Tolstoy Lev

Tolstoy Lev (1828-1910), Russian writer. He was born to the family of Count Nikolay Tolstoy in the village of Yasnaya Polyana (Tula Region), Russia. L. Tolstoy, who was orphaned at an early age, received a basic home education. In 1844 – 47 he studied at the Kazan University. In 1851 he left for the North Caucasus together with his elder brother; there he was stationed at a military camp of Terek District. In November of the same year, he visited Tbilisi. He was greatly impressed by the Georgian Military Road and the Dariali Gorge. He toured the Gergeti Trinity Monastery and spent two and a half months in Tbilisi. According to some information, he lived at No. 54 of presentday Davit Agmashenebeli Avenue. In Tbilisi, he was granted a military rank and was assigned to a job. There he worked on his first story Childhood. L. Tolstoy made acquaintance with the life of the city. In one of his letters, he wrote: ‘Tbilisi is a civilized city, which emulates Petersburg; frequently - successfully. It boasts a choice and excellent society’. L. Tolstoy recurrently mentioned Georgia and Georgians in his personal letters and notes (1851-53). During his stay in Tbilisi, he became interested in the person of Hadji-Murat. Later on, I. Nakashidze and S. Esadze supplied L. Tolstoy with the materials on the liberation movement of Caucasian highlanders. Starting from 1990s his contacts with Georgian intellectuals intensified; he carried on correspondence with I. Nakashidze, N. Nakashidze, G. Dadiani, M. Kipiani and others.

L. Tolstoy died at the Ostapovo rail- way station (Lipetsk District), when he wandered away from his estate in Yasnaya Polyana. He was buried in Yasnaya Polyana. According to his Will, they did not erect either a monument or a cross on his grave.