Where was Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy born and lived? Criticism of the writer's social views

« Great writer Russian land", Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was born on August 28 (September 9), 1828 in the village Yasnaya Polyana Tula province. His father, a hussar lieutenant colonel, and his mother, nee Princess Volkonskaya, are described partly in “Childhood” and “Adolescence”, partly in “War and Peace”. The boy was one and a half years old when his mother died, and nine years old when his father died; an orphan, he remained in the care of his aunt, Countess Osten-Sacken; The boy's upbringing was entrusted to a distant relative, T. A. Ergolskaya. Tolstoy later recalled touchingly this kind and meek woman, who had a beneficial influence on the children entrusted to her upbringing. Being 24 years old, he wrote to her from the Caucasus: “The tears that I shed, thinking about you and your love for us, are so joyful that I let them flow without any false shame.”

Having received a home education, which was common at that time for the children of landowners, Tolstoy in 1844 entered Kazan University at the Faculty of Oriental Languages; a year later he switches to law school. A precocious young man, prone to introspection and a critical attitude towards everything around him, Tolstoy remains extremely dissatisfied with the composition of professors and university teaching. At first, he set to work quite diligently and began writing an essay in which he drew a parallel between Catherine the Great’s “Order” and the works of Montesquieu; but soon these activities were abandoned, and Tolstoy was temporarily captured by the interests of social life: the brilliant outer side of the secular world and its eternal festivities, picnics, balls, receptions, captivated the impressionable young man; he devoted himself to the interests of this world with all the passion of his nature. And, as in everything in his life, he was consistent here to the end, denying at that time everything that was not included in the circle of interests of a secular person.

But, as shown in “Childhood, Adolescence and Youth,” which contains a lot of autobiographical material, Tolstoy even in childhood showed traits of self-absorption, some kind of persistent moral and mental quest; the boy was always haunted by questions from his still vague inner world. We can say, judging by what the writer left us artistic material, what he carefree childhood, with his unconscious joy, almost did not know. Proud, always subordinating everything to his thoughts, he, like most great people, spent a painful childhood, suppressed by various questions of external and internal life, which were beyond his childhood strength to resolve.

It was this feature of the nature of the young Tolstoy that took over in him after a certain period of time spent in secular pleasures. Under the influence of his own thoughts and reading, Tolstoy decided to dramatically change his life. What he decided was immediately carried out. Convinced of the emptiness of social life, disappointed with his university studies, Tolstoy returns to his constant ideals of life. In “Childhood” and Adolescence” we read more than once about how the boy, the hero of the story, draws up programs for a future pure and reasonable life that meets some vague requirements of conscience. It was as if an unknown voice was always heard in his soul, the voice of moral dictates, and forced him to follow him. The same thing happened in Kazan. Tolstoy gives up secular entertainment, stops attending university, becomes interested in Rousseau and spends days and nights reading the books of this writer, who had a great influence on him.

In his books, Tolstoy seeks not mental pleasures or knowledge in themselves, but practical answers to questions How live and how to live, that is, to see the meaning and true content of life. Influenced by these reflections and reading Rousseau’s books, Tolstoy writes the essay “On the Purpose of Philosophy,” in which he defines philosophy as “the science of life,” that is, as one that clarifies the goals and way of life of a person. Already at this time, Rousseau's books posed before the young Tolstoy a problem that irresistibly attracted his mental gaze: about moral improvement. Tolstoy, through increased spiritual tension, determines the plan for his future life: it should take place in the implementation of good and in actively helping people. Having come to this conclusion, Tolstoy quits the university and goes to Yasnaya Polyana to take care of the life of the peasants and improve their situation. Here, many failures and disappointments awaited him, described in the story “The Morning of the Landowner”: with the help of one person it was impossible to solve such a large task at once, especially since the work was hampered by many unnoticed little things and interference.

Leo Tolstoy in his youth. Photo from 1848

In 1851, Tolstoy left for the Caucasus; here a lot of impressions await him, strong and fresh, which the heroic nature of the 23-year-old Tolstoy longed for. Hunts for wild boars, elk, birds, grandiose pictures of Caucasian nature, and finally, skirmishes and battles with the mountaineers (Tolstoy enlisted as a cadet in the artillery) - all this made a great impression on the future writer. In battles he was calm and courageous, he was always in the most dangerous places and was presented with a reward more than once. Tolstoy’s lifestyle at that time was Spartan, healthy and simple; composure and courage did not leave him in the most dangerous moments, such as when, while hunting a bear, he missed the animal and was crushed by it, rescued a minute later by other hunters and miraculously escaping with two harmless wounds. But he led a life not only of combat and hunting - he also had hours for literary work, which few knew about yet. At the end of 1851, he informed Ergolskaya that he was writing a novel, not knowing whether it would ever be published, but working on it gave him deep pleasure. Characteristic of the young Tolstoy is a lack of ambition and endurance in leisurely and hard work. “I remade the work that I started a long time ago three times,” he writes to Ergolskaya, “and I expect to redo it again in order to be satisfied; I write not out of vanity, but out of passion; it is pleasant and useful for me to work, and I work.”

The manuscript that Tolstoy was working on at that time was the story “Childhood”; Among all the impressions of the Caucasus, the young writer loved to revive childhood memories with sadness and love, reviving every feature of his past life. Life in the Caucasus did not coarse his impressionable and childishly tender soul. In 1852, Tolstoy’s first story was published in Nekrasov’s magazine “Sovremennik” with the modest signature of L.N.; only a few close people knew the author of this story, noted in critical literature. After “Childhood” appeared “Adolescence” and a number of stories from Caucasian military life: “Raid”, “Cutting Wood” and the major story “Cossacks”, outstanding in its artistic merit and reflecting the features of a new worldview. In this story, Tolstoy for the first time emphasized the negative attitude towards urban cultural life and the superiority over it of a simple and healthy life in the fresh bosom of nature, in proximity to the simple and spiritually pure masses of the people.

Tolstoy's military wandering life continued during the Crimean War that had then begun. He took part in the unsuccessful siege of Silistria on the Danube and observed life with curiosity southern peoples. Promoted to officer in 1854, Tolstoy arrived in Sevastopol, where he survived its siege until the city’s surrender in 1855. Here Tolstoy tried to start a magazine for soldiers, but did not receive permission. Brave, as always, and here in the most dangerous places, Tolstoy reproduced his rich observations of this siege in three stories “Sevastopol in December, May and August.” These stories, which also appeared in Sovremennik, attracted everyone's attention.

After the fall of Sevastopol, Tolstoy retired, moved to St. Petersburg and devoted himself primarily to literary interests; he becomes close to the circle of writers of that time - Turgenev, Goncharov, Ostrovsky, Nekrasov, Druzhinin, is friends with Fet. But Tolstoy’s new views on life, culture, goals and objectives were largely determined during his solitary life in the Caucasian wilderness. personal life people - were alien to the general views of writers and alienated Tolstoy from them: he remained generally closed and alone.

After several years of living a self-absorbed and lonely life, reaching several certain points his own worldview, created by great spiritual tension, Tolstoy now, with some kind of mental greed, strives to embrace the entire property of the spiritual culture of the West. After studying agriculture and school in Yasnaya Polyana, he travels abroad, visiting Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland, taking a closer look at life and institutions Western world, absorbs a lot of books on philosophy, sociology, history, public education, etc. Everything seen and heard, everything read, everything that strikes his mind and soul, becomes material for internal processing in the process of achieving the solid foundations of the worldview, which thought tirelessly seeks Tolstoy.

A great event for his inner life was the death of his brother, Nicholas; Questions about the purpose and meaning of life, questions about death took hold of his soul with even greater force, temporarily inclining him to extremely pessimistic conclusions. But soon a burning thirst for mental work and activity again embraces him. Studying in the West European countries After setting up school affairs, Tolstoy comes to his own pedagogical theory, which he tries to implement upon returning to Yasnaya Polyana. He starts a school there for peasant children and a pedagogical magazine called Yasnaya Polyana. Education, as a powerful tool for social reforms, seems to him the most important thing life. In Yasnaya Polyana, he wanted to do in miniature something that could then be adopted throughout the world. The basis of Tolstoy's theory was the same point of view of the need for personal improvement of a person, not through forcible inoculation of views and beliefs, but in accordance with the basic properties of his nature.

Having married S.A. Bers and having arranged a calm family life, Tolstoy devotes himself to the study of philosophy, ancient classics, his own literary works, not forgetting either school or agriculture. The period from the sixties to the eighties of the last century is distinguished for Tolstoy by exceptional artistic productivity: during these years he wrote the most important works in terms of artistic value and outstanding in volume. From 1864 to 1869, he was busy with the huge historical epic “War and Peace” (see summary and analysis of this novel). From 1873 to 1876 he worked on the novel Anna Karenina. In this novel, in the history of Levin’s inner life, the turning point in the spiritual life of Tolstoy himself is already reflected. The desire to implement in his personal life the ideas of goodness and truth that he recognized, which manifested itself in him from his youth, finally takes over in him. Religious, moral and philosophical interests take precedence over literary and artistic interests. He depicted the history of this spiritual turn in “Confession,” written in 1881.

Portrait of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. Artist I. Repin, 1901

From then on, Tolstoy subordinated his literary activity to accepted moral ideas, becoming a preacher and moralist (see Tolstoyism), denying his lived artistic activity. His mental productivity is still enormous: in addition to a number of religious, philosophical and social treatises, he writes dramas, stories and novels. Since the end of the eighties, stories for the people have appeared: “How people live,” “Two old men,” “Candle,” “If you let the fire go, you won’t put it out”; stories: “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”, “The Kreutzer Sonata”, “Master and Worker”, dramas “The Power of Darkness” and “Fruits of Enlightenment”, and the novel “Resurrection”.

Tolstoy's fame in these years became worldwide, his works were translated into the languages ​​of all countries, his name enjoyed great honor and respect among the entire educated world; In the West, special societies are organized dedicated to the study of the works of the great writer. Yasnaya Polyana, where he lived, was visited by people from all countries, driven by the desire to talk with the great writer. Until the very end of his life, an unexpected end that amazed the whole world, Tolstoy, an 80-year-old man, tirelessly devoted himself to mental pursuits, creating new philosophical and artistic works.

Wishing to retire before the end of his life and live in complete harmony with the spirit of his teaching, which was always his cherished aspiration, Tolstoy left Yasnaya Polyana in the last days of October 1910, but on the way to the Caucasus he fell ill and had to stop at the Astapovo station, where died 11 days later - November 7 (20), 1910.

Count, Russian writer, corresponding member (1873), honorary academician (1900) of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Beginning with 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 patterns existence, spiritual and social criticism, revealing the “untruth” of class relations, run 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 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 it has been experiencing 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 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 ancient aristocratic families Russia. Received home education and education.

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 he 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 into long years: he married the daughter of a Moscow doctor, Sofya Andreevna Bers, and began patriarchal life 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 last decade I was engaged, as always, 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 government controlled. 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 the last years of his life, when Tolstoy was drawing up his will, he found himself at 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 his lifestyle into line with his beliefs and being burdened by the lordly way of 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 station in Ryazansko-Uralskaya railway.

He was buried in Yasnaya Polyana.

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy born on August 28 (September 9), 1828 on his mother’s estate Yasnaya Polyana, Krapivensky district, Tula province. Tolstoy's family belonged to a wealthy and noble count family. By the time Leo was born, the family already had three eldest sons: Nikolai (1823-1860), Sergei (1826 -1904) and Dmitry (1827 - 1856), and in 1830 she was born younger sister Leva Maria.

A few years later, the mother died. In Tolstoy’s autobiographical “Childhood,” Irtenyev’s mother dies when the boy is 10–12 years old and is fully conscious. However, the portrait of the mother is described by the writer exclusively from the stories of his relatives. After the death of their mother, the orphaned children were taken in by a distant relative, T. A. Ergolskaya. She is represented by Sonya from War and Peace.

In 1837, the family moved to Moscow because... older brother Nikolai needed to prepare to enter university. But a tragedy suddenly occurred in the family - the father died, leaving affairs in poor condition. The three youngest children were forced to return to Yasnaya Polyana to be raised by T. A. Ergolskaya and their father’s aunt, Countess A. M. Osten-Saken. Here Leo Tolstoy remained until 1840. This year Countess A. M. Osten-Saken died and the children were moved to Kazan to live with their father’s sister P. I. Yushkova. L. N. Tolstoy quite accurately conveyed this period of his life in his autobiography “Childhood.”

At the first stage, Tolstoy received his education under the guidance of a rude French tutor, Saint-Thomas. He is depicted by a certain Mr. Jerome from Boyhood. He was later replaced by the good-natured German Reselman. Lev Nikolaevich lovingly portrayed him in “Childhood” under the name of Karl Ivanovich.

In 1843, following his brother, Tolstoy entered Kazan University. There, until 1847, Leo Tolstoy was preparing to enter the only Oriental Faculty in Russia in the category of Arabic-Turkish literature. During his year of study, Tolstoy proved himself to be the best student of this course. However, between the poet’s family and the teacher Russian history and German, by a certain Ivanov, there was a conflict. This entailed that, according to the results of the year, L.N. Tolstoy had poor performance in the relevant subjects and had to re-take the first-year program. To avoid a complete repetition of the course, the poet is transferred to the Faculty of Law. But even there, problems with the German and Russian teacher continue. Soon Tolstoy loses all interest in studying.

In the spring of 1847, Lev Nikolaevich left the university and settled in Yasnaya Polyana. Everything that Tolstoy did in the village can be found out by reading “The Morning of the Landowner,” where the poet introduces himself in the role of Nekhlyudov. There a lot of time was spent on carousing, games and hunting.

In the spring of 1851, on the advice of his older brother Nikolai, in order to reduce expenses and pay off debts, Lev Nikolaevich left for the Caucasus.

In the fall of 1851, he became a cadet of the 4th battery of the 20th artillery brigade stationed in the Cossack village of Starogladov near Kizlyar. Soon L.N. Tolstoy became an officer. When the Crimean War began at the end of 1853, Lev Nikolaevich transferred to the Danube Army and participated in the battles of Oltenitsa and Silistria. From November 1854 to August 1855 he took part in the defense of Sevastopol. After the assault on August 27, 1855, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was sent to St. Petersburg. A noisy life began there: drinking parties, cards and carousing with gypsies.

In St. Petersburg, L.N. Tolstoy met the staff of the Sovremennik magazine: N.A. Nekrasov, I.S. Turgenev, I.A. Goncharov, N.G. Chernyshevsky.

At the beginning of 1857, Tolstoy went abroad. He spends a year and a half traveling around Germany, Switzerland, England, Italy, and France. Traveling does not bring him pleasure. He expressed his disappointment with European life in the story “Lucerne.” And returning to Russia, Lev Nikolaevich began improving schools in Yasnaya Polyana.

At the end of the 1850s, Tolstoy met Sofia Andreevna Bers, born in 1844, the daughter of a Moscow doctor from the Baltic Germans. He was almost 40 years old, and Sophia was only 17. It seemed to him that this difference was too great and sooner or later Sophia would fall in love with a young guy who had not outlived himself. These experiences of Lev Nikolaevich are set out in his first novel, “Family Happiness.”

In September 1862, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy nevertheless married 18-year-old Sofya Andreevna Bers. For 17 years life together they had 13 children. During the same period, War and Peace and Anna Karenina were created. In 1861-62 finishes his story “Cossacks”, the first of the works in which great talent Tolstoy was recognized as a genius.

In the early 70s, Tolstoy again showed interest in pedagogy, writing “The ABC” and “ New ABC”, composes fables and stories that made up four “Russian books for reading”.

To answer the questions and doubts of a religious nature that tormented him, Lev Nikolaevich began to study theology. In 1891 in Geneva, the writer writes and publishes “A Study of Dogmatic Theology,” in which he criticizes Bulgakov’s “Orthodox Dogmatic Theology.” He first began to have conversations with priests and monarchs, read Bogoslav tracts, and studied ancient Greek and Hebrew. Tolstoy meets schismatics and joins the sectarian peasants.

At the beginning of 1900 The Holy Synod excommunicated Lev Nikolaevich from the Orthodox Church. L.N. Tolstoy lost all interest in life, he was tired of enjoying the prosperity he had achieved, and the thought of suicide arose. He becomes interested in simple physical labor, becomes a vegetarian, gives his entire income to his family, and renounces literary property rights.

On November 10, 1910, Tolstoy secretly left Yasnaya Polyana, but on the way he became very ill. On November 20, 1910, at the Astapovo station of the Ryazan-Ural Railway, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy died.

Count Leo Tolstoy, a classic of Russian and world literature, is called a master of psychologism, the creator of the epic novel genre, an original thinker and teacher of life. Works brilliant writer- Russia's greatest asset.

In August 1828, a classic was born on the Yasnaya Polyana estate in the Tula province Russian literature. The future author of War and Peace became the fourth child in a family of eminent nobles. On his father's side, he belonged to the old family of Count Tolstoy, who served and. On the maternal side, Lev Nikolaevich is a descendant of the Ruriks. It is noteworthy that Leo Tolstoy and common ancestor- Admiral Ivan Mikhailovich Golovin.

Lev Nikolayevich’s mother, nee Princess Volkonskaya, died of childbirth fever after the birth of her daughter. At that time, Lev was not even two years old. Seven years later, the head of the family, Count Nikolai Tolstoy, died.

Caring for the children fell on the shoulders of the writer’s aunt, T. A. Ergolskaya. Later, the second aunt, Countess A. M. Osten-Sacken, became the guardian of the orphaned children. After her death in 1840, the children moved to Kazan, to a new guardian - their father’s sister P. I. Yushkova. The aunt influenced her nephew, and the writer called his childhood in her house, which was considered the most cheerful and hospitable in the city, happy. Later, Leo Tolstoy described his impressions of life at the Yushkov estate in his story “Childhood.”

The classic received his primary education at home from German and French teachers. In 1843, Leo Tolstoy entered Kazan University, choosing the Faculty of Oriental Languages. Soon, due to low academic performance, he transferred to another faculty - law. But he did not succeed here either: after two years he left the university without receiving a degree.

Lev Nikolaevich returned to Yasnaya Polyana, wanting to establish relations with the peasants in a new way. The idea failed, but the young man regularly kept a diary, loved social entertainment and became interested in music. Tolstoy listened for hours, and...

Disappointed with the life of the landowner after spending the summer in the village, 20-year-old Leo Tolstoy left the estate and moved to Moscow, and from there to St. Petersburg. The young man rushed between preparing for candidate exams at the university, studying music, carousing with cards and gypsies, and dreams of becoming either an official or a cadet in a horse guards regiment. Relatives called Lev “the most trifling fellow,” and it took years to pay off the debts he incurred.

Literature

In 1851, the writer’s brother, officer Nikolai Tolstoy, persuaded Lev to go to the Caucasus. For three years Lev Nikolaevich lived in a village on the banks of the Terek. The nature of the Caucasus and the patriarchal life of the Cossack village were later reflected in the stories “Cossacks” and “Hadji Murat”, the stories “Raid” and “Cutting the Forest”.

In the Caucasus, Leo Tolstoy composed the story “Childhood,” which he published in the magazine “Sovremennik” under the initials L.N. Soon he wrote the sequels “Adolescence” and “Youth,” combining the stories into a trilogy. The literary debut turned out to be brilliant and brought Lev Nikolaevich his first recognition.

The creative biography of Leo Tolstoy is developing rapidly: an appointment to Bucharest, a transfer to besieged Sevastopol, and command of a battery enriched the writer with impressions. From the pen of Lev Nikolaevich came the series “Sevastopol Stories”. The works of the young writer amazed critics with their bold psychological analysis. Nikolai Chernyshevsky found in them a “dialectic of the soul,” and the emperor read the essay “Sevastopol in December” and expressed admiration for Tolstoy’s talent.

In the winter of 1855, 28-year-old Leo Tolstoy arrived in St. Petersburg and entered the Sovremennik circle, where he was warmly welcomed, calling him “the great hope of Russian literature.” But over the course of a year, I got tired of the writing environment with its disputes and conflicts, readings and literary dinners. Later in Confession Tolstoy admitted:

“These people disgusted me, and I disgusted myself.”

In the fall of 1856, the young writer went to the Yasnaya Polyana estate, and in January 1857 he went abroad. Leo Tolstoy traveled around Europe for six months. Visited Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland. He returned to Moscow, and from there to Yasnaya Polyana. IN family estate began arranging schools for peasant children. In the vicinity of Yasnaya Polyana, with his participation, twenty educational institutions. In 1860, the writer traveled a lot: in Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium, he studied the pedagogical systems of European countries in order to apply what he saw in Russia.

A special niche in the work of Leo Tolstoy is occupied by fairy tales and works for children and teenagers. The writer has created hundreds of works for young readers, including good and cautionary tales“Kitten”, “Two Brothers”, “Hedgehog and Hare”, “Lion and Dog”.

Leo Tolstoy wrote the school textbook “ABC” to teach children writing, reading and arithmetic. The literary and pedagogical work consists of four books. The writer included instructive stories, epics, fables, as well as methodological advice for teachers. The third book includes the story “ Prisoner of the Caucasus».

In the 1870s, Leo Tolstoy, while continuing to teach peasant children, wrote the novel Anna Karenina, in which he contrasted two storylines: the family drama of the Karenins and the home idyll of the young landowner Levin, with whom he identified himself. The novel only at first glance seemed to be a love affair: the classic raised the problem of the meaning of existence of the “educated class”, contrasting it with the truth of peasant life. "Anna Karenina" was highly appreciated.

The turning point in the writer’s consciousness was reflected in the works written in the 1880s. Life-changing spiritual insight occupies a central place in the stories and stories. “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”, “The Kreutzer Sonata”, “Father Sergius” and the story “After the Ball” appear. The classic of Russian literature paints pictures of social inequality and castigates the idleness of the nobles.

In search of an answer to the question of the meaning of life, Leo Tolstoy turned to the Russian Orthodox Church, but even there he did not find satisfaction. The writer came to the conclusion that Christian church corrupt, and under the guise of religion, priests promote false teaching. In 1883, Lev Nikolaevich founded the publication “Mediator,” where he outlined his spiritual beliefs and criticized the Russian Orthodox Church. For this, Tolstoy was excommunicated from the church, and the writer was monitored by the secret police.

In 1898, Leo Tolstoy wrote the novel Resurrection, which received favorable reviews from critics. But the success of the work was inferior to “Anna Karenina” and “War and Peace”.

For the last 30 years of his life, Leo Tolstoy, with his teachings on non-violent resistance to evil, was recognized as the spiritual and religious leader of Russia.

"War and Peace"

Leo Tolstoy did not like his novel “War and Peace,” calling the epic “ verbose rubbish" The classic writer wrote the work in the 1860s, while living with his family in Yasnaya Polyana. The first two chapters, entitled “1805,” were published by Russkiy Vestnik in 1865. Three years later, Leo Tolstoy wrote three more chapters and completed the novel, which caused heated controversy among critics.

The novelist took the features of the heroes of the work, written during the years of family happiness and spiritual elation, from life. In Princess Marya Bolkonskaya, the features of Lev Nikolaevich’s mother are recognizable, her penchant for reflection, brilliant education and love of art. The writer awarded Nikolai Rostov with his father’s traits - mockery, love of reading and hunting.

When writing the novel, Leo Tolstoy worked in the archives, studied the correspondence of Tolstoy and Volkonsky, Masonic manuscripts, and visited the Borodino field. His young wife helped him, copying his drafts out clean.

The novel was read avidly, striking readers with the breadth of its epic canvas and subtle psychological analysis. Leo Tolstoy characterized the work as an attempt to “write the history of the people.”

According to the calculations of literary critic Lev Anninsky, by the end of the 1970s, only works abroad Russian classic filmed 40 times. Until 1980, the epic War and Peace was filmed four times. Directors from Europe, America and Russia have made 16 films based on the novel “Anna Karenina”, “Resurrection” has been filmed 22 times.

“War and Peace” was first filmed by director Pyotr Chardynin in 1913. The most famous film was made by a Soviet director in 1965.

Personal life

Leo Tolstoy married 18-year-old in 1862, when he was 34 years old. The count lived with his wife for 48 years, but the couple’s life can hardly be called cloudless.

Sofia Bers is the second of three daughters of the Moscow palace office doctor Andrei Bers. The family lived in the capital, but in the summer they vacationed on a Tula estate near Yasnaya Polyana. For the first time Leo Tolstoy saw future wife child. Sophia was educated at home, read a lot, understood art, and graduated from Moscow University. The diary kept by Bers-Tolstaya is recognized as an example of the memoir genre.

At the beginning of his married life, Leo Tolstoy, wanting there to be no secrets between him and his wife, gave Sophia a diary to read. The shocked wife learned about her husband’s stormy youth, passion for gambling, wild life and the peasant girl Aksinya, who was expecting a child from Lev Nikolaevich.

The first-born Sergei was born in 1863. In the early 1860s, Tolstoy began writing the novel War and Peace. Sofya Andreevna helped her husband, despite her pregnancy. The woman taught and raised all the children at home. Five of the 13 children died in infancy or early childhood.

Problems in the family began after Leo Tolstoy finished his work on Anna Karenina. The writer plunged into depression, expressed dissatisfaction with the life that Sofya Andreevna so diligently arranged in the family nest. The count's moral turmoil led to Lev Nikolayevich demanding that his relatives give up meat, alcohol and smoking. Tolstoy forced his wife and children to dress in peasant clothes, which he made himself, and wanted to give his acquired property to the peasants.

Sofya Andreevna made considerable efforts to dissuade her husband from the idea of ​​​​distributing goods. But the quarrel that occurred split the family: Leo Tolstoy left home. Upon returning, the writer entrusted the responsibility of rewriting drafts to his daughters.

The death of their last child, seven-year-old Vanya, briefly brought the couple closer together. But soon mutual grievances and misunderstandings alienated them completely. Sofya Andreevna found solace in music. In Moscow, a woman took lessons from a teacher for whom romantic feelings developed. Their relationship remained friendly, but the count did not forgive his wife for “half-betrayal.”

The couple's fatal quarrel occurred at the end of October 1910. Leo Tolstoy left home, leaving Sophia Farewell letter. He wrote that he loved her, but could not do otherwise.

Death

82-year-old Leo Tolstoy, accompanied by his personal doctor D.P. Makovitsky, left Yasnaya Polyana. On the way, the writer fell ill and got off the train at the Astapovo railway station. Lev Nikolaevich spent the last 7 days of his life in the stationmaster's house. The whole country followed the news about Tolstoy’s health.

The children and wife arrived at the Astapovo station, but Leo Tolstoy did not want to see anyone. The classic died on November 7, 1910: he died of pneumonia. His wife survived him by 9 years. Tolstoy was buried in Yasnaya Polyana.

Quotes by Leo Tolstoy

• Everyone wants to change humanity, but no one thinks about how to change themselves.
• Everything comes to those who know how to wait.
• All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
• Let everyone sweep in front of his own door. If everyone does this, the whole street will be clean.
• It's easier to live without love. But without it there is no point.
• I don't have everything I love. But I love everything I have.
• The world moves forward because of those who suffer.
• The greatest truths are the simplest.
• Everyone is making plans, and no one knows whether he will survive until the evening.

Bibliography

• 1869 – “War and Peace”
• 1877 – “Anna Karenina”
• 1899 – “Resurrection”
• 1852-1857 – “Childhood”. "Adolescence". "Youth"
• 1856 – “Two Hussars”
• 1856 – “Morning of the Landowner”
• 1863 – “Cossacks”
• 1886 – “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”
• 1903 – “Notes of a Madman”
• 1889 – “Kreutzer Sonata”
• 1898 – “Father Sergius”
• 1904 – “Hadji Murat”

Be one of best writers world history is an honorable right, and Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy deserved it, leaving behind a huge creative heritage. The stories, tales, novels, which are presented in a whole series of volumes, were appreciated not only by the writer’s contemporaries, but also by his descendants. What is the secret of this brilliant author, who was able to fit “” into his life?

In contact with

The writer's childhood

Where was the future fiction writer born? Master of the pen was born in 1828 September 9 on his mother's estate Yasnaya Polyana, located in Tula province. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy's family was large. Father had count's title , and the mother was born Princess Volkonskaya. When he was two years old, his mother died, and 7 years later, his father died.

Lev was the fourth child in a noble family, so he was not deprived of the attention of his relatives. Literary genius I never thought about my losses with heartache. On the contrary, only warm memories of his childhood were preserved, because his mother and father were very affectionate with him. IN work of the same name the author idealizes his childhood years and writes that it was the most wonderful time of his life.

The little count received his education at home, where he was invited French and German teachers. After leaving school, Lev was fluent in three languages ​​and also had extensive knowledge of different areas. In addition, the young man was fond of musical creativity, could play works by his favorite composers for a long time: Schumann, Bach, Chopin and Mozart.

Early years

In 1843, the young man became student at the Imperial Kazan University, chooses the Faculty of Oriental Languages, however, later changes his specialty due to low academic performance and begins to study law. Unable to complete the course. The young count returns to his estate in order to become a real farmer.

But here, too, failure awaits him: frequent travel completely distracts the owner from the important affairs of the estate. Keeping your diary- the only activity that was done with amazing scrupulousness: a habit that lasted a lifetime and became the foundation of most future works.

Important! The unfortunate student did not remain inactive for long. Having allowed himself to be persuaded by his brother, he went to serve as a cadet in the south, after which, after spending some time in the Caucasus mountains, he received a transfer to Sevastopol. There, from November 1854 to August 1855, the young count participated in.

Early creativity

The rich experience gained on the battlefields, as well as in the era of the Junkers, pushed the future writer to create the first literary works . Even during his years of service as a cadet, possessing big amount free time, the count begins to work on his first autobiographical story "Childhood".

Natural observation and a special flair were clearly reflected in the style: the author wrote about what was close and understandable not only to him. Life and creativity merge into one.

In the story “Childhood” every boy or young man would recognize himself. The story was originally a short story and was published in a magazine "Contemporary" in 1852. It is noteworthy that already the first story was excellently received by critics, and the young writer was compared to Turgenev, Ostrovsky and Goncharov, which was already a real recognition. All these masters of words were already quite famous and loved by the people.

What works did Leo Tolstoy write at that time?

The young count, feeling that he has finally found his calling, continues his work. From his pen one after another comes brilliant stories, novels that instantly become popular thanks to their originality and stunning realistic approach to reality: “Cossacks” (1852), “Adolescence” (1854), “Sevastopol Stories” (1854 - 1855), "Youth" (1857).

IN literary world a new writer is rushing in Lev Tolstoy, which amazes the reader with detailed details, does not hide the truth and uses a new writing technique: the second collection "Sevastopol Stories" written from the point of view of the soldiers to bring the narrative even closer to the reader. The young author is not afraid to write openly and frankly about the horrors and contradictions of war. The characters are not heroes from paintings and canvases by artists, but simple people who are capable of performing real feats to save the lives of others.

Belong to anything literary movement or to be a supporter of a particular philosophical school, Lev Nikolaevich refused, declaring himself anarchist. Later, the master of words, in the course of a religious search, would take the right path, but for now the whole world lay before the young, successful genius, and he did not want to be one of many.

Family status

Tolstoy returns to Russia, where he lived and was born, after a riotous trip to Paris without a single penny in his pocket. took place here marriage to Sofya Andreevna Bers, daughter of a doctor. This woman was main companion in life Tolstoy, became his support until the very end.

Sophia expressed her readiness to be a secretary, wife, mother of his children, girlfriend and even a cleaner, although the estate, for which servants were commonplace, was always kept in exemplary order.

The title of count constantly obliged household members to maintain a certain status. Over time, the husband and wife diverged in religious views: Sophia did not understand and did not accept the attempts of her loved one to create her own philosophical creed and follow it.

Attention! Only eldest daughter writer Alexandra supported her father’s endeavors: in 1910 they made a pilgrimage trip together. The other children adored Dad as a great storyteller, albeit a rather strict parent.

According to the recollections of descendants, the father could scold the little dirty trickster, but after a moment he would sit him on his lap and feel sorry for him, making up an amusing story as he went. In the literary arsenal of the famous realist there are many children's works recommended for study in preschool and junior high schools. school age- This “Book to read” and “ABC”. The first work contains stories by L.N. Tolstoy for the 4th grade of the school, which was organized on the Yasnaya Polyana estate.

How many children did Lev and Sophia have? A total of 13 children were born, three of whom died in infancy.

Maturity and creative flowering of a writer

From the age of thirty-two, Tolstoy began work on his main work - the epic novel. The first part was published in 1865 in the magazine "Russian Messenger", and in 1869 the final edition of the epic was published. Most of the 1860s were devoted to this monumental work, which the count repeatedly rewrote, corrected, supplemented, and at the end of his life he was so tired of it that he called “War and Peace” “long-winded rubbish.” The novel was written in Yasnaya Polyana.

The work, four volumes long, turned out to be truly unique. What advantages does it have? This is first of all:

• historical veracity;
• the action in the novel is both realistic and fictional characters, the number of which exceeded a thousand according to philologists;
• interspersing into the outline of the plot three historical essays on the laws of history; accuracy in describing life and everyday life.

This is the basis of the novel - a person’s path, his position and the meaning of life are formed precisely from these everyday actions.

After the success of the military-historical epic, the author begins to work on a novel "Anna Karenina", taking much from his autobiography as a basis. In particular, the relationship between Kitty and Levina- these are partial memories of the life of the author himself with his wife Sophia, a certain short biography writer, as well as a reflection of the outline of real events of the Russian-Turkish war.

The novel was published in 1875 - 1877, and almost immediately became the most discussed literary event of that time. Anna's story, written with amazing warmth and attention to female psychology, created a sensation. Before him, only Ostrovsky in his poems addressed female soul And revealed the rich inner world the beautiful half of humanity. Naturally, high fees for the work were not long in coming, because everyone educated person I read Tolstoy's Karenina. After the release of this rather secular novel, the author was not at all happy, but was in constant mental torment.

Change of worldview and later literary successes

Many years of life were devoted searching for the meaning of life, which led the writer to Orthodox faith, however, this step only confuses the graph. Lev Nikolaevich sees corruption in the church diaspora, complete subordination to personal convictions, which does not correspond to the doctrine that his soul longed for.

Attention! Leo Tolstoy becomes an apostate and even publishes an accusatory magazine “Mediator” (1883), because of which he is excommunicated from the church and accused of “heresy.”

However, Leo does not stop there and tries to follow the path of purification, taking quite bold steps. For example, gives away all his property to the poor, which Sofya Andreevna categorically opposed. The husband reluctantly transferred all the property to her and gave away the copyrights to the works, but still did not give up the search for his destiny.

This period of creativity is characterized huge religious upsurge– treatises and moral stories are created. What works with religious overtones did the author write? Among the most successful work between 1880 and 1990 there were:

• the story “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” (1886), which describes a man near death who is trying to understand and comprehend his “empty” life;
• the story “Father Sergius” (1898), aimed at criticizing his own religious quests;
• the novel “Resurrection”, which tells about the moral pain of Katyusha Maslova and the ways of her moral purification.

Completion of life's journey

Having written many works during his life, the count appeared to his contemporaries and descendants as a strong religious leader and spiritual mentor, such as Mahatma Gandhi, with whom he corresponded. The writer’s life and work are permeated by the idea of ​​what is necessary resist evil every hour with all the strength of your soul, while demonstrating humility and saving thousands of lives. The master of words became a real teacher among lost souls. Entire pilgrimage trips were organized to the Yasnaya Polyana estate; students of the great Tolstoy came to “get to know themselves,” spending hours on end listening to their ideological guru, whom the writer became in his declining years.

The author-mentor accepted everyone who came with problems, questions and aspirations of the soul, and was ready to give away his savings and shelter wanderers for any period of time. Unfortunately, this increased the degree of tension in relations with his wife Sophia and, in the end, resulted in the great realist's reluctance to live in his own house. Together with his daughter, Lev Nikolaevich went on a pilgrimage around Russia, wanting to travel incognito, but often this was to no avail - they were recognized everywhere.

Where did Lev Nikolaevich die? November 1910 was fatal for the writer: already sick, he stayed in the house of the head of the railway station, where he died on November 20. Lev Nikolaevich was a real idol. During the funeral of this truly national writer, according to the recollections of contemporaries, people cried bitterly and followed the coffin crowd of thousands. There were so many people, as if they were burying a king.

Brief biography of L. N. Tolstoy

Lev Tolstoy. Short biography.

Conclusion

The story about the life and work of Leo Tolstoy can be continued endlessly; many monographs have been written about this. The writer's novels still remain the standard literary art, and the military epic “War and Peace” was included in the gold collection greatest works peace. Lev Nikolaevich became the first writer who drew attention to the depths of the human subconscious, unconscious and subtle motives of character, as well as great role everyday life, which determines the entire essence of personality.