Tolstoy Lion Nikolaevich

Main article: Writers and poets of Russia

Biography

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was born on September 9 (August 28, old style) in 1828.

Paired photo portrait - Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy with his older brother, writer, officer, participant in the war in the Caucasus - Count Nikolai Nikolaevich Tolstoy, photographer: Karl Peter Mather, 1851.

1852: The novel "Childhood" is published in the journal "Sovremennik"

Tolstoy's path to large literature lay through the Nekrasov Sovremennik. It was on its pages in the September issue of 1852 that the story "Childhood" was first published, which was published under the changed title - "The Story of My Childhood," which Tolstoy categorically did not like, which he did not fail to inform the publisher about. In a letter dated November 27, 1852, Tolstoy explained that the title "Childhood" and several words of the preface "explained the idea of ​ ​ the composition; the title of the Story of My Childhood, on the contrary, contradicts it. Who cares about the story of my childhood? The last change is especially unpleasant to me, because as I wrote to you in my first letter, I wanted Childhood to be the first part of the novel, which the following - should be: Adolescence, Youth and Youth. "

Misunderstandings were resolved, Nekrasov reacted to the young talent with all the attention and sensitivity that he was only capable of.

1854: The story "Adolescence" is published in the journal "Sovremennik"

In the fall of 1854, the story "Adolescence" was published in the journal "Sovremennik."

Journal "Sovremennik" 1854, No. 10

On the eve of the publication, in the summer of 1854, Nekrasov sends Tolstoy, at his request, two books of Sovremennik, in which the works of the novice writer were published: No. 9,1852 ("The Story of My Childhood") and No. 3,1853 (the story "Raid"). Along the way, Nikolai Alekseevich does not skimp on praise for Tolstoy's new work:

"If I say that I cannot clean up the expressions, how to praise your last thing enough, then it seems that this will be the truest thing that I can say the<…> talent of the author of" Adolescence "is distinctive and sympathetic in the highest degree and that such things as describing the summer road and thunderstorms, or sitting in a casemate, and much, much will give this story a long life in our literature."

N.A. Nekrasov - L.N. Tolstoy July 10, 1854

After reading the above lines, Tolstoy will write in his diary of August 24, 1854: "I received a flattering letter about Adolescence from Nekrasov, which, as always, raised my spirit and encouraged me to continue my studies."

In October 1854, "Sovremennik" prints "Adolescence," still intriguing readers with the cryptic signature "L.N.T." instead of the author's name. The publication is accompanied by the following note:

"In Sovremennik 1852, No. 9, a story was placed called" Childhood, "which no doubt remained in the memory of the readers of the magazine. This story was actually the beginning of the novel, which is the general title of "Four Eras of Development." Now we present the second part of this novel, which, like the first, has interest and as a separate whole. "

However, it was not possible to avoid censorship edits this time.

"It can be seen that your fate is such that the" Boyhood "in the press was subjected to significant and offensive cuts. There were several censorship stories, reprimands - and our censor, like others, was attacked by panic fear, as a result of which he smeared more than he should. It goes without saying that all efforts were used to defend what was possible; to happiness, as you will notice, the best things all survived in an unspoiled form. "

N.A. Nekrasov - L.N. Tolstoy November 2, 1854

Nekrasov is noticeably nervous, realizing what the reaction will be to the censorship edits of the young author, is afraid to injure his pride, justifies himself and tries to smooth out the unpleasant sediment with a warm word of support and admiration:

"This thing has produced in the reading world what is called the effect, and as for writers, of course, who understand, they confess that for a very long time there has been nothing like this in Russian literature. Really, a good thing.'

1857: The third part of Tolstoy's novel, Youth, is published in Sovremennik

Censorship obstacles did not destroy the cooperation of Tolstoy and Nekrasov. In 1857, Sovremennik No. 1 will release the third part of Tolstoy's novel, Youth, which will be the final one. The fourth part - "Youth," was never ^[1]

Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy with his family at the tea table in the park. Clear Polyana. 1892

1895: First meeting with Anton Chekhov

The first meeting between Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy took place in August 1895. Chekhov came to Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana.

The next meeting took place six months later with a little.

Leo Tolstoy at the game of tennis, 1896

Leo Tolstoy learns to ride a bicycle, 1896

Leo Tolstoy learned to ride a bicycle at the age of 67. And he even received rights, without which it was forbidden to move around big in Moscow.

Leo Tolstoy with his relatives under the "tree of the poor," September 23, 1899.

1900: Acquaintance with Maxim Gorky in Yasnaya Polyana

Writers Maxim Gorky and Leo Tolstoy. Yasnaya Polyana, October 8, 1900

Leo Tolstoy o Maxim Gorky:

"An evil man. He looks like a seminarian who was forcibly tonsured a monk and this made him angry at everything. He has a spied soul, he came from somewhere in someone else's land, Canaan land, looks closely at everything, notices everything and informs about everything to some god. And his god is a freak, like a gobble or a water village woman. "

Maxim Gorky o Leo Tolstoy:

"Bo Leo Nikolaevich has a lot of things that sometimes caused me a feeling close to hatred for him, and overturned on the soul with oppressive weight. His exorbitant personality is a monstrous phenomenon, almost ugly, there is something about him from Svyatogor the hero who the earth does not hold. "

Leo Tolstoy on the way from Moscow to Yasnaya Polyana.

1901: Meeting with Chekhov in Crimea

In 1901, Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy met in the Crimea. Chekhov visited Tolstoy in Gaspra. 

Anton Chekhov visiting Leo Tolstoy, Gaspra, 1901.

The last meeting between the writers took place in the winter, when Tolstoy was seriously ill. 

Even friendly correspondence did not begin between Tolstoy and Chekhov, since personal acquaintance was late, and meetings were brief and few. 

​​Pervaya color photograph published in Russia appeared in the Notes of the Russian Technical Society in 1908. This is a portrait of Leo Tolstoy by the pioneer of Russian color photography Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky. He took the first color pictures presumably as early as 1902.

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy and his daughter - Tatiana. Russian Empire. 1900s.

"Bo sleep saw that my wife loved me. Nothing like in reality "- Leo Tolstoy. Diary entries

Leo Tolstoy near the terrace of the house in Yasnaya Polyana. May 1, 1908.

Leo Tolstoy with his family in 1908

The village of Krekshino, now Moscow. Leo Tolstoy on a walk. 1909

1909. Leo Tolstoy plays in the towns in the Yasnaya Polyana estate.

L.N. Tolstoy and V.F. Bulgakov (the last secretary of L.N. Tolstoy). Cochets. Tula province. Photo by T.A.Tapsely. 1910

1911: Posthumous publication and production of the play "Living Corpse" in several countries

Living Corpse is a play by Leo Tolstoy, written in 1900 and published posthumously. Despite the fact that the plot of the work is brought to a logical denouement, it cannot be considered complete: the author interrupted work on the play, leaving it at the draft stage. This is confirmed by the words from the writer's letter to V. G. Chertkov dated December 12, 1900: "I, joking, or, rather, indulging, wrote it in writing, but not only do I not think to end and print it now, but I really doubt that I will ever do it."

Theaters and filmmakers competed for the right to stage the play, which was reflected in the caricature of the 1910s, which until 2023 did not have an author.

Caricature of Alexander Lyubimov "Not a flock of ravens flew..." (Above "The Living Corpse"). From the collection of the Bakhrushinsky Museum.

Cartoon researcher Alexei Naumov suggested his attribution. Together with a researcher at the Bakhrushinsky Theater Museum, the authorship of the Russian artist, graphic artist Alexander Mikhailovich Lyubimov (1879-1955), who painted portraits, genre and historical compositions, landscapes, and also known for his works in the genre of political caricature, was established. Researchers agreed that the style and manner of writing the drawing is similar to other works of the artist, which are stored in the Bakhrushin collection.

In the course of the study of the museum object, the name of the caricature "Critics in the form of a pack of crows on the corpse of L.N. Tolstoy" was clarified and changed to "Not a pack of crows flew..." (Above "The Living Corpse"). The updated title more accurately reveals the content of the caricature. The drawing of Alexander Lyubimov in visual satirical language demonstrates the competition of the Art, Alexandrinsky Theater and film entrepreneurs in the struggle for the right to stage L.N. Tolstoy's drama "Living Corpse."

The premiere took place at the Moscow Art Theater on September 23 (October 5), 1911. The main directors were Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and Konstantin Stanislavsky. Soon the production took place in St. Petersburg. Since the text was translated into many languages, productions were also held in Berlin, Vienna, Paris and London.

An English-language production in London on December 6, 1912, was titled The Man Who Was Dead; translation by Zinaida Vengerova and John Pollock), in the production of the theater of the Literary Society. The play was staged by A. Andreev, who came from the Royal Theater in Belgrade. Edmond Breon played Fyodor, Violet Lewis played Lisa, Laurence Anderson played Victor, Lydia Jaworska played Masha, and Anthony Ward played Prince Abrezkov.