Biography - Tolstoy Alexei Konstantinovich. Material difficulties and social contradictions in society, their reflection in the life and work of the poet

Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy - a classic of Russian literature, one of our greatest poets of the second half 19th century, a brilliant playwright, translator, creator of a magnificent love lyrics, a hitherto unsurpassed satirist poet who wrote his works both under his real name and under the name invented by Tolstoy together with the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers Kozma Prutkov; finally, Tolstoy is a classic of Russian "terrible literature", his stories "Ghoul" and "Ghoul's Family" are considered masterpieces of Russian mysticism. The works of A. K. Tolstoy are familiar to us from school. But little is known about the life of the writer himself, paradoxically. The fact is that most of the writer's archives perished in fires, and a significant part of the correspondence was destroyed after Tolstoy's death by his wife. Researchers of the writer's work had to restore the facts of his life literally bit by bit. And I must say that Alexei Konstantinovich lived a very interesting life. Soon after his birth (August 24, 1817 in St. Petersburg), a break occurred in the Tolstoy family - mother Anna Alekseevna (nee Perovskaya, illegitimate daughter almighty Count Razumovsky) took the six-week-old Alyosha and left for her estate. And she never returned to Count Konstantin Petrovich Tolstoy. Alyosha's tutor, who essentially replaced his father, was his mother's brother, the writer Aleksey Alekseevich Perovsky, better known by his literary pseudonym Anthony Pogorelsky. The famous fairy tale black hen, or Underground inhabitants ”Pogorelsky wrote specifically for Alyosha Tolstoy. Fate itself, it seemed, favored Tolstoy - thanks to his involvement in two of the most influential noble families- Tolstoy and Razumovsky - and he is still related to the popular writer Pogorelsky childhood met Pushkin, during a trip with his mother and uncle to Germany - with Goethe, and a trip to Italy connected with an acquaintance with the great artist Karl Bryullov, who would later paint a portrait of the young Tolstoy. Tolstoy's playmate was the heir to the throne, the future Emperor Alexander II. There is a known case when, together with Alyosha and Alexander, Emperor Nicholas I himself played soldiers.
In 1834, Tolstoy was enrolled in the civil service as a "student" in the Moscow Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In December 1835, he passed exams at Moscow University to obtain a certificate for entry into the first category of civil service officials. Public service is deeply disgusting to Tolstoy, he wants to become a poet, writes poetry from the age of six, but does not find the strength to break with the service, fearing to upset his relatives. In 1836, Tolstoy took a four-month vacation to accompany the seriously ill Perovsky to Nice for treatment, but on the way, in a Warsaw hotel, Perovsky died. He leaves all his fortune to Alyosha. At the end of 1836, Tolstoy was transferred to the department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was soon appointed to the Russian mission to the German Sejm in Frankfurt am Main. However, the service was essentially a mere formality, and although Tolstoy went to Frankfurt (where he first met Gogol), most he, like every young man of the world, spends his time in entertainment. In 1838 - 1839. Tolstoy lives abroad - in Germany, Italy, France. At the same time, he writes his first stories (in French) "The Family of the Ghoul" and "Meeting in Three Hundred Years", which will be published only after the death of the author. Apparently, the influence of Perovsky, one of the founders of Russian science fiction literature, and the first stories of Tolstoy, are vivid examples of mysticism (by the way, the writer’s interest in the other world will remain in adulthood: it is known that he read books on spiritualism, attended sessions of the English spirit Hume, who was touring in Russia). Returning to Russia, Tolstoy continues to live a “social life”: he hits on young ladies at St. Petersburg balls, spends money with chic, hunts in his estate Krasny Rog in the Chernigov province, which he inherited from Alexei Perovsky. Hunting becomes a passion for Tolstoy, he repeatedly went with a horn to a bear at the risk of his life. In general, Alexei Konstantinovich was distinguished by an amazing physical force- twisted silver forks and spoons with a screw, unbent horseshoes.
In 1841, Tolstoy made his literary debut - under the pseudonym Krasnorogsky, mystical story"Ghoul", the first Russian work on a vampire theme. The story earned an approving review by Belinsky. In the 40s, Tolstoy began the novel "Prince Silver", creates many poems and ballads, but writes mostly "on the table". In 1850, Tolstoy, together with his cousin Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov, hiding behind the pseudonyms "Y" and "Z", sent the comedy in one act "Fantasy" for censorship. Although the censor made corrections to the work, on the whole he did not find anything reprehensible in it. The premiere of the play took place on January 8, 1851 at the Alexandrinsky Theater and ended in a tremendous scandal, after which the production was banned: the public did not understand the play's innovation, the parody of absurd dialogues and monologues at all, Emperor Nicholas I, who was present at the premiere, left the hall without waiting for the end of the performance. In the same 1851, Alexei Tolstoy was granted the title of master of ceremonies of the court, and there is also major event in his personal life- the poet meets his future wife Sophia Miller. The feeling that has arisen for Miller inspires Tolstoy. Since 1854, he has been systematically publishing his poems, including under the name of Kozma Prutkov, a writer invented by him together with the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers. During Crimean War Tolstoy joined the army as a major, but did not participate in hostilities: he fell ill with typhus near Odessa and barely survived. After recovery, he participates in the coronation of Alexander II, on the day of the coronation celebrations, Tolstoy was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed adjutant wing to the emperor. Military service burdens Tolstoy and in 1861 he seeks his resignation. After his resignation, Tolstoy lived mainly on his estates Pustynka (near St. Petersburg) and Krasny Rog. Literary fame comes - his poems are a success. The poet is fascinated by Russian history - “ Time of Troubles"And the era of Ivan the Terrible - and he creates the historical novel "Prince Silver" and "Dramatic Trilogy", but Tolstoy is especially interested in pre-Mongolian Rus', which he idealizes in many ballads and epics.
In the last years of his life, Tolstoy was seriously ill. Finding no escape from terrible headaches, he begins to use morphine injections. Morphine addiction develops. On September 28 (October 10 according to the new style), 1875, Tolstoy dies in Krasny Rog from too much morphine.
Fantastic in the work of the author:
From the works of Tolstoy, in addition to mystical prose (“Ghoul”, “Ghoul Family”, Meeting after three hundred years”, “Amena”), many poetic works include the poem “Dragon”, ballads and epics “The Tale of the King and the Monk ”, “Vikhor-horse”, “Wolves”, “Prince Rostislav”, “Sadko”, “Bogatyr”, “Potok-hero”, “Snake Tugarin”, dramatic poem “Don Juan”. Fantastic elements are present in some other works of the writer.
Werther de Goethe
Bio note:
Portrait of young Tolstoy (1836) by the famous Russian artist Karl Bryullov

Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy- a classic of Russian literature, one of our greatest poets of the second half of the 19th century, a brilliant playwright, translator, creator of magnificent love lyrics, hitherto unsurpassed satirist poet, who wrote his works both under his real name and under the name invented by Tolstoy together with brothers Zhemchuzhnikov Kozma Prutkov; finally, Tolstoy is a classic of Russian "terrible literature", his stories "Ghoul" and "Ghoul's Family" are considered masterpieces of Russian mysticism. The works of A. K. Tolstoy are familiar to us from school. But little is known about the life of the writer himself, paradoxically. The fact is that most of the writer's archives perished in fires, and a significant part of the correspondence was destroyed after Tolstoy's death by his wife. Researchers of the writer's work had to restore the facts of his life literally bit by bit. And I must say that Alexei Konstantinovich lived a very interesting life. Shortly after his birth (August 24, 1817 in St. Petersburg), a break occurred in the Tolstoy family - mother Anna Alekseevna (nee Perovskaya, the illegitimate daughter of the all-powerful Count Razumovsky) took the six-week-old Alyosha and left for her estate. And she never returned to Count Konstantin Petrovich Tolstoy. Alyosha's tutor, who essentially replaced his father, was his mother's brother, the writer Aleksey Alekseevich Perovsky, better known by his literary pseudonym Anthony Pogorelsky. The famous fairy tale "The Black Hen, or Underground Inhabitants" Pogorelsky wrote specifically for Alyosha Tolstoy. Fate itself, it seemed, favored Tolstoy - thanks to his involvement in two of the most influential noble families - Tolstoy and Razumovsky - and kinship with the popular writer Pogorelsky, he met Pushkin as a child, during a trip with his mother and uncle to Germany - with Goethe, and the trip to Italy is associated with an acquaintance with the great artist Karl Bryullov, who would later paint a portrait of the young Tolstoy. Tolstoy's playmate was the heir to the throne, the future Emperor Alexander II. There is a known case when, together with Alyosha and Alexander, Emperor Nicholas I himself played soldiers.

In 1834, Tolstoy was enrolled in the civil service as a "student" in the Moscow Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In December 1835, he passed exams at Moscow University to obtain a certificate for entry into the first category of civil service officials. Public service is deeply disgusting to Tolstoy, he wants to become a poet, writes poetry from the age of six, but does not find the strength to break with the service, fearing to upset his relatives. In 1836, Tolstoy took a four-month vacation to accompany the seriously ill Perovsky to Nice for treatment, but on the way, in a Warsaw hotel, Perovsky died. He leaves all his fortune to Alyosha. At the end of 1836, Tolstoy was transferred to the department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was soon appointed to the Russian mission to the German Sejm in Frankfurt am Main. However, the service was essentially a mere formality, and although Tolstoy went to Frankfurt (where he first met Gogol), he, like any young socialite, spends most of his time in entertainment. In 1838 - 1839. Tolstoy lives abroad - in Germany, Italy, France. At the same time, he writes his first stories (in French) "The Family of the Ghoul" and "Meeting in Three Hundred Years", which will be published only after the death of the author. Apparently, the influence of Perovsky, one of the founders of Russian science fiction literature, and the first stories of Tolstoy, were vivid examples of mysticism (by the way, the writer will remain interested in the other world even in adulthood: it is known that he read books on spiritualism, attended sessions of the English spiritualist Hume who toured Russia ). Returning to Russia, Tolstoy continues to live a “social life”: he hits on young ladies at St. Petersburg balls, spends money with chic, hunts in his estate Krasny Rog in the Chernigov province, which he inherited from Alexei Perovsky. Hunting becomes a passion for Tolstoy, he repeatedly went with a horn to a bear at the risk of his life. In general, Alexei Konstantinovich was distinguished by amazing physical strength - he twisted silver forks and spoons with a screw, unbent horseshoes.

In 1841, Tolstoy made his literary debut - under the pseudonym Krasnorogsky, the mystical story "Ghoul", the first Russian work on the "vampire" theme, was published. The story earned an approving review by Belinsky. In the 40s, Tolstoy began the novel "Prince Silver", creates many poems and ballads, but writes mostly "on the table". In 1850, Tolstoy, together with his cousin Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov, hiding behind the pseudonyms "Y" and "Z", sent the comedy in one act "Fantasy" for censorship. Although the censor made corrections to the work, on the whole he did not find anything reprehensible in it. The premiere of the play took place on January 8, 1851 at the Alexandrinsky Theater and ended in a tremendous scandal, after which the production was banned: the public did not understand the play's innovation, the parody of absurd dialogues and monologues at all, Emperor Nicholas I, who was present at the premiere, left the hall without waiting for the end of the performance. In the same 1851, Alexei Tolstoy was granted the title of master of ceremonies of the court, and the most important event in his personal life takes place - the poet meets his future wife Sophia Miller. The feeling that has arisen for Miller inspires Tolstoy. Since 1854, he has been systematically publishing his poems, including under the name of Kozma Prutkov, a writer invented by him together with the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers. During the Crimean War, Tolstoy joined the army as a major, but did not participate in hostilities: he fell ill with typhus near Odessa and barely survived. After recovery, he participates in the coronation of Alexander II, on the day of the coronation celebrations, Tolstoy was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed adjutant wing to the emperor. Military service burdens Tolstoy and in 1861 he seeks his resignation. After his resignation, Tolstoy lived mainly on his estates Pustynka (near St. Petersburg) and Krasny Rog. Literary fame comes - his poems are a success. The poet is fascinated by Russian history - the "Time of Troubles" and the era of Ivan the Terrible - and he creates the historical novel "Prince Silver" and "Dramatic Trilogy", but Tolstoy is especially interested in pre-Mongolian Rus', which he idealizes in many ballads and epics.

In the last years of his life, Tolstoy was seriously ill. Finding no escape from terrible headaches, he begins to use morphine injections. Morphine addiction develops. On September 28 (October 10 according to the new style), 1875, Tolstoy dies in Krasny Rog from too much morphine.

From the works of Tolstoy, in addition to mystical prose (“Ghoul”, “Ghoul Family”, Meeting after three hundred years”, “Amena”), many poetic works include the poem “Dragon”, ballads and epics “The Tale of the King and the Monk ”, “Vikhor-horse”, “Wolves”, “Prince Rostislav”, “Sadko”, “Bogatyr”, “Potok-hero”, “Snake Tugarin”, dramatic poem “Don Juan”. Fantastic elements are present in some other works of the writer.

Creation

Artworks

Dramaturgy

Publicism

(August 24 (September 5), 1817 Petersburg - September 28 (October 10), 1875 c. Red Horn (now Pochepsky district, Bryansk region)) - Russian writer, poet, playwright, corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1873), count .

Biography

Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy was born on August 24, 1817 in St. Petersburg. Father - Count Konstantin Petrovich Tolstoy (1779-1875). Mother - Anna Alekseevna Perovskaya, pupil of Count A.K. Razumovsky. She separated from her husband immediately after the birth of the child for unknown reasons. Instead of his father, Alexei was raised by his maternal uncle A. A. Perovsky, famous writer, published under the pseudonym Anthony Pogorelsky. Early childhood Alexei spent in the Ukraine, on his uncle's estate. From the age of 10, the boy was taken abroad, he described the trip to Italy in 1831 in his diary. Tolstoy belonged to the children's environment of the heir to the throne, the future Alexander II.

In 1834, Tolstoy was assigned as a "student" to the Moscow archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1837 he served in the Russian mission in Germany, in 1840 he received service in St. Petersburg at the royal court. In 1843 - the court rank of chamber junker.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, two fantasy stories- "Ghoul Family" and "Meeting in Three Hundred Years". In May 1841, Tolstoy first appeared in print, publishing a separate book, under the pseudonym "Krasnorogsky" (from the name of the Red Horn estate), fantastic story"Ghoul". V. G. Belinsky spoke very favorably about the story, seeing in it "all the signs of a still too young, but, nevertheless, a remarkable talent."

In the winter of 1850/51, Tolstoy fell in love with the wife of a horse guards colonel, Sofya Andreevna Miller (nee Bakhmeteva, 1827-1892). Their marriage was officially registered only in 1863, as it was prevented, on the one hand, by Sofya Andreevna's husband, who did not give her a divorce, and on the other, by Tolstoy's mother, who treated her unkindly. After his resignation from service in 1861, Tolstoy only occasionally visited the capital. He lived in the estate "Pustynka" on the banks of the Tosna River near St. Petersburg (not preserved) or in Krasny Rog, even more distant from the capital (Chernigov province, Mglinsky district).

On September 28, 1875, during another severe attack of headache, Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy made a mistake and injected himself with an overdose of morphine (which was treated according to the doctor's prescription), which led to the writer's death.

The museum-estate of Alexei Tolstoy is located in Krasny Rog (now Pochepsky district Bryansk region). Here the count spent his childhood, repeatedly returned to these places in adulthood, and was buried here.

Creation

Creator of ballads, satirical poems, the historical novel The Silver Prince (published in 1863), the dramatic trilogy The Death of Ivan the Terrible (1866), Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich (1868) and Tsar Boris (1870). The author of heartfelt lyrics, with a pronounced musical beginning, psychological short stories in verse (“In the midst of a noisy ball, by chance ...”, “That was in early spring”).

In the midst of a noisy ball, by chance, In the anxiety of worldly fuss,
I saw you, but the mystery
Your veiled features;
Only sad eyes looked
And the voice sounded so wonderful,
Like the sound of a distant flute,
Like the waves of the sea.
I liked your slim figure
And all your thoughtful look;
And your laughter, both sad and sonorous,
Since then it has been in my heart.
In the hours of lonely nights
I love, tired to lie down -
I see sad eyes
I hear a cheerful speech;
And sadly I fall asleep so
And in the dreams of the unknown I sleep ...
Do I love you - I don't know
But I think I love it!
"In the midst of a noisy ball, by chance ..." (1851)

Together with the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers, he created a parody image of Kozma Prutkov (more than half of the works of Kozma Prutkov, especially in late period, authorship of A. K. Tolstoy).

Artworks

poems

• sinner
• John of Damascus

Dramaturgy

• Fantasy (1850) (first production in Alexandrinsky theater in 1851)
• Don Juan (1862)
• The Death of Ivan the Terrible (1866) (first production at the Alexandrinsky Theater in 1867). The tragedy was filmed in 1991.
• Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich (1868) (first production in 1898 at the theater of the Literary and Artistic Society)
• Tsar Boris (1870) (first production in 1881 at Moscow's Brenco Theatre)
• Posadnik (1871) (first production in 1877 at the Alexandrinsky Theatre)

Prose

• Prince Silver (1862)
• Ghoul (1841)
• The Ghoul Family (1839)
• Meeting after three hundred years (1839)
• Wolf Foster (1843)
• Steblovsky (1846)

Publicism

• Project for staging the tragedy "The Death of Ivan the Terrible" (1866)
• Project for staging the tragedy "Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich" (1868)

"History of the Russian State from Gostomysl to Timashev"

The poem has 83 stanzas; in such a short volume, A. K. Tolstoy manages to fit a parody story about all the main symbolic events of Russian history: from the calling of the Varangians ((860) and the baptism of Rus' - until 1868. Written in 1868, "History ..." for the first time saw the light only 15 years later, in 1883, after the death of A. K. Tolstoy.

Alexey Tolstoy, or Oh, the lucky one!

No, in every rustle of plants
And in every flutter of a leaf
Another meaning is heard
Another beauty is visible!
I hear a different voice in them
And, breathing the life of death,
I look with love at the earth,
But the soul asks higher;
And that she, always enchanting,
Calls and beckons in the distance -
I can't tell about
In daily language.

Alexey Tolstoy “I.S. Aksakov"

We will preface the story of the death of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy with a small, but, as practice shows, a very necessary explanation. The genus of Counts Tolstoy contributed in many areas public life Russia. However, the Tolstoys became especially famous in the Great Russian Literature: at once three from the family entered its history on an equal footing, and consequently, into the history of world literature. These are second cousins ​​Alexei Konstantinovich and Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy and their (approximately) fourth cousin, grandson, great-great-great-nephew Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy.
This may seem ridiculous to some, but I am increasingly confronted with the fact that even writers with higher special education It is not uncommon to confuse which of the Tolstoys lived when and what he created. Therefore, I give a brief summary.
1. Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817-1875). Great Russian poet and playwright, famous prose writer. The author of the historical novel "Prince Silver" and the mystical stories "Ghoul's Family" and "Meeting in Three Hundred Years", the story "Ghoul". The creator of wonderful lyric poems, among which one should certainly mention “In the midst of a noisy ball, by chance ...”, “My bells, Flowers of the steppe!”, “Two camps are not a fighter ...”, etc. The writer of a number of amazingly beautiful and profound in thought ballads , epics and parables, among them one of the greatest spiritual works of the Russian people stands out - the poem "John of Damascus". Alexei Konstantinovich’s Peru also belongs to the “History of the Russian State from Gostomysl to Timashev”, beloved by many readers, with its famous saying:

Listen guys
What will your grandfather tell you?
Our land is rich
There is just no order in it.

Alexey Konstantinovich entered the history of national dramaturgy with the grandiose philosophical and historical trilogy "The Death of Ivan the Terrible", "Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich" and "Tsar Boris".
But most of all, he is known as one of the main creators of the unforgettable Kozma Prutkov, whom he created together with cousins Alexei Mikhailovich (1821-1908), Vladimir Mikhailovich (1830-1884) and Alexander Mikhailovich (1826-1896) Zhemchuzhnikovs. At the same time, many experts argue that the best part of the creations of the eternal graphomaniac was composed by Alexei Konstantinovich.
Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy from childhood and all his life was a personal friend of the Tsarevich, and then Emperor Alexander II.
2. Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910). It is enough to name only the writer's novels: "War and Peace", "Anna Karenina", "Resurrection". That says it all.
3. Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1882-1945). Great Russian Soviet prose writer. The creator of the famous epic novels "Peter I" and "Walking through the torments". He also wrote the novels The Adventures of Nevzorov, or Ibicus and Emigrants. An excellent storyteller, his most famous stories are: “Actress”, “Count Cagliostro”, “Viper”, etc. Alexei Nikolaevich is one of the founders of Soviet science fiction, he wrote the famous story “Aelita” and the novel “Engineer Garin’s Hyperboloid”. No less than the named works, we all love his story-tale "The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio." Lev Nikolaevich and Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy are the authors of the most popular retellings of Russian folk tales for children in our country. Most readers are familiar with these masterpieces of folk art precisely through Tolstoy.
After the Great October Revolution, Alexei Nikolayevich emigrated, but later returned and became a staunch supporter of the Soviet regime. For this, he was hated by many in the émigré environment, there were even rumors spread that the writer's mother was a walking woman and Alyosha took root not at all from Count Tolstoy, but from an unknown libertine; that in Alexei Nikolaevich there is not a drop of aristocratic blood ... What is the significance of the social status of his parents for a genius, it is not clear, but the consciousness of such a blatant class "treason" was painfully disgusting to the runaway noblemen. They did not even consider the concepts of “my people” and “Motherland”; for the majority of emigrants, unlike Tolstoy, they were already in the 1920s. turned into an abstract romance of dreams.
Since the late 1980s the memory of Alexei Nikolaevich in our country was subjected to savage mockery by the envious post-Soviet intelligentsia, unable to create at least something close to the works of Tolstoy. On the one hand, he was declared a “red count” and they rage about the lifestyle that the writer led in the USSR, having a well-deserved hard time. creative work income. On the other hand, they expose the agent of the Jewish Masons, through the Jewish Freemason Pinocchio spiritually corrupting Russian children. “The Adventures of Pinocchio” due to their illiteracy, envious people often try to plagiarize Carlo Collodi’s book “The Adventures of Pinocchio. The history of the wooden doll. This is approximately the same as accusing Moliere, Byron or Pushkin of plagiarism from Tirso de Molina, since each of the named authors has brilliant works, the main character of which was Don Giovanni - a product of de Molina, who created the basis of the plot, which was subsequently used by everyone creators of their own interpretations of the story of the famous adventurer and lover. All this cockroach fuss around the genius of our people cannot cause anything but disgust. Well them!
We will talk about the first of the three great writers Tolstoy, about our wonderful Alexei Konstantinovich. Someone may inevitably have a question about the legitimacy of asserting the equality of Alexei Konstantinovich and Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy in literature. In world literature, this is out of the question, but for Russian literature, and even more so for the Russian people, they are not only equal in size, but over time, as the role of literature in the life of society is rethought, it is quite possible that Alexei Konstantinovich will take, if not higher than Lev Nikolaevich, then an equal position in the objectively emerging hierarchy of Russian writers. There is no point in arguing about this issue now. It is enough to take a closer look at the writer's dramaturgy and poetry. But, of course, it is not for us to judge, everything will be decided by time and history.

I bless you forests
Valleys, fields, mountains, waters!
I bless freedom
And blue skies!
And I bless my staff
And this poor bag
And the steppe from edge to edge,
And the sun is light, and the night is darkness,
And lonely path
Which way, beggar, I go,
And in the field every blade of grass,
And every star in the sky!
Oh, if I could mix my whole life,
All soul together with you merge!
Oh, if I could in my arms
I am you, enemies, friends and brothers,
And enclose all nature!

These lines are taken from the poem "John of Damascus", in my opinion, the second in its significance, cosmic and grandiose after Derzhavin's ode "God" spiritual creation of the Great Russian Literature. Its author is Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, a man and creator of extraordinary integrity and amazing contradictions at the same time. The tragic death of the writer became, as it were, the quintessence of his whole life. We know exactly why Alexei Konstantinovich died - from an overdose of morphine. But we do not know and will never know why this overdose happened: whether Tolstoy made a mistake with a dangerous medicine, trying to drown out unbearable pain, or deliberately injected himself with a lethal dose in order to stop his incurable physical and moral suffering. Two extremes on which the understanding of the personality of this person directly depends: a victim of an accident or a suicide? Agree - a significant difference.

On the mother's side, Alexei was in a distant and unspoken relationship with the reigning family. Anna Alekseevna (1796-1857) was the illegitimate daughter of Count Alexei Kirillovich Razumovsky (1748-1822), the nephew of the secret spouse of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and, accordingly, the Empress herself. True, Anna's mother was a bourgeois, Razumovsky's long-term mistress, which subsequently did not affect the fate of her offspring at all. Through the care of the count, perhaps the richest man in Russia at that time, all his illegitimate children received noble dignity and bore the surname Perovsky - after the name of the Razumovsky estate near Moscow. And those capitals that the child-loving father gave them, and the highest state and court positions that they achieved on their own, forced the swaggering Russian aristocrats not to notice the low origin of the Perovskys.
Let's not forget that the writer's great-grandfather Kirill Grigoryevich Razumovsky was a village shepherd of oxen in childhood, at the age of fifteen his elder brother - already as a favorite of the empress - sent him to study abroad, where the young man at the same time received the dignity of a count, and three years later he was hot Elizaveta Petrovna, who loved her husband, appointed her eighteen-year-old brother-in-law president of the Imperial Academy of Sciences - so that he would be in business. It must be said that both founders of the family, brothers Alexei and Kirill, were characterized by a sharp mind, good nature, great tact and unusual patriotism for that time, which put them forward in outstanding statesmen empire. They were such not only under Elizabeth Petrovna, but even more strengthened their position under Catherine II. It was through the efforts of a small group of high-ranking nobles, among whom the Razumovsky brothers were especially active, that the Germans, who had flooded the country since the time of Peter I, were ousted from the leading roles in the Russian state. And worthy representatives of the national national nobility came forward.
True, the son of Kirilla Grigorievich, Alexei Kirillovich, turned out to be a notorious Westerner, despised his own people and leaned towards Catholicism, although he held the post of Minister of Education at court. His grandson, the writer Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, inherited almost all the best character traits of the first counts Razumovsky: patriotism, good nature, generosity ... Let's add to this the naivete and gullibility, unprecedented for an adult, which sometimes the best way resolve sensitive situations, which helped many figures Russian culture who found themselves in a difficult situation - Tolstoy never refused to bother for the persecuted and convicted. It is enough to give only a few names of those for whom Alexei Konstantinovich interceded before the emperor: Ivan Sergeevich Aksakov, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev, Taras Grigorievich Shevchenko, Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky, and others.
On the other hand, Tolstoy never recognized political and ideological extremes. Remember Tolstoy's "Ceremonial" from Kozma Prutkov:

Slavophiles and nihilists are coming,
Both have clean nails.

In a word:

Two camps are not a fighter, but only a random guest,
For the truth I would be glad to raise my good sword,
But the dispute with both hitherto is my secret lot,
And no one could draw me to the oath;
There will be no complete union between us -
Not bought by anyone, under whose banner I have become,
The partial jealousy of friends is not able to bear,
I would defend the banner of the enemy honor!

He did not recognize extremes at all, and therefore lived his life in such a way that any of us, no matter how biased the attitude towards the writer, would exclaim:
- Oh, lucky!

The writer's father, Count Konstantin Petrovich (1779-1870), was from the almost ruined, but well-born Tolstoy, and did not differ in intelligence. How he wrote it brother, the great Russian sculptor Fyodor Petrovich Tolstoy (1783-1873): “Brother Konstantin should never have married Anna Alekseevna - she was too smart for him ...” Six weeks after the birth of her son Alexei, a complete break occurred between the parents, the countess left , she no longer saw her husband and forbade her son to meet with his father - Alexei subsequently did this secretly, and friendly relations with Konstantin Petrovich, he got better only after the death of his mother. It is quite possible that it was this event that predetermined the future fate of the future writer.
After leaving her husband, Anna Alekseevna settled in her estate Blistovo near Chernigov. Her elder brother, Aleksey Alekseevich Perovsky (1787-1836), an outstanding Russian writer-mystic, the creator of the first ever national story for children, The Black Hen, lived in the neighboring Pogoreltsy estate. He is better known to readers under the pseudonym Anthony Pogorelsky. By the way, the story "The Black Hen" was written by an uncle especially for his beloved nephew, who became the prototype of the main character - Alyosha. Perovskaya with her little son often and for a long time lived on her brother's estate, and over time they moved there permanently. So for twenty years the three of us lived together.
It should be noted that neither their contemporaries nor subsequent historians saw anything reprehensible in this. And only the current moral freaks-intellectuals, obsessed with sexual problems and not noticing anything but the genital organs in a person, they staged a dirty bacchanalia around the memory of these bright people. Still, what a foul-smelling, mocking time we live with you, my reader!
It should be noted that Alyosha became the general favorite of the Perovsky family, for more than forty years they took care of him as a small child, passing custody to each other by inheritance. And so the poet turned out to be a person completely unadapted to earthly life, looking at everything and everyone through rose-colored glasses, a mighty good-natured man who could be offended by any rogue and consider this offense quite legitimate. The benefit of the wealth of the Perovskys allowed Tolstoy to live almost all his life in a world of dreams about man, humanity and philanthropy.
Aleksey Alekseevich became the main guardian of Alyosha and replaced the boy's father, it was he who raised his nephew. Therefore, it is not surprising that Alexei Konstantinovich composed the first poem in his life at the age of six.
When Count Alexei Kirillovich Razumovsky died in 1822, his children inherited enormous wealth. Among other things, Alexey Alekseevich became the owner of the village of Krasny Rog. In the same year, Perovsky and Tolstoy moved to this estate, where they spent a significant part of their lives, and Alexei Konstantinovich created the novel "Prince Silver", wrote a dramatic trilogy and many poems. There he died and was buried.

I will quote a fragment from a very interesting book by Dmitry Anatolyevich Zhukov "Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy"*. You will hardly find a more complete and so vividly presented biography of the writer. It is not always possible to agree with the author's point of view, but let's not forget that for the time of the first publication of the book - the last years of the reign of L.I. Brezhnev, " golden age"Soviet bureaucracy - Dmitry Anatolyevich already in a number of cases expressed a very bold point of view, in particular, he very clearly connected the Decembrist movement with the Freemasons. In this case, we are interested in the most important period in the fate of Alexei Konstantinovich, which left a bright seal on his entire future life.

* Zhukov D.A. Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy. M .: Young Guard, 1982.

“Brought to Russia for a long time, Freemasonry served more than dubious purposes. Secret organizations, in which ordinary “brothers” knew nothing about the intentions of the leaders of the lodges, had their roots abroad, and there, at the highest “degrees”, people who had nothing to do with enlightenment, magnificent rituals, Christianity were in charge.
The Russians often understood Freemasonry in their own way and, taking its organizational foundations, created independent societies that were not recognized by international Freemasonry. The founder of one of them was, for example, the sculptor Fyodor Petrovich Tolstoy.
Count Alexei Kirillovich Razumovsky was a freemason. His sons Vasily and Lev Perovsky * were members of the "Military Society", whose members were many future Decembrists. But then their paths diverged. December 14, 1825 Vasily Perovsky was on Senate Square with the new king, and he was even seriously concussed with a log that someone threw into his retinue.

* Vasily Alekseevich Perovsky (1794-1857) - Count, Adjutant General of Nicholas I. Hero of the War of 1812. From 1833 to 1842. and from 1851 to 1856. was the Governor-General of the Orenburg Territory, and these years in the history of the region are called "the time of Perovsky" or "the golden age of the Orenburg Territory". Having no children, he took care of Alexei Konstantinovich until the end of his days and, dying, left him all his great fortune.
Lev Alekseevich Perovsky (1792-1856) - hero of 1812; Senator, from 1841 Minister of the Interior Russian Empire; since 1852 Minister of Appanages and Manager of His Majesty's Cabinet. Adjutant General of Alexander II. After the death of Alexei Alekseevich Perovsky, it was Lev Alekseevich who assumed the main custody of Alexei Konstantinovich and, regardless of the age of the ward, did not leave him until his death, forcing him to study public service and forbidding marrying a woman of "indecent conduct". After the death of this uncle, Tolstoy also received a substantial inheritance.

Vasily Alekseevich from 1818 was the adjutant of Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich. Now he became an aide-de-camp, and a brilliant career lay ahead of him. He was friends with Pushkin, and he had a very touching relationship with Zhukovsky.
Many relied on the new tsar, and Zhukovsky was among them. The tutor of the new heir to the throne, the future Emperor Alexander II, was Karl Karlovich Merder*. Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky was offered to take up the education of the royal son. He agreed, seeing this as an opportunity to instill humane views in the future sovereign.

* Karl Karlovich Merder (1788-1834) - adjutant general, famous teacher; chief educator of Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich; a participant in all the children's games of the heir, and consequently, Alyosha Tolstoy.

Zhukovsky told Nicholas I that it would be useful for the heir to have classmates. The eldest son of the composer Count Mikhail Vielgorsky, Joseph, and the son of the general, good-natured lazy Alexander Patkul, were chosen. Alexander Adlerberg and Alexei Tolstoy became companions for the games, later the young prince Alexander Baryatinsky joined them.
Was this agreed upon in advance by the Perovskys, or did it happen when Alyosha and his mother had already arrived in Petersburg, but they had to say goodbye to Krasny Rog for a long time. And in general, the whole life of Alexei Tolstoy would have gone, perhaps, in a completely different way, if not for the proximity to the throne, for which he later had to pay ... "
It is difficult to agree with Zhukov's last words, but something else is more important for us: Alexei Konstantinovich's close communication throughout childhood and youthful years with Joseph Vielgorsky (1817-1839). In the literature, I have come across statements that during these years the most friendly relations developed precisely between Joseph Vielgorsky and Alexei Tolstoy. The heir kept aloof from the comrades offered to him, and for the better - Alexander was a soft-bodied man, easily fell under bad influence and could involve his playmates in his affairs: the crown prince, and then the emperor, was fond of collecting pornographic pictures, with all the consequences of this complexes.
In 1838-1839. Alexei Konstantinovich lived in Rome. There he became friends with Gogol, who took care of Joseph Vielgorsky, who was terminally ill with consumption, and, together with Nikolai Vasilyevich, was at the bedside of the dying man and at his burial. Very symbolic! In fact, Alexei Tolstoy found himself at the cradle of the emerging Great Russian Literature - the literature of God-seeking. His own creativity in many respects it has something in common with God-seekers and is unusually close in spirit to the work of N.S. Leskov, although researchers usually point to almost imitation of N.V. Gogol in early works writer - "Ghoul", "Ghoul Family" and especially "Prince Silver". However, genre, theme and form are one thing, and spirit and thought are quite another. It is enough that Alexei Konstantinovich repeatedly visited Optina Hermitage and each time was received there by the elders with great respect. This, however, did not prevent him from taking a serious interest in spiritualism. Until the end of his days, the writer remained a man of great contradictions.

“Aleksey Tolstoy was of extraordinary strength: he bent horseshoes, and by the way, I kept a silver fork for a long time, from which he twisted not only the handle, but also each tooth separately with a screw with his fingers”*. So wrote Alexander Vasilyevich Meshchersky, a friend of Alexei Konstantinovich in his younger years. Tolstoy intended to marry his sister Elena Meshcherskaya, but her mother intervened, pointing out their close relationship, and the wedding had to be abandoned.

* Meshchersky A.V. From my antiquity. Memories. M.: 1901.

Mother also tried to turn her son away from his second lover, the same one, the first meeting with which, held in January 1851, the poet immortalized in a brilliant poem “In the midst of a noisy ball, by chance ...” Sofya Andreevna Miller (1827-1895), nee Bakhmeteva , was married to captain Lev Fedorovich Miller, but was very burdened by this marriage and did not live with her husband. In her youth, the woman compromised herself with an affair with Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Vyazemsky, from whom she became pregnant, but who, at the insistence of her parents, refused to marry her. Bakhmeteva's mother was offended and persuaded her eldest son, Yuri Andreevich Bakhmetev (1823-1845), to challenge her sister's offender to a duel. As a result, not the offender was killed, but Yuri himself. Relatives considered Sophia the culprit of the death of a young man, and in order to get rid of their reproaches, the girl urgently married another of her admirers - Miller, whom she did not love. What happened to the fruit of the criminal connection between Bakhmeteva and Vyazemsky is not known. It was this story that turned out to be an argument for Countess Anna Alekseevna against her beloved Alexei Konstantinovich.
However, the love was mutual, at least, so Tolstoy claimed, although some of his contemporaries spoke openly about the relationship of convenience on the part of Sofya Andreevna, which, in the end, supposedly drove the writer to suicide. And although there was no question of a wedding without the consent of the writer's mother, no one could forbid lovers to meet and love each other at a distance.
When the Crimean War began in 1853. Alexei Konstantinovich for a long time could not get an appointment in the army - high-ranking relatives of the Perovskys interfered. Tolstoy happened to be at the deathbed of Nicholas I, who fell ill and died in his fifty-eighth year of life from shock after the news of the defeat of the Russian army near Evpatoria. The new emperor at the end of 1855 sent Tolstoy with the rank of major to Odessa, where, after the fall of Sevastopol, the main fighting. But by the time Alexei Konstantinovich arrived at his destination, a typhus epidemic had begun in the Russian troops. On February 13 (25), 1856, the Paris Peace Treaty, shameful for Russia, was signed. And almost on the same day, Major Tolstoy fell ill - the epidemic got this strong man too.
Dispatches about the patient's condition were sent daily by telegraph to the name of the emperor, so the biographers were able to trace the course of the writer's illness thoroughly. Alexei Konstantinovich endured typhus very hard, for some time he was on the verge of life and death. And only when Sofya Andreevna came to see him did things improve. It was she who came out of Tolstoy. But typhus undermined the health of this mighty man, those serious internal diseases began and intensified over the years, which twenty years later, according to the main version, brought Tolstoy to the grave.

During the coronation celebrations in August 1856, Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy was constantly with Emperor Alexander II, then he received the rank of lieutenant colonel and was appointed tsar's adjutant wing *. Boundless expanses of a brilliant career opened up ahead. But Alexei Konstantinovich, a man not of this world, dreamed of only one thing - to leave the sovereign's service and engage in creativity. Against were Alexander II, and uncle Lev Alekseevich, and mother. And Tolstoy was regularly obedient to the will of his relatives.

* Wing-adjutant - an honorary title of officers who were in the retinue of the emperor.

But on November 10, 1856, Tolstoy's chief guardian, Lev Alekseevich Perovsky, died. Six months later, in early June, her mother died. In December 1857, another Vasily Alekseevich Perovsky passed away. Although even before that, Alexei Konstantinovich was a man, to put it mildly, not poor, but now three more huge fortunes have been added to his capital. Tolstoy became one of the richest people in Russia, having received the multiplied property of his grandfather Alexei Kirillovich Razumovsky. From now on, about 40 thousand acres belonged to Tolstoy alone, and there were several tens of thousands of serfs under it. Most of the nobles of the Russian Empire were already considered prosperous, having about 100 serfs with land. True, the serf-owner from Tolstoy was still the same. Many facts are known when peasants from other estates fled to his estates; Alexey Konstantinovich did not drive anyone, he only said:
Let them live until they get caught. Feed and equip.
In addition, Tolstoy got the opportunity to freely dispose of his wealth, before that his mother and uncles Perovsky strictly monitored his expenses. Unfortunately, this freedom did not benefit Alexei Konstantinovich - very soon he fell into the trap of the Bakhmetevs.
Immediately after the death of Countess Anna Alekseevna, the family of Bakhmeteva's brother, Pyotr Andreevich Bakhmetev, settled in the Tolstoy estate. The favorite of the writer was the son of Peter - Andryusha *. There is, of course, nothing wrong with this, on the contrary: Tolstoy's estate was filled with the sonorous cheerful voices of the Bakhmetev children, and this created an indescribable atmosphere of comfort at home. But at the same time, the whole Bakhmetev family at once sat on the neck of the good-natured Alexei Konstantinovich, and each began shamelessly to rob him and survive from his own home.

* Andrei Petrovich Bakhmetev (1853-1872) - a favorite of A.K. Tolstoy. He died at the age of nineteen from consumption and was buried in the churchyard of the Red Horn. For Alexei Konstantinovich, this was a severe blow, in young man he saw his only heir.

Unfortunately, in those same years, the writer's illness began to worsen. By this time, Alexei Konstantinovich was already suffering from neuralgia and asthma. Despite everything, in 1859 Tolstoy created a brilliant philosophical poem "John of Damascus". The most surprising thing about the fate of the poem is that for the first time in Tolstoy's life, it was precisely its publication that the III Section tried to ban, referring to the prohibition of church censorship !!! It was rumored that in addition to the churchmen, Alexander II himself gave the corresponding instruction. Then the poem was secretly handed over to Empress Maria Alexandrovna for reading, and she, bypassing the III Branch, asked the Minister of Public Education Evgraf Petrovich Kovalevsky (senior) (1790-1867) to contribute to the publication. The poem was published in the first issue of the Slavophile magazine Russkaya Beseda and caused a quiet scandal in ministerial offices.
In the autumn of 1861, shortly after the abolition of serfdom, the emperor gave Tolstoy a complete resignation. Since that time, the financial situation of Alexei Konstantinovich began to rapidly become more complicated. “Tesh himself with the hope of becoming a good farmer, he tried to do something, to dispose. His instructions were listened to respectfully, but not carried out. The peasants often turned to him for help, and he never refused it, defended them from the oppression of rats and police authorities, gave them money ... New times have come, capitalist relations have come into force. Resourcefulness, stinginess, the ability to invest every penny in a business and make a profit from it, the daily increment of one's property at the expense of others by hook or by crook - all this was alien to Tolstoy, full of liberal complacency and benevolence. And no matter how rich he was, his fortune is destined from now on to melt with catastrophic speed ... Dealers were already curling around - the new masters of life. Already in 1862, Tolstoy sold the estate in the Saratov province, followed by others, he began to sell forests for a log house, issued bills. By the end of the 1860s. the writer realized that he was going bankrupt, but he could not do anything about it.
During these years, in the correspondence of Alexei Konstantinovich, certain “X” and “Z” began to be mentioned - “one of them once heard that there is delicacy in the world, and the second never heard of it. “In a word, this reptile is almost naive.” This is how Tolstoy characterized Peter and Nikolai Bakhmetev, who began to take his estates to their hands and squander them instead of washing them. The managers of the numerous estates of the count were also not embarrassed and stole everything that was lying badly, and under the supervision of the Bakhmetevs, everything was badly lying with Tolstoy!
Juicy described the attitude of the brothers Sofya Andreevna to the good-natured Tolstoy A.D. Zhukov: “... they resembled a kind of “good friend” who, having drunk, uninvitedly breaks into the house, smokes the master’s cigars, unceremoniously blowing smoke into the owner’s face, throws books from the desk to the floor, and puts his legs in their place, lounging in armchair, and if the owner makes a face of displeasure, he will throw a tantrum, accusing him of stinginess and chivalry... Tolstoy preferred not to get involved with such “naivety” and fled away.” Fled abroad.
Vasily Petrovich Gorlenko (1853-1907), famous Little Russian journalist, ethnographer and art critic, once wrote: “Al. Tolstoy, adoring his wife, found himself in the "kindred embrace" of his wife's numerous relatives. The severity of the situation was also complicated by the fact that his wife herself, out of her kindness, patronized and loved this family, while the poet had to endure an unceremonious attitude towards his goodness, interference in his affairs and large, completely unproductive expenses out of ardent love for his wife. ..”*

* Gorlenko V.P. South Russian essays and portraits. Kyiv, 1898.

At the end of 1862, the health of Alexei Konstantinovich began to deteriorate sharply. Here is how D.A. described it. Zhukov: “He became stout, there was no trace of the former blush - his face became earthy, his features seemed to have become heavier, enlarged, bags swollen under his eyes. He was sick, very sick. He's had headaches before. My leg ached, which did not allow me to make a trip to Odessa together with the regiment. But now everything seemed to go wrong - as if the stomach was burning with fire. Tolstoy often felt sick and vomited. There were attacks of suffocation, there were pains in the region of the heart ... ”The doctors were unable to help.
By this time, Sofya Andreevna Miller received a long-awaited divorce and again became Bakhmeteva. On April 3, 1863, he and Tolstoy finally got married, having lived in a civil marriage for a little less than 12 years.
There is no consensus in the literature about their relationship. Most biographers, pointing to the correspondence and memoirs of contemporaries, argue that Tolstoy and Bakhmeteva sincerely loved each other. But sometimes they also refer to I.S., who knew Bakhmeteva well. Turgenev, who allegedly wrote that family life they were like a difficult and boringly played tragicomedy. Turgenev respected, but disliked Sofya Andreevna, and once even declared L.N. Tolstoy that she has "the face of a Chukhonian soldier in a skirt." However, Ivan Sergeevich himself was so bogged down in relations with Pauline Viardot and her family, he spent such huge funds received from Russian serfs on their maintenance in France that it was hardly permissible for Turgenev to talk about Tolstoy's family, let alone condemn his wife.
From the end of the 1860s. The Tolstoys settled in Krasny Rog, from where they traveled only abroad for treatment. Life in this estate cost them much less than in the capital, and the finances of Alexei Konstantinovich had long wished for the best.
In addition, the writer began a strange illness, during the exacerbation of which the skin all over the body suddenly seemed to be poured with boiling water. Attacks of a wild headache occurred daily, the writer was even afraid to move his head, walked slowly so as not to cause another attack with a random movement. Tolstoy's face turned crimson with blue veins. Doctors could not establish an accurate diagnosis of the disease, and therefore did not know how to treat it.
Since August 1874, the Starodub district doctor Korzhenevsky tried to relieve the patient of neuralgic pains by taking lithium, but this remedy helped a lot. short term, then the suffering resumed. In the autumn of the same year, Tolstoy, accompanied by the nephew of his wife, Prince Dmitry Nikolayevich Tsertelev (1852-1911), in the future a serious philosopher and a passionate admirer of spiritualism, went abroad for treatment. There, in Paris, the writer had a terrible vision for the first time: he woke up in the middle of the night and saw a figure in white bending over his bed, which immediately disappeared into the darkness. Travelers regarded this as a bad sign, but since Tolstoy had a temporary improvement in health, they quickly forgot about what had happened. And in the spring of 1875, Alexei Konstantinovich again felt bad. It was then that he took the fatal step.

In 1853, the Edinburgh doctor Alexander Wood came up with a method of treatment by injecting drugs into the subcutaneous tissue. Later, he was offered an injection machine under the German name "syringe". And one of the first drugs that was used by Wood to inject patients as an anesthetic was morphine. It was especially actively used by doctors during the Crimean War. The publication of Wood's article "A new method of treating neuralgia by direct injection of opiates into pain points" in scientific journal The Edinburgh Herald of Medicine and Surgery became a sensation in the world of medical practice. True, doctors soon began to note the addiction of patients to morphine and sounded the alarm. But it happened in the year when Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy was given the first injection of a terrible drug.
It is usually written that morphine injections were prescribed to the writer by the attending physician. Who this doctor is not mentioned. There is another version, that during Tolstoy's last visit to Paris, I.S. advised him to inject morphine. Turgenev, who was aware of medical innovations. The writer's wife, Sofya Andreevna, is also blamed for this.
Injections of morphine to Tolstoy began in the spring of 1875 abroad. The first injections helped the patient in a matter of minutes and for a long time. Alexei Konstantinovich was happy! When he became ill on the way to Russia in a train compartment, he injected himself with morphine on his own. In the future, Tolstoy gave injections to himself.
Soon there was an addiction to the drug, the body demanded more and more doses ... This is how Tolstoy described his condition in a letter to A.N. Aksakov of September 24, 1875, the well-known Russian novelist Boleslav Mikhailovich Markevich (1822-1884), he was then visiting Krasny Rog: “But if you saw the state of my poor Tolstoy, you would understand the feeling that keeps me here ... Man lives only with the help of morphine, and at the same time morphine undermines his life - this is the vicious circle from which he can no longer get out. I was present at the poisoning of him with morphine, from which he was barely saved, and now this poisoning is beginning again, because otherwise he would have been suffocated by asthma.
In August, under the influence of a drug, Alexei Konstantinovich began to have a split personality, and mental anguish was added to physical suffering. According to the memoirs of Nikolai Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov (1824-1909), a cousin of the writer who arrived in Krasny Rog on the eve of the onset of this psychosis, Tolstoy, when he became a little better, kept repeating: worst enemy I don’t wish this ... How I suffered! .. What I felt! .. ”The writer began to have visions: deceased mother and tried to take him away.
To this was added an exacerbation of asthma - Alexei Konstantinovich was constantly suffocating. Relief came only pine forest. Therefore, tubs with water were placed throughout the house in the rooms, in which freshly cut young pines were placed.
But this is not enough! The Bakhmetevs, and above all Sofya Andreevna herself, were not going to give up senseless cash spending, even despite the sharp drop in income after the abolition of serfdom. Things got to the point that in September 1875, already anticipating his death, Alexei Konstantinovich wrote to Alexander II a petition to return him to the service - there was nothing to live on! Almost all the estates were mortgaged or sold, Tolstoy issued bills, but further credit was also in question.
Since August 1875, the writer's friends Prince D.N. Tsertelev, B.M. Markevich and N.M. Zhemchuzhnikov. He was treated by Dr. Velichkovsky, who advised taking the patient abroad as soon as he felt better. But on August 24, after another injection of morphine, Tolstoy began to get poisoned. This time, the disease was overcome. Immediately after the count felt better, they decided to prepare for a trip to Europe.
The departure was scheduled for early October. On the afternoon of September 28, 1875, the guests gathered for a walk in the woods. Prince Tsertelev looked into the study of the owner of the house and saw that Alexei Konstantinovich was sleeping in an armchair. Since the patient was constantly tormented by insomnia, they decided not to wake him up and left. At about 8.30 pm, worried about her husband's long sleep, Sofya Andreevna went to call Tolstoy to the table. He was already cold, his pulse was not beating. On the desk in front of the deceased lay an empty vial of morphine and a syringe. Artificial respiration and other attempts to bring the writer back to life did not help.
The last words that Alexey Konstantinovich said to those around him, retiring to his office:
- How I feel good!

Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy was buried in the family crypt on the churchyard of the Assumption Church in Krasny Rog, next to Andryusha Bakhmetev. Sofya Andreevna died in 1895 and was buried there.

Neither before the October Revolution, nor after the October Revolution, it occurred to anyone to declare Alexei Konstantinovich a drug addict. The tragedy that happened to him is the general result of the youth of contemporary medicine and the most severe physical torment that the writer experienced in the last year of his life. Public mockery of his memory began approximately from the mid-1980s, when the spiritual life in the USSR came to a final decline, the ideological heirs of the generation of the so-called sixties grew up, and Voltaire's envy of the dead reached catastrophic proportions.
The last one needs to be clarified. It is not uncommon for people, especially educated people, to whom a talent, if it is released, then in a very small amount, or those who consider it insufficient to recognize their talent, often tend to envy people revered by society. And not only those who live nearby, but even more so those who died long ago, whose glory has been verified by time and seems unshakable. This was especially clearly manifested in the work of Voltaire, who pathologically envied the glory tortured at the beginning of the 15th century. Jeanne d'Arc, national heroine of France. All the envious abomination that had accumulated in his soul towards the girl burned alive, he splashed out in the vile libel "The Orleans Virgin." In his last work in his life - the article "The Last of Jeanne d'Arc's relatives", written in January 1837, A.S. Pushkin pronounced the most severe sentence on Voltaire's envy: recent history does not represent the subject of a more touching, more poetic life and death of the Orleans heroine; what did Voltaire, this worthy representative of his people, make of it? Once in his life he happened to be a true poet, and this is what he uses inspiration for! With his satanic breath, he fanned the sparks smoldering in the ashes of the martyr's fire, and, like a drunken savage, he dances around his amusing fire. He, like a Roman executioner, adds reproach to the mortal torment of the virgin.<...>Let us note that Voltaire, surrounded in France by enemies and envious people, at every step subjected to the most poisonous censures, found almost no accusers when his criminal poem appeared. His most bitter enemies were disarmed. Everyone enthusiastically accepted the book, in which contempt for everything that is considered sacred for a person and a citizen is brought to the last degree of cynicism. No one took it into his head to intercede for the honor of his fatherland; and the challenge of the good and honest Dulis, if it had then become known, would have aroused inexhaustible laughter, not only in the philosophical drawing rooms of Baron d'Holbach and M-me Joffrin, but also in the ancient halls of the descendants of Lagire and Latrimoulli *. Wretched age! Pitiful people!"**

* Jean Francois Philippe du Lis (? - 1836) - the last of the relatives of Joan of Arc. He died childless. It is du Lis that is the subject of the article by A.S. Pushkin. The father of Jean Francois - his name is not known - having read "The Virgin of Orleans" in 1767, challenged Voltaire to a duel. The frightened philosopher replied that he had nothing to do with this work, and some scoundrel used his name in the title.
Baron d'Holbach, aka Paul Henri Thiry Holbach (1723-1789) - French philosopher of German origin, writer, encyclopedist, educator, foreign honorary member Petersburg Academy Sciences.
M-me Joffrin, she is Maria Theresia Joffrin (1699-1777) - the mistress of the famous literary salon, where for 25 years all the most talented intellectuals of Paris gathered, including Montesquieu, d'Alembert, Holbach, Diderot, Gibbon,
Etienne de Vignol, nicknamed La Hire (Angry) (1390-1440) - an outstanding French commander during the Hundred Years War; associate of Joan of Arc, tried to free her from English captivity.
Latrimul, aka Georges La Tremouille (1385-1445) - favorite of the French king Charles VII, one of the opponents of Joan of Arc.
** Pushkin A.S. Sobr. op. in 10 volumes. T.6. M.: Artist. lit., 1962.

When the poet contemptuously called the French “a miserable people” who are not able to shut the throat of a presumptuous jester who decides to mock a tortured victim in the name of the Fatherland, he did not suspect that in a hundred and fifty years, his native Russians would turn out to be thousands of times more miserable and disgusting people. In France, one Voltaire desecrated the memory of one Joan of Arc, in modern Russia, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of nonentities with the guise of our co-bloods, for the third decade now, under the slogans of democracy and freedom of speech, have been mocking with impunity the memory of dead ancestors. In our history today it is difficult to find at least one worthy name that has not been defiled from one side or another by envious intellectuals and then not smeared from head to toe with these impurities by philistines avid for slander. From Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov to the unfortunate sufferers Alexander Matrosov, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya and Nikolai Gastello, from Alexander Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol to Alexander Fadeev, Alexander Tvardovsky and Mikhail Sholokhov. Most of all, of course, went to the slaughtered children Pavlik and Fedya Morozov, who were “exposed a thousand times for denunciation and betrayal of family values” by fat self-satisfied uncles and angry hysterical ladies, from the offices of their comfortable metropolitan apartments fighting “for the spiritual purification of the mankurt people mired in unbelief.”
In this endless series, Alexei Konstantinovich got relatively weak - he was simply declared a drug addict who had gone through all the stages of drug withdrawal. But let us recall the letter of A.S. Pushkin to P.A. Vyazemsky in November 1825: “The crowd ... in its meanness rejoices at the humiliation of the high, the weaknesses of the mighty. At the discovery of any abomination, she is delighted. He is small like us, he is vile like us! You lie, scoundrels: he is both small and vile - not like you - otherwise. Indeed, geniuses are not accessible to intellectual abominations, since the poet spoke specifically about the intelligentsia - there is no need for anyone else to mess around in the garbage of someone else's being, other people, if they envy, then others, but not fame and public respect.

* Pushkin A.S. Sobr. op. in 10 volumes. T. 9. M.: Khudozh. lit., 1962.

What happened to Alexei Konstantinovich on September 28, 1875? Was it a suicide or a tragic mistake?
Supporters of the probability of suicide argue their position with a combination of the following reasons. First, Tolstoy understood that he was doomed, that it was pointless to continue the struggle for existence and prolong the ever-increasing torment. Secondly, under the influence of morphine, the writer had a narcotic psychosis. Thirdly, in the soul of Alexei Konstantinovich, accustomed to luxurious life, the heaviest stone lay the possibility of imminent ruin. Fourthly, the patient was negatively affected by the indifference and even contempt on the part of Sofya Andreevna, who lived with him only for the sake of his money.
Of course, the first two arguments can be considered truly weighty. But Tolstoy, and this is evident from all his work, never treated life as a frivolous walk, which can be interrupted at any moment at one's discretion. He was a believer and believed that everyone is obliged to suffer the torment that fell to his lot, that the Lord will never send a person trials that exceed his strength. On the other hand, Alexei Konstantinovich did not tend to change his principles and reject ideals under the influence of the situation. The whole life of the writer and his creations affirm the impossibility of his suicide!
If, however, Alexei Konstantinovich did indeed end his life under the influence of a sudden narcotic psychosis (and not a single witness of the last month of Tolstoy's life mentions a prolonged psychosis), then this weakness should be attributed to death by accident, such a death of a person with a clouded mind condemnation is not subject to.
As for the possibility of ruin, people social position Alexei Konstantinovich simply could not go broke. After all, the request to return to the service indicates that Tolstoy not only intended to continue to live, but also became a signal to the tsar about the need for material support. Alexander II had such opportunities and would never have refused a friend of his family. The writer knew this very well, just as he knew that his death could put Sofya Andreevna in a very difficult financial situation. Already for the sake of the woman he loved, he could not commit suicide.
The strained relationship between the Tolstoy spouses belongs to the category of dirty gossip, inflated by certain groups of lovers to delve into the underwear of great people. They have no documentary evidence and cannot serve as an argument.
Thus, the version of Alexei Konstantinovich's suicide is based more on someone's desire for it to take place. The probability of a patient's error in the injection dose is much more significant. Everyone who has experienced acute pain at least once, probably remembers the state when it seems that it is enough to take more painkillers, and everything will quickly return to normal. The main thing is to relieve the pain right now. Apparently, something similar happened to Alexei Konstantinovich. After a temporary improvement, when he went to his office, there was a sharp aggravation of pain. Wanting to get rid of them as soon as possible, the writer injected himself with a lethal dose of the drug, because he hoped to get rid of the painful condition faster. And the exact allowable one-time volumes of morphine injections in those years were not yet established. The injection was made in the strongest haste, the pain was really gone - forever. She took Alexei Konstantinovich himself with her.

The surname Tolstoy in our view is closely associated with literary creativity, and this is no coincidence. In Russian prose and poetry, there were as many as three well-known authors who wore it: Lev Nikolaevich, Alexei Konstantinovich and Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy. The works written by them are not connected in any way, but the authors themselves are united by blood relationship, although distant. All of them are representatives of a large noble branch. Tatyana Tolstaya, contemporary writer, by the way, also belongs to this genus. Although the most famous representative of this noble branch is, of course, Lev Nikolaevich, today we invite you to get acquainted with the work of Alexei Konstantinovich. The works of Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy also deserve close attention. However, this is a topic for a completely different article. So, for example, the namesake of the poet and writer of interest to us, Alexei Tolstoy, created works for children that are still very popular and fascinating to this day.

Biography of Tolstoy Alexei Konstantinovich

Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy (years of life - 1817-1875) - poet, writer, playwright. He was born in St. Petersburg. He came from the Razumovsky family on the maternal side (his great-grandfather was the last hetman of Little Russia, and his grandfather, A.K. Razumovsky, was the Minister of Public Education under Tsar Alexander I). The father of the future writer is Count K. P. Tolstoy, with whom the mother broke up immediately after the birth of the boy. Alexei Konstantinovich was brought up under the guidance of his mother and her brother, A. A. Perovsky, a writer who encouraged the poetic experiments of young Tolstoy.

In 1834 he was accepted into the service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the Moscow archive. After that he was in the diplomatic service. Tolstoy Alexei, whose works we will present to you below, received the title of chamber junker in 1843.

Fantastic stories and romantic prose

In the late 1830s and early 1840s, he created fantastic novels gravitating towards the Gothic novel, as well as romantic prose: "Meeting in Three Hundred Years", "Ghoul's Family". His first published work is the story "Ghoul", written in 1841, created under the pseudonym Krasnorogsky. Also in the 1840s, Alexei Konstantinovich began work on a historical novel called (finished in 1861), at the same time a number of lyrical ballads and poems were created, which came out a little later (in the 1850s and 60s). Many works of Alexei Tolstoy gained great popularity. Their list is as follows: "Kurgan", "My Bells", "Prince Mikhailo Repnin", as well as "Vasily Shibanov", etc.

Collaboration in Sovremennik

In the early 1850s, Tolstoy became close to N. A. Nekrasov, I. S. Turgenev and other writers. Since 1854, his literary parodies and poems have been published in Sovremennik. In collaboration with V. M. and A. M. Zhemchuzhnikovs (his cousins), satirical parody works were published under the pseudonym Kozma Prutkov in the Literary Jumble section of this journal. The work of this fictitious author became a mirror of obsolete phenomena in literature and at the same time created a satirical picture of a bureaucrat claiming to be a legislator of artistic taste.

Tolstoy Alexei, whose works by that time were already numerous, having moved away from participation in Sovremennik, from 1857 began to be published in Russkaya Conversation, and later, in the 1860s and 70s, mainly in Vestnik Evropy, as well as "Russian Bulletin". At this time, he defended the principles of the so-called "pure art", that is, independent of any political ideas, including "progressive".

In 1861, Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, whose works are discussed in this article, finally quits the service, which was very burdensome for him, and completely focuses on literary work.

In 1862, his poem "Don Juan" was published, the next - "Prince Silver" (novel). In 1866, the first part of a great creation comes to light - historical trilogy"The Death of Ivan the Terrible", two years later - the second - "Tsar Fedor Ioannovich", and in 1870 - the final one - "Tsar Boris".

Lyrical legacy

Answering the question about what works Alexei Tolstoy wrote, one cannot fail to note his lyrics. In 1867, the first collection of poetry by this author appears. In the last ten years of his life, he wrote ballads (1868 - "The Serpent Tugarin", 1869 - "The Song of Harald and Yaroslavna", 1870 - "Roman Galitsky", 1871 - "Ilya Muromets", etc.). There were also political satires in verse ("History of the Russian State ...", published in 1883, "Popov's Dream" - in 1882, etc.), lyric poems and poems (1874 - "Portrait", 1875 - "Dragon" ).

General characteristics of creativity

The work of Alexei Konstantinovich is imbued with unity philosophical ideas, motives, lyrical emotions. One can note the interest in such problems as the philosophy of history, national antiquity, rejection of tsarist tyranny - these features of Tolstoy's work are reflected in many of his works belonging to various genres. The ideal device of the country, corresponding to the Russian national character, Alexei Konstantinovich considered ancient Novgorod and Kievan Rus. The way of life in Rus' at that time seemed to him as follows: high level development of various arts, importance such a cultural layer as the aristocracy, the prince's respect for the freedom and personal dignity of citizens, the simplicity of morals, the diversity and breadth of international relations, especially with Europe.

ballads

Depicting images Ancient Rus' ballads are imbued with lyricism, they reflect the passionate dream of their creator of spiritual independence, as well as admiration for the heroic whole natures that Alexei Tolstoy portrayed in folk epic poetry. The works, the list of which is offered to you ("Matchmaking", "Ilya Muromets", "Kanut", "Alyosha Popovich" and other ballads) are marked by the fact that the images of legendary heroes in them, the plots of historical events illustrate the author's idea, embody his ideals (to For example, Prince Vladimir of Kiev). They are in their own way artistic means close to some other lyrical poems by Alexei Konstantinovich ("You are my land ...", "If you love, so without reason", "Blagovest", etc.).

Tolstoy's ballads, depicting the era of the strengthening of statehood in Rus', are permeated through and through with a dramatic beginning. Their plots are the events of the reign of Ivan the Terrible, whom the poet considered the most vivid exponent of the principle of absorption by the state of the individual and unlimited autocracy.

The "dramatic" ballads are more traditional in form than the "lyrical" ballads, which date mainly to the late 1860s and early 1870s. However, these works of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy are marked by the fact that he acted as an original poet, capable of modifying the structure of the genre.

For example, in one of the ballads, "Vasily Shibanov", he revises the classic situation of a dispute with the king of a freedom-loving subject, which became widespread under the influence of the works of F. Schiller. Conveying how Kurbsky denounces Ivan the Terrible, Tolstoy in the participants of this dramatic conflict- rebellious boyar and tsar - emphasizes the common: ingratitude, inhumanity, pride. The readiness to suffer for the truth, the ability for self-sacrifice, Aleksey Konstantinovich finds in common man, which is sacrificed to this dispute powers of the world this. Thus, the slave wins a moral victory over the king and restores by his feat the triumph of the true greatness of man over the imaginary. Like other "dramatic" ballads of this author, "Vasily Shibanov" in terms of its subject matter and the psychological complexity of the characters' images, as well as the creator's ethical approach to historical events draws close to the works of major genres, which were written by Alexei Tolstoy. We will now consider these works.

Novels of Tolstoy

Alexei Konstantinovich in his novel "Prince Silver" depicts violent clashes in an atmosphere of unbridled tyranny of strong people and shows that arbitrariness has a detrimental effect on the personality of the monarch, as well as on his environment. In this work, it is noted that, moving away from the already corrupted court circle, sometimes even forced to hide from social oppression and persecution, gifted people belonging to various sectors of society nevertheless "make history", protect the country from the attack of external enemies, master and discover new lands (Ermak Timofeevich, Mitka, Ivan Koltso, Prince Serebryany, etc.). The style of this work is associated with the traditions of the story and the historical novel of the 1830s, including those coming from such stories by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol as "Taras Bulba" and "Terrible Revenge".

Dramaturgy

In the aforementioned dramatic trilogy, the author depicted Russian life at the end of the 16th century - the beginning of the 17th. And in these plays, the solution of various historical and philosophical problems is more important for him than the exact adherence to historical facts. Aleksey Konstantinovich depicts the tragedy of three reigns, three autocrats: Ivan the Terrible, obsessed with the idea that his power is of divine origin, the soft-hearted ruler Fedor and the wise Boris Godunov, "a brilliant ambitious man."

Tolstoy Alexei, whose works often depicted past eras, paid great attention to the creation of original, individual and vivid portraits of historical figures. His great achievement is the image of Tsar Fedor, which indicates that in the 1860s the writer mastered the principles of psychological realism. In 1898 Moscow art theater was opened by staging the tragedy of this author - "The Tsar" These are the main dramatic works of Alexei Tolstoy. The list can be continued, since we have listed only the main ones.

political satire

Features of the historical outlook of Alexei Konstantinovich were reflected in his For example, behind such an anecdotal plot, which was in the work "Popov's Dream", the author's mockery of the liberals was hidden. In the poems "Against the current" or, for example, "Sometimes a merry May ..." and others, the controversy with the nihilists was reflected. In the "History of the State ..." Alexei Konstantinovich subjected historical phenomena to merciless ridicule, he believed that they interfered with the life of Russia.

intimate lyrics

Unlike ballads and dramaturgy, this author's intimate lyrics were alien to elation of tone. Sincere and simple lyrical works of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy. Many of them are, as it were, psychological poetic short stories ("That was in early spring", "In the midst of a noisy ball, by chance ...").

Music based on the works of Alexei Konstantinovich

Alexei Konstantinovich introduced elements of folk poetic style into his work, often his poems are close to the song. Many creations created by Alexei Tolstoy have been set to music. The works (the list includes more than 70 poems) became the basis for romances that were written to his words by P. I. Tchaikovsky, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, S. I. Taneev, M. P. Mussorgsky and others.