Leo Tolstoy fought in Sevastopol. Military service of Leo Tolstoy
When people talk about Leo Tolstoy, they immediately recall the wonderful epic works of the Russian classic, such as War and Peace or Anna Karenina. But Lev Nikolaevich is also good in small forms. When he takes on a story or story, his talent does not change him at all. The focus is on "After the Ball". This article will consider the characteristics of the heroes of "After the Ball".
Plot
The reason for the story is an old story, an age-old question: the environment makes a person or a person creates his environment. There is a conversation between familiar people, and it concerns personal improvement.
The protagonist Ivan Vasilievich, a man respected by everyone in the circle where the conversation is being conducted, tells a story from his life that refutes the fact that a person is shaped by the environment.
It was a long time ago, one of the main provincial officials arranged a ball in honor of the last day of Maslenitsa. The entire provincial beau monde came to the ball.
Ivan Vasilievich was then a university student from the same city. There was nothing to do, and the main entertainment was visiting such events. At this ball, he saw a girl - Varenka B. and fell in love with her without memory. I only danced with her. Varenka was the daughter of Colonel Pyotr Vladislavovich, who, together with his wife, honored all those gathered with their presence at the celebration.
Father had to go home. And in parting, he danced with his daughter, and so famously that everyone was completely delighted. Seeing this, young Ivan Vasilyevich was imbued with warm feelings for the old man. The colonel left, but the young people (Varenka and Vanya) were still dancing. In the morning everyone left. Here the events of the work “After the Ball” subside. The heroes of the story cannot yet be suspected of something bad.
The hero could not sleep, and he went to stagger around the city. Unintentionally, unconsciously, he came to the house of his sweetheart. On the field adjacent to the house, there was a formation of soldiers. To the beat of drums and the sounds of a flute, they let a fugitive Tatar through the ranks. He was beaten with sticks all over his back. His back had already turned into a bloody mess, and he himself only repeated: “Lord, brothers, have mercy.” He said it quietly, because he no longer had the strength to scream.
The torture was supervised by the "dear colonel", who recently danced with his daughter at the ball. After this event, Ivan Vasilyevich's love for Varya passed. Every time he looked at her face, he saw the Tartar and his back.
Perhaps the reader is tired of the excessive detailing of the plot, but its consideration is absolutely necessary in order to understand which characterization of the characters in "After the Ball" best suits them.
Ivan Vasilievich - a man whose conscience woke up
What then happened to Ivan Vasilyevich? Then, after the ball, his conscience woke up, and he himself woke up from sleep. Yes, so much so that it seems like he was whipped with a whip, so sudden was the realization of the baseness of the general, the “light”, which is no different from darkness in the moral, moral sense. So, we can already say that the first characterization of the heroes of "After the Ball" is ready: the main character can be defined as a person who has a conscience.
Colonel
Here everything is already a little more complicated. It cannot be said that the colonel and his daughter are unscrupulous people. For them, just the hierarchy that existed in Russia in the 19th century is normal. It is also normal that after the holiday they can warm up or calm the excited nerves by torturing a person. There is nothing out of the ordinary in this.
The reader can rightly say that if you really think about what the characteristics of the heroes of "After the Ball" are (meaning specifically the colonel), then only the old soldier should be blamed for everything. Oh no, that won't do. The colonel's women are to blame for his fanaticism no less than he himself. After all, they did not prevent him from doing them.
Varenka
Nothing bad can be said about the daughter of a fanatic, but nothing good can be said about her. She is a faceless character in the story. Only one memory will remain of her: she was stunningly beautiful, but it is difficult to determine her content if we are talking about the disclosure of the topic “Characteristics of the heroes “After the ball””.
Moral questions raised in the work
So, here in the center of the work is an eternal dispute about the confrontation between the individual and society. The author also focuses his attention (and the attention of the reader) on the abomination of human duplicity and duplicity.
L. N. Tolstoy in this story even indirectly gives an answer to the question of why, in fact, the Russian revolution happened: because the “tops” allowed themselves such treatment of the “lower classes”, and the “lower classes” took revenge. Such is the brief moral content of "After the Ball." In fact, this story may open up with a fan of other moral problems, but that's a completely different story.
To the question Where and by whom did Leo Tolstoy serve in the Russian army? Works that reflected his impression of military service? given by the author Apricot the best answer is Tolstoy remained in the Caucasus for two years, participating in many skirmishes with the highlanders and being exposed to all the dangers of a 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 the siege of Silistria, and from November 1854 to the end of August 1855 was in Sevastopol.
Tolstoy 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, Tolstoy wrote at that time a combat story from the Caucasian life "Cutting down the forest" and the first of the three "Sevastopol stories" "Sevastopol in December 1854" . He sent this last story to Sovremennik. Immediately printed, the story was eagerly read by all of Russia and made a stunning impression with a 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.
Stele in memory of a participant in the defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855. L. N. Tolstoy at the fourth bastion
For the defense of Sevastopol, Tolstoy was awarded the Order of St. Anne with the inscription "For Courage" and the medals "For the Defense of Sevastopol 1854-1855" and "In Memory of the War of 1853-1856." . Surrounded by the brilliance of fame and, using the reputation of a very brave officer, Tolstoy had every chance of a career, but he “spoiled” it for himself. Almost the only time in his life (except for the “Combining different versions of epics into one” made for children in his pedagogical writings), he indulged in poetry: he wrote a satirical song, in the manner of a soldier, about an unfortunate affair on August 4 (16), 1855 when General Read, having misunderstood the order of the commander in chief, imprudently attacked the Fedyukhin Heights. The song (Like the fourth day, it was not easy to take the mountains to select us), which touched a number of important generals, was a huge success and, of course, damaged the author. Immediately after the assault on August 27 (September 8), Tolstoy was sent by courier to St. Petersburg, where he finished Sevastopol in May 1855 and wrote Sevastopol in August 1855.
Answer from soon[guru]
I think that his military impressions were reflected not only in the Sevastopol stories - on fresh tracks, but also later in the novel "War and Peace", although this is a completely different war.
Answer from flush[guru]
Having entered the army as a cadet, he later passed the exam for a junior officer rank. The writer's impressions of the Caucasian War were reflected in the stories "The Raid" (1853), "Cutting the Forest" (1855), "Degraded" (1856), and in the story "Cossacks" (1852-1863). In the Caucasus, the story "Childhood" was completed, published in the journal Sovremennik in 1852. Having entered the army as a cadet, he later passed the exam for a junior officer rank. The writer's impressions of the Caucasian War were reflected in the stories "The Raid" (1853), "Cutting the Forest" (1855), "Degraded" (1856), and in the story "Cossacks" (1852-1863). In the Caucasus, the story "Childhood" was completed, which was published in 1852 in the journal Sovremennik.
When the Crimean War began, Tolstoy was transferred from the Caucasus to the Danube army, which acted against the Turks, and then to Sevastopol, besieged by the combined forces of England, France and Turkey. Commanding a battery on the 4th bastion, Tolstoy was awarded the Order of Anna and the medals "For the Defense of Sevastopol" and "In Memory of the War of 1853-1856". More than once Tolstoy was presented for the award of the military St. George Cross, but however, he never received the “George”. In the army, Tolstoy wrote a number of projects - on the reorganization of artillery batteries and the creation of battalions armed with rifled rifles, on the reorganization of the entire Russian army. Together with a group of officers of the Crimean army, Tolstoy intended to publish the magazine "Soldier's Bulletin" ("Military List"), but its publication was not allowed by Emperor Nicholas I.
Later, turning to the memories of this period of life, Tolstoy created the story "Hadji Murad".
L. N. Tolstoy lived a long life and was never seriously ill. The secret is very simple - exercise.
L. N. Tolstoy was fond of cycling and horseback riding. At 82, he rode 20 kilometers or more in a day.
He loved to mow, dig, saw. At the age of 70, Leo Tolstoy won in skating the young people who were visiting Yasnaya Polyana. About his passion for physical activities, he wrote that “... with assiduous mental work without movement, there is real grief. Don’t look like me, don’t work with your legs and arms for at least one day, in the evening I’m no longer fit: neither to read, nor write, nor even listen carefully to others, my head is spinning, and there are some stars in my eyes, and the night is spent without sleep ".
Nikolai Nikolaevich TOLSTOY
(1823-1860)
Nikolai Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1823-1860) - the elder brother of L.N. Tolstoy.
Of the brothers, Nikolai was more like his mother than others, inherited from her not only character traits: “indifference to the judgments of people and modesty ...” (Tolstoy L.N. vol. 34, p. 350), tolerance for others. “The sharpest expression of a negative attitude towards a person was expressed by a brother with subtle, good-natured humor and the same smile” (L.N. Tolstoy, vol. 34, p. 350).
Like his mother, he had an inexhaustible imagination, a gift for telling extraordinary stories. About Nikolai Nikolaevich I.S. Turgenev said that "he did not have those shortcomings that are needed in order to be a great writer ..." (L.N. Tolstoy, vol. 34, p. 350). It was Nikolai who told his younger brothers “that he has a secret by which, when it is revealed, all people will become happy, there will be no illnesses, no troubles, no one will be angry with anyone and everyone will love each other ...
... The main secret ... was, as he told us, written by him on a green stick, and this stick was buried by the road, on the edge of the ravine of the Old Order ... "(Tolstoy L.N. vol. 34, p. 386) .
Nikolai Nikolaevich studied at the mathematical faculty of Moscow University, and in 1844 he graduated from Kazan University. In 1846 he entered the military service, was enrolled in an artillery brigade, sent to the Caucasus. In 1858 he retired with the rank of staff captain, spent time in his small house in Moscow and in Nikolsky-Vyazemsky.
In May 1860, he went to Soden, Germany, for treatment, then moved to the south of France, to Gier, where he died of tuberculosis on September 20, 1860 at the age of 37.
(From the project "Leo Tolstoy")
N.N. Tolstoy is the elder, beloved, early deceased brother of L.N. Tolstoy. Lev Nikolaevich noted more than once in his diaries and letters that he was greatly influenced by the versatile mind, charming character and literary talent of his older brother-friend. About the literary talent of Nikolai Nikolaevich L.N. Tolstoy responded as follows: "... the qualities of the writer that he had were, first of all, a subtle artistic flair, an extreme sense of proportion, good-natured cheerful humor, an unusual, inexhaustible imagination ...".
In 1851-1854. the Tolstoy brothers served together in the Caucasus: Nikolai Nikolaevich - as an artillery officer, Lev Nikolaevich - as a cadet.
In 1857, a series of essays by N.N. Tolstoy "Hunting in the Caucasus". Nekrasov expressed his impressions of the essays in a letter to Turgenev on April 22, 2857: “The task that the author set himself, he completed masterfully and, moreover, found himself a poet. Poetry is here in place and in passing jumps out by itself ... the talent for observation and description, in my opinion, is huge - the figure of the old Cossack is slightly touched at first, but, importantly, not crushed, love is visible for nature itself and the bird, and not a description of both . This is a good thing…”
Turgenev also highly appreciated "Hunting in the Caucasus".
Essays by N.N. Tolstoy - a colorful description of the Caucasian nature and hunting (and partly life and people). The essays are written in a free, light and figurative language, full of great lyrical feeling.
"Hunting in the Caucasus" is also interesting as a document characterizing the situation and environment in which the Tolstoy brothers lived and moved.
“Hunting in the Caucasus” is not the only work of N.N. Tolstoy. In 1926, in the journal Krasnaya Nov (No. 5 and No. 7), N.N. Tolstoy "Plastun", and in 1927 in the collection "Hunting Heart" - "Hunting Notes".
The story "Plastun" (from the life of the Grebensky Cossacks) is remarkable already in that it was written in an artistic and adventure genre, almost not characteristic of the then Russian literature. It is very story-driven, entertaining and heroic. "Hunting Notes" in their form approach the type of Aksakov's monographs.
(From the project "Petersburg hunter")
Ivan Bunin about Nikolai Tolstoy
Thinking a little, he continued: “And while rereading The Cossacks, I regretted only one thing: that at the same time I could not read The Hunt in the Caucasus again, which you probably never heard of. We know you..."
I muttered something indistinct, because I guessed what Ivan Alekseevich was talking about, although I really had never read the essay he named.
“But this is a truly wonderful thing, as if trying to convince me of something,” Bunin exclaimed almost with excitement in his voice. - Yes, how could it be otherwise, since its author was such an amazing person as Nikolai Tolstoy. If you have the opportunity, by all means read this story, even if you don’t understand anything about hunting. When I was writing my book on Tolstoy, I wanted to dedicate at least a few pages to his brother Nikolai, but I did not have enough materials at hand. After all, Nikolai Tolstoy died long before I was born. My father met him once or twice, and speaking about him, he could hardly hold back tears, and yet my father was not distinguished by sentimentality. Who remembers Nikolai Tolstoy now? Just read what Turgenev and Fet thought about him, who, in his very unpretentious memoirs, wrote that "Nikolai Tolstoy was a wonderful person, about whom it is not enough to say that all his acquaintances loved him - they adored him." Nikolai, in fact, silently put into practice many of the ideas that his brother developed in his theoretical constructions. And Turgenev argued that Nikolai did not become a writer because he was deprived of those shortcomings that are needed to become one. Of course, you have no idea that Tolstoy cites these Turgenev words somewhere in his diaries and you don’t even know how often I think about them ...<...>
- Do not distract me from what I still want to say about the "Hunt", - he smiled. - I repeat, try to read it and you will see how wonderfully transparent it is written, with such light humor that, by the way, it is worth the "Notes of a Hunter." It is useful for any professional to learn from this amateur. Without further ado, he writes about what he saw, but how poetically all this is conveyed, and his Epishka, of course, is the prototype of the more colorful uncle Eroshka, to whom Lev Nikolayevich somehow gave a certain tendentiousness, wishing to depict him as a representative of the natural principle. After all, it was not without reason that both brothers lived together for some time in the same Grebensk village, met the same people - so coincidences are inevitable.
Well done were the editors of Sovremennik, - Bunin calmed down, - that the hunting essay of the unknown Nikolai Tolstoy was placed in the first place in one of the issues of his magazine. Nekrasov admitted, not entirely in vain, that "the hand of Nikolai Tolstoy has a firmer command of the language than the hand of his brother" and that "far from literary circles has its advantages." What a clever girl - Nekrasov, whom you, of course, do not like. Where are you? All you have to do is launch a pineapple into the sky! (This was Bunin's favorite refrain when talking to me).
(From the page)
Artworks: (sent by David Titievskiy)
Collection of essays "Hunting in the Caucasus" - April 2009
Fragments from the book:
“During the grape harvest, in every garden you will certainly find the owner. All Kizlyar people usually move to the gardens. In general, they are very hospitable, but at this time, surrounded by an abundance of earthly fruits, when the grape harvest promises good profits, they receive with special cordiality everyone.
I must say that the owners of the gardens are very pleased when they hunt: since abreks hide in the gardens, often for several days, the presence of well-armed people and, in addition, good shooters, in a way, provides the owner of the garden ...
One of my friends, a good hunting acquaintance, lived for several years in the Kizlyar gardens, now with one owner, then with another, who simply tried to lure him to their place, gave him full support, i.e. tea, sugar, table, wine, food for dogs - in a word, everything he needed, just for him to live and hunt in their gardens.
“In his youth, Mamonov served in Russia as a cadet, - then, for some kind of prank, he was demoted to non-commissioned officers and moved to the Caucasus, where he served in the lower rank for eleven years. Despite the fact that Mamonov was really very brave and, to moreover, a very kind man, despite several wounds he received, he did not serve anything and retired the same as he was, that is, “from the nobles.” On the other hand, he acquired a reputation as a desperate brave man that in the Caucasus very easily, and an excellent hunter. "Mamon himself said this," the hunters said among themselves, "and this often resolved disputes. Mamonov's passion for hunting, over the years, took on incredible proportions: he resolutely lived for one hunt, risked his life for it ", spoiled his service, quarreled with the chiefs. In the regiment both soldiers and chiefs loved him; but both of them looked at him, it is true, as a man really brave, but the most careless and useless for service. In a word, he is from all hands fought back, even from the Tatars, who were afraid of him and called Sheitan-agach (forest devil). Mamonov walked, with his dogs, through the most dangerous places alone, several times met with the mountaineers and constantly happily got rid of them. Once, on a hunt, only his ear was shot off; but this time he killed two or three people."
The story "Plastun. From the memories of a prisoner" - April 2009
Fragments from the story:
"I never fired it; I don't like guns, I'm used to the bow. But now that everyone has a gun, remember that this is your main weapon and use it rarely. Do not shoot far, do not shoot close. When the enemy close, take out your sword and cut, but remember that when you are on a horse, it is a shame to cut on a horse: try to hit the rider and always cut backhand from left to right, then the enemy will always remain under your right hand; if he is left behind, try hard turn to the left and shoot while he also turns the horse. In general, whether you shoot or cut, never let go of the reins. If you are on foot and the enemy is on horseback, cut the horse; if you hit, it will throw off the rider, then take out the dagger, the last weapon. However, the Cossacks are more fond of meeting sheep or cattle than Circassians; they go to steal, not to fight. Just be careful. A good man should always be on the alert, and in a foreign side be afraid of every bush. afraid of nothing during the fight - say the old people.
"From a young age, I began to hunt with Atalik, who was a hawk: he always had 5 or 6 wonderful hawks, hunters, sakers and Kirghiz. At first I caught larks and various birds, chasing them with a hawk, then I began to put springs and kalevs4 and to catch pheasants, hares and partridges. I, I think, was no more than 8 years old when I started hunting, and I already spent whole nights sitting alone in the steppe. After that I hunted a lot, killed a lot of wild boars, wild goats, saigas, deer, aurochs, foxes and various animals, but even now I remember with pleasure how I then guarded the pheasants.
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 educator. You will learn more about all this from this.
But where he really succeeded was in keeping a 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 his younger brother to 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 the autobiographical story "Childhood", in which he masterfully described the memories of the first years of his life.
This work was an important event for compiling his biography.
After that, Leo Tolstoy writes the following story - "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 to his future wife in his premarital affairs.
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, their first serious conflict broke out, 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.
The most popular works of Tolstoy are "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 most famous novel, War and Peace, was born.
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.
"Resurrection"
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 the 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 the Christian religion in general. He began to publish his thoughts on these acute issues in the media outlet.
His main position was that the Christian teaching is good, but Jesus Christ himself seems to be unnecessary. That is why he decided to make his own translation of the Gospel.
In general, Tolstoy's religious views 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.
The definition of the Holy Synod is 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 they live on and earn by books is suffering, my shame. Let it be a shame, but what a weakening of the effect that the preaching of the truth could have had.
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 to his youngest daughter, Alexandra Lvovna, who fully sympathized with his views.
At the same time, an explanatory note was attached to the will that in fact these texts should not become someone's property, and V.G. takes over the authority to monitor the processes. Chertkov is a faithful follower and student of Tolstoy, who was supposed to take all the writings of the writer, 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 he has wasted most of his life, and the realization came too late.
In 1898, Lev Nikolaevich wrote the equally 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 a short story 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, there were serious flaws in his family life, which were especially aggravated in 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 his merciful judge.”
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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 Nikolayevich 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 of an autobiographical trilogy to the editors of Sovremennik: “ 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, but in ordinary times 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 issues 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 be ranked among the luminaries of the young literary school, along with Turgenev, Goncharov, Grigorovich, Ostrovsky, who already enjoyed loud literary fame at that time. Criticism - Apollon Grigoriev, Annenkov, Druzhinin, Chernyshevsky - appreciated the depth of psychological analysis, the seriousness of the author's intentions, and the bright convexity of realism, for all the veracity of the vividly grasped details of 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 suffering 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 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. ". He sent this last story 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. The song (Like on the fourth day, it was not easy to take the mountain to take us, etc.), which offended a number of important generals, was a huge success and, of course, damaged 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 a certain extent are the first sketch of that huge canvas, which 10 - 12 years later Lev Nikolayevich unfolded with such brilliant 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 the brave man of the moment a minute before and a minute later, the same person as everyone else, until circumstances demanded heroism from him. Lev Nikolaevich 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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