Russian Literature Biographies – Leo Tolstoy
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Russian Literature Biographies – Who was Leo Tolstoy?
Russian Literature Biographies: Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is one of the most famous Russian authors, born into a high-class family in Tula Province. Russia. We live in age when reading is becoming less fashionable, because of social media, but classical literature is timeless and resonates through the ages. The reason is very simple, the times change, but human nature doesn’t. This means that whilst the actors may change, the actual play remains the same.
Leo Tolstoy Biography: Background
Leo Tolstoy suffered tragedy very early on in life with the death of both parents. His mother died in 1830 during childbirth, and his father died in 1840, from a stroke. Tolstoy and his four siblings were then raised by their grandmother and later by an aunt. He studied oriental languages at Kazan University in 1844 and was planning to become a diplomat. Tolstoy wanted to become a diplomat, but this ambition failed to materialize when he left university without a degree in 1847. This could easily have been the end of the road but thankfully it wasn’t. Tolstoy went onto become a self-educated man studying literature, philosophy and history.
He joined the Russian army in 1851 and served for 5-years. He joined as a cadet officer and fought against indigenous resistance fighters. In 1854 he was transferred to the Crimean War to fight against the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France, and Sardinia. This conflict started because of a conflict the rights of Christian minorities in the Holy Land and their clash with Russian ambitions. The Crimean War is best known for the siege of Sevastopol from 1844-1855, which led to Russia’s eventual defeat. These brutal experiences had a profound impact upon his life, and he later wrote about the horrors of war, and the senseless violence.
Leo Tolstoy Biography: War and Peace
Tolstoy is perhaps best known for his masterpiece ‘War and Peace,’ written in 1869. This classic novel contains 560 000 words and is one of the longest classics ever written. I really enjoyed reading it, but it was daunting to start reading such a huge work. The story is based around the Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812, when everything seemed to go very well for the French. They conquered all before them and were stunned to arrive in Moscow, only to find that it had already been evacuated. The Russians then set fire to Moscow and employed a scorched earth policy, so there was no food. This forced the French to retreat resulting in the deaths of 380 000 soldiers, out of an original force of over 600 000 men. The main causes of death were disease, starvation and the brutal Russian winter.
Other famous novels written by Tolstoy
Other works include Anna Karenina (1877) and The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886). ‘Anna Karenina features’ a high society lady who has an affair, with disastrous consequences. The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886) features the choices faced by a high-ranking official when diagnosed with terminal illness. The main character (Ivan Ilyich) is forced to confront the pointless pursuit of social status, when faced with imminent death.
Russian literature biographies proffer an enticing glimpse into the influences and personalities that forged some of the greatest writers of all time. Russian authors are world renowned for their master pieces, but few can compare with Leo Tolstoy. His works could be compared with Russian stackable dolls, because there are so many layers. Just as each doll reveals a smaller doll inside, the same can be said of Tolstoy, because he poses so many questions, and challenges so many norms.
