Leo Tolstoy fought in Sevastopol. Where Leo Tolstoy served

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. The works of the brilliant writer are the greatest asset of Russia.

In August 1828, a classic was born on the Yasnaya Polyana estate in the Tula province. Russian literature. Future author"War and Peace" became the fourth child in a family of eminent nobles. On the paternal side, he belonged to the ancient family of Counts Tolstoy, who served and. On the maternal side, Lev Nikolaevich is a descendant of Ruriks. It is noteworthy that Leo Tolstoy also has a common ancestor - Admiral Ivan Mikhailovich Golovin.

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

Childcare fell on the shoulders of the writer's aunt, T. A. Ergolskaya. Later, the second aunt, Countess A. M. Osten-Saken, became the guardian of the orphaned children. After her death in 1840, the children moved to Kazan, to a new guardian - the father's sister P. I. Yushkova. The aunt influenced his 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 in the Yushkov estate in the story "Childhood".

Silhouette and portrait of Leo Tolstoy's parents

Elementary education the classic received houses 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 moved to another faculty - law. But even here he did not succeed: two years later 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 secular entertainment and became interested in music. Tolstoy listened for hours, and.

Disillusioned with the life of the landowner after spending the summer in the countryside, 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 the candidate's exams at the university, music lessons, carousing with cards and gypsies, and dreams of becoming either an official or a cadet of the Horse Guards Regiment. Relatives called Leo "the most trifling fellow", and it took years to distribute the debts he had incurred.

Literature

In 1851, the writer's brother, officer Nikolai Tolstoy, persuaded Leo 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 Murad", the stories "Raid" and "Cutting the Forest".

In the Caucasus, Leo Tolstoy composed the story "Childhood", which he published in the journal "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 Nikolayevich his first recognition.

The creative biography of Leo Tolstoy is developing rapidly: the appointment to Bucharest, the transfer to the besieged Sevastopol, the command of the battery enriched the writer with impressions. From the pen of Lev Nikolaevich came out a cycle of "Sevastopol stories". The writings of the young writer struck critics with a bold psychological analysis. Nikolai Chernyshevsky found in them "the dialectic of the soul", and the emperor read the essay "Sevastopol in the month of 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 in a year, the writer's environment with its disputes and conflicts, readings and literary dinners got tired. Later, in Confession, Tolstoy confessed:

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

In the autumn of 1856, the young writer went to the Yasnaya Polyana estate, and in January 1857 he went abroad. For six months, Leo Tolstoy traveled around Europe. Traveled to Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland. He returned to Moscow, and from there to Yasnaya Polyana. In the family estate, he took up the arrangement of 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, Belgium, he studied pedagogical systems European countries to apply what he saw in Russia.

A special niche in the work of Leo Tolstoy is occupied by fairy tales and compositions for children and adolescents. The writer created hundreds of works for young readers, including good and instructive tales"Kitten", "Two Brothers", "Hedgehog and Hare", "Lion and Dog".

Leo Tolstoy wrote the ABC school manual to teach children to write, read and do arithmetic. Literary and pedagogical work consists of four books. The writer included cautionary tales, epics, fables, as well as methodological advice to teachers. The third book included the story "Prisoner of the Caucasus".

Leo Tolstoy's novel "Anna Karenina"

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

The turning point in the mind of the writer was reflected in the works written in the 1880s. Life-changing spiritual insight is central to stories and novels. “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”, “Kreutzer Sonata”, “Father Sergius” and the story “After the Ball” appear. The classic of Russian literature draws pictures social inequality, scourging the idleness of the nobles.

In search of an answer to the question about the meaning of life, Leo Tolstoy turned to the Russian Orthodox Church, but he did not find satisfaction there either. The writer came to the conclusion that Christian church corrupt, and under the guise of religion, the priests promote false doctrine. In 1883, Lev Nikolaevich founded the publication Posrednik, where he set out his spiritual convictions with criticism of the Russian Orthodox Church. For this, Tolstoy was excommunicated from the church, the secret police watched the writer.

In 1898, Leo Tolstoy wrote the novel Resurrection, which received critical acclaim. 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 doctrine of non-violent resistance to evil, has been 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 wrote the work in the 1860s, while living with his family in Yasnaya Polyana. The first two chapters, called "1805", were published by "Russian Messenger" in 1865. Three years later, Leo Tolstoy wrote three more chapters and completed the novel, which caused heated debate among critics.

Leo Tolstoy writes "War and Peace"

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

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

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

According to the estimates of the 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 made 16 films based on the novel "Anna Karenina", "Resurrection" was filmed 22 times.

For the first time, "War and Peace" was 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 Leo Tolstoy in 1862, when he was 34 years old. The count lived with his wife for 48 years, but the life of the couple can hardly be called cloudless.

Sofya Bers is the second of three daughters of Andrey Bers, a doctor at the Moscow Palace Office. The family lived in the capital, but in the summer they rested in the Tula estate near Yasnaya Polyana. For the first time Leo Tolstoy saw future wife child. Sophia received home education, read a lot, understood art and graduated from Moscow University. The diary kept by Bers-Tolstaya is recognized as a model of the memoir genre.

At the beginning of his married life, Leo Tolstoy, wishing that there were no secrets between him and his wife, gave Sophia a diary to read. The shocked wife learned about her husband's turbulent youth, gambling, wild life and the peasant girl Aksinya, who was expecting a child from Lev Nikolayevich.

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

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

Sofya Andreevna made considerable efforts to dissuade her husband from the idea of ​​distributing good. But the resulting quarrel split the family: Leo Tolstoy left home. Returning, the writer assigned the duty of rewriting drafts to his daughters.

Death last child- seven-year-old Vanya - briefly brought the spouses together. But soon mutual insults and misunderstanding alienated them completely. Sofya Andreevna found solace in music. In Moscow, a woman took lessons from a teacher, to whom romantic feelings arose. Their relationship remained friendly, but the count did not forgive his wife for "half-treason".

The fatal quarrel of the spouses happened at the end of October 1910. Leo Tolstoy left home, leaving Sophia a farewell letter. He wrote that he loved her, but he 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. railway station Astapovo. Lev Nikolaevich spent the last 7 days of his life in a house stationmaster. The whole country followed the news about Tolstoy's state of 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 similar to each other, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
• Let everyone sweep in front of his door. If everyone does this, the whole street will be clean.
• Life is easier 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 thanks to those who suffer.
• The greatest truths are the simplest.
• Everyone is making plans, and no one knows if he will live 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 - "Death of Ivan Ilyich"
• 1903 - Notes of a Madman
• 1889 - "Kreutzer Sonata"
• 1898 - "Father Sergius"
• 1904 - "Hadji Murad"

After leaving the university for 4 years, when Tolstoy's brother Nikolai, who served in the Caucasus, arrived in Yasnaya Polyana and began to call him there. For a long time Lev Nikolayevich did not give up at the call of his brother, until a big loss in Moscow helped the decision. “In order to pay off, it was necessary to reduce their expenses to a minimum - and in the spring of 1851 Tolstoy hurriedly left Moscow for the Caucasus, at first without any specific goal. Soon he decided to enter the military service, but there were obstacles in the form of a lack of necessary papers that were difficult to obtain, and Tolstoy lived for about 5 months in complete seclusion in Pyatigorsk, in a simple hut. He spent a significant part of his time hunting, in the company of the Cossack Epishka, who appears in " Cossacks"- under the name of Eposhka. In the autumn of 1851, after passing an exam in Tiflis, Lev Nikolaevich entered the 4th battery of the 20th artillery brigade, stationed in the Cossack village of Starogladovo, on the banks of the Terek, near Kizlyar, as a cadet. With a slight change in detail, she is depicted in all her semi-wild originality in " Cossacks". The same "Cossacks" will give us a picture of the inner life of Tolstoy, who fled from the pools of the capital, if we substitute the name "Tolstoy" instead of the name of Olenin. The moods that Tolstoy-Olenin experienced were of a dual nature: here is a deep need to shake off the dust and soot of civilization and live in the refreshing, clear bosom of nature, outside the empty conventions of urban and especially high society life; here is the desire to heal the wounds of self-esteem, taken out of the pursuit of success in this "empty" life, here is the heavy consciousness of misconduct against the strict requirements of true morality.

In a remote village, Lev Nikolayevich found the best part of himself: he began to write and in 1852 sent the first part to the editors of Sovremennik autobiographical trilogy: « Childhood". Apparently, "Childhood" is literally Tolstoy's first-born: at least among the numerous biographical facts, collected by his friends and admirers, there is no data indicating that Lev Nikolayevich had previously tried to write something in literary form.

Purely literary interests always stood in the background for Tolstoy: he wrote when he wanted to write, and the need to speak out was quite ripe, and in normal time he is a secular person, an officer, a landowner, a teacher, a world mediator, a preacher, a teacher of life, etc. He never needed the company of writers, he never took the interests of literary parties to heart, he is far reluctant to talk about literature, always preferring to talk about questions of faith, morality, social relations.

Having received the manuscript of Childhood, the editor of Sovremennik, Nekrasov, immediately recognized its literary value and wrote a kind letter to the author, which had a very encouraging effect on him. He takes up the continuation of the trilogy, and plans for “Morning of the landowner”, “Raid”, “Cossacks” are swarming in his head. Published in Sovremennik, 1852. Childhood”, signed with the modest initials L.N.T., was an extraordinary success; the author immediately began to rank among the luminaries of the young literary school, along with Turgenev, Goncharov, Grigorovich, Ostrovsky, who already enjoyed loud literary fame. Criticism - Apollon Grigoriev, Annenkov, Druzhinin, Chernyshevsky - also appreciated the depth psychological analysis, and the seriousness of the author's intentions, and the bright salience of realism, with all the veracity of the vividly grasped details real life alien to any kind of vulgarity.

Tolstoy, who was soon promoted to officer, remained in the Caucasus for two years, participating in many skirmishes and being exposed to all the dangers of military life in the Caucasus. He had the rights and claims to the St. George Cross, but did not receive it, which, apparently, was upset. When the Crimean War broke out at the end of 1853, Tolstoy transferred to the Danube army, participated in the battle of Oltenitsa and in the siege of Silistria, and from November 1854 to the end of August 1855 was in Sevastopol.

All the horrors, hardships and sufferings that befell his heroic defenders were also endured by Tolstoy. He lived for a long time on the terrible 4th bastion, commanded a battery in the battle of Chernaya, was during the hellish bombardment during the assault on Malakhov Kurgan. Despite all the horrors of the siege, to which he soon became accustomed, like all the other epic-brave Sevastopol residents, Tolstoy wrote at that time a combat story from the Caucasian life “Cutting the Forest” and the first of three “ Sevastopol stories":" Sevastopol in December 1854. ". This last story he sent to Sovremennik. Immediately printed, the story was eagerly read by all of Russia and made a stunning impression with the picture of the horrors that befell the defenders of Sevastopol. The story was noticed by Emperor Nicholas; he ordered to take care of the gifted officer, which, however, was impossible for Tolstoy, who did not want to go into the category of the "staff" he hated. Surrounded by the brilliance of fame and enjoying the reputation of a very brave officer, Lev Nikolaevich had every chance of a career, but he “spoiled” it for himself. Almost the only time in his life he wrote a satirical song about the unfortunate case on August 4, 1855, when General Read, having misunderstood the order of the commander in chief, imprudently attacked the Fedyukhin heights. A song (Like on the fourth day, it was not easy for us to pick up a mountain, etc.), which touched whole line important generals, was a huge success and, of course, hurt the author.

Immediately after the assault on August 27, Tolstoy was sent by courier to Petersburg, where he wrote: Sevastopol in May 1855" and " Sevastopol in August 1855». « Sevastopol stories", which finally strengthened Tolstoy's fame as one of the main "hopes" of the new literary generation, to to some extent are the first sketch of that huge canvas, which 10 - 12 years later Lev Nikolaevich unfolded with such ingenious skill in " War and peace". The first in Russian, and almost in world literature, Tolstoy took up a sober analysis of combat life, the first to react to it without any exaltation. He brought down military prowess from the pedestal of solid "heroism", but at the same time exalted it like no one else. He showed that he was brave this moment a minute before and a minute later, the same person as everyone else, until circumstances demanded heroism from him. Lev Nikolayevich vividly exposed the greatness of the simple heroism, not draping himself in anything, not climbing forward, doing only what is necessary: ​​if necessary, hide like this, if necessary, die like that.

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Born into a noble family of Maria Nikolaevna, nee Princess Volkonskaya, and Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy in the Yasnaya Polyana estate in the Krapivensky district of the Tula province as the fourth child. Happy marriage his parents became the prototype of the characters in the novel "War and Peace" - Princess Marya and Nikolai Rostov. Parents died early. The upbringing of the future writer was handled by Tatyana Alexandrovna Yergolskaya, a distant relative, education - tutors: the German Reselman and the Frenchman Saint-Thomas, who became the heroes of the writer's stories and novels. At 13 future writer and his family moved to the hospitable house of his father's sister P.I. Yushkova in Kazan.

In 1844, Leo Tolstoy entered the Imperial Kazan University in the Department of Oriental Literature of the Faculty of Philosophy. After the first year, he did not pass the transitional exam and transferred to the Faculty of Law, where he studied for two years, plunging into secular entertainment. Leo Tolstoy, naturally shy and ugly, gained a reputation in secular society as "thinking" about the happiness of death, eternity, love, although he himself wanted to shine. And in 1847 he left the university and went to Yasnaya Polyana with the intention of doing science and "achieving the highest degree of perfection in music and painting."

In 1849, the first school for peasant children was opened on his estate, where Foka Demidovich, his serf, taught. former musician. Yermil Bazykin, who studied there, said: “There were about 20 of us boys, the teacher was Foka Demidovich, a courtyard man. Under father L.N. Tolstoy, he acted as a musician. The old man was good. He taught us the alphabet, counting, sacred history. Lev Nikolaevich also came to us, also worked with us, showed us his diploma. I went every other day, every other day, or even every day. He always ordered the teacher not to offend us ... ".

In 1851, under the influence of his older brother Nikolai, Lev left for the Caucasus, having already begun to write Childhood, and in the fall he became a cadet in the 4th battery of the 20th artillery brigade stationed in the Cossack village of Starogladovskaya on the Terek River. There he completed the first part of Childhood and sent it to the Sovremennik magazine to its editor N.A. Nekrasov. On September 18, 1852, the manuscript was printed with great success.

Leo Tolstoy served three years in the Caucasus and, having the right to the most honorary St. George Cross for bravery, “conceded” to his fellow soldier, as giving a lifelong pension. At the beginning Crimean War 1853-1856 transferred to the Danube army, participated in the battles of Oltenitsa, the siege of Silistria, the defense of Sevastopol. The then written story "Sevastopol in December 1854" was read by Emperor Alexander II, who ordered to take care of a talented officer.

In November 1856, already recognized and famous writer leaves military service and leaves to travel around Europe.

In 1862, Leo Tolstoy married seventeen-year-old Sofya Andreevna Bers. In their marriage, 13 children were born, five died in early childhood, the novels "War and Peace" (1863-1869) and "Anna Karenina" (1873-1877) were written, recognized as great works.

In the 1880s Leo Tolstoy survived a powerful crisis that led to the denial of the official state power and its institutions, awareness of the inevitability of death, faith in God and the creation of his own teaching - Tolstoyism. He lost interest in the usual lordly life, he began to have thoughts of suicide and the need to live right, be a vegetarian, engage in education and physical labor - he plowed, sewed boots, taught children at school. In 1891 he publicly relinquished copyright to his literary works written after 1880

During 1889-1899. Leo Tolstoy wrote the novel "Resurrection", whose plot is based on a real court case, and scathing articles about the system government controlled- on this basis, the Holy Synod excommunicated Count Leo Tolstoy from the Orthodox Church and anathematized him in 1901.

On October 28 (November 10), 1910, Leo Tolstoy secretly left Yasnaya Polyana, setting off on a journey without a specific plan for the sake of his moral and religious ideas. recent years accompanied by doctor D.P. Makovitsky. On the way, he caught a cold, fell ill with lobar pneumonia and was forced to leave the train at the Astapovo station (now Lev Tolstoy station in the Lipetsk region). Leo Tolstoy died on November 7 (20), 1910 in the house of the head of the station I.I. Ozolin and was buried in Yasnaya Polyana.

Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy is one of the greatest novelists in the world. He is not only the world's largest writer, but also a philosopher, religious thinker and enlightener. You will learn more about all this from this.

But where he really succeeded was in personal diary. This habit inspired him to write his novels and stories, and also allowed him to form most of his life goals and priorities.

An interesting fact is that this nuance of Tolstoy's biography (keeping a diary) was the result of imitation of the great.

Hobbies and military service

Naturally, Leo Tolstoy had. He was extremely fond of music. His favorite composers were Bach, Handel and Chopin.

From his biography it clearly follows that sometimes he could play works by Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann on the piano for several hours in a row.

It is authentically known that the elder brother of Leo Tolstoy, Nikolai, had a great influence on him. He was a friend and mentor of the future writer.

It was Nicholas who invited younger brother join military service in the Caucasus. As a result, Leo Tolstoy became a cadet, and in 1854 he was transferred to Sevastopol, where he participated in the Crimean War until August 1855.

Creativity Tolstoy

During the service, Lev Nikolaevich had quite a lot of free time. During this period he wrote autobiographical story"Childhood", in which he masterfully described the memories of the first years of life.

This work has become important event to write his biography.

After that, Leo Tolstoy writes the following story - "The Cossacks", in which he describes his army life in the Caucasus.

Work on this work was carried out until 1862, and was completed only after serving in the army.

An interesting fact is that Tolstoy did not stop his writing activity even while participating in the Crimean War.

During this period, from under his pen comes the story "Boyhood", which is a continuation of "Childhood", as well as "Sevastopol stories".

After the end of the Crimean War, Tolstoy leaves the service. Upon arrival home, he already has great fame in the literary field.

His distinguished contemporaries talk about a major acquisition for Russian literature in the person of Tolstoy.

While still young, Tolstoy was distinguished by arrogance and stubbornness, which is clearly visible in him. He refused to belong to one or another philosophical school, and once publicly called himself an anarchist, after which he decided to leave for France in 1857.

He soon developed an interest in gambling. But it didn't last long. When he lost all his savings, he had to return home from Europe.

Leo Tolstoy in his youth

By the way, the passion for gambling is observed in the biographies of many writers.

Despite all the difficulties, he writes the last, third part of his autobiographical trilogy "Youth". It happened in the same 1857.

Since 1862, Tolstoy began to publish the pedagogical journal Yasnaya Polyana, where he himself was the main contributor. However, not having a calling as a publisher, Tolstoy managed to publish only 12 issues.

Family of Leo Tolstoy

On September 23, 1862, a sharp turn takes place in Tolstoy's biography: he marries Sofya Andreevna Bers, who was the daughter of a doctor. From this marriage, 9 sons and 4 daughters were born. Five of the thirteen children died in childhood.

When the wedding took place, Sofya Andreevna was only 18 years old, and Count Tolstoy was 34 years old. An interesting fact is that before his marriage, Tolstoy confessed future wife in their premarital relationships.

Leo Tolstoy with his wife Sofia Andreevna

For some time in the biography of Tolstoy, the brightest period begins.

He is truly happy, and largely due to the practicality of his wife, material wealth, outstanding literary creativity and in connection with it all-Russian and even worldwide fame.

In the person of his wife, Tolstoy found an assistant in all matters, practical and literary. In the absence of a secretary, it was she who several times copied his drafts cleanly.

However, very soon their happiness is overshadowed by the inevitable petty quarrels, fleeting quarrels and mutual misunderstanding, which only gets worse over the years.

The fact is that Leo Tolstoy proposed a kind of “life plan” for his family, according to which he intended to give part of the family income to the poor and schools.

The way of life of his family (food and clothing), he wanted to greatly simplify, while he intended to sell and distribute "everything superfluous": pianos, furniture, carriages.

Tolstoy with his family at the tea table in the park, 1892, Yasnaya Polyana

Naturally, his wife, Sofya Andreevna, was clearly not satisfied with such an ambiguous plan. On the basis of this, they broke out the first serious conflict, which served as the beginning of an "undeclared war" to secure the future of their children.

In 1892, Tolstoy signed a separate act and, not wanting to be the owner, transferred all the property to his wife and children.

It must be said that Tolstoy's biography is in many ways extraordinarily contradictory precisely because of his relationship with his wife, with whom he lived for 48 years.

Tolstoy's works

Tolstoy is one of the most prolific writers. His works are large-scale not only in terms of volume, but also in terms of the meanings that he touches on them.

Most popular works Tolstoy are considered "War and Peace", "Anna Karenina" and "Resurrection".

"War and Peace"

In the 1860s, Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy lived with his entire family in Yasnaya Polyana. It was here that his very famous novel"War and Peace".

Initially, part of the novel was published in the Russian Messenger under the title "1805".

After 3 years, 3 more chapters appear, thanks to which the novel was completely over. He was destined to become the most outstanding creative result in Tolstoy's biography.

Both critics and the public have long discussed the work "War and Peace". The subject of their disputes were the wars described in the book.

Thoughtful but still fictional characters were also sharply discussed.

Tolstoy in 1868

The novel also became interesting because it featured 3 meaningful satirical essays on the laws of history.

Among all other ideas, Leo Tolstoy tried to convey to the reader that the position of a person in society and the meaning of his life are derivatives of his daily activities.

"Anna Karenina"

After Tolstoy wrote War and Peace, he began work on his second, no less famous novel, Anna Karenina.

The writer contributed many autobiographical essays to it. This is easy to see when looking at the relationship between Kitty and Levin, the main characters in Anna Karenina.

The work was published in parts between 1873-1877, and was very highly appreciated by both critics and society. Many have noticed that Anna Karenina is practically Tolstoy's autobiography, written in the third person.

For his next work, Lev Nikolaevich received fabulous fees for those times.

"Sunday"

In the late 1880s, Tolstoy wrote the novel Resurrection. Its plot was based on a genuine court case. It is in the "Resurrection" that the author's sharp views on church rites are clearly indicated.

By the way, this work was one of the reasons that led to a complete break between the Orthodox Church and Count Tolstoy.

Tolstoy and religion

Despite the fact that the works described above were a tremendous success, this did not bring any joy to the writer.

He was in a depressed state and experienced a deep inner emptiness.

In this regard, the next stage in Tolstoy's biography was a continuous, almost convulsive search for the meaning of life.

Initially, Lev Nikolayevich looked for answers to questions in Orthodox Church, but this did not bring him any results.

Over time, he began to criticize in every possible way both the Orthodox Church itself and in general christian religion. Your thoughts on these sensitive issues he began to publish in the publication "Intermediary".

His main position was that Christian doctrine good, but Jesus Christ himself does not seem to be needed. That is why he decided to make his own translation Gospels.

Generally religious views Tolstoy were extremely complex and confusing. It was some incredible mixture of Christianity and Buddhism, seasoned with various Eastern beliefs.

In 1901, the decision of the Holy Governing Synod on Count Leo Tolstoy was issued.

It was a decree that officially announced that Leo Tolstoy was no longer a member of the Orthodox Church, since his publicly expressed convictions were incompatible with such membership.

Definition Holy Synod sometimes erroneously interpreted as excommunication (anathema) of Tolstoy from the church.

Copyright and conflict with his wife

In connection with his new beliefs, Leo Tolstoy wanted to distribute all his savings and give up his own property in favor of the poor. However, his wife, Sofya Andreevna, expressed a categorical protest in this regard.

In this regard, the main family crisis was outlined in Tolstoy's biography. When Sofya Andreevna found out that her husband had publicly renounced the copyright to all his works (which, in fact, was their main source of income), they began to have violent conflicts.

From Tolstoy's diary:

“She does not understand, and the children do not understand, spending money, that every ruble that they live on and earn by books is suffering, my shame. Shame, let it be, but what a weakening of the effect that the preaching of the truth could have.

Of course, it is not difficult to understand the wife of Lev Nikolayevich. After all, they had 9 children, whom he, by and large, left without a livelihood.

Pragmatic, rational and active Sofya Andreevna could not allow this to happen.

Ultimately, Tolstoy made a formal will, transferring the rights youngest daughter, Alexandra Lvovna, who fully sympathized with his views.

At the same time, the will was accompanied by explanatory note that in fact these texts should not become anyone's property, and V.G. Chertkov is a faithful follower and student of Tolstoy, who was supposed to take all the writings of the writer, right down to drafts.

Later work of Tolstoy

Tolstoy's later works were realistic fiction, as well as stories filled with moral content.

In 1886, one of Tolstoy's most famous stories appeared - "The Death of Ivan Ilyich".

Her main character realizes that most he had wasted his life, and the realization came too late.

In 1898, Lev Nikolaevich wrote at least famous work"Father Sergius". In it, he criticized his own beliefs that he had after his spiritual rebirth.

The rest of the works are devoted to the theme of art. These include the play The Living Corpse (1890) and the brilliant story Hadji Murad (1904).

In 1903 Tolstoy wrote little story, which is called "After the ball." It was published only in 1911, after the death of the writer.

last years of life

The last years of his biography, Leo Tolstoy was better known as a religious leader and moral authority. His thoughts were directed towards resisting evil in a non-violent way.

Even during his lifetime, Tolstoy became an idol for the majority. However, despite all his achievements, in his family life there were serious flaws, which became especially aggravated with old age.

Leo Tolstoy with grandchildren

The writer's wife, Sofya Andreevna, did not agree with her husband's views and felt hostility towards some of his followers, who often came to Yasnaya Polyana.

She said: "How can you love humanity, and hate those who are next to you."

All this could not last long.

In the autumn of 1910, Tolstoy, accompanied only by his doctor D.P. Makovitsky leaves Yasnaya Polyana forever. However, he did not have any specific plan of action.

Death of Tolstoy

However, on the way, Leo Tolstoy felt unwell. First he caught a cold, and then the disease turned into pneumonia, in connection with which he had to interrupt the trip and take the sick Lev Nikolayevich out of the train at the first large station near the village.

This station was Astapovo (now Leo Tolstoy, Lipetsk region).

The rumor about the writer's illness instantly spread throughout the neighborhood and far beyond. Six doctors tried in vain to save the great old man: the disease progressed inexorably.

On November 7, 1910, Leo Tolstoy died at the age of 83. He was buried in Yasnaya Polyana.

“I sincerely regret the death of the great writer, who, during the heyday of his talent, embodied in his works the images of one of the glorious years of Russian life. May the Lord God be a merciful judge for him.”

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Lev Tolstoy. Officer Writer.

What would happen if one of the cannonballs aimed at the Yazonovsky redoubt flew along a slightly different trajectory? Or what would happen if a bullet Caucasian highlander met with the chest of a young artilleryman? Perhaps we would remember Lev Nikolaevich as a writer middle class…

The two wars he went through made Tolstoy think with unprecedented intensity and pushed him to become a great writer and thinker. What happened to him? How did he balance writing with military career?

At 22, Tolstoy spent his time in revelry and gambling, and at the same time he was deeply fond of music and began to write. The Tolstoys grew up without parents, and the older brother Nikolai helped the writer find his way in life. He served in the Caucasus and, having arrived in Moscow for a while, called Lev with him. He doubted, but he lost a lot of cards and was forced to hastily leave.

And in 1851, Leo Tolstoy arrived in the Caucasus. Then the Russian generals fought the famous Imam Shamil. For several years now, the war has been going on according to a new tactic: wide clearings were cut through the forest, along which troops marched into the mountains, forcing the highlanders to retreat. Lighthouses were located along the Terek; as soon as they noticed somewhere that the enemy was crossing the river, the beacons lit up, and the Cossacks and soldiers from everywhere hurried to the place of the battle.

The Russian command constantly equipped campaigns, captured the fortresses of the highlanders. In the summer, Lev Nikolayevich took part in the battle for the first time: he and his brother Nikolai went on a military expedition. The writer was struck by the calmness of the soldiers before the battle. The trials of the war had a beneficial effect on the development of Tolstoy's personality and helped shape his literary talent. Returning, Tolstoy wrote down in his famous diary the idea of ​​a novel about four epochs of development: "Childhood", "Adolescence", "Youth" and "Youth".

Russian expeditions deep into the Caucasus were often brutal: soldiers destroyed crops local residents, stole cattle, ruined villages. Tolstoy was against this, although on the whole he considered the war just. He admired nature, the Cossacks, made friends with many highlanders, for example, his friend Sado managed to free him from a long-standing debt of 500 rubles. The writer decides to stay in the Caucasus. In the fall, he enters military service, passes the exam for the rank of cadet with the highest scores and becomes a fireworker in the artillery brigade. Has begun new round wars. Tolstoy participated in many campaigns, distinguished himself in a clash on the Dzhalka River and on the Michika River, where he almost died when a cannon ball hit the wheel of his cannon.

To Tolstoy comes literary success. He sends Nekrasov the story "Childhood", and then the story "The Raid", in which he depicts the war without embellishment.

“The roof collapses there, an ax knocks on a strong tree, and they break out a wooden door; then a haystack, a fence, a saklya light up, and thick smoke rises like a column through the clear air ... two soldiers led a bound old Tatar. The old man, whose entire clothes consisted of a motley beshmet and patchwork trousers that fell apart in tatters, was so frail that his bony hands, tightly tied behind his hunched back, seemed to be barely held in his shoulders, and his bare, crooked legs moved forcibly.

The writer participated in the next trip to Chechnya, stopped in the fortress of Grozny. He begins to doubt that his participation in this war is right. The Russian command proceeded to storm Shamil's positions on the Michika River. Tolstoy distinguished himself in this battle: with a well-aimed shot from a cannon, he disabled an enemy cannon, and for this he was promised the St. George Cross. Shamil was driven out of the river, the highlanders retreated, but the writer did not receive a cross. He missed the awards ceremony because he was under arrest for not going out on guard duty. Soon, for a successful battle, he was again presented for the award of the St. George Cross; however, the writer gave it to an old soldier, who was given a lifetime pension for such an award. Russian troops approached the Gudermes River. Tolstoy returned to the village, where he lived then.

The writer's brother, Nikolai Nikolaevich, resigned. Lev Nikolaevich also begins to think about leaving military service...

In June 1853, Tolstoy was almost captured by the Chechens when he was traveling with his kunak Sado. They were saved by a detachment sent to meet them from the fortress of Grozny.

He is fully aware of himself as a writer, understands that this is his vocation, and also that his “goal ... of life is known - the good that I owe to my subjects and my compatriots.” Impressions from the Caucasus, which so changed the young Lev Nikolayevich, ask for paper; he begins the story "Cossacks". Two years of service in the Caucasus have passed... But the war left in the past continued to excite Tolstoy throughout his life. This is evidenced by the completed in 1904 "Hadji Murad", in which the war is shown as madness, not needed by anyone except Imam Shamil and Emperor Nicholas.

The writer was not destined to leave military service. Relations with Turkey deteriorated. Nicholas I ordered to occupy Moldavia and Wallachia. The writer asks to be transferred to the active army. And how else could a person act, who, thanks to life's trials, realized that the goal of life is good, which he owes to his compatriots?

He brilliantly passed the exam for the rank of officer and in 1854 was sent to Bucharest as an ensign. As part of the Danube army, he besieged Silistria, fought at Oltenitsa, and finally spent ten months in Sevastopol.

The road to the defending city was difficult, cluttered, but Lev Nikolayevich, striving to test himself, overcame it with perseverance. And here he is in the city.

“It cannot be that at the thought that you are in Sevastopol, a feeling of some kind of courage, pride does not penetrate into your soul and that the blood does not begin to circulate faster in your veins ...”**

By that time, heavy fighting had been going on for two months. The writer talked with soldiers, residents and was delighted with their courage, much more than he imagined. On November 10, 1854, he was appointed an officer in the artillery brigade, which stood near Simferopol and did not participate in the battles. He rushed to Evpatoria, where the onslaught of the enemy intensified, and in the end arbitrarily went to Sevastopol. In March of the following year, 1855, he was assigned to the fourth bastion, which was among the most important points of defense. It was there that he was able to show his courage. In March and April there was an assault on Sevastopol. The fourth bastion was completely riddled with enemy shells, but did not let the enemy into the city. For being on the Yazonovsky redoubt during the bombardment, Tolstoy was given the rank of lieutenant and was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 4th degree, with the inscription "For Courage".

On the fourth bastion, he wrote the story "Sevastopol in December", This was the first Russian history accessible to all description of the ongoing fateful events. Tolstoy, as the author of the Sevastopol stories, was not only a writer, but also the first war correspondent. The first story was noticed by the new Emperor Alexander II, and he ordered to protect the author.

In May, the bastion was stormed again. There were so many bombs that, according to a military historian, they were like a vault of fire. Based on these impressions, Tolstoy wrote a second story, "Sevastopol in May".

June, July and part of August the writer was not in Sevastopol. On the 4th of August, Tolstoy took part in the bloodiest battle of his life and, probably, only miraculously did not die. In the battle of Chernaya, he commanded a battery. Then, due to a mistake by the command of the division of General Reada, they attacked the Fedyukhin Heights, occupied by the enemy. The allies conveniently fired cannons at the advancing Russian troops from below. Tolstoy wrote several satirical songs, one of which contained the lines:

"Like the fourth

we were not easy to carry the mountains to select

...

On the Fedyukhin Heights

There were only two companies of us,

And the regiments went.

This song was sung like a soldier's song. Some generals were hurt in the text. Tolstoy had to answer for this essay.