Аннотация: Tolstoy and Tolstoy. Historical and biographical essay
Tolstoy and Tolstoy. Historical and biographical essay
An acquaintance with the biography of Leo Tolstoy results a complex impression.
One of the biographers - Evgeny Andreyevich Solovyov [1866-1905], - is a contemporary of Leo Tolstoy [1828-1910]. Evgeny Solovyov spoke out about the contradiction between the writer's seemingly prosperous life path and the feeling of 'sadness'. 'Strictly speaking, everything he wrote is inexpressibly sad. The "Sevastopol Sketches", and the amazing pearl 'Three Deaths', 'War and Peace', and 'Anna Karenina' are also sad. Like the ancient prophets, Tolstoy appears in our society "with a sad and strict face."
His confessions - isn't that the lamentations of Jeremiah? ... '
Henri Troyat was born in 1911 [1911-2007] and did not become a contemporary of Leo Tolstoy. In the book "Leo Tolstoy", written by Troyat, there is a mention of a "dark people". 'At first Lev Nikolayevich was glad that his philosophy made influence not only on the 'dark' inhabitants of the city and the village, but also on a person from high society, a landowner, and an officer of emperor guard.'
'But those 'honorable' guests were mixed with those, whom the family called 'dark people' ['dark', 'darks']. They were coming to see the owner, to express their admiration to him, to ask him for advice or money, to help him with the housework. In their presence, the countess was pausing, was stoping her breath - many of them smelled unpleasantly. The same smell was entering from her husband's clothes after his conversations with these guests ... Among this 'representatives of the evil spirit' there were people of all ages who had different social backgrounds: sincere idealists and adventurers, curious and crazy, students and illiterates, priests, peasants, retired officers, foreigners ... Their demonstration of impolite behavior was proportionate to their veneration: the more they admired Tolstoy, the less they showed of tact and courtesy invading his life.'
Apparently, there were a lot of 'dark people' ... What were they capable of? ... In the Maxim Gorky's works there are descriptions of people who tried to change their lives - who considered themselves followers of Leo Tolstoy, adherents of his ideas.
Perhaps, of all the "dark" described by Gorky, the only one who managed to really "change own life" was Maxim Gorky [Alexei Peshkov] himself - with his ability and calling to literary skills, to a creativity of writer, with knowledge of the Bible and Church Slavonic language (the results of his grandfather's fists), and with ordinary literacy (the teacher victory of the mother of Alexei Peshkov).
The "dark people" were looking on life from their individual positions. They tried to use the simplest ideas of Tolstoy (for example, the necessity for personal physical labor, the rejection of certain types of food ...), but they could not compose Tolstoy a circle of people helping to change society.
In a biography written by Henri Troyat, the emperor, his family members, and Grand Princes are mentioned. 'Next to Gaspra was the estate of Grand Prince Alexander Mikhailovich, where then his brother, Grand Prince Nikolai Mikhailovich, was visiting. He himself came to Tolstoy in a neighborly way, they walked around the park. Leo Nikolaevich liked the simplicity, lively, inquiring mind of the Grand Prince. He [Nikolai Mikhailovich] proposed to turn to him for help in case of misunderstanding with the local authorities. '
The members of the Reigning House understood the significance of Leo Tolstoy, his influence on society, and tried to build relations with him. An understandable distance separated them from him and him from them.
Who was left? Whom was fit to go with?
Some manuals on an achieving of business success contain a recommendation - not to create a 'personnel reserve' from family members and relatives ... A controversial recommendation ...
Nevertheless, a family is a family ... We will try not to touch the details of the relationship of Leo Tolstoy and members of his family.
Remained - Leo Tolstoy - himself. A man with habits, with passions, with an individual history ... 'When Tolstoy, whose thoughts were confused by the disease, was laid [on a bed in the house of the head of the Astapovo railway station - November 1910], he suddenly thought that he was in Yasnaya Polyana, and was excited, not seeing familiar objects: 'I can't to sleep, yet... Make, as always. Put a bedside table, a chair ... ' A needs, a habits ...
Tolstoy lived - a man who saw a future, and understood the character of future. '... and novels, and poems, and music is not art, as something important and necessary for people in general, but an affair of robbers, parasites, who have nothing to do with life ... But life, all life is full with questions about food, accommodation, labor, about faith, about the relations of people ... A shameful, a disgusting situation.This - a wrong. I seek to explain this. Help me, Father, to serve You. '
Who could make up a circle of communication, a circle of assistance to Leo Tolstoy, who was striving to change society?
Leo Tolstoy, himself, - a man with habits, with passions, with an individual history? A family? Members of the Imperial House? 'Dark people'?
So - Chertkov is here ...
'At these words, Vladimir Grigoryevich [Chertkov], completely unexpectedly for me, makes a terrible grimace and shows out tongue to me ... Having gathered strength, I [V.F. Bulgakov] ignore the trick [the rude act] of Vladimir Grigorievich and answer him ... "...
('Once a nightmare struck him unpleasantly, as if a premonition: 'I had a dream about Chertkov. He suddenly danced, he was thin, and I [L.N. Tolstoy] saw that he [Chertkov] had lost his mind '').
So, 'Chertkov proved himself to be an excellent organizer and a fierce defender of Tolstoy's ideas' ...
Chertkov often appeared to be very psychologically close to Tolstoy ...
With all the details of the life path, the ability of Leo Tolstoy to see a future did not disappear.
After the Coup of June 1907, it became clear that the October Manifesto of 1905 remained in a past - as an unrealized opportunity ...
Of course, life in comfort and in a family environment had advantages ... (Tolstoy was looking for a compromise with Tolstoy ..).
But a comfortable, familiar, arranged life meant the complicity in what was happening ... Such a life meant the agreement with what was happening ...
Details mattered to the biography of Leo Tolstoy.
Details did not matter and do not matter for the biography of Leo Tolstoy.
October 29, 2019 20:32
Translation from Russian into English: October 31, 2019 07:07.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Толстой и Толстой. Историко-биографический очерк'.