Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich was born on 08/28/1828 (or 09/09/1828 according to the old style). Died - 11/07/1910 (11/20/1910).

Russian writer, philosopher. Born in Yasnaya Polyana, Tula province, into a wealthy aristocratic family. He entered Kazan University, but then left it. At the age of 23, he went to war with Chechnya and Dagestan. Here he began to write the trilogy "Childhood", "Boyhood", "Youth".

In the Caucasus

In the Caucasus, he took part in hostilities as an artillery officer. During the Crimean War, he went to Sevastopol, where he continued to fight. After the end of the war, he left for St. Petersburg and published Sevastopol Stories in the Sovremennik magazine, which vividly reflected his outstanding writing talent. In 1857, Tolstoy went on a trip to Europe, which disappointed him.

From 1853 to 1863 He wrote the story "Cossacks", after which he decided to interrupt his literary activity and become a landowner-landowner, doing educational work in the countryside. To this end, he left for Yasnaya Polyana, where he opened a school for peasant children and created his own system of pedagogy.

In 1863-1869. He wrote his fundamental work "War and Peace". In 1873-1877. Created the novel Anna Karenina. During these years, the writer's worldview, known as "Tolstoyism", was fully formed, the essence of which can be seen in the works: "Confession", "What is my faith?", "Kreutzer Sonata".

The doctrine is set forth in the philosophical and religious works "Study of Dogmatic Theology", "Connection and Translation of the Four Gospels", where the main emphasis is on the moral improvement of man, exposure of evil, non-resistance to evil by violence.
Later, a dilogy was published: the drama "The Power of Darkness" and the comedy "The Fruits of Enlightenment", then a series of stories-parables about the laws of being.

Admirers of the work of the writer came from all over Russia and the world to Yasnaya Polyana, whom they regarded as a spiritual mentor. In 1899 the novel "Resurrection" was published.

Tolstoy's last works

The last works of the writer are the stories “Father Sergius”, “After the Ball”, “Posthumous Notes of Elder Fyodor Kuzmich” and the drama “Living Corpse”.

Tolstoy's confessional journalism gives a detailed idea of ​​his spiritual drama: painting pictures of social inequality and idleness of the educated strata, Tolstoy in a harsh form posed questions of the meaning of life and faith to society, criticized all state institutions, reaching the point of denying science, art, court, marriage, achievements of civilization. Tolstoy's social declaration is based on the idea of ​​Christianity as a moral doctrine, and the ethical ideas of Christianity are interpreted by him in a humanistic way, as the basis of the worldwide brotherhood of people. In 1901, the reaction of the Synod followed: the world famous writer was officially excommunicated, which caused a huge public outcry.

Death

On October 28, 1910, Tolstoy secretly left Yasnaya Polyana from his family, fell ill on the way and had to get off the train at the small Astapovo railway station of the Ryazan-Uralskaya railway. Here, at the station master's house, he spent the last seven days of his life.

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, which is why the whole family moved to relatives in Kazan. There he studied at Kazan University in 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. 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 marriage, 5 of whom died in childhood. His wife, Sophia, helped her husband by copying all her husband's creations in neat handwriting.

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 themselves to be drawn to knowledge, 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 with his brothers as a child.

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, composed songs for his colleagues. Upon his return 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 is enormous - it was thanks to him that many people learned about Russia. His works are published to this day, they are used for performances and films.

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Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy- an outstanding Russian prose writer, playwright and public figure. Born on August 28 (September 9), 1828 in the Yasnaya Polyana estate, Tula region. On the maternal side, the writer belonged to the eminent family of the Volkonsky princes, and on the paternal side - to the old family of the Tolstoy counts. Great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather and father of Leo Tolstoy were military men. Representatives of the ancient Tolstoy family even under Ivan the Terrible served as voivods in many cities of Russia.

The writer's grandfather on the mother's side, "a descendant of Rurik", Prince Nikolai Sergeevich Volkonsky, was enlisted in military service from the age of seven. He was a participant in the Russian-Turkish war and retired with the rank of general-in-chief. The writer's grandfather on the father's side - Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy - served in the Navy, and then in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment. The writer's father, Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy, voluntarily entered military service at the age of seventeen. He participated in the Patriotic War of 1812, was captured by the French and was liberated by Russian troops who entered Paris after the defeat of Napoleon's army. On the maternal side, Tolstoy was related to the Pushkins. Their common ancestor was the boyar I.M. Golovin, an associate of Peter I, who studied shipbuilding with him. One of his daughters is the poet's great-grandmother, the other is the great-grandmother of Tolstoy's mother. Thus, Pushkin was Tolstoy's fourth uncle.

Childhood of the writer took place in Yasnaya Polyana - an old family estate. Tolstoy's interest in history and literature originated in childhood: living in the village, he saw how the life of the working people proceeded, from him he heard many folk tales, epics, songs, legends. The life of the people, their work, interests and views, oral creativity - everything alive and wise - was revealed to Tolstoy by Yasnaya Polyana.

Maria Nikolaevna Tolstaya, the writer's mother, was a kind and sympathetic person, an intelligent and educated woman: she knew French, German, English and Italian, played the piano, and painted. Tolstoy was not even two years old when his mother died. The writer did not remember her, but he heard so much about her from those around him that he clearly and vividly represented her appearance and character.

Children loved and appreciated Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy, their father, for their humane attitude towards serfs. In addition to doing housework and children, he read a lot. During his life, Nikolai Ilyich collected a rich library, consisting of books, rare for those times, by French classics, historical and natural history works. It was he who first noticed the tendency of his youngest son to lively perception of the artistic word.

When Tolstoy was nine years old, his father took him to Moscow for the first time. The first impressions of Lev Nikolaevich's life in Moscow served as the basis for many paintings, scenes and episodes of the hero's life in Moscow Tolstoy's trilogy "Childhood", "Adolescence" and "Youth"... Young Tolstoy saw not only the open side of big city life, but also some hidden, shadowy sides. With his first stay in Moscow, the writer connected the end of the earliest period of his life, childhood, and the transition to adolescence. The first period of Tolstoy's life in Moscow did not last long. In the summer of 1837, having gone on business to Tula, his father suddenly died. Soon after the death of his father, Tolstoy and his sister and brothers had to endure a new misfortune: their grandmother died, whom all relatives considered the head of the family. The sudden death of her son was a terrible blow to her and in less than a year took her to the grave. A few years later, the first guardian of the orphaned children of the Tolstoys, the sister of their father, Alexandra Ilinichna Osten-Saken, died. Ten-year-old Lev, his three brothers and sister were taken to Kazan, where their new guardian lived - aunt Pelageya Ilyinichna Yushkova.

Tolstoy wrote about his second guardian as a woman "kind and very pious", but at the same time very "frivolous and vain." According to the recollections of contemporaries, Pelageya Ilinichna did not enjoy authority with Tolstoy and his brothers, therefore, moving to Kazan is considered to be a new stage in the writer's life: upbringing ended, a period of independent life began.

Tolstoy lived in Kazan for over six years. It was the time for the formation of his character and the choice of his life path. Living with his brothers and sister at Pelageya Ilyinichna's, young Tolstoy spent two years preparing to enter Kazan University. Having decided to enter the eastern department of the university, he paid special attention to preparing for exams in foreign languages. In exams in mathematics and Russian literature, Tolstoy received fours, and fives in foreign languages. In the exams in history and geography, Lev Nikolaevich failed - he received unsatisfactory marks.

Failure in the entrance exams served as a serious lesson for Tolstoy. He devoted the whole summer to a thorough study of history and geography, passed additional exams on them, and in September 1844 was enrolled in the first year of the Oriental Department of the Faculty of Philosophy of Kazan University in the category of Arabic-Turkish literature. However, the study of languages ​​did not fascinate Tolstoy, and after the summer holidays in Yasnaya Polyana, he transferred from the oriental faculty to the law faculty.

But in the future, university studies did not awaken Lev Nikolaevich's interest in the studied sciences. Most of the time he studied philosophy on his own, compiled the "Rules of Life" and neatly made notes in his diary. By the end of the third year of studies, Tolstoy was finally convinced that the then university order only interfered with independent creative work, and he decided to leave the university. However, he needed a university degree in order to get the right to enter the service. And in order to get his diploma, Tolstoy passed the university exams as an external student, having spent two years of his life in the countryside preparing for them. Having received university documents from the office at the end of April 1847, the former student Tolstoy left Kazan.

After leaving the university, Tolstoy again went to Yasnaya Polyana, and then to Moscow. Here at the end of 1850 he took up literary work. At this time, he planned to write two stories, but he did not finish one of them. In the spring of 1851, Lev Nikolaevich, together with his older brother, Nikolai Nikolaevich, who served in the army as an artillery officer, arrived in the Caucasus. Here Tolstoy lived for almost three years, being mainly in the village of Starogladkovskaya, located on the left bank of the Terek. From here he went to Kizlyar, Tiflis, Vladikavkaz, visited many villages and auls.

In the Caucasus began military service of Tolstoy... He took part in the military operations of the Russian troops. Tolstoy's impressions and observations are reflected in his stories "Raid", "Cutting the Forest", "Demoted", in the story "Cossacks". Later, referring to the memories of this period of his life, Tolstoy created the story "Hadji Murad". In March 1854, Tolstoy arrived in Bucharest, where the headquarters of the chief of the artillery troops was located. From here, as a staff officer, he traveled to Moldova, Wallachia and Bessarabia.

In the spring and summer of 1854, the writer took part in the siege of the Turkish fortress of Silistria. However, the main place of hostilities at that time was the Crimean peninsula. Here the Russian troops under the leadership of V.A. Kornilov and P.S. Nakhimov for eleven months heroically defended Sevastopol, besieged by Turkish and Anglo-French troops. Participation in the Crimean War is an important stage in Tolstoy's life. Here he closely got to know ordinary Russian soldiers, sailors, residents of Sevastopol, tried to understand what is the source of the heroism of the defenders of the city, to understand the special character traits inherent in the defender of the Fatherland. Tolstoy himself showed courage and courage in the defense of Sevastopol.

In November 1855, Tolstoy left Sevastopol for St. Petersburg. By this time, he had already earned recognition in the leading literary circles. During this period, the attention of public life in Russia was focused around the issue of serfdom. Tolstoy's stories of this time ("Morning of the Landowner", "Polikushka", etc.) are also devoted to this problem.

In 1857, the writer made overseas travel... He visited France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany. Traveling to different cities, the writer got acquainted with the culture and social system of Western European countries with great interest. Much of what he saw was subsequently reflected in his work. In 1860, Tolstoy made another trip abroad. A year earlier, in Yasnaya Polyana, he opened a school for children. Traveling to cities in Germany, France, Switzerland, England and Belgium, the writer attended schools and studied the peculiarities of public education. Most of the schools Tolstoy attended had cannon discipline and corporal punishment. Returning to Russia and visiting a number of schools, Tolstoy discovered that many of the teaching methods that operated in Western European countries, in particular in Germany, had penetrated into Russian schools as well. At this time, Lev Nikolaevich wrote a number of articles in which he criticized the system of public education both in Russia and in Western European countries.

Arriving home after a trip abroad, Tolstoy devoted himself to work at school and the publication of the pedagogical journal Yasnaya Polyana. The school, founded by the writer, was located not far from his house - in an outbuilding that has survived to our time. In the early 70s, Tolstoy compiled and published a number of textbooks for elementary schools: "ABC", "Arithmetic", four "Books for reading". More than one generation of children has learned from these books. Stories from them are read with enthusiasm by children in our time.

In 1862, when Tolstoy was away, landowners arrived in Yasnaya Polyana and searched the writer's house. In 1861, the tsarist manifesto announced the abolition of serfdom. During the reform, disputes broke out between landowners and peasants, the settlement of which was entrusted to the so-called conciliators. Tolstoy was appointed conciliator in the Krapivensky district of the Tula province. When examining controversial matters between nobles and peasants, the writer often took a position in favor of the peasantry, which caused discontent among the nobles. This was the reason for the search. Because of this, Tolstoy had to stop the activities of the world mediator, close the school in Yasnaya Polyana and refuse to publish a pedagogical journal.

In 1862 Tolstoy married Sofya Andreevna Bers, the daughter of a Moscow doctor. Arriving with her husband in Yasnaya Polyana, Sofya Andreevna did her best to create an environment in the estate in which nothing would distract the writer from strenuous work. In the 1960s, Tolstoy led a secluded life, fully devoting himself to work on War and Peace.

At the end of the epic "War and Peace", Tolstoy decided to write a new work - a novel about the era of Peter I. which reflected the post-reform life of Russia. This is how the novel Anna Karenina appeared, on which Tolstoy devoted four years.

In the early 1980s, Tolstoy moved with his family to Moscow to study the education of his growing children. Here, a writer familiar with village poverty witnessed urban poverty. In the early 90s of the XIX century, almost half of the central provinces of the country were seized by famine, and Tolstoy joined in the fight against the national disaster. Thanks to his call, fundraising, purchase and delivery of food to the villages was launched. At this time, under the leadership of Tolstoy, in the villages of the Tula and Ryazan provinces, about two hundred free canteens were opened for the starving population. A number of articles on hunger written by Tolstoy belong to the same period, in which the writer truthfully portrayed the plight of the people and condemned the policies of the ruling classes.

In the mid-80s, Tolstoy wrote drama "The Power of Darkness", which depicts the death of the old foundations of patriarchal-peasant Russia, and the story "The Death of Ivan Ilyich", dedicated to the fate of a man who only before his death realized the emptiness and meaninglessness of his life. In 1890, Tolstoy wrote the comedy "The Fruits of Enlightenment", which shows the true position of the peasantry after the abolition of serfdom. In the early 90s was created novel "Sunday", on which the writer worked intermittently for ten years. In all works related to this period of creativity, Tolstoy openly shows whom he sympathizes with and whom he condemns; depicts the hypocrisy and insignificance of the "masters of life."

The novel "Sunday" more than other works by Tolstoy was censored. Most of the chapters in the novel have been released or shortened. The ruling circles launched an active policy against the writer. Fearing popular indignation, the authorities did not dare to use open repressions against Tolstoy. With the consent of the tsar and at the insistence of the chief prosecutor of the Most Holy Synod Pobedonostsev, the synod adopted a resolution on the excommunication of Tolstoy from the church. The writer was under police surveillance. The world community was outraged by the persecution of Lev Nikolaevich. The peasantry, the advanced intelligentsia and the common people were on the side of the writer, they strove to express their respect and support to him. The love and sympathy of the people served as reliable support to the writer in the years when the reaction tried to silence him.

However, despite all the efforts of reactionary circles, Tolstoy every year more and more sharply and boldly denounced the noble-bourgeois society, openly opposed the autocracy. The works of this period ( "After the Ball", "For What?", "Hadji Murad", "Living Corpse") are imbued with a deep hatred of royal power, a limited and ambitious ruler. In publicistic articles related to this time, the writer sharply condemned the instigators of wars, called for a peaceful resolution of all disputes and conflicts.

In 1901-1902, Tolstoy suffered a serious illness. At the insistence of the doctors, the writer had to go to the Crimea, where he spent more than six months.

In Crimea, he met with a writer, artists, artists: Chekhov, Korolenko, Gorky, Shalyapin, etc. When Tolstoy returned home, hundreds of ordinary people warmly greeted him at the stations. In the fall of 1909, the writer made his last trip to Moscow.

Tolstoy's diaries and letters of the last decades of his life reflected the difficult experiences that were caused by the discord between the writer and his family. Tolstoy wanted to transfer the land belonging to him to the peasants and wanted his works to be published freely and free of charge by everyone who wants to. The family of the writer opposed this, not wanting to give up either the rights to land or the rights to works. The old landlord way of life, preserved in Yasnaya Polyana, weighed heavily on Tolstoy.

In the summer of 1881, Tolstoy made the first attempt to leave Yasnaya Polyana, but a feeling of pity for his wife and children forced him to return. Several more attempts by the writer to leave his native estate ended with the same result. On October 28, 1910, secretly from his family, he left Yasnaya Polyana forever, deciding to go south and spend the rest of his life in a peasant hut, among the common Russian people. However, on the way, Tolstoy fell seriously ill and was forced to get off the train at the small station Astapovo. The great writer spent the last seven days of his life in the house of the station master. The news of the death of one of the outstanding thinkers, a remarkable writer, a great humanist deeply struck the hearts of all progressive people of that time. Tolstoy's creative heritage is of great importance for world literature. Over the years, interest in the writer's work does not wane, but, on the contrary, grows. As A. France justly noted: “In his life he proclaims sincerity, directness, determination, firmness, calm and constant heroism, he teaches that one must be truthful and one must be strong ... It is precisely because he was full of strength that he always was true! "

The Russian cultural heritage of the nineteenth century includes many world famous musical works, achievements of choreographic art, masterpieces of genius poets. The work of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, a great prose writer, humanist philosopher and public figure, occupies a special place not only in Russian, but also in world culture.

The biography of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is contradictory. It indicates that he did not immediately come to his philosophical views. And the creation of artistic literary works, which made him the world famous Russian writer, was far from his main activity. And the beginning of his life was not cloudless. Here are the main milestones of the biography of the writer:

• Tolstoy's childhood years.
• Army service and the beginning of the creative path.
• European travel and teaching activities.
• Marriage and family life.
• The novels "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina".
• One thousand eight hundred and eighties. Moscow census.
• The novel "Resurrection", excommunication.
• The final years of life.

Childhood and adolescence

The date of birth of the writer is September 9, 1828. He was born into a noble aristocratic family, in the estate of his mother "Yasnaya Polyana", where Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy spent his childhood up to nine years. Leo Tolstoy's father, Nikolai Ilyich, came from the ancient county family of Tolstoy, who had a pedigree from the middle of the fourteenth century. Leo's mother, Princess Volkonskaya, died in 1830, some time after the birth of her only daughter, whose name was Maria. Seven years later, my father also died. He left five children in the care of relatives, among whom Leo was the fourth child.

Having changed several guardians, little Leva settled in the Kazan house of his aunt Yushkova, his father's sister. Life in a new family turned out to be so happy that it overshadowed the tragic events of early childhood. Later, the writer recalled this time as one of the best in his life, which was reflected in his story "Childhood", which can be considered part of the writer's autobiography.

Having received, as was customary at that time in most noble families, primary education at home, Tolstoy entered Kazan University in 1843, choosing to study oriental languages. The choice turned out to be unsuccessful, due to poor academic performance, he changes the oriental faculty for jurisprudence, but with the same result. As a result, two years later, Leo returns to his homeland in Yasnaya Polyana, deciding to engage in agriculture.

But the undertaking, which required monotonous continuous work, failed, and Leo left for Moscow, and then for St. Petersburg, where he again tries to prepare for entering the university, alternating this preparation with revelry and gambling, increasingly overgrown with debts, as well as with musical studies and keeping a diary ... Who knows how all this could have ended if it had not been for the visit to him in 1851 by his brother Nikolai, an army officer, who persuaded him to enter military service.

Army and the beginning of the creative path

The army service contributed to a further reappraisal by the writer of public relations existing in the country. This is where it was started a writing career that consisted of two important stages:

• Military service in the North Caucasus.
• Participation in the Crimean War.

For three years, L.N. Tolstoy lived among the Terek Cossacks, took part in the battles - first as a volunteer, and later officially. Impressions of that life were subsequently reflected in the writer's work, in works dedicated to the life of the North Caucasian Cossacks: "Cossacks", "Hadji Murad", "Raid", "Cutting the forest".

It was in the Caucasus, in the intervals between military clashes with the mountaineers and in anticipation of admission to official military service, that Lev Nikolayevich wrote his first published work - the story "Childhood". Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy's creative growth as a writer began with her. Published in Sovremennik under the pseudonym LN, it immediately brought fame and recognition to the aspiring author.

After spending two years in the Caucasus, with the outbreak of the Crimean War, L.N. Tolstoy was transferred to the Danube Army, and then to Sevastopol, where he served in the artillery troops, commanding a battery, participated in the defense of the Malakhov Kurgan and fought at the Black. For his participation in the battles for Sevastopol, Tolstoy was repeatedly awarded, including the Order of St. Anna.

Here the writer begins work on the "Sevastopol Stories", which he completes in St. Petersburg, where he was transferred in early autumn 1855, and publishes them under his own name in "Sovremennik". This publication assigns him the name of a representative of a new generation of writers.

At the end of 1857, Leo N. Tolstoy retired with the rank of lieutenant and set off on his European journey.

Europe and teaching

Leo Tolstoy's first trip to Europe was educational and tourist. He visits museums, places associated with the life and work of Rousseau. Although he was fascinated by the sense of social freedom inherent in the European way of life, his overall impression of Europe was negative, mainly because of the contrast between wealth and poverty hidden under the veneer of culture. The characterization of Europe at that time is given by Tolstoy in the story "Lucerne".

After his first European trip, Tolstoy spent several years engaged in public education, opening peasant schools in the vicinity of Yasnaya Polyana. He already had his first experience in this, when, in his youth, leading a rather chaotic lifestyle, in search of its meaning, during an unsuccessful farming, he opened the first school on his estate.

At this time, work continues on "Cossacks", the novel "Family Happiness". And in 1860-1861, Tolstoy again went to Europe, this time in order to study the experience of introducing public education.

After returning to Russia, he develops his own pedagogical system based on personal freedom, writes many fairy tales and stories for children.

Marriage, family and children

In 1862, the writer married Sophia Bers who was eighteen years younger than him. Sophia, who had a university education, later helped her husband a lot in his writing, including rewriting the drafts of the manuscripts. Although family relationships were not always perfect, they lived together for forty-eight years. The family had thirteen children, of whom only eight survived to adulthood.

Leo Tolstoy's lifestyle contributed to the growth of problems in family relations over time. They became especially noticeable after the completion of Anna Karenina. The writer plunged into depression, began to demand from the family to lead a lifestyle close to a peasant's life, which led to constant quarrels.

"War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina"

It took Lev Nikolayevich twelve years to work on his most famous works "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina".

The first publication of an excerpt from "War and Peace" appeared in 1865, and already in the sixty-eighth the first three parts were printed in full. The success of the novel was so great that an additional edition of the already published parts was needed, even before the completion of the last volumes.

Tolstoy's next novel, Anna Karenina, which was published in 1873-1876, was equally successful. In this work of the writer, signs of a mental crisis are already felt. The relationship of the main characters of the book, the development of the plot, its dramatic finale testified to Leo Tolstoy's transition to the third stage of his literary work, reflecting the strengthening of the writer's dramatic view of being.

1880s and the Moscow census

At the end of the seventies, Leo Tolstoy met VP Shchegolenok, on the basis of whose folklore stories the writer created some of his works "How People Live", "Prayer" and others. The change in his outlook on the eighties was reflected in the works "Confession", "What is my faith?", "Kreutzer Sonata", which are characteristic of the third stage of Tolstoy's work.

Trying to improve the life of the people, the writer took part in the Moscow census in 1882, believing that the official publication of data on the plight of ordinary people would help change their fate. According to the plan issued by the Duma, for several days he collects statistical information on the territory of the most difficult section, located in Protochny Lane. Under the impression of what he saw in the Moscow slums, he wrote the article "On the census in Moscow."

The novel "Resurrection" and excommunication

In the nineties, the writer wrote a treatise "What is art?", In which he substantiates his view on the purpose of art. But the novel "Resurrection" is considered the pinnacle of Tolstoy's writings of this period. His portrayal of church life as a mechanical routine later became the main reason for Leo Tolstoy's excommunication from the church.

The writer's response to this was his "Reply to the Synod", which confirmed Tolstoy's break with the church, and in which he substantiates his position, pointing out the contradictions between church dogmas and his understanding of the Christian faith.

The public reaction to this event was contradictory - part of the society expressed sympathy and support to L. Tolstoy, while others heard threats and abuse.

The final years of life

Deciding to live the rest of his life without contradicting his convictions, Leo N. Tolstoy in early November 1910 secretly leaves Yasnaya Polyana, accompanied only by a personal doctor. The departure had no definite final goal. It was supposed to leave for Bulgaria or the Caucasus. But a few days later, feeling unwell, the writer was forced to stop at the Astapovo station, where doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia.

Attempts by doctors to save him failed, and the great writer died on November 20, 1910. The news of Tolstoy's death caused a stir throughout the country, but the funeral went off without incident. He was buried in Yasnaya Polyana, at the favorite place of his childhood games - at the edge of a forest ravine.

Spiritual quest of Leo Tolstoy

Despite the recognition of the writer's literary heritage throughout the world, he himself Tolstoy treated the works he wrote with disdain... He considered it really important to spread his philosophical and religious views, which were based on the idea of ​​“non-resistance to evil by violence,” known as “Tolstoyism”. In search of an answer to the questions that worried him, he talked a lot with people of clergy, read religious treatises, studied the results of research in the exact sciences.

In everyday life, this was expressed by the gradual abandonment of the luxury of landlord life, from their property rights, the transition to vegetarianism - “simplification”. In the biography of Tolstoy, this was the third period of his work, during which he finally came to the denial of all the then social, state, and religious forms of life.

World recognition and heritage study

And in our time, Tolstoy is considered one of the greatest writers in the world. And although he himself considered his studies in literature a secondary matter, and even in certain life periods insignificant, useless, it was the stories, stories and novels that made his name famous, contributed to the spread of the religious and moral doctrine he created, known as Tolstoyism, which for Lev Nikolaevich was the main outcome of life.

In Russia, a project for the study of Tolstoy's creative heritage is launched already from the elementary grades of a general education school. The first presentation of the writer's work begins in the third grade, when there is an initial acquaintance with the biography of the writer. In the future, as they study his works, students write essays on the classic's work, make reports both on the biography of the writer and on his individual works.

The study of the writer's work and the preservation of his memory is facilitated by many museums in memorable places in the country associated with the name of L.N. Tolstoy. First of all, such a museum is the Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Reserve, where the writer was born and buried.

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Leo Tolstoy: a short biography

Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich is a famous writer and philosopher. His views and beliefs became the basis of a new religious and moral teaching, which would later be called Tolstoyism.

His legacy is ninety volumes of works, notes from a personal diary and letters. Tolstoy has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature on several occasions.

Childhood and youth

Levushka, as the boy was affectionately called, was born on September 9, 1828 in the noble estate of his mother in Yasnaya Polyana, Tula province. Nowadays, the estate museum annually attracts thousands of tourists and admirers of Tolstoy's work.

The family estate of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana

In the family Levushka was the fourth boy, and the next year the long-awaited daughter Mashenka appeared. But soon the children were orphaned. Mother Maria Nikolaevna (Volkonskaya) died in the summer of 1830. 7 years later, Nikolai Ilyich also passed away.

The children were taken into care by their aunt, Alexandra Osten-Saken. She took two of them with her to Moscow, and the rest lived in the estate. Memories of this time always disturbed the soul, but they were also infinitely dear to Lev Nikolaevich.

In 1841 Osten-Saken died and the children were transported to another aunt Pelageya Yushkova's. In 1843, Lev entered the university. He was indifferent to his studies, and considered the teachers incompetent, preferring a variety of entertainment.

In the spring of 1847, without completing his studies and receiving part of the inheritance, including Yasnaya Polyana, the 19-year-old boy went home. Here he immediately sketched an extensive plan for his education. But I soon realized that it was easy to make plans, but I couldn't force myself to do it.

Fascinated by asceticism, the young man sometimes changes this lifestyle for revelry and gambling cards. Then the dissatisfaction phase began and he re-wrote the daily routine in order to change his life.

Leo Tolstoy's creativity

In the spring of 1851, his brother Nikolai, who served in the Caucasus, visited the estate. Lev Nikolaevich, having heard enough heroic stories about the war, decided to go with him.

Tolstoy served in the Caucasus for about two and a half years. He hunted, played cards, and occasionally took part in raids. He liked this pastime. Here he wrote "Childhood" using his memories.

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy in his youth

In the summer of 1852, the writer sent the manuscript to g. "Contemporary" to the editor with a note that further literary activity depends on his review. The answer came in the affirmative, and in 1854 Tolstoy published his story, Boyhood.

In December 1854, Tolstoy arrived in Sevastopol, about which he will write a detailed story. He describes the battle scenes. The style of the work is patriotic, glorifying the courage and courage of Russian soldiers.

Then he proceeds to the story "Sevastopol in May". But pride in the Russian troops turned into horror and shock from senselessness and inhumanity.

In 1855 Tolstoy left for St. Petersburg. Here he completes the trilogy about Sevastopol and in the fall writes a report on leaving military service.

Lev Nikolaevich devotes himself entirely to literature. He writes the story "Snowstorm", the story "Two Hussars", finishes the trilogy about childhood. And in January 1857 he went on a voyage to European countries. He visited France, Italy, Germany: got acquainted with the masterpieces of art. But overall, the trip disappointed him.

Six months later, the writer returned to his estate. There he worked on the story "Cossacks" and the novel "Family Happiness".

In 1859, Lev Nikolaevich at his own expense created several schools in the province for the children of peasants. At this time, he was interested in education in European countries. A year later, he goes to Europe. He spent 9 months abroad and again experienced disappointment.

He decided to create his own education system, canceling all programs. In 1862, the writer publishes a journal on pedagogy, in the appendix of the book for reading. He writes "ABC" with his stories for children, makes arrangements of folk tales and songs.

Leo Tolstoy's wife

A crisis gradually sets in in the writer's work. In his diary, he often expresses dissatisfaction with his life. He is tormented by reflections on death.

But he finds the meaning of life in love for his wife. At 34, Lev Nikolaevich marries 18-year-old Sophia Bers. This happy union lasted 48 years. Sophia gave birth to her husband thirteen children. This was the best period in Tolstoy's life, which he finally found.

Lev Nikolaevich and Sofya Andreevna

Sofya Andreevna was his secretary and even editor. She lived for 75 years, having outlived her husband for 10 years.

"War and Peace"

Soon the writer begins work on the novel War and Peace. "Large-scale epic" - this is how critics will later call this work. Peaceful everyday scenes were taken from life, battle and civil episodes from the history of the Russian Empire.

The main idea of ​​the novel is pacifism: a protest against any war. The work was completed in 1869 and had a deafening resonance in society.

War and Peace will be followed by the equally serious and dramatic work Anna Karenina (1873-1876).

LN Tolstoy became a recognized writer, his works were a great success, he won worldwide fame. But it was of little interest to him. He increasingly thought about social inequality in society and the miserable existence of the common people.

Veliky Tolstoy passed away at the age of 82 on November 20, 1910 and was buried in Yasnaya Polyana.

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