In 1828, on the estate of Yasnaya Polyana, on August 26, the future great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was born. The family was a noble family - his ancestor was a noble nobleman who received the title of count for service to Tsar Peter. Mother was from an ancient noble family of Volkonsky. Belonging to a privileged layer of society influenced the writer's behavior and thoughts throughout his life. A brief biography of Leo Tolstoy does not fully reveal the entire history of the ancient family.
Serene life in Yasnaya Polyana
The writer's childhood was quite prosperous, despite the fact that he had lost his mother early. Thanks to family stories, he retained her bright image in his memory. A brief biography of Leo Tolstoy suggests that his father was the embodiment of beauty and strength for the writer. He instilled in the boy a love of dog hunting, which was later described in detail in the novel War and Peace.
A close relationship was with his elder brother Nikolenka - he taught little Levushka different games and told him interesting stories. The first story of Tolstoy - "Childhood" - contains many autobiographical memories of the childhood of the writer himself.
Youth
A serene joyful stay in Yasnaya Polyana was interrupted due to the death of his father. In 1837, the family moved to Kazan under the care of an aunt. In this city, according to a brief biography of Leo Tolstoy, the writer’s youth passed. Here he entered the university in 1844 - first at the philosophical, and then at the law faculty. True, his studies did not attract him much, the student preferred various entertainments and revels more.
During this period of time, a brief biography of Leo Tolstoy characterizes him as a person who scornfully refers to people of the lower, non-aristocratic class. He denied history as a science - in his eyes it had no practical use. The writer retained the sharpness of his judgments throughout his life.
In the role of a landowner
In 1847, having never graduated from the university, Tolstoy decided to return to Yasnaya Polyana and try to arrange the life of his serfs. Reality sharply diverged from the views of the writer. The peasants did not understand the master’s intentions, and a brief biography of Leo Tolstoy describes his economic experience as unsuccessful (the writer shared it in his story “Morning of the landowner”), as a result of which he leaves his estate.
The path of becoming a writer
The next few years, spent in St. Petersburg and Moscow, were not spent for the future great prose writer. From 1847 to 1852, diaries are kept, in which Leo Tolstoy carefully verifies all his thoughts and thoughts. A brief biography tells us that while serving in the Caucasus, work is being carried out on the novel "Childhood", which will be published later in the journal Sovremennik. This laid the foundation for the further creative path of the great Russian writer.
Ahead of the writer is the creation of his great works “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina,” and for now, he is honing his style by typing in Sovremennik and basking in favorable reviews from critics.
Later years of creativity
In 1855, Tolstoy came to Petersburg for a short while, but just a couple of months later left him and settled in Yasnaya Polyana, opening a school for peasant children there. In 1862 he marries Sophia Bers and in the early years is very happy.
In the years 1863-1869, the novel "War and Peace" was written and revised, which reminded little of the classic version. It lacks the traditional key elements of the time. Rather, they are present, but not key.
1877 - Tolstoy completed the novel "Anna Karenina", which repeatedly uses the technique of an internal monologue.
Beginning in the second half of the 60s, Tolstoy was experiencing a creative crisis, which he managed to overcome only at the turn of the 1870s and 80s by completely rethinking his former life. Then there is a discord in the Tolstoy family - his wife categorically did not accept his new views. The ideas of late Tolstoy are similar to socialist teaching, with the only difference being that he was an opponent of revolution.
In 1896-1904, Tolstoy finished the story "Hadji Murat", which was published after his death, which occurred in November 1910 at the Astapovo station of the Ryazan-Ural road.