Russian writer, Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was born on September 9 (August 28, old style) 1828 in the Yasnaya Polyana estate, Krapivensky district, Tula province (now Shchekinsky district, Tula region).
Tolstoy was the fourth child in a large noble family. His mother, Maria Tolstaya (1790-1830), née Princess Volkonskaya, died when the boy was not yet two years old. Father, Nikolai Tolstoy (1794-1837), participant Patriotic War, also died early. A distant relative of the family, Tatyana Ergolskaya, was involved in raising the children.
When Tolstoy was 13 years old, the family moved to Kazan, to the house of Pelageya Yushkova, his father’s sister and the children’s guardian.
In 1844, Tolstoy entered Kazan University at the Department of Oriental Languages of the Faculty of Philosophy, then transferred to the Faculty of Law.
In the spring of 1847, having submitted a request for dismissal from the university “due to poor health and home circumstances,” he went to Yasnaya Polyana, where he tried to establish a new relationship with the peasants. Disappointed by his unsuccessful management experience (this attempt is depicted in the story “The Morning of the Landowner,” 1857), Tolstoy soon left first for Moscow, then for St. Petersburg. His lifestyle changed frequently during this period. Religious sentiments, reaching the point of asceticism, alternated with revelry, cards, and trips to the gypsies. It was then that his first unfinished literary sketches appeared.
In 1851, Tolstoy left for the Caucasus with his brother Nikolai, an officer Russian troops. He took part in hostilities (first voluntarily, then receiving an army position). Tolstoy sent the story “Childhood” written here to Sovremennik magazine without revealing his name. It was published in 1852 under the initials L.N. and, together with the later stories “Adolescence” (1852-1854) and “Youth” (1855-1857), formed autobiographical trilogy. Tolstoy's literary debut brought recognition.
Caucasian impressions were reflected in the story "Cossacks" (18520-1863) and in the stories "Raid" (1853), "Cutting Wood" (1855).
In 1854, Tolstoy went to the Danube front. Soon after the start of the Crimean War, at his personal request, he was transferred to Sevastopol, where the writer had the opportunity to survive the siege of the city. This experience inspired him to write his realistic Sevastopol Stories (1855-1856).
Soon after the end of hostilities, Tolstoy left military service and lived for some time in St. Petersburg, where he had great success in literary circles.
He joined the Sovremennik circle, met Nikolai Nekrasov, Ivan Turgenev, Ivan Goncharov, Nikolai Chernyshevsky and others. Tolstoy took part in dinners and readings, in the establishment of the Literary Fund, became involved in disputes and conflicts among writers, but felt like a stranger in this environment.
In the autumn of 1856 he left for Yasnaya Polyana, and at the beginning of 1857 he went abroad. Tolstoy visited France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, returned to Moscow in the fall, and then again to Yasnaya Polyana.
In 1859, Tolstoy opened a school for peasant children in the village, and also helped organize more than 20 similar establishments in the vicinity of Yasnaya Polyana. In 1860, he went abroad for the second time to get acquainted with the schools of Europe. In London, I often saw Alexander Herzen, visited Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, and studied pedagogical systems.
In 1862, Tolstoy began publishing the pedagogical magazine Yasnaya Polyana with reading books as an appendix. Later, in the early 1870s, the writer created "ABC" (1871-1872) and "New ABC" (1874-1875), for which he composed original stories and adaptations of fairy tales and fables, which made up four “Russian books for reading”.
The logic of the writer’s ideological and creative quest in the early 1860s was the desire to depict folk characters("Polikushka", 1861-1863), the epic tone of the narrative ("Cossacks"), attempts to turn to history to understand modernity (the beginning of the novel "Decembrists", 1860-1861) - led him to the idea of the epic novel "War and Peace" (1863-1869). The time of creation of the novel was a period of spiritual elation, family happiness and calm, solitary work. At the beginning of 1865, the first part of the work was published in the Russian Bulletin.
Another one was written in 1873-1877 great novel Tolstoy - "Anna Karenina" (published in 1876-1877). The problems of the novel directly led Tolstoy to the ideological “turning point” of the late 1870s.
At the height of his literary fame, the writer entered a period of deep doubts and moral quests. In the late 1870s and early 1880s, philosophy and journalism came to the fore in his work. Tolstoy condemns the world of violence, oppression and injustice, believes that it is historically doomed and must be radically changed in the near future. In his opinion, this can be achieved through peaceful means. Violence must be excluded from social life; it is opposed to non-resistance. Non-resistance was not understood, however, as an exclusively passive attitude towards violence. A whole system of measures was proposed to neutralize violence state power: position of non-participation in what supports the existing system - the army, courts, taxes, false teaching, etc.
Tolstoy wrote a number of articles that reflected his worldview: “On the census in Moscow” (1882), “So what should we do?” (1882-1886, published in full in 1906), "On Hunger" (1891, published on English language in 1892, in Russian - in 1954), "What is art?" (1897-1898), etc.
The writer’s religious and philosophical treatises are “A Study of Dogmatic Theology” (1879-1880), “The Connection and Translation of the Four Gospels” (1880-1881), “What is My Faith?” (1884), "The Kingdom of God is within you" (1893).
At this time, such stories as “Notes of a Madman” (work was carried out in 1884-1886, not completed), “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” (1884-1886), etc. were written.
In the 1880s, Tolstoy lost interest in artistic work and even condemned his previous novels and stories as lordly “fun.” He got carried away by the simple physical labor, plowed, sewed his own boots, switched to vegetarian food.
Home artistic work Tolstoy's novel "Resurrection" (1889-1899) in the 1890s, which embodied the whole range of problems that worried the writer.
As part of the new worldview, Tolstoy opposed Christian dogma and criticized the rapprochement between the church and the state. In 1901, the reaction of the Synod followed: the internationally recognized writer and preacher was officially excommunicated from the church, this caused a huge public outcry. The years of disruption also led to family discord.
Trying to bring my lifestyle into agreement with my beliefs and being burdened by everyday life landowner's estate, Tolstoy secretly left Yasnaya Polyana in the late autumn of 1910. The road turned out to be too much for him: on the way, the writer fell ill and was forced to stop at railway station Astapovo (now Lev Tolstoy station, Lipetsk region). Here, in the station master's house, he spent the last few days of his life. All of Russia followed reports about the health of Tolstoy, who by this time had gained worldwide fame not only as a writer, but also as a religious thinker.
On November 20 (November 7, old style), 1910, Leo Tolstoy died. His funeral in Yasnaya Polyana became a nationwide event.
Since December 1873, the writer was a corresponding member of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (now - Russian Academy Sciences), from January 1900 - an honorary academician in the category of fine literature.
For the defense of Sevastopol, Leo Tolstoy was awarded the Order of St. Anna, IV degree, with the inscription “For bravery” and other medals. Subsequently, he was also awarded medals “In memory of the 50th anniversary of the defense of Sevastopol”: silver as a participant in the defense of Sevastopol and bronze as the author of “Sevastopol Stories”.
Leo Tolstoy's wife was the daughter of a doctor, Sophia Bers (1844-1919), whom he married in September 1862. For a long time, Sofya Andreevna was a faithful assistant in his affairs: a copyist of manuscripts, a translator, a secretary, and a publisher of works. Their marriage produced 13 children, five of whom died in childhood.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was born in 1828, on September 9. The writer's family belonged to the noble class. After his mother died, Lev and his sisters and brothers were raised by their father's cousin. Their father died 7 years later. For this reason, the children were given to their aunt to raise. But soon the aunt died, and the children went to Kazan, to their second aunt. Tolstoy's childhood was difficult, but, however, in his works he romanticized this period of his life.
Lev Nikolaevich received his basic education at home. Soon he entered the Imperial Kazan University at the Faculty of Philology. But he was not successful in his studies.
While Tolstoy was serving in the army, he would have had quite a lot of free time. Even then he began to write an autobiographical story “Childhood”. This story contains good memories from the publicist's childhood.
Lev Nikolaevich also participated in Crimean War, and during this period he created a number of works: “Adolescence”, “Sevastopol Stories” and so on.
"Anna Karenina" is Tolstoy's most famous creation.
Leo Tolstoy fell asleep in eternal sleep in 1910, November 20th. He was interred in Yasnaya Polyana, in the place where he grew up.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy - famous writer, who created, in addition to recognized serious books, works useful for children. These were, first of all, “ABC” and “Book for Reading”.
He was born in 1828 in the Tula province on the Yasnaya Polyana estate, where his house-museum is still located. Leva became the fourth child in this noble family. His mother (nee a princess) soon died, and seven years later his father too. These terrible events led to the fact that the children had to move to their aunt in Kazan. Lev Nikolaevich will later collect memories of these and other years in the story “Childhood,” which will be the first to be published in the Sovremennik magazine.
At first, Lev studied at home with German and French teachers; he was also interested in music. He grew up and entered the Imperial University. Tolstoy's older brother convinced him to serve in the army. Leo even took part in real battles. They are described by him in “Sevastopol Stories”, in the stories “Adolescence” and “Youth”.
Tired of wars, he declared himself an anarchist and went to Paris, where he lost all his money. Having changed his mind, Lev Nikolaevich returned to Russia and married Sophia Burns. Since then, he began to live on his native estate and engage in literary creativity.
His first major work was the novel War and Peace. The writer took about ten years to compose it. The novel was well received by both readers and critics. Next, Tolstoy created the novel Anna Karenina, which received even greater public success.
Tolstoy wanted to understand life. Desperate to find an answer in creativity, he went to church, but was disappointed there too. Then he renounced the church and began to think about his philosophical theory- “non-resistance to evil.” He wanted to give all his property to the poor... Even the secret police began to follow him!
Having gone on a pilgrimage, Tolstoy fell ill and died in 1910.
Biography of Leo Tolstoy
IN different sources, the date of birth of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, is indicated in different ways. The most common versions are August 28, 1829 and September 9, 1828. Born the fourth child in a noble family, Russia, Tula province, Yasnaya Polyana. There were only 5 children in the Tolstoy family.
His family tree starts with the Ruriks, his mother belonged to the Volkonsky family, and his father was a count. At the age of 9, Lev and his father went to Moscow for the first time. Young writer I was so impressed that this trip gave rise to such works as “Childhood”, “Adolescence”, “Youth”.
In 1830, Lev's mother died. After the death of the mother, their uncle, the father’s cousin, took over the upbringing of the children, after whose death the aunt became their guardian. When the guardian aunt died, a second aunt from Kazan began to take care of the children. In 1873 my father died.
Tolstoy received his first education at home, with teachers. In Kazan, the writer lived for about 6 years, spent 2 years preparing to enter the Imperial Kazan University and was enrolled in the Faculty of Oriental Languages. In 1844 he became a university student.
Studying languages was not interesting for Leo Tolstoy, after which he tried to connect his destiny with jurisprudence, but his studies did not work out here either, so in 1847 he dropped out of school and received documents from the educational institution. After unsuccessful attempts study, decided to develop farming. In connection with this, he returned to his parents' home in Yasnaya Polyana.
I didn’t find myself in agriculture, but I wasn’t bad at it Personal diary. Having finished working in farming, I went to Moscow to focus on creativity, but all my plans have not yet been realized.
Very young, he managed to visit the war, together with his brother Nikolai. The course of military events had an impact on his work, this is noticeable in some works, for example, in the stories “Cossacks”, Hadji - Murat”, in the stories “Demoted”, Woodcutting”, “Raid”.
Since 1855, Lev Nikolaevich became a more skilled writer. At that time, the right of the serfs was relevant, which Leo Tolstoy wrote about in his stories: “Polikushka”, “Morning of the Landowner” and others.
The years 1857-1860 were full of travel. Under their impression, I prepared school textbooks and began to pay attention to the publication of a pedagogical magazine. In 1862, Leo Tolstoy married young Sophia Bers, the daughter of a doctor. Family life, at first, did him good, then the most famous works were written, War and Peace, Anna Karenina.
The mid-80s were fruitful, dramas, comedies, and novels were written. The writer was concerned about the theme of the bourgeoisie, he was on the side common people To express his thoughts on this matter, Leo Tolstoy created many works: “After the Ball,” “For What,” “The Power of Darkness,” “Sunday,” etc.
Roman, Sunday”, deserves special attention. To write it, Lev Nikolaevich had to work hard for 10 years. As a result, the work was criticized. Local authorities, they were so afraid of his pen that they put him under surveillance and were able to remove him from the church, but despite this, ordinary people supported Leo as best they could.
In the early 90s, Leo began to get sick. In the fall of 1910, at the age of 82, the writer’s heart stopped. It happened on the road: Leo Tolstoy was traveling on a train, he became ill and had to stop at the Astapovo railway station. The station chief gave shelter to the patient at home. After 7 days of visiting, the writer died.
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Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy - a great Russian writer, by birth - a count from the famous noble family. He was born on August 28, 1828 in the Yasnaya Polyana estate located in the Tula province, and died on October 7, 1910 at the Astapovo station.
The writer's childhood
Lev Nikolaevich was a representative of a large noble family, the fourth child in it. His mother, Princess Volkonskaya, died early. At this time, Tolstoy was not yet two years old, but he got an idea of his parent from stories various members families. In the novel "War and Peace" the image of the mother is represented by Princess Marya Nikolaevna Bolkonskaya.
Biography of Leo Tolstoy early years marked by another death. Because of her, the boy became an orphan. Leo Tolstoy's father, a participant in the War of 1812, like his mother, died early. This happened in 1837. At that time the boy was only nine years old. Leo Tolstoy's brothers, he and his sister, were entrusted to the upbringing of T. A. Ergolskaya, a distant relative who had enormous influence on the future writer. Childhood memories have always been the happiest for Lev Nikolaevich: family legends and impressions of life on the estate became rich material for his works, reflected, in particular, in the autobiographical story “Childhood.”
Study at Kazan University
Biography of Leo Tolstoy early years marked as such important event like studying at a university. When the future writer turned thirteen years old, his family moved to Kazan, to the house of the children’s guardian, a relative of Lev Nikolaevich P.I. Yushkova. In 1844, the future writer was enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy at Kazan University, after which he transferred to the Faculty of Law, where he studied for about two years: study did not arouse keen interest in the young man, so he devoted himself passionately to various social entertainments. Having submitted his resignation in the spring of 1847, due to poor health and “domestic circumstances,” Lev Nikolaevich left for Yasnaya Polyana with the intention of studying a full course of legal sciences and passing the exam as an external student, as well as learning languages, “practical medicine,” history, Agriculture, geographical statistics, study painting, music and write a dissertation.
Years of youth
In the fall of 1847, Tolstoy left for Moscow and then to St. Petersburg in order to pass candidate exams at the university. During this period, his lifestyle often changed: he either studied various subjects all day long, then devoted himself to music, but wanted to start a career as an official, or dreamed of joining a regiment as a cadet. Religious sentiments that reached the point of asceticism alternated with cards, carousing, and trips to the gypsies. The biography of Leo Tolstoy in his youth is colored by the struggle with himself and introspection, reflected in the diary that the writer kept throughout his life. During the same period, interest in literature arose, and the first artistic sketches appeared.
Participation in the war
In 1851, Nikolai, Lev Nikolaevich’s older brother, an officer, persuaded Tolstoy to go to the Caucasus with him. Lev Nikolaevich lived for almost three years on the banks of the Terek, in Cossack village, traveling to Vladikavkaz, Tiflis, Kizlyar, participating in hostilities (as a volunteer, and then was recruited). The patriarchal simplicity of the life of the Cossacks and the Caucasian nature struck the writer with their contrast with the painful reflection of representatives of educated society and the life of the noble circle, and provided extensive material for the story “Cossacks,” written in the period from 1852 to 1863 on autobiographical material. The stories “Raid” (1853) and “Cutting Wood” (1855) also reflected his Caucasian impressions. They also left a mark in his story “Hadji Murat,” written between 1896 and 1904, published in 1912.
Returning to his homeland, Lev Nikolayevich wrote in his diary that he really fell in love with this wild land, in which “war and freedom” are combined, things that are so opposite in their essence. Tolstoy began to create his story “Childhood” in the Caucasus and anonymously sent it to the magazine “Sovremennik”. This work appeared on its pages in 1852 under the initials L.N. and, along with the later “Adolescence” (1852-1854) and “Youth” (1855-1857), formed the famous autobiographical trilogy. His creative debut immediately brought real recognition to Tolstoy.
Crimean campaign
In 1854, the writer went to Bucharest, to the Danube Army, where the work and biography of Leo Tolstoy received further development. However, soon a boring staff life forced him to transfer to besieged Sevastopol, to the Crimean Army, where he was a battery commander, showing courage ( awarded with medals and the Order of St. Anna). During this period, Lev Nikolaevich was captured by new literary plans and impressions. He started writing" Sevastopol stories", which had great success. Some ideas that arose even at that time allow one to guess in the artillery officer Tolstoy the preacher later years: he dreamed of a new “religion of Christ,” purified of mystery and faith, a “practical religion.”
In St. Petersburg and abroad
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy arrived in St. Petersburg in November 1855 and immediately became a member of the Sovremennik circle (which included N. A. Nekrasov, A. N. Ostrovsky, I. S. Turgenev, I. A. Goncharov and others). He took part in the creation of the Literary Fund at that time, and at the same time became involved in conflicts and disputes among writers, but he felt like a stranger in this environment, which he conveyed in “Confession” (1879-1882). Having retired, in the fall of 1856 the writer left for Yasnaya Polyana, and then, at the beginning of the next year, 1857, he went abroad, visiting Italy, France, Switzerland (impressions from visiting this country are described in the story “Lucerne”), and also visited Germany. In the same year in the fall, Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich returned first to Moscow and then to Yasnaya Polyana.
Opening of a public school
In 1859, Tolstoy opened a school for peasant children in the village, and also helped establish more than twenty similar educational institutions in the Krasnaya Polyana area. In order to get acquainted with the European experience in this area and apply it in practice, the writer Leo Tolstoy again went abroad, visited London (where he met with A.I. Herzen), Germany, Switzerland, France, and Belgium. However, European schools somewhat disappoint him, and he decides to create his own pedagogical system based on personal freedom, publishes teaching aids and works on pedagogy, applies them in practice.
"War and Peace"
Lev Nikolaevich in September 1862 married Sofya Andreevna Bers, the 18-year-old daughter of a doctor, and immediately after the wedding he left Moscow for Yasnaya Polyana, where he devoted himself entirely to household concerns and family life. However, already in 1863, he was again captured by a literary idea, this time creating a novel about the war, which was supposed to reflect Russian history. Leo Tolstoy was interested in the period of our country's struggle with Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century.
In 1865, the first part of the work “War and Peace” was published in the Russian Bulletin. The novel immediately evoked many responses. Subsequent parts provoked heated debate, in particular, the fatalistic philosophy of history developed by Tolstoy.
"Anna Karenina"
This work was created in the period from 1873 to 1877. Living in Yasnaya Polyana, continuing to teach peasant children and publish his pedagogical views, Lev Nikolaevich in the 70s worked on a work about the life of his contemporary high society, building his novel on the contrast of two storylines: family drama Anna Karenina and the home idyll of Konstantin Levin, close and psychological drawing, both in convictions and in the way of life of the writer himself.
Tolstoy strove for an externally non-judgmental tone of his work, thereby paving the way for the new style of the 80s, in particular folk stories. The truth of peasant life and the meaning of existence of representatives of the “educated class” - these are the range of questions that interested the writer. “Family thought” (according to Tolstoy, the main one in the novel) is translated into a social channel in his work, and Levin’s self-exposures, numerous and merciless, his thoughts about suicide are an illustration of what he experienced in the 1880s spiritual crisis author, which matured while working on this novel.
1880s
In the 1880s, Leo Tolstoy's work underwent a transformation. The revolution in the writer’s consciousness was reflected in his works, primarily in the experiences of the characters, in the spiritual insight that changes their lives. Such heroes occupy a central place in such works as “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” (years of creation - 1884-1886), “The Kreutzer Sonata” (a story written in 1887-1889), “Father Sergius” (1890-1898), drama "The Living Corpse" (left unfinished, begun in 1900), as well as the story "After the Ball" (1903).
Tolstoy's journalism
Tolstoy's journalism reflects him emotional drama: depicting pictures of the idleness of the intelligentsia and social inequality, Lev Nikolaevich raised questions of faith and life before society and himself, criticized the institutions of the state, going so far as to deny art, science, marriage, court, and the achievements of civilization.
The new worldview is presented in “Confession” (1884), in the articles “So what should we do?”, “On hunger”, “What is art?”, “I cannot remain silent” and others. The ethical ideas of Christianity are understood in these works as the foundation of the brotherhood of man.
As part of a new worldview and a humanistic understanding of the teachings of Christ, Lev Nikolaevich spoke out, in particular, against the dogma of the church and criticized its rapprochement with the state, which led to him being officially excommunicated from the church in 1901. This caused a huge resonance.
Novel "Sunday"
Mine last novel Tolstoy wrote between 1889 and 1899. It embodies the entire range of problems that worried the writer during the years of his spiritual turning point. Dmitry Nekhlyudov, main character, is a person internally close to Tolstoy, who goes through the path of moral purification in the work, ultimately leading him to comprehend the need for active good. The novel is built on a system of evaluative oppositions that reveal the unreasonableness of the structure of society (falsity social world and the beauty of nature, the falsehood of the educated population and the truth of the peasant world).
last years of life
The life of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy in last years was not easy. The spiritual turning point turned into a break with one’s environment and family discord. The refusal to own private property, for example, caused discontent among the writer’s family members, especially his wife. The personal drama experienced by Lev Nikolaevich was reflected in his diary entries.
In the fall of 1910, at night, secretly from everyone, 82-year-old Leo Tolstoy, whose life dates were presented in this article, accompanied only by his attending physician D.P. Makovitsky, left the estate. The journey turned out to be too much for him: on the way, the writer fell ill and was forced to disembark at the Astapovo railway station. Lev Nikolaevich spent the last week of his life in a house that belonged to her boss. The whole country was following reports about his health at that time. Tolstoy was buried in Yasnaya Polyana; his death caused a huge public outcry.
Many contemporaries came to say goodbye to this great Russian writer.
Where did Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy study? and got the best answer
Answer from Zulfiya Usmanov[newbie]
Tolstoy's education first proceeded under the guidance of the rude French tutor Saint-Thomas (Mr. Jerome from Boyhood), who replaced the good-natured German Reselman, whom Tolstoy so lovingly portrayed in Childhood under the name Karl Ivanovich.
At the age of 15, in 1843, Tolstoy, following his brother Dmitry, became a student at Kazan University, one of the leading universities of that time, where the famous Lobachevsky and Kovalevsky were professors at the Faculty of Mathematics. Until 1847, he was preparing here to enter the only Oriental Faculty in Russia at that time in the category of Arabic-Turkish literature. In the entrance exams, in particular, he showed excellent results in the “Turkish-Tatar language” required for admission.
Because of a conflict between his family and his teacher Russian history and German, by a certain Ivanov, Leo Tolstoy, based on the results of the year, had poor performance in the relevant subjects and had to re-take the first-year program. To avoid repeating the course completely, he transferred to the Faculty of Law, where his problems with grades in Russian history and German continued.
Source:
Answer from Anastasia Kozhukhova[expert]
In 1844, Lev Nikolaevich began studying at Kazan University, at the Faculty of Philosophy in the category of Oriental Literature. Soon, a year later, he transferred to the Faculty of Law. Without graduating from university, Lev Nikolaevich decided to leave Kazan with his brothers, who had already completed their studies by that time.
Answer from Proslav Vilkin[newbie]
the name of the university was not indicated
Answer from 3 answers[guru]
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Where did Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy study?
Tolstoy. Please post a chronology of the life of L.N. Tolstoy! Preferably short. Or at least a very short biography
Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich (August 28, 1828, Yasnaya Polyana estate, Tula province - November 7
“My good aunt... would like nothing more for me than for me to have a connection with married woman»
After the death of their parents in September 1841, the Tolstoy brothers moved to Kazan to live with their aunt Yushkova, who took custody of the children. Levushka, the future great writer, was 13 years old at that time. He spent almost 6 years here, becoming a university student, but was expelled for poor academic performance and, let's say, unsatisfactory behavior. BUSINESS Online invites readers to get acquainted with a story that until recently was classified in order not to discredit National treasure countries.
THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TOLSTOY IN KAZAN
“Lev Nikolaevich was not the first of the Tolstoy family to live in Kazan. His great-grandfather Andrei Ivanovich Tolstoy, writes the scientific and documentary magazine “Gasyrlar Avazy - Echo of Centuries” of the State Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan on Archival Affairs, “served here in 1754-1759 as an akhund-major, and later as a governor in Sviyazhsk. Lev Nikolaevich’s grandfather, Count Ilya Andreevich Tolstoy (1757–1820), spent his youth here, and subsequently, from May 15, 1815, was governor for almost five years; buried in the cemetery of the Kizichesky Monastery. Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy, the writer’s father, visited Kazan repeatedly and for a long time, and his sister, Pelageya Ilyinichna, after she married the hussar colonel of the Kazan landowner Yushkov, became a native Kazan resident.
Leo Tolstoy lost his mother early. In 1837, the family moved to Moscow: the eldest son had to prepare to enter university. But soon the father suddenly died, leaving affairs in a rather disorganized state, and the three younger children again settled in Yasnaya Polyana under the supervision of Ergalskaya and their paternal aunt, Countess Osten-Sacken. After her death in the fall of 1841, the Tolstoy brothers - Sergei, Dmitry and 13-year-old Levushka - arrived in Kazan in the care of Aunt Yushkova. “My good aunt,” Tolstoy said, “a pure being, always said that she would like nothing more for me than for me to have a relationship with a married woman: nothing shapes young man, as a connection with a woman of a decent circle. She wished me another happiness: that I should be an adjutant and best of all with the sovereign, that I should marry a rich girl and that I should have as many slaves as possible.” From this we can see what influence such a teacher could have had on the boy’s worldview.”
“BUT HE DID NOT HAVE EXTERNAL DATA”
During this period of life, two leading principles in nature Lev Tolstoy- enormous pride and the desire to achieve something real, to know the truth - entered into a struggle. He passionately wanted to shine in the world, to earn the reputation of a young man comme il faut. But he did not have the external qualities for this: he was ugly, awkward, and, in addition, he was hampered by natural shyness. At the same time, there was tension in him inner work associated with the formation of strict moral ideal. Everything that is told in “Adolescence” and “Youth” - about the aspirations of Irtenev and Nekhlyudov for self-improvement - was taken by Tolstoy from the history of his own ascetic attempts. The most varied, as Tolstoy himself defines them, “thoughts about the most important questions of our existence” - happiness, death, God, love, eternity - painfully tormented him at that time in his life when his peers and brothers were completely devoted to the cheerful, easy and carefree pastime of the rich and noble people. All this led to Tolstoy developing a “habit of constant moral analysis, which destroyed the freshness of feeling and clarity of reason.” It was during the Kazan period that that painful spiritual struggle with the contradictions of life arose, the struggle that Tolstoy waged throughout his life.
Tolstoy's aunt chose a diplomatic career for him, and specially hired teachers were supposed to prepare him for the entrance exams. The point is that on average educational institution Tolstoy did not study. However, the tutors were unable to give the young man serious knowledge and did not instill an interest in science. In the spring of 1844, Levushka received two units in the entrance exams - in history and geography. A statement from Leo Tolstoy has been preserved with a request to retake these exams. Whether he was examined a second time or not is unknown, but since the fall of 1844, Lev Nikolaevich has been a student in the eastern department of the Faculty of Philosophy at Kazan University. Subsequently, Tolstoy transferred to the Faculty of Law.
“DIVIDED THE WHOLE WORLD INTO TWO CAMPS: “COMILFAULT” and “NECOMILFAULT”
According to Zagoskin ( Nikolay Pavlovich Zagoskin(1851–1912) - historian of Russian law, public figure, local historian, author of many books on the history of Kazan, rector of the Imperial Kazan University from 1906 to 1909 — approx. ed.), V student years Tolstoy plunged headlong “into the abyss of the cheerful, but at the same time empty and meaningless Kazan high society life.” Having put on a student uniform and a sword, young Tolstoy thereby entered the category of “adult” young people and was immediately captured torrent high-society noble life, replete with balls, amateur performances, live paintings, skiing from the mountains with young ladies and similar amusements.
Lev Nikolaevich, Yushkova, popular in Kazan aristocratic society, was, of course, a welcome guest in all the noble salons of Kazan, which flattered his pride. At that time, with a kind of painfully intense attention, he watched his appearance, his impeccable French pronunciation and secular manners. To become “comme il faut” was what motivated him. He himself later recalled that he divided the whole world into two camps: “come me il faut” and “neko mil faut”. Aunt Yushkova completely indulged all these sentiments.
According to the recollections of a fellow student, Tolstoy “had the appearance of a rake, he sat on the top bench in large audiences, which signified his intention to listen to the lecture as little as possible.” However, Tolstoy successfully passed the six-month exams, but was not allowed to take the spring exams. Professor of Russian History Ivanov shortly before he married second cousin Lev Nikolaevich, Alexandra Tolstoy; Serious quarrels soon followed between relatives. The vengeful Ivanov began to complain intensely about Tolstoy the student to his superiors. At a meeting of the faculty council, he demanded that he be left without exams for the second year of his first year “due to very rare attendance at lectures and complete failure in history.” Subsequently, Lev Nikolaevich recalled on this occasion: “The first year I was not promoted from the first to the second year by the professor of Russian history Ivanov, shortly before quarreling with my family, despite the fact that I had not missed a single lecture and knew Russian history.”
Not wanting to stay on the same course again, Lev Nikolaevich decided to transfer to the Faculty of Law. The forced choice was not the best. “The Faculty of Law,” recalled one of the then university professors, Mikhailov, “consisted of a random selection of professors who were notable for their mediocrity...” Lectures were given from yellowed notebooks that were many years old, and many foreign professors could not speak a word of Russian. But in 1845, serious changes took place at the faculty. Department civil law occupied by a young talented scientist Dmitry Meyer. He belonged to the number advanced people of its time.
“TOLSTOY STUDYED VERY LITTLELY, RECEIVED D2’s AND ONE’S”
Under Meyer's guidance, Tolstoy began work on a comparison of Montesquieu's The Spirit of the Laws. While studying this topic, he discovered a new area of independent scientific work and the opportunity to enjoy the consciousness of the power of one’s acute “ critical thought" The traditions of studying at the Faculty of Philosophy were continued; Tolstoy studied very little, receiving twos and ones in the exams. In fact, he was only enrolled at the university.
The fact is that a critical approach to official science began to develop in him; it seemed pointless to him to cram dry dates, to take on faith the words of the textbook and professors. Tolstoy decided to break with the university and on April 12, 1847, filed a petition to be expelled from the student body. Soon he left Kazan and went to Yasnaya Polyana.
Despite his failure at the university, Kazan gave a lot to Tolstoy both as a person and as a future writer. Many impressions and experiences of the Kazan period of life were later reflected in autobiographical stories(“Adolescence”) and (“Youth”). An event took place in Kazan that had a great influence on writer's destiny Lev Nikolaevich. His brother is here Sergey met the daughter of a military commander Andrei Petrovich KoreyshAnd, Varvara Andreevna with whom he fell in love. One day after a ball, at which the daughter and father made a strong impression on the young man, he, unable to sleep, went for a walk around the city and came to the house where Koreisha lived. Having walked a little more, he saw a terrible scene: the regimental commander who had charmed him the day before was in charge of a ferocious reprisal: driving a Tatar soldier through the ranks. As a result of these Kazan impressions of his brother, Leo Tolstoy subsequently created his masterpiece “After the Ball”...
From March 11, 1847, Tolstoy was in a Kazan hospital; on March 17, he began to keep a diary, where, imitating Benjamin Franklin, he set goals and objectives for self-improvement, noted successes and failures in completing these tasks, analyzed his shortcomings and train of thoughts, motives of your actions. He kept this diary with short breaks throughout his life.
Prepared by Mikhail Birin
Petition from Count L. Tolstoy to the rector of Kazan University N.I. Lobachevsky about admission to the additional exam
In May of this year, I, together with students of the First and Second Kazan gymnasiums, were tested with the aim of enrolling in the number of students of the Kazan University in the category of Arabic-Turkish literature. But how during this test he did not provide adequate information in history and statistics; So I humbly ask Your Excellency to allow me now to take an examination in these subjects again.
At the same time, I have the honor to present the following documents: 1) metric certificate from the Tula Consistory; 2) a copy of the resolution of the Tula Noble Deputy Assembly on August 3, 1844.
The above-mentioned petitioner, Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, added his hand to this petition.
It is determined: Tolstoy is to be admitted to the university as a self-paid student in the category of Turkish literature in the 1st year, about which the department of science inspector of the department is to be notified.
(Spelling and punctuation of the original source have been preserved.)