Transcription
The collection of Bor coffee machines [music] offers the exquisite taste of specialty coffee. >> Hello, friends. Let's transport ourselves to October 28, 1910, to the Yasnaya Polyana estate in the Tula province. An elderly woman, splashing through the mud, runs to drown herself in the pond. She slips clumsily on the bridge, falls onto her back, and rolls into the water. Several people rush after her and, consequently, pull her out onto the bank. A few minutes before these events, her daughter informed her that her husband had left home. The woman's name is Sofia Andreevna. She is the wife of perhaps the most important Russian writer of that time, and perhaps the most important world writer of all time, Leo Tolstoy. They lived together for 48 years. On November 4, the Reuters agency reports the death [music] of Tolstoy. The largest newspapers in America, Europe, China, Japan, and even Australia publish this news on their front pages. The French parliament even proposes to honor the writer's memory, but then finds out that he is still alive. The newspapers issue retractions. The French Figaro sarcastically remarks that the deputies allegedly even received a telegram. Thank you in advance, Tolstoy. Today we will talk about a personality of absolutely colossal scale, both for Russian and world literature. About a man who spoke with emperors, leading writers, artists, and composers of his time. About an author who received enormous, fantastic fees for his novels and then refused the money. Finally, about a thinker whose ideas clashed with the government and the church, and who stood his ground until the end. Let's begin. [music] >> [music] >> In February 1821, retired General Nikolai Volkonsky, who served as far back as Catherine the Great's reign, dies at the Yasnaya Polyana estate near Tula [music]. His only daughter and sole heir is Maria. He did not marry her off for a long time, and Maria is 30 years old at that time. By those standards, her chances of marriage were practically zero. The woman prepares to end her life as an old maid, as they say, but her relatives still find her a groom. This is Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy, her third cousin once removed. Well, there's nothing particularly surprising about this. Aristocracy, everyone is related to everyone else. Nikolai is 28 years old. He is a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812. His father has enormous debts, and marriage to Maria, of course, will improve his financial situation. And on September 9, 1828, a boy is born to them, whom they will name Lev. This is already the fourth child in the family. He has three older brothers. Later, a sister will be born. Lev Nikolaevich has very distinguished relatives, it should be noted. These are the princes Volkonsky, Trubetskoy, Adoyevsky, the poet Fyodor Tyutchev, the philosopher Pyotr Chaadaev, and the Chancellor of the Russian Empire, Alexander Gorchakov. Even Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, by some line, is also related to him in some way. He is a fourth cousin once removed to the Tolstoys. It is believed that from his father, Tolstoy inherited a love for reading, and from his mother, literary talent. In his youth, she herself wrote fairy tales and loved to invent all sorts of fascinating [music] stories. Lev was not yet two years old when his mother died. Tolstoy would idealize his mother his entire life and even pray to her image. The child grows up well-read and curious, but his studies are quite average. Tutors teach him. First a German, then a Frenchman. He is prone to mischief. Once, as a joke, he pushes a guest off the veranda, who, by the way, is his future mother-in-law. The woman will later limp. Another time, he enters a room and bows to everyone backward, that is, with his back facing forward. Once he is locked up for hooliganism on the second floor. Tolstoy jumps out the window, but, fortunately, only gets a slight scare. [music] Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy believed that [music] he who has nothing to say speaks the most. Long conversations, especially on the phone, can indeed be tiring at times, but staying connected is important. And to make this easier, it is worth opting for modern technologies. MTS continues to create and improve VoiceTech technologies based on artificial intelligence to make phone communication even more comfortable. For example, for situations when you need to answer an incoming call but it's inconvenient to talk. MTS has a smart secretary to whom you can delegate some calls. [music] The secretary will answer for you, clarify the purpose of the conversation, and then send a text transcription, so nothing important will be lost. You can also transfer a call to a chat and write a text response, and the secretary will voice it for you to the interlocutor. This is very convenient in situations when you are in a meeting and cannot answer an important call. Another useful service is intelligent call recording. [music] With it, you can always return to details you might have missed during a phone call: dates, deadlines, exact agreements. Therefore, friends, connect the smart secretary, call to chat, intelligent recording, and other MTS VoiceTech technologies for free [music] for 30 days. Or choose the MTS Super tariff with call management services already included. I've left the link in the description. [music] In 1837, Tolstoy is a full 8 years old, and his father dies of a brain hemorrhage. There are rumors that he was poisoned and robbed by his valet. Thus, the children are left orphaned. Their upbringing is taken over by their paternal aunt, the father's eldest sister. But after another 4 years, she too will be gone. Now, the father's younger sister raises the Tolstoys. She will take the children to Kazan, be kind to them, and provide them with a good education. Lev Nikolaevich will once wish to find a married mistress and a rich wife. In Kazan, Tolstoy enters one of the best universities in the empire, Kazan, in the department of Eastern Languages of the Faculty of Philosophy. He studies there for a year but fails his exams. And to avoid repeating the year, he transfers to the Faculty of Law. There he struggles for a little less than 2 years, becomes interested in philosophy, and, in the end, is also expelled. Then he returns to Yasnaya Polyana to, you know, manage the estate, engage in music and literature. Then he visits Moscow and the capital, St. Petersburg. By his own admission, he leads a rather dissolute lifestyle. Balls, wine, women, and cards. Tolstoy gambles desperately. Once he loses so much that he gives away the money earned from selling part of his ancestral estate. Later, the writer will tell everyone for a long time that he lost his parental home. Then he begins to keep a diary, also under rather unfortunate circumstances. He is in the hospital, being treated for gonorrhea. And it is on the pages of this diary that he reflects on how to morally improve himself. You know, a meme with Buddha immediately comes to mind here, right? You need to grow spiritually, otherwise it's the end. Well, Lev Nikolaevich writes something similar in his diary. He takes his first steps in literature, scolding himself in his diaries: "I live like a beast." He reproaches himself for laziness, absent-mindedness, and various shortcomings, in particular, a lack of character. He recalls every step and reflects on how to correct himself. Well, in general, Tolstoy is extremely insecure. He is shy about his appearance and later writes: "Until the very last moment, I could not get rid of the concern about human opinion." It must be said that the social life he leads quickly bores him. Tolstoy passes two exams at the Petersburg University for the academic title of candidate in law, but then withdraws his documents. Then he tries to sell timber in his native estate to pay off his debts. He writes about himself in his diary again: "There was no one to whip me, that is the main misfortune." That is, in general, Tolstoy is self-critical. He enters service in the chancellery of the Tula Noble Deputy Assembly, but he doesn't stay there long either. In the end, he and his older brother Nikolai, together, literally flee from their debts to the Caucasus. A very long war with the highlanders is ongoing in the Caucasus. Some have sworn allegiance to the Russian Emperor, others are trying to swear allegiance to the Ottoman Empire. Tolstoy first fights as a volunteer, then passes an exam to become a Junker and joins an artillery regiment. Here, as you can already understand, he starts playing cards again, because, well, you need to somehow pass the time, and he loses to one of the officers. But he has nothing to pay with, and all he has left is, well, practically prayer. And the next morning, he learns that one of his friends has won back the money. All this time, Lev Nikolaevich is writing; he finishes the novella "Childhood" and begins another novella, "The Cossacks." "Childhood" is published, by the way, in the leading literary journal of that time, "Sovremennik." Perhaps all the famous writers of the era published there. [music] And to get on its pages is, well, in general, to receive an official document that you are a Russian writer. Tolstoy's manuscript is commented on by the editor-in-chief himself, the poet Nikolai Nekrasov. He comments thus: "The author has talent. True, Tolstoy himself is unhappy with the publication. He believes that Nekrasov has hopelessly spoiled the novella with his edits." And he also changed the title to "The Story of My Childhood." [music] Theoretical physicist Lev Landau derived a formula for happiness, which he considered his outstanding discovery. According to the formula, to achieve happiness, any person needs to dedicate 30% of their time to work, another 30% to romantic relationships, and the remaining 40% to communication with people. An ideal addition to this formula would undoubtedly be a new apartment in the Joyce residential complex near [music] Moscow City. This is a premium-class residential complex from MR, one of whose towers, LEO, is named in honor of Landau. The architecture of the complex was developed by an international bureau under the direction of Andy Snow, who decided to bring to life the idea of cascading private terraces with landscaping up to 140 sq. m. Here you can organize a full relaxation area, host dinners with friends, or work out with stunning views of Moscow. Another option for apartments is duplex penthouses with ceiling heights up to 6 m and panoramic glazing. Joyce is located between the parks of Western Moscow and the modern skyscrapers of Moscow City. The territory also includes a landscape park of over 2 hectares, with sports and children's playgrounds, a waterfront promenade, and an open-air sculpture park curated by the contemporary art fair Cosmos. The club infrastructure of the complex is also impressive. A co-working space with a library, a lounge for private parties, a fitness center with a swimming pool, and playrooms for children of different ages. The lobby interiors are by the Italian studio CРСРvis, 24/7. Next to the residential complex, the Jo Joyce office cluster will be built. Two towers with a landscape park, a shopping gallery, cafes, shops, restaurants, and an amphitheater with a food court. So, if you've always wanted an office near home, this is an excellent solution. Joyce is created for those who want to realize their life potential. You will find more details at the link in the description. Click now. [music] Tolstoy continues to fight. Once he narrowly avoids capture, but eventually breaks away from the pursuit. He will later describe this episode in "The Prisoner of the Caucasus." He narrowly escapes death from a cannonball, distinguishes himself by his bravery, and receives the Cross of St. George. However, he yields the award to an old soldier so that the man can receive a lifelong pension. And again, he feels terribly useless. In his diary, Tolstoy writes: "Almost 25 years old, and still nothing." He intends to leave the army, but in October 1853, Turkey declares war on Russia, which will later be known as the Crimean War. Now, furloughs from the army are forbidden. And so, in 1854, Tolstoy participates in the defense of Sevastopol. In August 1955, the Russian army retreats. He dedicates a cycle to this period, which will later be called "The Sevastopol Stories." And here, critics will appreciate his style, and most importantly, his documentary accuracy. Tolstoy writes a work of fiction, but essentially, in today's language, he works as a war correspondent. However, the stories are censored and published with edits. What were these edits? Criticism of officers and command is removed from the texts, but they are still released. And based on the results of the military operations in Sevastopol, the writer is awarded the Order of St. Anne, fourth class, with the inscription "For Bravery," and medals in memory of the war and in memory of the defense of Sevastopol. After the city's surrender, Tolstoy is ordered to proceed to St. Petersburg. And in the capital, he finds himself at the very center of literary life. He befriends Turgenev, Goncharov, Ostrovsky, Fet, Tyutchev. He communicates with Nekrasov, Chernyshevsky, Saltykov-Shchedrin. That is, you can imagine, right? The entire shelf that probably everyone used to have, now it's all in electronic form, all these great Russian writers who stand on the bookshelf, they are hanging out with each other at this moment. Such an abundance of talent, Russia has probably never known again. Well, perhaps in the Silver Age there was something similar at the beginning of the 20th century, but no, of course. This period is, of course, the main period for Russian literature. And that's where Tolstoy enters. By this time, he is already an established, famous writer. He quarrels with Turgenev and then makes up. Turgenev calls Tolstoy a troglodyte, as he himself says, for his wild zeal and bovine stubbornness. In Petersburg, Lev Nikolaevich again feels in his social element, so to speak: parties, gypsies, cards. And at 28, he retires with the rank of lieutenant. Then he travels to Switzerland, where he observes the wealthy European public. He finds them insensitive and indifferent to the common person, which he writes about in the essay "Lucerne." Turgenev reads the manuscript and advises his friend not to write moralistic sermons anymore. In 1857, Tolstoy is 29, and he returns to Russia, to Yasnaya Polyana. The writer is obsessed with the idea of freeing his peasants from serfdom. As we know, serfdom still exists in Russia. He prepares his own project, offers the peasants to buy land from him, but the peasants refuse. The country, meanwhile, is preparing for the reform of serfdom at full speed. And the peasants are convinced that they will soon receive the land anyway, and for free. If you watched our episode on the abolition of serfdom, please watch it. No one will receive anything for free. Peasants will be paying for these allotments almost until the second revolution. Lev Nikolaevich opens a peasant school but admits that he doesn't understand how and what to teach the children. At first, he thinks that children should learn what they want on their own, but then he develops his own methodology. His initiative, meanwhile, irritates local officials. Well, like any initiatives, they always irritate local officials. While Tolstoy is away from the estate, gendarmes come to him. On an anonymous denunciation, they are looking for an underground printing press that allegedly prints revolutionary literature; they find nothing. Tolstoy writes to the emperor himself. That is, imagine, right? Tolstoy is not some Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov, he is Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. Gendarmes just casually came for a search, and that's it. That is, the political investigation, which began under Nicholas I, continued under his successors, under Alexander II and III, also worked perfectly. And, in general, no one could protect themselves from it. At the same time, the writer considers, should I get married? After the death of a neighbor, Tolstoy is appointed guardian of the neighbor's children. He often visits the Sudakov estate, 7 km from Yasnaya Polyana, and becomes infatuated with the eldest daughter in the family, Valeria Arsenyeva. [music] She is 20 years old, Tolstoy is 8 years older than her. In letters, he describes their possible life together to the girl, replacing surnames. It turns out as follows. Mr. Khropovitsky will write, read, and study. And he will teach Mrs. Khropovitskaya and call her his little belly button. Mrs. Khropovitskaya will engage in music and reading and wear a papillon dress to visit peasants in their huts. So, that's their romance. Well, it seems like things are heading towards a wedding, but then Tolstoy starts to hesitate. He dislikes the girl's passion for balls, her involvement in Moscow's social life. He wants to pursue art, and Lev Nikolaevich says, wait, what are you talking about? Didn't you play cards with gypsies until you were 28 in Petersburg and squandered half your estate? Well, in general, he constantly reproaches her for something. In his diaries, he writes that he doesn't love the girl at all, but considers her the most worthy of candidates for a wife. In the end, he proposes: "Let's remain good friends." A year later, the girl marries someone else, and Tolstoy is inspired by this and writes the novel "Family Happiness." The critics' reviews of the book are "reserved." But generally good. Tolstoy himself describes the novel as: "It turned out to be such a shameful piece of garbage that I think I will never write again." In general, Lev Nikolaevich, he wanted to say, is worth quoting, but that's without me. Several generations have already done it. >> Hello, friends. A very quick announcement. The new issue of the magazine CHTIVA is out. In this issue, we will talk about consumption. Generally, how did it happen that [music] the price of a product began to depend not on how useful it is to us, but on how it allegedly changes the owner's status. We will talk about how trade has changed from bartering sable skins for wax to marketplaces. We will talk about the main trading dynasties in Russia and abroad. We will talk about how states waged trade wars with each other and still do. Why, and what is the result of these wars? We will talk about how much luxury goods merchants earn from us [music] and how much merchants of all sorts of fake items earn. In addition, and most importantly, our cover star, Seryozha Borunov, gave a super candid interview. It so happened that we meet and talk once a year or so, [music] and we have another very good interview, dear friends. The issue is already available at the link in the description. I'm leaving the link below. I won't distract you from the episode any longer. Goodbye. [music] In his diaries, he writes that, you know, he tries very hard to fall in love. And for some time, he even courts the daughter of the poet Tyutchev. But it turns out similarly to Valeria. Sometimes the girl appeals to him, then she disgusts him, then she is charming, then stupid. In the evening, he writes one thing in his diaries, in the morning the opposite. In general, as you understand, it doesn't work out with Tyutchev's daughter either. Then Tolstoy becomes infatuated with the most beautiful girl in Moscow, seventeen-year-old Praskovya Shcherbatova. But for some reason, the girl also marries someone else. Later, she will write in her memoirs: "Tolstoy was preoccupied with himself and looked everywhere for heroes and heroines for his future works. I stand by my opinion that he was not all there in his attic even then." This is [music] referring to Shcherbatova. Shcherbatova will later become one of the prototypes for Kitty in Anna Karenina. So, Shcherbatova was right when she wrote that he was looking for heroes and heroines everywhere. In total, Tolstoy will note about ten girls with whom he is in love and whom he considers as future wives. And finally, in the summer of 1861 [music], he visits his mother's friend, the nobleman Andrei Bers, and his family, [music] and there he finds three daughters. He has no feelings for the eldest, but the two younger ones are okay with him. He writes: "If I get married, it will be to one of the Bers sisters." He decides for himself that the bride must be young enough for him to re-educate her [music] to his liking. That is, everything is strictly according to the internal manuals, how things should be arranged. This is, of course, absolutely astonishing. So, to re-educate her to his liking. The sisters are quite suitable for this role. Next, Lev Nikolaevich chooses the middle sister, Sofia. She received an excellent home education and passed the exam to become a teacher. Her essay was the best in the course. She has a literary talent in general. She reciprocates Tolstoy's feelings. Finally, a confession takes place. Tolstoy writes only the first letters of the words. Sofia somehow guesses what he meant and deciphers the inscription in full: "Your youth and need for happiness too vividly remind me of my old age and impossibility of happiness." Well, that's a pleasant interlocutor Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was. He writes a novel and immediately in his diary: "What garbage, he meets a woman." He literally tells her: "I will marry you, but happiness is impossible." First of all, the writer shows his diaries to his fiancée. Never do this. I don't think it's the best way to charm your future chosen one. What do these diaries start with, as you remember from the beginning of the episode? Correct, with Lev Nikolaevich lying in the hospital, being treated for gonorrhea and reflecting on his shameful, beastly way of life. Yes, well, in general, his diaries contain many revelations. And for an innocent girl, I think it was a terrible shock. Sofia writes: "He kisses me, and I think, is he not the first time he is infatuated?" I was also infatuated, but with my imagination, and he with living, pretty women. At the same time, she will spend her whole life rewriting his diaries for posterity. [music] On their wedding day, September 23, 1862, Tolstoy is nervous. He thinks that Sofia doesn't love him. Lev Nikolaevich, this is even very strange. Why are you afraid of this? It's unclear why she might not love you. Perhaps because you gave her your diary. He suggests canceling everything. The bride goes to the altar in tears, but she still goes. The newlyweds are married in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Moscow Kremlin. After the wedding, Tolstoy offers his wife several options to choose from: stay in Moscow, go abroad, travel, or settle in the estate. Sofia chooses Yasnaya Polyana to quickly begin a serious family life. For the next 18 years, she will remain in the estate almost without leaving. That is, when Tolstoy offered three options, he didn't say that each option would last for 18 years. The young wife brings things into the house, including bedding. I didn't misspeak. Before that, Tolstoy slept on straw mattresses and was covered with a calico blanket. She brought bedding. The writer already has an illegitimate son from a peasant woman, Oksinya, at this point. Well, it's clear how Sofia reacts to this. She is jealous. She writes in her diary: "A simple peasant woman, fat, white, terrible. I looked with such pleasure at the dagger, the guns. One blow easily. [music] I'm just like crazy." The son will grow up and become a village elder. Then he will be a coachman on Count Tolstoy's estate. He will drink a lot. Lev Nikolaevich never particularly singled him out among other peasants, which he will regret before his death [music]. But for now, the couple are busy with household matters and trying to develop the farm. They grow peaches and lemons in greenhouses, breed bees. Tolstoy plants apple trees in the garden, then complains that the apples are rotting. He helps some drunken vagabond and hires him as a swineherd. Well, the drunkard is offended by such a position. He deliberately starves to death expensive Japanese pigs. The writer and his neighbor plan to build a distillery, but Sofia forbids it. With the arrival of children, the Tolstoys rebuild the house several times. In total, they will have 13 children during their marriage. However, five will die in early childhood. A small digression here. In general, the Tolstoy surname is a very large clan, because the children later dispersed, they also had children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. And earlier, I don't know how it happens now, earlier the Tolstoys used to gather in Moscow or Yasnaya Polyana, Tolstoys from all over the world would gather, and on Lev Nikolaevich's birthday, they would gather. And this was a tradition of the Tolstoy family. Lev Nikolaevich is already a popular writer at that moment. He is the author of the trilogy "Childhood," "Boyhood," "Youth." Publishers are literally fighting over him. After "Sovremennik," Tolstoy collaborates with the then liberal journal "Russky Vestnik" and begins to write long-planned novels. Initially, Tolstoy wanted to write a novel about the Decembrists and even met with some of them. But gradually he came to the conclusion that the novel should begin earlier, with the Patriotic War, and then even earlier, with 1805. Well, you understand that I am referring to "War and Peace." Sofia rewrites her husband's manuscripts, often working at night. Lev Nikolaevich rereads the text, makes edits, and his wife sits down to the drafts again. Once again, yes, this is also important to imagine. The work of a writer at that time is not the work of a writer now, when you sit at a computer, work on something, you don't like it, delete it, then correct it. It's rewriting by hand. Rewriting again, making edits. It's titanic work. Because an average-sized book is about 450,000 characters, 450 pages, for example, or 380. And can you imagine how many characters are in "War and Peace"? How much physically had to be written? It's incredibly difficult. Sofia rewrites the manuscript seven or eight times. Individual chapters even more often. When she is sick, or when she is pregnant, or when she buries children, the writer hires copyists. The prototypes of the characters are composite images. Tolstoy incorporates his relatives, friends, acquaintances, and former lovers into them. The description of the life and customs of the Rostovs is taken by the writer from an unpublished novella by his wife, which she wrote on the eve of their wedding. First, the first parts of the novel are published in the journal. Turgenev comments on the manuscript. He notes that some parts are masterful, others are weaker. Then he summarizes: "Nothing better has ever been written by anyone here." The poet Pyotr Vyazemsky insists that by mixing real history and fiction, Tolstoy harms both history and the novel. War veterans criticize the novel for its inaccuracy, but its success with the public is incredible. Readers crave a continuation. Lev Nikolaevich finishes the first version of the novel in 1867. In it, for example, Andrei Bolkonsky and Petya Rostov remain alive. Tolstoy arranges to publish the novel not in a journal, but as separate books. And when the chapters are already in print, Lev Nikolaevich begins to rewrite the novel. For example, he travels to Borodino, inspects the area, and changes the battle scenes. He completely removes some parts, and writes others anew. The novel was intended as a four-volume work, but Tolstoy writes six volumes, then shortens it. The texts are edited by the historian, literary critic, and publisher Pyotr Bartenev, as well as the philosopher and critic Nikolai Strakhov. The text changes, in particular, philosophical reflections are shortened. Already in the 1960s, Soviet editors will compare all versions of the novel, early and shortened, and make almost 2,000 corrections. Well, how do contemporaries compare "War and Peace"? With Hugo, with Thackeray, with Balzac? Russian critics write that Tolstoy, of course, is far from Pushkin, Lermontov, and Turgenev. The motivation of the heroes is lacking. This is a direct quote. You understand, right? If cinema existed at that time and the epic film "War and Peace" was released, critics would have written: "The book, [music] of course, is better." Well, the critics had nothing to answer then, and today, in various ratings, "War and Peace" is called the best work in history. Against the backdrop of literary success and family happiness, Lev Nikolaevich is so bored that he hides his shoelaces and guns to prevent himself from committing suicide. He sometimes declares himself an atheist, then begins to believe fervently. Not long before, an event occurred that, according to Tolstoy himself, influenced his life more than other events that seemed more important. It happened like this. The 65th Infantry Regiment is stationed in the Tula province. The regiment clerk, Vasily Shabunin, gets drunk while on duty. The captain orders the clerk to rewrite the papers. Shabunin believes the company commander is being nitpicky, a quarrel arises, and the clerk punches the officer in the nose. The case reaches the commander.
The Moscow Military District, then to the minister, and finally to the sovereign emperor Alexander II. He orders a military field court to investigate the situation. One of the judges asks Tolstoy to defend the accused. Two vote for the death penalty, one against. The writer pleads to mitigate the sentence, emphasizing that the misunderstanding occurred due to the criminal's stupidity and insanity. In the end, he even asks the emperor for a pardon but forgets to specify the regiment in his letter. While details are being clarified, Shabunin is shot. A film, "The Story of an Appointment," was made about these events, by the way. This is a small remark about the liberal reign of Alexander II. Yes, about how something began to change in society, and reforms started, and serfdom was abolished, and people began to be treated like people. A scribe was shot for nothing. Tolstoy is convinced of the necessity of abolishing the death penalty. He states: if it is useful to kill bad people, then who will decide who is harmful? For the next few years, he is engrossed in pedagogy. He writes an alphabet, writes fairy tales for children. In 1870, he conceives a novel about an unfaithful wife. He begins to write a book about Peter I, but does not finish it. And in 1873, he starts "Anna Karenina." Anna herself has several prototypes. For instance, her appearance is modeled after Pushkin's daughter, Maria Hartung. Initially, the writer includes themes that concerned society at the time in the novel: from nihilism to scientific discoveries and spiritualism. But in the final version, many episodes are omitted. The tragic end of the novel was predicted by chance. A jealous mistress of a neighbor threw herself under a train. Her name was also Anna. In her farewell note, she accused her lover. "You are my murderer." By the way, the book was published without the letter "ё," so one of the characters, Konstantin Levin, began to be called Levin. It is said that Tolstoy himself was indignant and said the following: "Levin keeps a pharmacy in Odessa." Leo Nikolayevich agreed with the publisher Katkov for "Karenina" to be published in the journal "Russkiy Vestnik" at a price of 500 rubles per author's sheet. To be clear, this was Tolstoy's highest fee ever. In total, he earned about 20,000 rubles from the publication of the novel. What is that? For that money, for example, one could buy a house in Moscow and still have some left over.
In the finale, Levin condemns the Russian volunteer movement during the war of the Serbs with the Turks. The publisher decides to publish a retelling of the epilogue. Tolstoy explodes, saying: "Well, you could retell the whole novel like that." There was a lady who left her husband, having fallen in love with Count Vronsky. She began to live in Moscow, got angry about various things, and threw herself under a carriage. He quarrels with the publisher. After this quarrel, Tolstoy breaks off relations with the journal and publishes the finale of "Karenina" as a separate book. The reviews are enthusiastic. Dostoevsky calls the novel perfect. Goncharov writes that this book has no equal in Russia or Europe. Tolstoy himself admits that he loves the "family idea" most in the novel. But what is happening in his own family at this time? The writer strives to simplify daily life. His wife is unhappy about this. All the care for the household falls on her. Because, well, Tolstoy writes, it leads to scandals. Tolstoy threatens to leave the family and writes a power of attorney to transfer the management of his estates to his wife. Sofia Andreyevna, at the same time, takes the household management seriously. She refuses to lease land to the former teacher of her children. The claim is simple: he does not pay rent, and he does not know how to manage the land. Because of this, the land loses value. Sofia writes in her diary: "I do not wish and cannot ruin my children, and I cannot conduct business unreasonably." Tolstoy is angry with his wife, saying that she offends people close to the family. Well, in general, constant quarrels begin between them. For the writer himself, the end of the 1870s and the beginning of the 1880s of the 19th century is a turning point. A spiritual breakthrough. He works on the works "Confession" and "An Investigation of Dogmatic Theology." He does not go to church, refuses communion, and becomes a vegetarian. In 1878, Tolstoy travels to Petersburg for a lecture by the famous philosopher Vladimir Solovyov. Leo Nikolayevich is accompanied by the literary critic Nikolai Strakhov. At the lecture, Strakhov's attention is sought by acquaintances, a married couple, but the critic pretends not to notice them. Thus, the meeting of two great Russian writers, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, who came to this lecture with his wife, was missed. Tolstoy and Dostoevsky have many mutual acquaintances. They frequent the same places. Fyodor Mikhailovich is friends with Alexandra Tolstoy, who is the writer's paternal aunt. She, in particular, transcribes her nephew's letters for Dostoevsky. What is Leo Nikolayevich writing at this moment? A classic: "We all live like cattle and will die the same way; to be saved from this terrible situation, we are given salvation by Christ." Dostoevsky is interested. He wants to understand Tolstoy's new ethical passion. He goes to Optina Pustyn to Father Ambrose, with whom Leo Nikolayevich periodically communicates. But these two do not understand each other. Tolstoy writes about the priest, teaches, but does not see what is needed. And the priest says about Tolstoy: "Very proud." Soon Tolstoy begins to formulate his views in articles. His teaching quickly receives the name "Tolstoyism." The writer preaches, in particular, the renunciation of property, non-resistance to evil by violence, and the abolition of the death penalty. His articles are read carefully throughout the country. They spread everywhere, and followers are quickly found. These followers call themselves "Tolstoyans." True, the writer's words and theses are interpreted, well, by whoever can. Leo Nikolayevich himself soon becomes horrified by how the Tolstoyans distort his thoughts. He says of his followers that they are the most alien and incomprehensible sect to him. In 1883, Tolstoy meets a man who will be the cause of family quarrels for a long time. His wife Sofia will hate him, and literary scholars will argue about his role in the writer's works. The man's name is Vladimir Chertkov. He is a wealthy aristocrat and a so-called "repentant nobleman." In the mid-19th century, this term was used to describe Russian aristocrats who suffered because their ancestors owned serfs. But for some unknown reason, Chertkov did not renounce his fortune. Strange, isn't it? And this Chertkov will become not only a friend to Tolstoy but also an editor and even a publisher. But most importantly, most importantly, yes, he did not renounce property himself, but he supports Leo Nikolayevich's aspiration to give up everything, money, estates, and so on. Well, the poet, his wife is horrified, and here, honestly, the final episode should have been renamed "Tolstoy and his wife Sofia," because if it weren't for his wife, of course, all the children would have simply been left destitute. And I think it was her iron will, her long-suffering, and her simply incredible ability to process everything through herself that kept the family, and Tolstoy himself, afloat. And, of course, she is a woman who is probably worthy of a separate episode. To understand what was happening at the Tolstoys' home, passions were boiling, well, not at all trivial. In 1884, Tolstoy packs a bag and leaves home. Sofia is pregnant at this time. Halfway to Tula, he decides, "To hell with it," and returns home. On the same day, Sofia gives birth to their daughter Alexandra.
In 1891, there was famine and crop failure in the country. It affected 17 provinces where 36 million people lived. Epidemics of typhus and cholera began. There are no precise statistics, but it is believed that almost 400,000 people died from hunger and disease. Tolstoy blames the government for the famine, scolds the economic system, criticizes the suppression of the scale of the tragedy, and criticizes the measures to combat the epidemic and famine. He personally visits the disaster areas, collects funds for the starving, and organizes nearly two hundred canteens that feed 10,000 people. His wife personally works in a canteen. At this moment, Leo Nikolayevich is ready to give all his property to the poor. He declares his works written before 1881 to be public domain. Well, what does that mean? He renounces all copyrights and payments. His wife says to him: "Why impoverish our already not wealthy family? We have quarrels again. Tolstoy threatens to leave home. Sofia threatens to commit suicide." The writer spends the whole year preparing a document on the division of property between his wife and children. In early 1895, the family experiences another blow. Their six-year-old son Ivan dies of illness. Tolstoy calls his death a great spiritual event. His wife, naturally, is angry about this. She goes out into the garden to talk aloud with her deceased son. She is in tragedy, and they quarrel more and more. Sofia reproaches her husband, saying that all he does is ride bicycles and horses, and he does not help her with the children at all. Tolstoy gets angry in response. "With your care, you have ruined my whole life," he tells the woman on whose shoulders, in general, his entire household rests. And in the summer, Sofia falls in love with the composer Taneev. She is over 50, and he is around 30. She tries to see him, dresses up, travels to Moscow, attends concerts. Her behavior is noticed by her relatives and Tolstoy himself. He is jealous of her and asks her to stop these meetings. Taneev begins to avoid Tolstoy. For example, he demonstratively sits at the other end of the hall in the theater or burns her letters without reading them. They will meet only a few times in 15 years, but, judging by the woman's diaries, she was fascinated by him for a very long time. At the same time, Tolstoy himself lives a rather interesting life. He is acquainted with Tchaikovsky, Stanislavsky, and Chekhov. The painter Repin often visits him. In particular, he paints the picture "The Plowman Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy in the Field." Here is this picture. Then he begins a full-length portrait. Tolstoy jokes: "Now, when they paint me, like a maiden who has lost her honor and conscience, I no longer refuse anyone." Repin shows the portrait of Tolstoy in 1901. In the painting, the writer stands barefoot. Tolstoy is indignant. He says: "It only lacks them depicting me without pants." The image of the greatest Russian writer immediately becomes the subject of anecdotes. For example, one goes like this: "Your Excellency, the plow is brought to the main entrance." Or peasants discuss, "Why is the master mowing cabbage? Who can understand these educated people?" They say Tolstoy walks in peasant clothes and barefoot. But this is, of course, not true. He wears comfortable boots, and a blouse made of wool and cotton is sewn for him by a village seamstress. In fact, this blouse will be called a "tolstovka." For 11 years, with interruptions, Tolstoy writes his last novel, "Resurrection." It is the story of a girl seduced by a nobleman. Also, probably taken from life. Many years later, he meets a prostitute in court, whom he recognizes as that very girl, and tries to save her, but in vain; the girl dies in prison. The story is indeed written based on a real case, which the famous Russian lawyer Koni tells the writer about. "Resurrection" is called the last great novel of the 19th century and the culmination of Tolstoy's spiritual breakthrough. The novel is interpreted in different ways. Some say that Tolstoy wrote about the rebirth of a person for a new life. Others say it is a hymn to atheism. Well, be that as it may, the publication of the novel is banned. Moreover, two censors ban it at once: both secular and spiritual. It should be understood that the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century is a time of flourishing Russian religious thought. At the same time, future religious philosophers in their youth are fascinated, like all progressive youth at the time, by Marxism. Atheism and criticism of the official church in general are a common feature of the time. Tolstoy continues to publish brochures with his teachings and helps the Doukhobor sect, who reject the rites of the official church. The writer gives them his royalties for the novel "Resurrection" and organizes a collection of funds so that almost 7,500 people can move to Canada. They are accompanied by the writer's son, Sergei, as a translator and organizer of the trip. And in 1901, the Most Holy Synod declares that Tolstoy has departed from the church. The writer's wife publishes an open letter to Metropolitan Anthony. She says that the Synod's decision is incomprehensible to her, and the church should be an example of love and forgiveness. Anthony justly remarks in response: "No one has excommunicated Tolstoy. He turned away himself. And in general, they are waiting for him back." Leo Nikolayevich is almost an anarchist at this moment. He talks, for example, with the writer Vladimir Korolenko, who had already been tried for revolutionary convictions. Korolenko tells about peasants seizing the property of landowners. And Tolstoy replies to him: "And well done. The peasant is directly taking what is most important to him." But is the Russian writer ready to actually take off his last shirt for the peasant? Let's go back a dozen years for a moment. 1889. At this time, at the station Krutaya, 20 km from the city of Tsaritsyn, a weigher works. The young man's name is Alexei Peshkov. He is 21 years old, and he, by his own admission, hates the whole world. But he has a dream of establishing an agricultural colony. He writes to Tolstoy with a request for help: "You have a lot of land, which, they say, is not cultivated. We ask you to give us a piece of this land." And at the same time, they ask him to send books that are not allowed for sale: "What is My Faith" and "Confession." Peshkov wants to meet Tolstoy and specifically travels to Moscow and Yasnaya Polyana for this, but does not find the writer. The young man returns home in a wagon labeled "For Livestock." Three years later, Alexei Peshkov will begin to be published under the pseudonym Maxim Gorky. And ten years later, Gorky, a famous writer, it is said that typesetters stopped working in the printing house to read his stories while typesetting. On January 13, 1900, Gorky and Tolstoy finally meet at Leo Nikolayevich's Moscow house. They talk for three hours in the study. Tolstoy will later write to his interlocutor: "I was very glad to get to know you and glad that I came to love you. I liked your writings, and I found you better than your writings." Gorky will later tell Chekhov that Tolstoy turned out to be a small old man who somewhat resembled the eccentric Suvorov. At the same time, he admits that the writer made a very strong impression on him. The two writers will meet periodically. The photo where they pose together in Yasnaya Polyana was taken by Tolstoy's wife, Sofia. She jokingly tells Gorky that he looks like a shepherd in his outfit and advises him to learn to play the flute. Gorky will speak of Tolstoy's wife with respect. Time will pass, and he will say: "Undoubtedly, thanks to her, Leo Nikolayevich did not experience many blows from the hooves of horses. Much dirt and mad saliva did not touch him." When Gorky is arrested in 1901 for anti-government appeals, Tolstoy will seek his release. Gorky will be transferred to house arrest.
On January 9, 1905, a demonstration takes place in Petersburg. Workers march to the Winter Palace to present Tsar Nicholas II with a collective petition. They demand the convocation of a constituent assembly. The demonstrators will try to break out of the cordon. In response, soldiers will open fire. About 100 people die. These events will become known as Bloody Sunday and the beginning of the First Russian Revolution. We have a large episode about this. Gorky supports the revolution. The headquarters of the Bolsheviks is generally located in his apartment. The writer himself prints revolutionary leaflets and a newspaper. For this, he will be arrested again, but released on bail under public pressure. Tolstoy, in turn, does not accept revolutionary violence, but he declares to the tsarist government: "You will not stand against the revolution with your banner of autocracy." All this is outdated and cannot be restored. Gorky will go abroad, and communication with Tolstoy will be interrupted. When Gorky is offered publication in a collection for Leo Nikolayevich's anniversary, he will refuse. He will refuse with the following wording: "Count Leo Tolstoy is a brilliant artist, our Shakespeare, perhaps the most amazing person I have had the pleasure of meeting." But for 20 years, from this bell tower, the ringing of something hostile to my faith has been heard. In general, Tolstoy's relationship with revolutionaries is quite contradictory. He understands that the monarchy has outlived its time, that the revolution will bring renewal, that the people's demands are, in general, just, but he does not accept the methods. Against the backdrop of the First Russian Revolution, peasants are on strike in Yasnaya Polyana. They do not pay rent, do not work, steal vegetables, and graze horses in the master's garden. The estate turns into a thoroughfare. Aspiring writers, gymnasium students, peasants, criminals, revolutionaries, and Tolstoyans come to Tolstoy. Sofia Andreyevna hopes that her husband's eccentricities will pass with time, but for now, she asks the governor to provide security. Tolstoy is naturally displeased. He says that he is tired of visitors, but the appearance of armed guards is, in fact, completely contrary to his image. In 1906, Stolypin tries to restore military field courts. Tolstoy was friends with Stolypin's father, a general. But he does not know the current Minister of Internal Affairs, but he writes him several letters and demands an end to the atrocities. They advise him to destroy land ownership, allegedly to calm the revolutionaries. Stolypin replies: "The right to property is natural for man." The writer initially engages in polemics, and then writes the following lines. "I am writing to you about a very pitiable man, the most pitiable of all whom I know now in Russia. This man is you yourself." But the last letters will not be sent. Sofia Andreyevna makes a judgment about her husband's correspondence. She writes in her diary: "An evil, spirited letter. He curses everything and gives absurd advice on land ownership. This letter is a product of a sick liver and stomach." In September 1906, Tolstoy's wife herself is on the verge of death. She becomes more affectionate with her relatives. Leo Nikolayevich is delighted with her behavior. The children send telegrams to the best doctors. Doctor Vladimir Snegirov arrives, a true luminary, an honored professor of Moscow University. He suggests operating on Sofia immediately. She cannot be taken to the Tula hospital. Tolstoy objects: "I am against intervention that violates the solemnity of the great act of death." Well, I don't want to comment maliciously on this statement, so I won't. They wait for the children to make a decision together. They do not wait, and the doctors perform the operation. The writer grumbles: "They won't let a person die peacefully. She groans more than before the operation, but the doctors still save the patient." Two months later, their daughter Masha dies of pneumonia. She is 35 years old. Tolstoy again literally falls into a trance. He writes in his diary: "I watched her die. Surprisingly calmly." He is generally interested in the transition from earthly life to eternal life. When the wife of the artist Surikov was dying, the writer came to visit to observe. The artist kicked him out, saying: "Get out, you evil old man." At the same time, when Tolstoy himself was seriously ill, first with pneumonia, then with typhoid fever, he also refused medication. That is, literally, his wife forced him to eat, and he was barely pulled back from the brink of death. By the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian Academy of Sciences nominated Tolstoy for the Nobel Prize for five consecutive years, and each time it went to others. The secretary of the Swedish Academy personally objects to awarding the Russian writer. He states: "Tolstoy has condemned all forms of civilization and insisted instead on adopting a primitive way of life." Leo Nikolayevich, in turn, writes to one of the members of the Nobel Committee: "I earnestly ask you to try to ensure that I am not awarded this prize." When the Nobel Prize is once again awarded to someone else, Tolstoy comments with relief: "This has saved me from the great difficulty of disposing of money, which, like all money, can only bring evil." In his later years, the writer discusses enslavement, mutual hatred, the purpose of man, his dignity, and love in the Christian sense. He reflects on good and evil, naturally, he reflects on the meaning of life. He writes: "There is no free will." One wants to say: "There is freedom to do evil, but no freedom to do good." Tolstoy opposes the state and borders. His articles are banned by censorship, and they are published in London under the leadership of the same Chertkov. In Russia, they will be published only after the revolution. Leo Nikolayevich is interested in Islam, Confucianism, and Buddhism. He corresponds with the English writer Herbert Wells, the supreme mufti of Egypt, and the future Indian politician Mahatma Gandhi. We mentioned this correspondence in the episode about Gandhi. He is a person of such stature that everyone tries to pull Tolstoy into their camp. For example, ideas that he never expressed are attributed to him. His own speeches are interpreted as they wish. Rumors appear that Tolstoy is an opponent of religion, science, and medicine; he personally objects. "I am deeply religious, but I rebel against the church with its distortion of true religion. The same applies to science." Vladimir Lazursky, a teacher and literary historian who taught Tolstoy's children, later recalled that Leo Nikolayevich considered it necessary to make medicine accessible to everyone. He was outraged that a merchant's wife could afford to summon a Charcot from Paris, while the janitor's wife died of the same illness. Well, in the end, relations with his wife again become strained. Sofia writes in her diaries that it is difficult for her, that she is tired of the household. The wife of the world's most famous writer also writes novellas and even publishes a collection of poems in prose called "Groans." And she will take the pseudonym "Tired." Well, what else can be said, right? In my opinion, in these two lines is everything that Tolstoy's wife feels: groans and tired. And, of course, she can be understood. Tolstoy finally wants to renounce his rights to his works, but is sure that his wife will not allow him. He designates his daughter Alexandra as his heir, in effect, so that his works become public domain and so that Chertkov can publish them free of charge. In 1910, the writer gives him his diaries. Sofia Andreyevna throws scandals at her husband. Chertkov has millions. And he is pushing you to ruin the family. She is sincerely worried about her children and grandchildren, who risk being left without sustenance and without a roof over their heads. After all, Tolstoy also wants to give the land to the peasants. Sofia calls Chertkov the devil. She shoots his portrait with a pistol and hires priests to cast out his spirit from the house. The children are divided. Some support their father, others support their mother. Their daughter Alexandra believes that her mother is simulating madness. A psychiatrist diagnoses her with paranoia and hysteria. Tolstoy begins to keep a diary for himself and hides it in his bootleg. His wife finds this diary. She sleeps with her doors open, watches to make sure Leo Nikolayevich does not run away from home. On the night of October 28, Tolstoy hears Sofia Andreyevna rummaging through his things. He finally decides to leave the family. He writes a farewell letter to his wife. Tolstoy is 82 years old at this time. He had tried to run away before, but it had never come to anything. But now his daughter and several other trusted individuals help the writer pack his things. They fuss for a long time. The most necessary items fill a full travel suitcase. Plus a bundle and more baskets with food. Tolstoy leaves the house to wake the coachman. He wanders for a long time, bumps into trees, hits himself, and falls. He thinks he has wandered into a thicket, although it is his own garden. He somehow returns home for a flashlight. Finally, he gets into a carriage and drives to the station. He tries for a long time to decide where to go. He changes trains three times and finally reaches the Optina Pustyn monastery. He wants to talk with the elders but does not dare to enter the sketes. He leaves for his younger sister, Maria. She has taken monastic vows and lives in the Shamordino monastery. He lives with his sister for some time. Then his daughter arrives and tells him that her mother tried to drown herself. Tolstoy writes a letter: "I love you and pity you with all my soul, but I cannot act otherwise." And he flees again. Leo Nikolayevich plans to go to Novocherkassk or Rostov-on-Don. He wants to get a foreign passport there and sail to Bulgaria through Odessa. He gets on the train. They offer to attach a separate carriage, but none is found. Tolstoy insists that he wants to travel with the people in a third-class carriage, which is smoky. He goes out to get some air on the street, catches a cold, and with a severe cold, he stops at Ostapovo station. The station master gives him a room in his own house. A doctor and his daughter are on duty at Tolstoy's bedside. Chertkov is informed, and he also arrives at the house. Sofia Andreyevna is hysterical, plans to hire a private detective, then finally receives a telegram. Leo Nikolayevich is in Ostapovo, at the station master's, with a temperature of 40. On November 2, she arrives at her husband's. She is not allowed into Tolstoy's room.
Maxim Gorky will later write that the wife was not allowed in at Chertkov's insistence. The whole world is concerned about Tolstoy's adventures. British, American, European newspapers from Italy to Norway come out with headlines: "Tolstoy Disappeared, Tolstoy Found." The London Times writes that the writer has gone to a monastery. These events are commented on by writers, politicians, philosophers: Mechnikov, Kropotkin, Bernard Shaw, Rosa Luxemburg. Tolstoy is compared to Buddha, Socrates, King Lear, Faust, Robinson Crusoe. That is, imagine, he is a superstar. One of his sons, Lev Lvovich, assures French reporters that everything is fine. His father often withdraws at this time. He will soon return home. Even the Russian embassy in Paris awaits comments. On November 20, at 5:50 AM, Sofia Andreyevna finally enters her husband's room. He does not recognize her. Before his death, he utters a fragmented phrase: "Truth, I love much, like them." Leo Tolstoy is buried in Yasnaya Polyana, as he himself willed. Several thousand people attend the writer's funeral. All entertainment events are canceled throughout the country. Demonstrations are held in cities. People carry portraits of the writer, factories and plants stop. Many perceive Tolstoy's death as a personal tragedy. And not only the intelligentsia. It is students and peasants. The news instantly spreads around the world. All major newspapers will write about Tolstoy's death. The New York Times publishes an obituary. The newspaper calls him the most famous writer in the Western world and reports in detail on the last days and hours of his life. Later, Leo Tolstoy will become the most published writer in the Soviet Union. The total circulation of his works will reach almost half a billion copies. His diaries will be published for the first time in 1917, with the efforts of Vladimir Chertkov. Two years later, in 1919, the writer's wife, Sofia, will pass away. The children will emigrate. His son Ilya will play the role of his father in two Hollywood films. His daughter Alexandra will be arrested, then released, and she will also leave. Only his son Sergei will remain in Russia. But both in Russia and abroad, as I have already told you, Tolstoy's children will do a lot to preserve the legacy of the great Russian writer. This was the story of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy. Friends, thank you for watching our personality episodes. Subscribe to the channel if you haven't already, and see you next time.