James Baquet

    The great Russian novelist Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) lived at approximately the same time as the scientist Mendeleev, but their lives bore little resemblance.

    Tolstoy was born on a family estate south of Moscow, the fourth of five children of a nobleman who had fought in the war against Napoleon (which was later celebrated in Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture”). Though his parents died while he was young, he was raised by relatives and never wanted for much.

    Tolstoy joined the army while in his 20s, and later toured Europe twice. These experiences were to have a profound effect on him.

    As a result of his battle experiences in the Crimean War, and after witnessing a beheading in Paris, he had what some would call a “spiritual awakening.” He turned away from any violent behavior, becoming a pacifist. He took the ethical teachings of Jesus seriously, and began giving his wealth to the poor. For example, he built 13 schools for the children of Russian peasants in the region around his estate.

    Naturally, this change of philosophy had a damaging effect on Tolstoy’s marriage, which had been happy until then. While leaving his wife in the dead of winter, he died of pneumonia in a train station at age 82.

    Several of Tolstoy’s seven novels are still well-known. “War and Peace” (1869) is set in the same war that his father fought in. It examines the effects of the French invasion on Moscow’s society. To capture this important event, he wrote over 1,200 pages, making it one of the longest novels ever written.

    Another long novel, “Anna Karenina” (1878), is about a married woman who is pursued by a Russian count. The novel ends tragically with Anna’s suicide.

    In his novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich,” a dying man considers what makes up an “authentic life.”

    In addition, Tolstoy wrote numerous short stories, as well as essays which explained his pacifist philosophy. Some of these later influenced people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Tolstoy continues to be considered one of the greatest novelists of all time.

    Vocabulary

    Which word above means:

    1. genuine, not artificial

    2. person who believes in peace

    3. person born in the highest class of society

    4. an illness like a very bad cold

    5. cutting off of someone’s head

    6. killing of oneself

    7. similarity, same appearance

    8. deep, serious

    9. related to how people behave (not necessarily religious)