then the father untied the broom and ordered them to break one rod at a time.
They easily broke the bars one by one.
The father says:
“So are you; if you live in harmony, no one will defeat you; and if you quarrel and keep everything apart, everyone will easily destroy you.”
WHY DOES THE WIND HAPPEN?
(Reasoning)
Fish live in the water, and people live in the air. The fish cannot hear or see the water until the fish themselves move or the water does not move. And we also cannot hear the air until we move or the air does not move.
But as soon as we run, we hear the air - it blows in our faces; and sometimes when we run we can hear the air whistling in our ears. When we open the door to the warm upper room, the wind always blows from the bottom from the yard into the upper room, and from the top it blows from the upper room into the yard.
When someone walks around the room or waves a dress, we say: “he makes the wind,” and when the stove is lit, the wind always blows into it. When the wind blows outside, it blows all day and night, sometimes in one direction, sometimes in the other. This happens because somewhere on earth the air gets very hot, and in another place it cools down - then the wind begins, and a cold spirit comes from below, and a warm one from above, just like from the outhouse to the hut. And it blows until it warms up where it was cold, and cools down where it was hot.
VOLGA AND VAZUZA
There were two sisters: Volga and Vazuza. They began to argue about which of them was smarter and who would live better.
Volga said: “Why should we argue? We’re both getting older. Let's leave the house tomorrow morning and go our separate ways; then we will see which of the two will pass better and come to the Khvalynsk kingdom sooner.”
Vazuza agreed, but deceived Volga. As soon as the Volga fell asleep, Vazuza at night ran straight along the road to the Khvalynsk kingdom.
When Volga got up and saw that her sister had left, she neither quietly nor quickly went her way and caught up with Vazuzu.
Vazuza was afraid that Volga would punish her, called herself her younger sister and asked Volga to take her to the Khvalynsk kingdom. Volga forgave her sister and took her with her.
The Volga River begins in Ostashkovsky district from swamps in the village of Volga. There is a small well there, the Volga flows from it. And the Vazuza River begins in the mountains. The Vazuza flows straight, but the Volga turns.
The Vazuza breaks the ice earlier in the spring and passes through, and the Volga later. But when both rivers converge, the Volga is already 30 fathoms wide, and the Vazuza is still a narrow and small river. The Volga passes through the whole of Russia for three thousand one hundred and sixty miles and flows into the Khvalynsk (Caspian) Sea. And the width in it in the hollow water can be up to twelve miles.
FALCON AND ROOSTER
The falcon got used to the owner and walked on the hand when he was called; the rooster ran away from its owner and crowed when they approached it. The falcon says to the rooster:
“You roosters have no gratitude; the servile breed is visible. You only go to the owners when you are hungry. It’s different from us, a wild bird: we have a lot of strength, and we can fly faster than anyone; but we don’t run from people, but we ourselves still go to their arms when they call us. We remember that they feed us.”
The rooster says:
“You don’t run away from people because you’ve never seen a roasted falcon, but we see roasted roosters every now and then.”