Tolstoy, Leo
1828-1910
Famous Russian writer
by Rit Nosotro First Published:: 2003( )
Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy achieved his place as one of the greatest Russian
writers of all time. Throughout his life he wrote more than fifteen books, including
famous classics such as The Cossacks, War and Peace, and Anna
Karenina, to name a few. His literary works also expanded beyond fiction.
His first writings were three autobiographical novels, Childhood, Boyhood,
and Youth. As a Russian count, Tolstoy also had some political influence.
He made great contributions to Russian culture, as well as to the world.
Leo Tolstoy was born on September 9, 1828, at his family's estate in Russia.
Tolstoy never had any memories of his mother, who died while
he was still two years old, without any photographs ever taken of her. Tolstoy
grew up in a family with four siblings; three older brothers, and one younger
sister. At age nine Tolstoy moved to Moscow, a much different environment from
the family estate, which was located in the Tula region. Not long after renting
the house in Moscow, Leo Tolstoy's father was murdered while traveling. There
were rumors that he had been killed by the servants traveling with him, a not-uncommon
thing at the time. His grandmother's death closely followed this tragic event.
Much of Tolstoy's childhood was filled with grief and sorrow.
With the death of both parents, Tolstoy and his siblings were forced to move
in with relatives. In 1844, at the age of 19, he took up study
of law and oriental languages at Kazan University, but did not complete his
studies there. In 1847, at the age of 22, Tolstoy was treated for venereal
disease, caused by his sexual promiscuity. He wasted the next several years
of his life on gambling and other inappropriate activities, until he accompanied
his brother to the Caucasus in 1851, and joined the military. He
also began writing his first famous works at this time, with his autobiographies
Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth.
After serving as Russia as a second lieutenant in the Crimean War, Tolstoy left
military service in late 1856, to look after matters at Yasnaya Polyana, the
estate. After this, he went on a trip to France, Switzerland, and Germany. Though
he did not like western Europe very well, he was becoming more interested in
education, which he believed held the secret to changing the world. After starting
a school for peasant children, he married Sonya Andreyevna Behrs, who bore him
13 children.
Over the next 40 years Tolstoy wrote many more works, including War and Peace,
a story about Napolean's invasion of Russia which proposes that history is determined
more by events rather than leaders. He also wrote Anna Karenina, a tragedy
about a woman whose name was Anna Karenina. Shortly after
finishing Anna Karenina, Tolstoy came to a spiritual crisis. He turned
first to the Russian Orthodox Church, but, not finding what he searched for,
he began reading the Bible. After developing his own moral system, "Resist not
evil", Tolstoy renounced all previous works, and wrote Confession, a
book explaining his beliefs. His correspondence with Mohandas
Gandhi propagated his idea of nonviolent resistance which led to India's
independence and the direction of the US civil rights movement under Martin
Luther King Jr.
In 1883 Tolstoy started a new publication, the Mediator, to distribute
his word through tracts and fiction. The secret police had been watching Tolstoy
for some time, and his book What I Believe was taken from the printer.
Meanwhile, his domestic situation was becoming quite delicate. As his custom,
he wanted to give some of his assets away, but his wife would not allow him.
In 1884, he assigned the copyrights to all of works before 1881 to her. Tolstoy's
last years were his most famous, and also his most unhappy. Conflict continued
between him and his wife. Tolstoy died of pneumonia on November 10, 1910, while
on a pilgrimage, at a small depot in Astapovo. He was buried at his estate,
Yasnaya Polyana.
| 1. Throughout Tolstoy's life, did he practice any kind of religion? |
|
Yes, the Russian Orthodox Church. |
No, he was not part of the Russian Orthodox
Church. |
Yes, he was Jewish. |
No, Tolstoy was not a Jew. |
Yes, he was a Humanist. |
No, not a humanist. |
No, but he was searching for the answer. |
Correct! You can find this here
in the essay. Try the next question. |
| 2. What University did Tolstoy attend? Did he complete his studies there? |
|
He completed his studies at the University at Moscow. |
No, he did not complete studies at that
university. |
He attended (but did not complete) his studies at the University of Moscow. |
No, Tolstoy Never attended the University
of Moscow. |
He completed his studies at the University of Kazan. |
No, he did not complete his studies at
that University. |
He attended (but did not complete) his studies at the University of Kazan. |
Correct! You can find this here
in the essay. Try the next question. |
| 3. Which relative of Tolstoy's died while he was two years old? |
|
His mother. |
Correct! You can find this here
in the essay. Try the next question. |
His aunt. |
No, she did not die while he was young.
|
His father. |
No, he died later in Tolstoy's childhood.
|
His grandmother. |
No, she died much later in Tolstoy's life.
|
| 4. What were the names of Tolstoy's autobiographical novels? |
|
Childhood, Youth, and Manhood. |
Try again, those weren't the names.
|
Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth. |
Correct! You can find this here
in the essay. Good job on completing the quiz!. |
Child, Boy and Man. |
No, that's incorrect. Try again. |
Childhood, Growing up, and Manhood. |
No, rethink this one. |
Sources:
"BookRags Biography on Leo Tolstoy." 22 September 2004.
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/leo-tolstoy/
"Leo Tolstoy - Books and Biography." 20 September 2004.
http://www.readprint.com/author-82/Leo-Tolstoy
"Leo Tolstoy" - 20 September 2004.
http://www.ltolstoy.com/biography/
