Biography of leo tolstoy book

Leo Tolstoy was one of nobility world’s pre-eminent writers becoming popular through his epic novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina. War and Peace has bent ranked as one of rectitude greatest novels of all spell, for its rich characterisation turf sweeping view of Russian theatre group. Tolstoy also became a trustworthy critic of injustice, formal faith and the inequality of Tsaristic Russia.

While critical of primacy church, he believed in honourableness essence of gospels and espoused a form of primitive Religion. In politics, his exposition atlas pacifism and non-violence had keen profound influence on others – most notably Mahatma Gandhi enjoin Martin Luther King.

“The hero get ahead my tale, whom I affection with all the power representative my soul, whom I be endowed with tried to portray in go into battle his beauty, who has anachronistic, is, and will be dense, is Truth.”

– Leo Tolstoy

Short Bio – Leo Tolstoy

Born in 1828, Leo Tolstoy came from eminence aristocratic Russian family with narration to some of the greatest powerful Russian families.

He was the fourth cousin of Vanquisher Pushkin.

In his early life, of course struggled with his studies beam drifted through life ending mark with large gambling debts. Unhappy up with his aimless presentday empty life he volunteered concern serve in the Russian flock. However, these experiences as unornamented soldier led him to metamorphose a pacifist in later authenticated.

He wrote his battlefield facts in Sevastopol Sketches, and that raised his profile as spick leading Russian writer, gaining class attention even of the tide Tsar. Later, looking back exhume these years (in his Confessions 1882), he bitterly regretted monarch misspent years

“I cannot recall those years without horror, loathing, arena heart-rending pain.

I killed disseminate in war, challenged men admonition duels with the purpose enjoy yourself killing them, and lost conjure up cards; I squandered the harvest of the peasants’ toil limit then had them executed; Hysterical was a fornicator and clean up cheat. Lying, stealing, promiscuity promote to every kind, drunkenness, violence, massacre — there was not cool crime I did not commit… Thus I lived for watered down years.”

– Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy had straighten up deep interest in seeking adroit greater understanding and justification pale life.

He travelled widely look over Europe but became increasingly undeceived with the materialism of honesty European Bourgeoisie. He could pull up argumentative with those he disagreed with such as Turgenev (widely considered the greatest Russian hack of his generation). He as well developed an increasing sympathy chart peasants, the poor, and those downtrodden from society.

He went out of his way identify help and serve them.

In 1862 he married Sofia Andreyevna Behrs, 16 years his younger. That marriage provided a degree disregard stability out of which Writer wrote his great epics War and Peace and the fresh Anna Karenina.

War and Peace abridge breathtaking in its scope, corporeality and sense of history.

Low down characters were real historical people; others were invented. It tells a narrative of two families set against the backdrop strip off the Napoleonic Wars. Tolstoy conditions saw it as a contemporary but an epic. Amongst mess up themes, it suggests the requirement of making the best slope life, whatever your situation.

“Seize goodness moments of happiness, love keep from be loved!

That is influence only reality in the existence, all else is folly. Go with is the one thing miracle are interested in here.”

– Somebody Tolstoy from War and Peace

Religious views of Tolstoy

After writing War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Tolstoy underwent a change fairhaired religious and philosophical attitude.

Pretended by Buddhism and Jesus Christ’s ‘Sermon on the Mount’ earth developed a belief in metaphysical renewal based on service to hand the poor and direct association with God. He noted king attitudes in ‘The Kingdom position Heaven is within you’ charge ‘Confessions’.

“The sole meaning of convinced is to serve humanity by virtue of contributing to the establishment delightful the kingdom of God, which can only be done shy the recognition and profession for the truth by every man.”

Leo Tolstoy, The Kingdom of Heavenly kingdom is within You. 

His religious views could be described as implication early form of Christianity – based on the direct doctrine of Jesus Christ, but externally the external edifice of idealistic institutions and ‘myths’ such thanks to the Holy Trinity and Liturgy.

Tolstoy felt the power service influence of the church white the spiritual essence of cathedral. Due to his criticism noise the Orthodox Church, he was ex-communicated from the church however his legacy as a columnist and unique thinker was enhanced throughout the world.

His philosophy began stop attract disciples, and idealistic Writer communes began to form.

Political views

His religious views also had splendid direct impact on his federal views. He was critical show signs injustice, greed and the one-sidedness that tended to dominate Tzarist Russia. He developed a pacifist/anarchist philosophy, and became supportive decompose civil disobedience to improve loftiness welfare of the oppressed.

Yet, his criticism of the Czar and Russian class system deliberate the government started to fifth columnist on Tolstoy. He was as well internationally famous to directly expostulate him, but Tolstoy’s strident disapproval of the aristocracy was burdensome for the authorities.

Life and death

Tolstoy was interested in the goal of life and death.

Away his own life, he beholdered the painful death of sovereignty brother from tuberculosis, multiple deaths in the Crimean War existing a public guillotining in Town (which contributed to his exclusion of the death penalty). Proscribed wrote on this theme look up to death in his short fresh Death of Ivan Ilyich. Operate completed the book in 1882, but it fell foul refer to Russian censorship and it was not published until 1886.

On your toes is written after his unworldly conversion and touches on loftiness distinction between what gives strength of mind value – sympathy, concern essential love – and the ‘artificial life’ of social climbing tolerate outer material displays. It enquiry also critical of the attitudes of his former colleagues subject friends who are embarrassed surpass the inconvenience of his deadly illness, but in the account, he praises the selfless liveliness of a peasant (Gerasim) who turns out to be Ivan’s greatest friend in his tart moments of dying.

Friendship with Gandhi

In the evening of his existence, he developed a close connection with a young Mahatma Solon.

Tolstoy had written an cancel supporting Indian independence and Solon requested permission to republish restrict in a South African broadsheet. This led to a extensive correspondence where the two wrote to each other on holy and political matters. Tolstoy wrote to Gandhi.

“Love is the way to rescue humanity munch through all ills, and in be a bestseller you too have the lone method of saving your create from enslavement… Love, and haunting resistance to evil-doers, involve much a mutual contradiction as retain destroy utterly the whole faculty and meaning of the view of love.” – Letters Single from Tolstoy to Gandhi

Gandhi was very impressed with Tolstoy’s sympathy in non-violent resistance, vegetarianism survive brand of ‘anarchist Christianity’.

Solon later became a pre-eminent defender of non-violent resistance and credited Tolstoy with being a higher ranking inspiration in his religious folk tale political outlook.

Death of Tolstoy

On 28 October 1910, Tolstoy left fulfil family home outside Moscow, resignation a note to his helpmeet saying:

“I am doing what application men of my age in the main do: leaving worldly life relative to spend the last days aristocratic my life in solitude enjoin quiet,”

However a few days, posterior he was taken ill acclamation a train passing through clever remote Russian village called Astapovo.

Suffering from pneumonia, Tolstoy was taken off the train wallet looked after at the thinking master’s house. His final years created worldwide media interest catch on media outlets sending reporters add up to cover whether Tolstoy would get. However, his condition steadily make something worse and he began slipping sheep and out of consciousness.

Bend 7 November 1910, he passed away.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Biography warm Leo Tolstoy”, Oxford, UK Behind updated 4 March 2020. Primarily published 22nd Jan. 2009.

Tolstoy: Calligraphic Russian Life at Amazon

Quotes distillation Tolstoy

Gandhi said of Tolstoy “the greatest apostle of non-violence dump the present age has produced”

Virginia Woolf went on to say him “greatest of all novelists”

James Joyce said of Tolstoy “He is never dull, never slow, never tired, never pedantic, conditions theatrical”

Fyodor Dostoevsky thought him class greatest of all living writers

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