Lev Tolstoy - the most famous Russian writer, famous all over the world for his works.

short biography

Born in 1828 in the Tula province into a noble family. He spent his childhood in the Yasnaya Polyana estate, where he received his primary education at home. He had three brothers and a sister. He was brought up by his guardians, so in early childhood his mother died at the birth of his sister, and later, in 1840, his father, because of which the whole family moved to relatives in Kazan. There he studied at Kazan University at two faculties, but decided to quit his studies and return to his native places.

Tolstoy spent two years in the army in the Caucasus. He bravely participated in several battles and was even awarded an order for the defense of Sevastopol. He could have had a good military career, but he wrote several songs ridiculing the military command, as a result of which he had to leave the army.

At the end of the 50s, Lev Nikolayevich went to travel across Europe and returned to Russia after the abolition of serfdom. Even during his travels, he was disappointed with the European way of life, as he saw a very large contrast between the rich and the poor. That is why, returning to Russia, he was glad that the peasants were now uplifted.

He got married, 13 children were born in the marriage, 5 of whom died in childhood. His wife, Sophia, helped her husband, rewriting in neat handwriting all the creations of her husband.

He opened several schools, in which he furnished everything as he wanted. He himself made up the school curriculum - or rather, the absence of such. Discipline did not play a key role for him, he wanted the children to be drawn to knowledge themselves, so the main task of the teacher was to interest the students so that they would want to learn.

He was excommunicated for the fact that Tolstoy put forward his theories about what the church should be. Just a month before his death, he decided to secretly leave his native estate. As a result of the trip, he became very ill and died on November 7, 1910. The writer was buried in Yasnaya Polyana near the ravine, where he loved to play as a child with his brothers.

Literary contributions

Lev Nikolayevich began to write while studying at the University - basically it was homework compared to various literary works... It is believed that it was because of literature that he dropped out of school - he wanted to devote all his free time to reading.

In the army, he worked on his "Sevastopol Stories", and also, as already mentioned, wrote songs for his colleagues. Upon returning from the army, he took part in a literary circle in St. Petersburg, from where he went to Europe. He noticed the peculiarities of people well and tried to reflect this in his works.

Tolstoy wrote many different works, but gained worldwide fame thanks to two novels - "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina", in which he accurately reflected the life of people of those times.

The contribution of this great writer to world culture huge - it was thanks to him that many people learned about Russia. His works are published to this day, they stage performances and films.

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short biography Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy. Born in 1828 into an aristocratic family. Father, Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy - a retired lieutenant colonel of the Pavlograd hussar regiment, a participant in the Patriotic War. Mother - Princess Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya.

The parents of the future writer died early, his mother when he was 2 years old, and his father when he was 9 years old. The orphaned five children were raised by guardian relatives.

In 1844-46. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy tried to study at the university, but studies were given to him with great difficulty, and he dropped out of school. After that, the count lived on his estate for four years, trying to build relationships with the peasants in a new way; contributed to the opening of new schools in the villages.

At the same time, he sometimes came to Moscow, where he indulged in gambling, which more than once undermined his financial situation. After another major loss, in 1851 he went to the army in the Caucasus, where his older brother was serving at that time.

It was in the Caucasus that Lev Nikolaevich discovered his need for creativity. He created the autobiographical story "Childhood" and sent the manuscript (simply signed: "LNT") to the trial of Nikolai Nekrasov, famous poet and the publisher of the authoritative literary monthly Sovremennik. He published the story, calling Tolstoy "a new and reliable talent" in Russian literature.

For five years Tolstoy served as an artillery officer. First, he takes part in the Chechen campaign, then in battles with the Turks on the Danube, then in the Crimea, where he heroically showed himself during the defense of Sevastopol, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Anna.

All his free time from service he gives to creativity. "Boyhood" and "Youth", the following parts of the autobiographical trilogy, were also published in Sovremennik and became very popular. Few of the writers managed to so subtly explore the mental life of a person and at the same time convey all this in such a simple and light syllable.

Vivid and interesting scenes from the army and military life of Tolstoy were reflected in his "Cossacks", "Hadji Murad", "Logging", "Raid", and especially - in the magnificent "Sevastopol stories".

After his resignation, Tolstoy set off on a long journey through Europe. Returning home, he devoted himself entirely to public education. He helped in the opening of 20 rural schools in the Tula province, at the school in Yasnaya Polyana he taught himself, compiled alphabets and educational books for children. In 1862 he married 18-year-old Sophia Bers, and in 1863 he returned to literary activity and began work on his greatest work, the epic novel War and Peace.

Tolstoy approached his work extremely responsibly, having studied thousands of sources about Patriotic War 1812: memoirs, letters of contemporaries and participants in the events. The first part was published in 1865, and the writer finished the novel only in 1869.

The novel amazed and continues to amaze readers by combining an epic picture of historical events with the living destinies of people, a deep penetration into the emotional experiences and throwing of people. The novel Anna Karenina (1873-77) became the second world-recognized work of the writer.

In the last decades of the XIX century. Tolstoy philosophized a lot on the topic of faith and the meaning of life. These searches were reflected in his religious treatises, in which he tried to understand the essence of Christianity and convey its principles in understandable language.

Tolstoy put at the forefront the moral purification and self-improvement of the individual, as well as the principle of non-resistance to evil by violence. The writer criticized the official Orthodox Church for its dogmatism and close relationship with the state, for which the Synod excommunicated him from the church.

But despite this, until the end of his life, followers of his religious and moral teachings came from all over the country to Tolstoy. The writer did not stop his work to support rural schools.

In the last years of his life, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy decided to give up all private property, which caused the discontent of his wife and children. Offended by them, at the age of 82, he decided to leave home, took a train, but soon caught a bad cold and died. It happened in 1910.

Lev Nikolaevich went down in history not only as a genius worldwide famous writer, but also as a great teacher, theologian and preacher of Christianity.

The great Russian writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is known for the authorship of many works, namely: War and Peace, Anna Karenina and others. The study of his biography and work continues to this day.

The philosopher and writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was born into a noble family. He inherited the title of count from his father. His life began on a large family estate in Yasnaya Polyana, Tula province, which left a significant imprint on his future destiny.

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Leo Tolstoy's life

He was born on September 9, 1828. Even as a child, Leo experienced many difficult moments in life. After his parents died, he and his sisters were raised by their aunts. After her death, when he was 13 years old, he had to move to Kazan to a distant relative under the care. Leo's primary education took place at home. At the age of 16 he entered the philological faculty of Kazan University. However, it was impossible to say that he was successful in his studies. This forced Tolstoy to move to an easier, law faculty. After 2 years, he returned to Yasnaya Polyana, never having mastered the granite of science to the end.

Due to the changeable nature of Tolstoy, he tried himself in different industries, interests and priorities changed frequently. The work was interspersed with lingering binges and revelry. During this period, they were endowed with many debts, with which they had to pay off for a long time in the future. The only addiction of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, which has been steadily preserved for the rest of his life, is keeping a personal diary. From there he later drew the most interesting ideas for his works.

Tolstoy was partial to music. His favorite composers are Bach, Schumann, Chopin and Mozart. At a time when Tolstoy had not yet formed the main position regarding his future, he succumbed to the persuasions of his brother. At his instigation, he went to serve in the army as a cadet. During the service he was forced to participate in the year 1855.

The early works of L. N. Tolstoy

As a junker, he had enough free time to start his creative activity... During this period, Leo began to deal with an autobiographical story called Childhood. For the most part, it set out the facts that happened to him when he was still a child. The story was sent for consideration to the Sovremennik magazine. It was approved and released in circulation in 1852.

After the first publication, Tolstoy was noticed and began to be equated with significant personalities of that time, namely: I. Turgenev, I. Goncharov, A. Ostrovsky and others.

In the same army years, he began work on the Cossacks story, which he completed in 1862. The second work after Childhood was Adolescence, then - Sevastopol stories. He was engaged in them while participating in the Crimean battles.

Euro-trip

In 1856 LN Tolstoy left military service with the rank of lieutenant. I decided to travel for a while. First he went to Petersburg, where he was given a warm welcome. There he established friendly contacts with the popular writers of that period: N. A. Nekrasov, I. S. Goncharov, I. I. Panaev and others. They showed a genuine interest in him and took part in his fate. At this time Blizzard and Two Hussars were written.

Having lived for 1 year a cheerful and carefree life, ruining relations with many members of the literary circle, Tolstoy decides to leave this city. In 1857, he began his journey through Europe.

Leo did not like Paris at all and left a heavy mark on his soul. From there he went to Lake Geneva. Having visited many countries, he returned to Russia with a load of negative emotions... Who and what struck him so? Most likely - this is a too sharp polarity between wealth and poverty, which was covered by the feigned magnificence of European culture. And it was seen everywhere.

L.N. Tolstoy writes the story Albert, continues to work on the Cossacks, wrote the story Three Deaths and Family Happiness. In 1859 he stopped working with Sovremennik. At the same time, Tolstoy began to notice changes in his personal life, when the plans were to marry a peasant woman Aksinya Bazykina.

After the death of his older brother, Tolstoy went on a trip to the south of France.

Homecoming

1853 to 1863 him literary activity suspended due to leaving home. There he decided to take up farming. At the same time, Leo himself carried out active educational activities among the village population. He created a school for peasant children and began teaching according to his own method.

In 1862, he himself created a pedagogical journal called Yasnaya Polyana. Under his leadership, 12 editions were published, which were not appreciated at that time. Their nature was as follows - he alternated theoretical articles with fables and stories for children of primary education.

Six years from his life from 1863 to 1869, went to write the main masterpiece - War and Peace. The next on the list was the novel Anna Karenina. It took another 4 years. During this period, his worldview was fully formed and resulted in a direction called Tolstoyism. The foundations of this religious and philosophical trend are set forth in the following works of Tolstoy:

• Confession.
• Kreutzer Sonata.
• Study of dogmatic theology.
• About life.
• Christian teaching and others.

The main focus in them it is placed on the moral dogmas of human nature and their improvement. He called for forgiving those who bring us evil and refusing to use violence when achieving their goal.

In Yasnaya Polyana, the flow of admirers of Leo Tolstoy's work did not stop, looking for support and a mentor in him. In 1899, the novel The Resurrection was published.

Social activity

Returning from Europe, he received an invitation to become the guardian of the Krapivinsky district of the Tula province. He actively joined the active process of protecting the rights of the peasantry, often going against the tsar's decrees. This work broadened Leo's horizons. Faced closer to peasant life, he began to better understand all the subtleties... The information received later helped him in literary work.

The flowering of creativity

Before writing the novel War and Peace, Tolstoy took up another novel - the Decembrists. Tolstoy repeatedly returned to it, but could not complete it. In 1865, a small excerpt from War and Peace appeared in the Russian Bulletin. After 3 years, three more parts came out, and then all the rest. This created a real sensation in the Russian and foreign literature... In the novel the most in detail different segments of the population are described.

The last works of the writer include:

• stories by Father Sergius;
• After the ball.
• Posthumous notes of Elder Fyodor Kuzmich.
• drama Living Corpse.

In the nature of his latest journalism, one can trace conservative attitude... He harshly condemns the idle life of the higher strata, who do not think about the meaning of life. LN Tolstoy harshly criticized state dogmas, sweeping aside everything: science, art, court, and so on. The Synod itself reacted to such an attack, and in 1901 Tolstoy was excommunicated.

In 1910, Lev Nikolaevich left the family and fell ill on the way. He had to get off the train at the Astapovo station of the Ural Railroad. He spent the last week of his life at the home of the local stationmaster, where he died.

A very short biography (in a nutshell)

Born September 9, 1828 in Yasnaya Polyana, Tula province. Father - Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy (1794-1837), military man, official. Mother - Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya (1790 - 1830). In 1844 he entered the Imperial Kazan University, which he dropped out after 2 years. From 1851 he spent 2 years in the Caucasus. In 1854 he took part in the defense of Sevastopol. From 1857 to 1861 he traveled across Europe (with interruptions). In 1862 he married Sophia Bers. They had 9 sons and 4 daughters. Also, he had an illegitimate son. In 1869, Tolstoy completed his book War and Peace. In 1901 he was excommunicated. He died on November 20, 1910 at the age of 82. Buried in Yasnaya Polyana. Major works: "War and Peace", "Anna Karenina", "Resurrection", "Childhood", "Kreutzer Sonata", "After the Ball" and others.

Brief biography (in detail)

Leo Tolstoy is a great Russian writer and thinker, an honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences and an academician of fine literature. Tolstoy is revered and widely known throughout the world as the greatest educator, publicist and religious thinker. His ideas contributed to the emergence of a new religious movement called Tolstoyism. Such works of world classics as "War and Peace", "Anna Karenina", "Hadji Murad" belong to him. Some of his works have been repeatedly filmed both in Russia and abroad.

Lev Nikolaevich was born on September 9, 1828 in Yasnaya Polyana, Tula province, into a wealthy noble family. He studied at Kazan University, which he later left. At the age of 23 he went to war in the Caucasus, where he began writing a trilogy: "Childhood", "Adolescence", "Youth". Then he participated in the Crimean War, after which he returned to St. Petersburg. Here he published his Sevastopol Stories in the Sovremennik magazine. In the period from 1853 to 1863, Tolstoy wrote the story "The Cossacks", but had to interrupt his work in order to return to Yasnaya Polyana and open a school there for rural children. He managed to create his own teaching method.

His most significant work, War and Peace, Tolstoy wrote from 1863 to 1869. The next, no less brilliant work "Anna Karenina", the author wrote from 1873 to 1877. At the same time, the formation of his philosophical views on life, which were later called "Tolstoyism", took place. The essence of these views can be seen in the Confessions, in the Kreutzer Sonata and in some other works. Thanks to Tolstoy, Yasnaya Polyana became a kind of place of worship. People from all over Russia came to listen to him as a spiritual mentor. In 1901, the world famous writer was officially excommunicated.

In October 1910, Tolstoy secretly left home and took the train. On the way, he fell sharply ill and was forced to get off at Astapovo, where he spent the last seven days of his life in the house of the station chief, I. I. Ozolin. The great writer died on November 20 at the age of 82 and was buried in the forest in Yasnaya Polyana on the edge of a ravine, where he played with his brother as a child.

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To be one of the best writers in world history is an honorable right, and Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy deserved it, leaving behind a huge creative legacy. Stories, novels, novels, which are presented in a whole series of volumes, were appreciated not only by the writer's contemporaries, but also by descendants. What is the secret of this brilliant author, who could fit in his life and ""?

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Childhood of the writer

Where was the future fiction writer born? Pen master was born in 1828 September 9 in his mother's estate Yasnaya Polyana, located in Tula province... The family of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was large. Father had earl, and the mother was born princess Volkonskaya... When he was two years old, his mother died, and after another 7 years, his father.

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

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

Young years

In 1843, a young man becomes student of the Imperial Kazan University, chooses the Faculty of Oriental Languages, however, later changes his specialty due to low academic performance and begins to study law. I cannot complete the course. The young count returns to his estate in order to become a real farmer.

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

Important! The unfortunate student did not become inactive for a long time. Letting his brother persuade himself, he went to serve as a cadet to the south, after which, after spending some time in the Caucasian mountains, he was transferred to Sevastopol. There, from November 1854 to August 1855, the young count participated in.

Early creativity

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

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

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

What works did Leo Tolstoy write at that time?

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

IN literary world a new writer rushes in Lev Tolstoy, which amazes the reader's imagination with detailed details, does not hide the truth and applies a new writing technique: the second collection "Sevastopol stories" written from the perspective of the soldiers, to further bring the story closer to the reader. The young author is not afraid to write openly, frankly about the horrors and contradictions of war. The characters are not heroes from the paintings and canvases of artists, but ordinary people who are able to perform real feats in order to save the lives of others.

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

Family status

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

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

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

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

According to the recollections of descendants, the father could choose a little dirty trick, but after a moment he could put him on his lap, regret it, writing an amusing story on the way. In the literary arsenal of the famous realist there are many children's works recommended for study in preschool and junior school age - this is "Book for reading" and "ABC". The first work contains the stories of L.N. Tolstoy for the 4th grade of the school, which was organized on the estate of Yasnaya Polyana.

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

The maturity and creative flowering of the writer

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

The work, four volumes long, turned out to be truly unique. What are its advantages? This is primarily:

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

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

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

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

Change of worldview and late literary successes

Many years of life have been dedicated finding the meaning of life, which led the writer to the Orthodox faith, however, this step only confuses the graph. Lev Nikolaevich sees corruption in the church diaspora, complete submission to personal beliefs, which does not correspond to the creed that his soul longed for.

Attention! Leo Tolstoy becomes an apostate and even publishes the accusatory journal "Posrednik" (1883), because of which he is excommunicated and accused of "heresy."

However, Leo does not stop there and tries to follow the path of purification, making rather bold steps. For instance, distributes all his possessions to the poor, which Sofya Andreevna categorically opposed. The husband reluctantly rewrote all the property to her and gave the copyright to the works, but still did not give up the search for his destiny.

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

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

Completion of life's journey

Having written many works during his life, the count appeared before his contemporaries and descendants as a strong religious leader and spiritual mentor, such as Mahatma Gandhi, with whom he corresponded. The life and work of the writer is permeated with the idea of \u200b\u200bwhat is necessary hourly resist evil with all the strength of your soulwhile showing humility and saving thousands of lives. The master of the word has become a true teacher among the lost souls. Whole pilgrimage trips to the Yasnaya Polyana estate were arranged, the great Tolstoy's students came to "get to know themselves", listening for hours on end to their ideological guru, which the writer became in his declining years.

The author-mentor accepted everyone who came with problems, questions and aspirations of the soul, was ready to distribute their savings and shelter pilgrims for any period. Unfortunately, this increased the degree of tension in relations with his wife Sophia and, in the end, resulted in unwillingness of the great realist to live in his home... Together with his daughter, Lev Nikolaevich went on a pilgrimage to Russia, wishing to travel incognito, but this was often to no avail - they were recognized everywhere.

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

Societies to the depths of the human subconscious, unconscious and refined motives of character, as well as to the great role of everyday life, which determines the whole essence of personality.