Lev Tolstoy | Brief Biography
Lev Tolstoy | Brief Biography
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, also known as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who is considered one of the greatest novelists of all time. He was born on September 9, 1828, in Yasnaya Polyana, Russia, and died on November 20, 1910, in Astapovo, Russia.
Tolstoy’s childhood was marked by tragedy, as his mother died when he was just two years old and his father passed away when he was nine. He was raised by his relatives and educated at home by tutors. In 1844, he enrolled at the University of Kazan but dropped out after just one term due to his disinterest in his studies.
After leaving university, Tolstoy joined the Russian army and took part in the Crimean War. It was during this time that he developed a keen interest in writing and began to write short stories and essays. His works from this period, including “Childhood” and “Boyhood,” are semi-autobiographical and provide insight into his early life and development as a writer.
In 1862, Tolstoy married Sonya Andreevna Behrs, with whom he had 13 children. The same year, he published his first novel, “The Cossacks,” which was a critical and commercial success. This was followed by the publication of “War and Peace” in 1869, which is widely considered his masterpiece and one of the greatest novels ever written.
“War and Peace” is an epic novel that explores the themes of love, war, and the meaning of life through the story of five aristocratic families in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars. The novel is notable for its rich character development and its depiction of Russian society and culture during this time period.
In addition to his writing, Tolstoy was also a philosophical thinker and social reformer. He became disillusioned with the Russian Orthodox Church and renounced his faith in the early 1880s, instead adopting a form of Christian anarchism. This led him to become an advocate for non-violent resistance and a critic of the government and the church.
Tolstoy’s later works, including “Anna Karenina” (1877) and “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” (1886), continued to explore his philosophical ideas and social critique. However, his reputation as a writer was somewhat tarnished by his controversial views and his tendency to lecture his readers on morality and ethics.
Tolstoy’s health declined in his later years, and he died of pneumonia at the age of 82. Despite this, his legacy as one of the greatest writers of all time has lived on, and his works continue to be widely read and studied around the world. 0 0 0.
Sources:
Leo Tolstoy, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy)
The Oxford Handbook of Tolstoy, edited by Donna Tussing Orwin (Oxford University Press, 2014)
The Cambridge Companion to Tolstoy, edited by Donna T. Orwin (Cambridge University Press, 2002)
The Life of Tolstoy, Vol. 1-2, by Aylmer Maude (Oxford University Press, 2008).***
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