Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in world literature. His novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina are monuments of nineteenth-century fiction, and his later ideas influenced the development of pacifism and of nonviolent resistance.

Early Life and Education

Tolstoy was born in 1828 at Yasnaya Polyana, an estate south of Moscow. He was orphaned at a young age and was raised by relatives.

He studied at the University of Kazan but left without a degree. He served in the army in the Caucasus and in the Crimean War.

He began to write during his military service, and his early works, including Childhood and the Sevastopol Sketches, attracted attention.

War and Peace

War and Peace, published between 1865 and 1869, is an epic of the Napoleonic wars. It interweaves the lives of several families with the events of the invasion of Russia.

The novel is famous for its vast scale and for its philosophical digressions on history and on free will. The character of Pierre Bezukhov and of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky embody the spiritual search of the author.

The work is regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written. It has been adapted for film, television, and opera.

Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina, published between 1875 and 1877, tells the story of a married woman who has an affair and is destroyed by the consequences. The parallel story of Levin reflects the author's own search for meaning.

The novel opens with one of the most famous sentences in literature: all happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

The work is admired for its psychological realism and for its social observation. It is often considered the greatest of all realistic novels.

Religious and Moral Crisis

Tolstoy experienced a spiritual crisis in the 1870s and turned to the Gospels. He developed a version of Christianity based on the Sermon on the Mount and on the rejection of violence.

A Confession describes his search for meaning and his rejection of the Orthodox Church. He was excommunicated in 1901.

His ideas influenced Mahatma Gandhi, who corresponded with him, and the tradition of nonviolent resistance. The welfare of the soul became the central concern of his later work.

Later Life and Death

Tolstoy wrote a number of moral tales and essays, including What Is Art? and The Kingdom of God Is Within You. He renounced his aristocratic privileges and distributed his property.

He left his home in 1910 and died at a railway station at Astapovo. His flight from his wife and family caused a sensation.

His funeral was attended by thousands of peasants and admirers. He was buried at Yasnaya Polyana.

Legacy

Tolstoy is regarded as one of the titans of world literature. His influence on the novel and on the theory of nonviolence has been immense.

His estate at Yasnaya Polyana is a museum and a place of pilgrimage. His works have been translated into many languages and are read throughout the world.

He is remembered for his moral seriousness and for his art. His life and his work remain a subject of study and of fascination.

The Caucasus and the Crimea

Tolstoy served in the army in the Caucasus and took part in the Crimean War. The experience provided material for his early stories.

The Cossacks describes the life of the Cossack villages and the search for a simple and natural life. The Sevastopol Sketches describe the defence of the city.

The early works established his reputation for realism and for the depiction of the inner life. He was praised by the critics and by the public.

The School at Yasnaya Polyana

Tolstoy founded a school for the children of the peasants on his estate. He developed a theory of education based on freedom and on the interests of the child.

He published a reader for children and a manual for teachers. The school was closed by the authorities and was later reopened.

The experiment influenced the development of progressive education. The ABC Book was widely used in the Russian schools.

The Marriage

Tolstoy married Sophia Bers in 1862, and the marriage was turbulent but productive. She managed the estate and copied his manuscripts.

The couple had fourteen children. Their relationship deteriorated and was the source of much of his later unhappiness.

The Kreutzer Sonata, published in 1889, is a novella about marriage and jealousy. The work caused a scandal and was banned.

The Last Years

Tolstoy renounced his aristocratic life and dressed as a peasant. He worked in the fields and made his own boots.

He distributed his property to his family and to the peasants. The arrangement caused conflict with his wife.

He left home secretly in 1910 and died at the railway station of Astapovo. The circumstances of his death attracted worldwide attention.

See also

• War and Peace
• Christian anarchism