by Cathy Porter
dictated a page of ideas…as he calls it: Evidently the first version of the Preface to ‘Notes for Soldiers’ and ‘Notes for Officers’. The text was written in Masha Obolenskaya’s hand, dated 8th February (unpublished).
my unfinished children’s story, ‘Skeletons’: The short story ‘Skeleton Dolls’, its final title, appeared in: S.A. Tolstoy, Skeleton Dolls and Other Stories, Moscow, 1910.
the Wanderers’ Exhibition: Thirtieth exhibition of paintings by the Fellowship of Wandering Artists.
He is dictating ideas…at the moment: The contents of this dictated text relates to his article ‘To the Working People’.
Arguments about the Bashkirs: This relates to Tolstoy’s disagreement with Sofia as to whether some Bashkirs should be invited to Yasnaya Polyana with their koumiss mares; Tolstoy was strongly urged by his doctors to drink koumiss.
saffron milk caps: A small, yellowish mushroom.
he writes his novel Hadji Murat: Tolstoy resumed work on Hadji Murat on 24th June 1902.
Sergei Ivanovich…musical textbook: Taneev finished his work Mobile Counterpoint on Old Notation in 1908 and published it in 1909.
The priests…him: Tolstoy observed in his diary: “Leaflet from a priest—very painful. Why do they hate me?”
started on a proclamation to the clergy: Tolstoy began work on his article ‘To the Clergy’.
a legend he has just written, about devils: The legend ‘Destruction and Reconstruction of Hell’ on which Tolstoy worked from November 1902 to the end of that year, was thought up as an illustration to his article ‘To the Clergy’.
Kropotkin’s Notes: P.A. Kropotkin, Notes of a Revolutionary, London, 1902. On Tolstoy’s admission, “reading Kropotkin’s splendid memoirs” made him consider writing his own memoirs.
1903
Two more Englishmen…will save him: Tom Ferris and Bert Toy visited Russia to meet Tolstoy and discuss spiritualism with him. They visited Yasnaya Polyana, but their conversation with Tolstoy was a brief one because he was ill.
We had a visit from an old man and his wife…Athanasius: The peasant A.N. Ageev was sentenced to exile in Siberia, in January 1903, for blasphemy. Tolstoy tried to help him and his family and took an active part in their case. On 29th August 1903, Ageev was sent to Siberia.
1904
three students from the St Petersburg…energy: A delegation of students from the St Petersburg Mining Institute brought Tolstoy a letter expressing their deep love and admiration. They wanted to discuss the agrarian question and the student revolutionary movement with him.
a rehearsal of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard: Rehearsals of The Cherry Orchard were going on at the Moscow Public Art Theatre.
the latest news…war with the Japanese: The Russo-Japanese War started on 27th January 1904, and every day from then on notes appeared in Tolstoy’s diary about this “terrible deed”, as he called the war.
Lev Nikolaevich told us the story…commenced: In May 1851, Tolstoy and his elder brother Nikolai left for the Caucasus, where Nikolai was serving. In June Tolstoy took part in a raid as a volunteer, and described this in his story ‘The Raid’. On 3rd January 1852, he joined the artillery as a cadet; in January 1854 he was made an ensign and transferred at his own request to the Danubian army, and in November of that year he moved to Sevastopol, where he fought until the end of the siege.
1905
Pavel Biryukov…exile in Switzerland: Biryukov was deported from Russia in 1897 for giving aid to the Dukhobors. He received permission to return after the manifesto of 11th August 1904. He went to Yasnaya Polyana in December 1904 and stayed there until January 1905.
Lev Nikolaevich is writing an article…zemstvo: In January 1905 Tolstoy wrote an article entitled ‘On the Social Movement in Russia’. It was a reply to innumerable letters begging him to speak out about the zemstvo’s agitation for a limitation of the autocracy and the introduction of a representative system of government, and about the massacre of peaceful demonstrators in St Petersburg on 9th January 1905 (Bloody Sunday). The article was published in England by Chertkov in Free Word, no. 92, 1905.
Dreadful news from St Petersburg…killed: Those in Yasnaya Polyana learnt about the events of 9th January 1905 in St Petersburg from the newspapers, and from Pavel Boulanger, who visited shortly afterwards.
1908
There were some very touching presents…signatures: In a letter to those who had sent him greetings on his birthday, Tolstoy wrote: “I thank all who have written to me, and those dear people who have touched me so much with their presents—the St Petersburg waiters who gave me a lovely inscribed samovar, various workers, and many others.”
Some artists sent a lovely album of watercolours: An album of drawings by Kasatkin, Vasnetsov, Baturin, Pasternak and others (watercolours, pastels and pencil drawings) was sent to Tolstoy by the Moscow Society of Art-Lovers.
numerous portraits of Lev Nikolaevich…of his: E. Cherchopova sent a satin-stitch embroidery of Tolstoy in the fields. The portrait was sent by the artist Gusikyan.
there was a box…do it himself: This parcel arrived in Yasnaya Polyana on 1st September 1908. A detachable coupon showed a Moscow address and the surname of the sender, O.A. Markova. Tolstoy replied to O.A. Markova on 3rd September 1908: “You would make me very happy if you would explain to me the reasons for your ill feelings.” Later Gusev established that there was no O.A. Markova living at this address.
he had galloped…Caucasus: Some details of this episode were later used by Tolstoy in his story ‘The Prisoner of the Caucasus’.
Eight young revolutionaries…feelings: This proclamation was issued by the Socialist Revolutionaries in Tula. Four (not eight) Tula printers who were members of the party visited Tolstoy at his invitation.
He has written and published a book about the Apocalypse: In April 1907 Tolstoy received N.A. Morozov’s book Revelation in Storm and Tempest. A History of the Origins of the Apocalypse, St Petersburg, 1907, with a dedication: “To Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, as a mark of the author’s deep esteem, 31st March, N. Morozov”.
1909
copying out…completed: Sofia Tolstoy was copying the rough drafts of his story ‘Who Are the Murderers? Pavel Kudryash’, on which he worked from December 1908 to February 1909. The work remained unfinished.
Wanda Landowska came today and performed for us: This was the second time the harpsichordist Wanda Landowska visited Yasnaya Polyana. Tolstoy wrote of her playing: “She plays pleasantly and charmingly, but does not transport one’s soul, and I love that experience, however painful.”
1910
Chertkov’s…mother in Telyatinki: Chertkov received permission to live in Telyatinki while his mother was staying there. He arrived on 27th June.
Lev Nikolaevich didn’t like my letter to Chertkov: In this letter of 1st July, Sofia explains the reasons for her change of attitude to him: “If you have any feelings for me and Lev Nikolaevich’s peace of mind, which will be fully restored if you and I can make friends in the last years of his life, then I beg you, with an aching heart and a readiness to love and appreciate you—give me Lev Nikolaevich’s diaries. If you carry out my request then we shall be friends, more so than before. If not, it will be painful for Lev Nikolaevich to see our relations; I am incapable of forcing my feelings in another direction—I have been too shocked by the disappearance of the diaries.”
I managed to get Chertkov to write a note…back to L.N.: In a note to Tolstoy Chertkov wrote: “Dear L.N., in view of your wife’s desire that I give her back your diaries, which you gave me to delete the passages you indicated, I shall make haste to finish this work and return the notebooks as soon as I have done so.”
I find Sasha’s behaviour very painful: Sasha Tolstaya noted in her diary: “It was decided to extract the passages we didn’t want to give Sofia Andreevna, and give her the rest.”
She is a “Radstockist”: E.I. Chertkova was a follower of the English preacher Grenville Radstock: according to his interpre
tation of the Gospels, man would acquire salvation from sin through faith in the redemption of the human race, brought about by Christ’s death.
a fire on Tanya’s estate at Ovsyannikovo: There were suspicions that the fire might have been arson, started by a village youth who had been given shelter by her.
30 letters to her from him: Apart from one, dated 3rd August 1887, they were all taken from copies kept by Chertkov. He also kept copies that Maria Schmidt had made of ‘Investigations into Dogmatic Theology’, the final version of the story Emelyan the Worker and various other works.
madness and suicide…every angle: Tolstoy had resumed work on his article ‘On Suicide’, which had been started in March and was now given the title ‘On Madness’.
my grandchildren: Sofia and Ilya, Andrei Tolstoy’s children from his first marriage to Olga Dieterichs, who lived at Telyatinki with her cousin Chertkov.
that letter Chertkov wrote to the newspapers…insensitivity: On 18th June, shortly after Tolstoy’s arrival, the following letter from Chertkov appeared in many major newspapers: “In view of the fact that various announcements have appeared in the press regarding Lev N—ch Tolstoy’s visit to my house, I consider it necessary to warn any persons who might wish to visit him here that on those occasions when L.N. leaves Yasnaya Polyana he is in need of rest and seeks as much privacy as possible. For those who value his health and tranquillity, therefore, the best way to show their good wishes towards him is to refrain from visiting him on these occasions. I am making this announcement with L.N.’s consent, in the full confidence that those who wish him well will respect the feelings that have inspired this appeal, and act in accordance with it.”
the letter he gave me this morning: The letter, written on the morning of 14th July, in which Tolstoy announced his decision: “1) I shall give no one my present diary, and shall keep it with me. 2) I shall take my earlier diaries back from Chertkov and shall keep them myself, probably in the bank.” Tolstoy also explained in this letter the reasons for his estrangement from his wife, and suggested “terms for a good and peaceful life”. If these were not accepted, he wrote, he would “leave” Yasnaya Polyana.
a house in Rudakovo…Ovsyannikovo: Sofia Tolstoy was intending to buy the Rudakovo house in place of Tanya’s house, where Maria Schmidt had lived, that had burnt down.
several beginnings…important: Tolstoy started various works in 1910, including ‘Three Days in the Country’, ‘There Are No Guilty People in the World’, ‘Khodynka’ and the article ‘On Madness’.
When Lev N. told me he was coming…not to come: On this day Tolstoy went himself to see Chertkov. It was his last visit to Telyatinki.
his name derives from the word “devil”: “Devil”—“chert” in Russian.
22nd July: On 22nd July Tolstoy signed a will drawn up by his lawyer, Muravyov, according to which all his literary works, published and unpublished, finished and unfinished, all his manuscripts and everything he had ever written would become the “exclusive property of Alexandra Lvovna Tolstaya”. Tolstoy was obliged to name someone as his heir, otherwise the will would have been legally invalid. The writer’s real wish, that “all his works and all his writings” should not belong “to any private individual” and should be “published and reprinted by anyone who wished”, was expressed in an ‘Explanatory Note’ written by Chertkov as a supplement to the will. Chertkov was granted the right to supervise and publish the writer’s manuscripts after his death.
Molochnikov: V.A. Molochnikov, a follower of Tolstoy’s, was twice arrested, in 1908 and 1910, for harbouring and distributing banned works by Tolstoy. He made Tolstoy’s acquaintance in 1907 and was in correspondence with him from 1906. Tolstoy treated him very warmly and conducted a wide-ranging correspondence with him (there are known to be more than forty letters).
the Russian Consul to India: S.V. Chirkin.
Today he wrote…military service: On that day Tolstoy received five young peasant recruits intending to refuse military service and wrote an appeal for them, ‘To the Unknown Ones’.
Christianity and Patriotism…censored: The treatise ‘Christianity and Patriotism’ was banned in Russia and distributed illegally. In a letter of 7th August, Stakhovich told Sofia Tolstoy that he had found “dubious” and “indisputably dangerous passages” in all the books she sent him, including in this work.
awaiting trial in St Petersburg…The Construction of Hell: The trial took place on 20th November. L.L. Tolstoy was acquitted.
I am asking Sasha for my diary…out of it: At her father’s request, she was copying the thoughts contained in the notebook section of his diary.
handed him a scrap of paper…about it: Tanya wrote to Chertkov on 16th August: “There was nothing but grief and distress when she caught L.N. going into Sasha’s room this evening for his diary. And today she wrote him a note about this. Later I asked her not to say any more about it and she agreed, saying she would try to control herself.”
skopets: V. Grigoriev. A member of the skoptsy sect that practised castration.
the government…Telyatinki: On 14th August Chertkov received official notification that the government had lifted the ban against his living anywhere in the province of Tula, and particularly in the village of Telyatinki. This information appeared in many newspapers on 18th August.
Two bulky parcels were posted…Mr Chertkov: Bulgakov was sent three letters which Tolstoy had received, with his notes and a request for an answer, as well as a letter from Sasha Tolstaya containing a list of books to be sent to the addresses indicated, and one letter for Chertkov.
I sent for the priest…holy water: Sofia Tolstoy invited a priest called Kudryavtsev to the house to perform a service with holy water exorcizing the spirit of Chertkov. When he heard about this, Tolstoy wrote on 3rd–4th September in his ‘Diary for Myself Alone’: “She burns his pictures and has a service performed in the house. I must try to remember she is ill.”
I wept and sobbed all day…suffering: Tolstoy noted in his ‘Diary for Myself Alone’: “She spent the whole of yesterday the 9th in hysterics, ate nothing, wept. She was very pathetic.”
Lev Nik…when: “Painful discussions about my departure. I stood up for my freedom. I shall go when I want,” Tolstoy noted in his diary.
Malinovsky’s Blood Revenge: Malinovsky’s book Blood Revenge and the Death Sentence, Tomsk, 1910, sent to Tolstoy by the author with a dedication: “To Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, who exposes all violence, and especially the great evil known as capital punishment”. Tolstoy found “much good and useful material” in this book.
‘On Money’: The tract ‘What Then Must We Do?’ She is using one of Tolstoy’s working titles for the piece. “I am completely occupied with the article ‘What Is to Be Done?’, which is all about money,” he had written at the beginning of April 1885 to Chertkov.
Chertkov wrote a mean and characteristically unclear letter: On 6th October Chertkov wrote Tolstoy two letters. In the first he wrote: “I think that both in order to give Sofia Andreevna the opportunity to adopt a more loving attitude to you, and to enable you to derive full benefit from the relief this change will bring, it would be most unwise, while Sofia Andreevna’s condition continues to improve, to mention me under any pretext whatsoever.” In the second letter Chertkov accepted an invitation to visit Tolstoy at Yasnaya Polyana, on condition that “Sofia Andreevna is not present”.
interrupting him…in Nice: In his ‘Diary for Myself Alone’ Tolstoy wrote: “I told her everything I thought necessary. She answered back and I lost my temper.”
Chertkov has now persuaded Lev N…public property: It is possible she had read a long letter from Chertkov of 11th August, to which he affixed an excerpt from his diary of 4th December 1908. In this he sets out in detail the story of the drafting of Tolstoy’s will, and refers to the mercenary intentions of his family, who, he claimed, would appropriate the rights to his literary inheritance.
the bread…mouths: She had found Tolstoy’s ‘Dia
ry for Myself Alone’, which he had tried to conceal from her, in which she learnt about the existence of this secret will.
Lev Nik. wrote in his diary…to me: Entry for 30th July in ‘Diary for Myself Alone’.
When I timidly opened the door…hatred: Tolstoy noted in his diary on that day: “On my desk was a letter from Sofia Andreevna, filled with accusations. When she came in I asked her to leave me in peace. She went out. I had difficulty breathing and my pulse was over 90.”
Novikov: Mikhail Novikov described his meeting with Tolstoy in an article entitled ‘My Last Meeting’, published in the journals Unity and the Voice of Tolstoy and True Freedom. Tolstoy told Novikov about his intention to “leave” Yasnaya Polyana. “I want to die in peace, I want to be with God,” he told him; “here they’re all wondering what I am worth. I shall leave, I shall certainly leave.” On 24th October Tolstoy wrote Novikov a letter with a request: “Do you think you could find me a hut in your village, no matter how small, just so long as it’s warm and secluded?” Novikov delayed in replying, and spent days and nights pondering how best to dissuade him from leaving Yasnaya Polyana. His letter was eventually brought to Tolstoy at Astapovo when he was dying.
some of our villagers…revolutionary: “Perevoznikov came too, and Tito’s son, a revolutionary,” noted Tolstoy. “Tito’s son” was M.Y. Polin, who had just left prison for participating in the revolutionary movement. Perevoznikov, a metal-worker and member of a workers’ circle, lived with Chertkov.
In his letter to me…like the peasants: In his farewell letter to his wife, he wrote: “I cannot go on living in the luxury which has always surrounded me here, and am doing what most old men of my age do: leaving this worldly life in order to spend my last days in solitude and silence. Please understand this, I beg you, and do not come to fetch me, even if you discover where I am.”
