Sticky leaves. The image and characterization of Kitty Shcherbatskaya from the novel “Anna Karenina”

137 years ago, Leo Tolstoy completed Anna Karenina, a novel that became a classic of world literature, but for which late XIX centuries, both critics and readers have become annoyed with the author.

On April 17, 1877, Leo Tolstoy completed work on the novel Anna Karenina. The prototypes of many characters were real people- the classic “drew” some of the portraits and characters from the friends, relatives and acquaintances around him, and the hero named Konstantin Levin is often called the alter ego of the author himself. AiF.ru tells what it's about great novel Tolstoy and why Anna Karenina turned into a “mirror” of its era.

Two marriages

"All happy families are similar to each other, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” this phrase opens the first volume of Anna Karenina and sets the mood for the entire novel. Over the course of eight parts, the author describes the joys and hardships of individual families: adultery, weddings and the birth of children, quarrels and worries.

The work is based on two storylines: a) the relationship between the married Anna Karenina and the young and passionately in love with her Alexei Vronsky; b) family life landowner Konstantin Levin and Kitty Shcherbatskaya. Moreover, against the backdrop of the first couple, experiencing passion and jealousy, the second has a real idyll. By the way, in one of the early versions the novel was called “Two Marriages.”

On someone else's misfortune

Anna Karenina’s life, it would seem, can only be envied - a woman from high society, she is married to a noble official and is raising a son with him. But her entire existence is upended by a chance meeting at the station. Exiting the carriage, she exchanges glances with the young count and officer Vronsky. Soon the couple collides again - this time at the ball. Even Kitty Shcherbatskaya, who is in love with Vronsky, notices that he is drawn to Karenina, and she, in turn, is interested in her new admirer.

But Anna needs to return to her native Petersburg - to her husband and son. Persistent and stubborn Vronsky follows her - not at all embarrassed by her status, he begins to court the lady. Over the course of a year, the heroes meet at balls and social events until they become lovers. Everyone is watching the development of their relationship high society- including Alexey Karenin, Anna’s husband.

Despite the fact that the heroine is expecting a child from Vronsky, her husband does not give her a divorce. During childbirth, Anna almost dies, but a month after her recovery she leaves abroad - together with Vronsky and their little daughter. She leaves her son in the care of his father.

But life with her lover does not bring her happiness. Anna begins to be jealous of Vronsky, and although he loves her, he is burdened by her and yearns for her. Returning to St. Petersburg does not change anything, especially since former friends avoid their company. Then the heroes go first to the village, and then to Moscow - however, their relationship does not become stronger from this. After a particularly violent quarrel, Vronsky leaves to visit his mother. Karenina follows him and at the station a decision comes to her on how to resolve this situation and “untie” everyone’s hands. She throws herself under a train.

Vronsky takes the loss seriously and volunteers to go to war. Their little daughter is taken in by Alexey Karenin.

Levin's second chance

In parallel, Tolstoy unfolds another storyline: describes the story of Kitty Shcherbatskaya and Konstantin Levin. The 34-year-old landowner was in love with 18-year-old Kitty and even decided to propose to her, but she was then carried away by Vronsky and refused. Soon the officer left for Anna, and Shcherbatskaya was left “with nothing.” On nervous soil the girl fell ill, and Levin drove back to the village, to manage his estate and work together with the peasant men.

However, Tolstoy gave his heroes a second chance: at a dinner party the couple met again. Kitty realizes that she loves Levin, and he realizes that his feelings for the girl have not faded away at all. The hero offers Shcherbatskaya his hand and heart for the second time - and this time she agrees. Immediately after the wedding, the couple leaves for the village. Despite the fact that at first life together is not easy for them, they are happy - Kitty supports her husband when his brother died and gives birth to Levin’s child. This is exactly what, according to Tolstoy, a family should look like, and there must certainly be spiritual closeness between spouses.

Mirror of the era

As Sergei Tolstoy, the son of the classic writer, wrote, “From a realistic novel, such as Anna Karenina, what is required first of all is truthfulness; therefore, the material for it was not only large, but also small facts taken from real life." But what could have prompted the author to come up with such a plot?

In the 19th century, divorce was rare. Society harshly condemned and despised women who dared to leave their family for another man. However, precedents did occur, including in Tolstoy’s family. For example, his distant relative Alexey Tolstoy married Sofya Bakhmeteva - when the couple met, Bakhmeteva was already married to someone else and had a daughter. To some extent, Anna Karenina is a collective image. Some features of her appearance are reminiscent of Maria Hartung, Pushkin’s daughter, and the author “wove” the character of the heroine and the situation in which she found herself out of several different stories. The spectacular ending was also taken from life - the cohabitant of Tolstoy's neighbor in Yasnaya Polyana, Anna Pirogova, died under a train. She was very jealous of her lover, and somehow she quarreled with him and left for Tula. Three days later, the woman sent a letter to her partner through the coachman, and she threw herself under the wheels.

Nevertheless, critics were outraged by Tolstoy's novel. Anna Karenina was called immoral and immoral - that is, “in reality” readers treated her in exactly the same way as the secular characters in the book. The author's description of the scene of intimacy between his heroine and Vronsky also caused a number of attacks. Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin referred to “Anna Karenina” as a “cow novel”, where Vronsky is a “bull in love”, and Nikolai Nekrasov wrote an epigram:

Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova.

Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova

K.E. Makovsky. Portrait of P.S. Uvarova. Oil. 1882

“The dress did not constrict anywhere, the lace bertha did not droop anywhere, the rosettes did not crumple or come off, pink shoes high arched heels did not sting, but made the leg happy. Thick braids of blond hair hung like their own on her small head. All three buttons fastened without tearing on the tall glove, which wrapped around her hand without changing its shape. The black velvet medallion surrounded her neck especially tenderly... Her eyes sparkled, and her rosy lips could not help but smile from the consciousness of their attractiveness” - this is Kitty Shcherbatskaya at the Bobrishchevs’ ball.

And here is an entry in the diary of the same time by that same gloomy young man: “With boredom and drowsiness, I went to the Ryumins, and suddenly I was overwhelmed. P.Shch. - lovely. Fun all day long." P.Shch. - this is Praskovya Shcherbatova, an eighteen-year-old conqueror of men's hearts, cheerful and sparkling, who so impressed the young Tolstoy that she became the prototype for Kitty Shcherbatskaya from Anna Karenina.

Book Praskovya Sergeevna Shcherbatova (03/28/1840 - 06/30/1924), married to Uvarov.

She was born in the village of Bobriki, Lebedyansky district, Kharkov province on March 28, 1840 in the family of Prince Sergei Alexandrovich Shcherbatov and Praskovya, daughter of Prince Boris Svyatopolk-Chetvertinsky. Great-niece of Maria Naryshkina, favorite of Alexander I and mother of his children. Sister of Prince Nikolai Shcherbatov, director of the Historical Museum.

Alexander Aleksandrovich Kiselev, View of the outskirts of Kharkov. 1875

Prince Boris Antonovich Chetvertinsky (1781-1865)

Portrait of Maria Antonovna Naryshkina. S. Tonchi. Italy, Russia. Pavlovsk.

Prince Nikolai Sergeevich Shcherbatov

The family sacredly supported the traditions of their ancestors - historians, educators, and military men. The famous Russian historian Prince M.M. was also famous among his great-great-grandfathers. Shcherbatov.

Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Shcherbatov, Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky

Parasha’s father, Prince Shcherbatov, was closely acquainted with Pushkin himself and kept a copy of “ Caucasian prisoner"with the author's dedicatory inscription: "To my friend Sergei."

Her childhood was happy and free. Together with her six brothers and two sisters, in an atmosphere of love and harmony, she frolicked on the family estate, and then in Moscow. The young princess was well taught and brought up nicely. Her mother, née Princess Svyatopolk-Chetvertinskaya, herself a well-educated lady, tried to find her daughter the best teachers. Russian literature was taught by Professor F.I. Buslaev, music - N.G. Rubinstein, painting - A.K. Savrasov. Praskovya knew several languages.

Buslaev, Fedor Ivanovich

Nikolai Grigorievich Rubinstein, Russian pianist and composer

Alexey Kondratievich Savrasov. 1870s

No less, if not most, of the life of a high-born young lady should have been occupied by “introduction into the big world,” which occurred upon reaching the “age of the bride.” And therefore, for the pretty Praskovya, the doors of high society drawing rooms and houses were opened for the first time in 1856, during a significant event for Russia - the solemn days of the coronation of Emperor Alexander II.

“Princess Kitty Shcherbatskaya was eighteen years old. She went out for the first winter. Her successes in the world were greater than both of her older sisters, and more than even the princess expected. Not only were the young men dancing at Moscow balls almost all in love with Kitty. Already in the first winter, two serious parties presented themselves: Levin and, immediately after his departure, Count Vronsky.” In fact, when Tolstoy saw this charming creature, she had been traveling for a long time, but she did not lose her freshness and turned the heads of many...

At less than nineteen years old, the princess got married, making an enviable match. But this was not the main thing in her marriage. The groom was so interesting, knew so much and talked so captivatingly about various antiquities that the inquisitive girl could hardly resist his intelligence.

Count Alexey Sergeevich Uvarov (1825-1884) came from an old Russian family, famous for its cultural traditions. His father was a friend of Zhukovsky, president of the Academy of Sciences and Minister of Education, his uncle, hero of the War of 1812, Major General F.S. Uvarov baptized the future Russian writer Ivan Turgenev.

Coat of arms of the Uvarov family

Count (since 1846) Sergei Semenovich Uvarov (father), artist. V. A. Golike

Ekaterina Alekseevna Uvarova, ur. Razumovskaya (1783-1849 (mother)

The Uvarovsky ancient Roman sarcophagus still adorns the Museum’s exposition fine arts named after A.S. Pushkin. Therefore, at the time of his meeting with young Shcherbatova, Alexey Sergeevich himself was already an established historian, archaeologist, and expert on antiquities.

Soon after the wedding, the young couple went to Rome, Naples, Florence, and Ravenna. Alexey Sergeevich introduced his young wife to the treasures of European culture, they admired architectural masterpieces, climbed ruins, visited museums and private collections.

Bernardo Paolo Francesco Ernesto Bellotto

Salvatore Fergola: A Nápoly- Portici vasútvonal felavatása, 1840

The primordial brilliance of antiquity and the renaissance seemed to be rediscovered by them. How much charm there is in the turn of Praskovya’s head when she examines some shard in the palm of her hand, how clever her fresh reasoning is about this or that historical mysteries. It's rare that a social beauty will argue with her husband so passionately. scientific topics...And here, in Italy, they talked a lot about Russian antiquity, dreaming of collecting all the priceless treasures scattered throughout the cities and villages of Russia. “How we don’t value our own, how wasteful we are!” - exclaimed Praskovya.

Then she will constantly help her husband, the founder of the Moscow Archaeological Society and the Historical Museum, and will become his indispensable employee and companion. Formally, she was not a member of the Archaeological Society, but she carried out serious work in it, organized and prepared archaeological congresses, and carried on correspondence.

Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova

Alexey Sergeevich never tired of being amazed at her tirelessness and perseverance, in the depths of his heart blessing the Creator for such a gift of fate. He dedicated his book to his wife “ Stone period“And testified: “You have always participated in all my travels and constantly assisted me in my research.” The count presented one of his awards - a medal presented to him at the Tiflis Congress of Archaeologists - to Praskovya Sergeevna with the engraved inscription: “To my favorite employee.”

Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova

But in 1884, her husband died unexpectedly, and Praskovya Sergeevna, a strong and purposeful person, tried to overcome her grief with work. Thank God she had where to find strength. In addition, she was supported by a large historical community.

On January 14, 1885, she was first elected an honorary member of the Moscow Archaeological Society, and three months later - its chairman.

Still there, in Italy, in his honeymoon, she and her husband talked a lot about Russian historical antiquities, about how many in Russia do not understand their pricelessness, about the fact that “for history” they go to Italy, having rare gifts at hand, and not knowing how to preserve them... And Praskovya Sergeevna forever remembered her husband’s behest, which sounded like an insistence, like a call, like a guide to active action: to destroy indifference to Russian antiquities, to teach to value native monuments, to appreciate every remnant of antiquity, every building erected by our ancestors, to preserve and protect them from any destruction.

Suzdal Kremlin, Kozhin, Semyon Leonidovich

Royal Doors. Church of the Nativity Holy Mother of God Suzdal

Golden Doors in cathedral Nativity of Christ, Suzdal

Tile of the stove in the Bishop's Chambers of the Suzdal Kremlin

Bishop's Chambers. Suzdal, Russia.Photos, Alexey Zelenko

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Ivan the Terrible, Destroyed

“Tsar by Tsar” (1690) - signed icon by A. I. Kazantsev

Veil with the image of Peter and Fevronia, workshop of Tsarina Irina Feodorovna Godunova

Praskovya Sergeevna served the cause of Russian science with passion, and Russian society responded to her with sincere respect and love. She maintained an extensive correspondence; letters addressed to her are still kept in the Historical Museum. Among those who turned to the countess for advice and help, who conducted a scientific dialogue with her, were artists Polenov, Vasnetsov, Ostroukhov, historian Klyuchevsky, archaeologist Sizov, art historians Tsvetaev and Shmit and many others.

State Historical Museum

She headed the Society's Commission for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments, traveled to cities for field surveys, and together with members of the commission drew up a special scheme according to which she proposed to carry out an inventory of existing ancient monuments.

Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova

In 1908, she came to Orel to get acquainted with the work of the church historical and archaeological society and to form local ancient repositories and archival institutions. There is so much delight and undisguised joy in the story of one of the participants in this meeting: “With special attention, Uvarova examined the ancient objects of the church sacristy, rich in material and embroidery with silks, gold and silver vestments, airs, shrouds, shrouds and other exhibits that came to the ancient storage from Svensky Monastery, founded in the 13th century near Bryansk.

Praskovya Sergeevna was amazed at the grace and amazing meticulousness self made... She considered it an outstanding monument of antiquity pectoral crosses(encolpions) of the 12th century for spare holy gifts, which in the old days, with the blessing of the church, the laity took with them on trips or campaigns and partook of them themselves.

Crucifixion of Christ. Our Lady of Assunta

Crucifixion of Christ. Our Lady of Kupyatitskaya

Crucifixion of Christ. Calvary cross

Uvarova was also struck by one hitherto unknown by name museum icon of St. Titus the Venerable, apparently a hermit. She asked members of the society to take all measures to clarify the identity of the saint and read the very dim and barely preserved signature on his icon. While visiting the museum, Praskovya Sergeevna wrote down many things that interested her in her memorial book. She compared some of the exhibits with photographs she had.

The countess was very pleased with her acquaintance with the museum, archive and library of the society, expressing only regret that she did not have enough time to thoroughly examine a number of exhibits and documents. At the end of the excursion, she signed the museum’s visitors’ book...”

And then she chaired a meeting of the archival commission, listened to the reports with attention and interest, asked for clarifications, details, and clarifications. Praskovya Sergeevna’s sympathy, as noted in the protocol, “for everything she saw and heard was complete, and was stated by her more than once, which brought great pleasure to both members of the society and all participants in this meeting.” This is how she was always greeted, no matter where she went.

The Countess was honored to become an honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in 1895 and several universities; she was elected professor at Dorpat, Kharkov, Kazan, Moscow Universities and the St. Petersburg Archaeological Institute, wrote books, and supported many scientific endeavors.

She is the first Russian woman to receive the title of honorary academician. Sofia Kovalevskaya had received this title several years earlier, but she was considered a foreign corresponding member and represented Swedish science.

Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova

Ivan Vladimirovich Tsvetaev, Marina Tsvetaeva’s father, also owed a lot to Praskovya Sergeevna. He created the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow (now the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts). It was Uvarova who tried to ensure that not only the doors of secular salons were opened for Tsvetaev, but also the reception rooms of the royal family; she wrote in 1914 the article “I.V. Tsvetaev is the creator of the Museum of Fine Arts.”

Ivan Vladimirovich Tsvetaev

Praskovya Sergeevna supported everyone who was engaged in the noble museum business, who collected antiquities, and understood that the basis of the best collections state museums lies the efforts of those who were once considered eccentrics and ridiculed. But she was very worried if these antiquities were exported, and therefore she did a lot to preserve Russian cultural heritage in the homeland.

Levin and Kitty

The most remarkable thing about Kitty is that she is a normal, sober person. This is generally typical for women - not all women are normal, but only among women can one find normal people. Among the men there are no normal ones - all men are a little shifted by nature, but, of course, not all of them are Levins; Levin is simply the embodiment of male bias. Not a normal thought for you to think, not a normal word to say, not a normal deed to perform. Everything needs to be done with some twist. Let’s remember the period of his marriage - he brought poor Kitty his diaries, in which we don’t even know what was written about him former women, - a wonderful gift for the bride! But now he is “honest” - he told about everything, shared everything. You also need to create a whole show out of faith in God. Kitty calmly goes to church, but this one - I am both a believer and an unbeliever, and you don’t understand who. I will suffer all my life and never get anywhere, this is my happiness. How masculine this is, how sublime this is and, in comparison with these “searches,” how prosaic Kitty must be. How prosaic women are in general - they don’t go crazy out of the blue! Well, of course, they have no other requests than to be a female - but these are more questions for Tolstoy than for Levin - after all, Tolstoy loves to turn a woman into a prosaic female, thereby completely outlining the entire circle of her highest interests. What to do, and Tolstoy is a man, and Levin, as they say, Tolstoy most of all wrote from himself. So don't completely believe everything Tolstoy writes about women. What you see is good - believe it; what you see is Tolstoy-Levinsky - do not believe it. The apotheosis of Levin’s torment was his desire to commit suicide. What, does he have some kind of tragedy in his life? No, he seems to love his wife, his child was born, everyone is healthy, and he himself is healthy. What's the matter? You see, he cannot understand why he should live if he dies. And he cannot understand why people live at all if they all die.

"And, happy family man, healthy person, Levin was so close to suicide several times that he hid a cord so as not to hang himself with it, and was afraid to walk with a gun so as not to shoot himself.

But Levin did not shoot himself or hang himself and continued to live.”

And in vain. All men should have shot themselves long ago (and then hanged themselves - just to be safe) - only then will women finally be able to live. And think about something worthwhile.

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April 17, 1877 Leo Tolstoy Finished work on the novel Anna Karenina. The prototypes of many of the characters were real people - the classic “drew” some of the portraits and characters from the friends, relatives and acquaintances around him, and the hero named Konstantin Levin is often called the alter ego of the author himself. AiF.ru tells what Tolstoy’s great novel is about and why “Anna Karenina” turned into a “mirror” of its era.

Two marriages

“All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” this phrase opens the first volume of Anna Karenina and sets the mood for the entire novel. Over the course of eight parts, the author describes the joys and hardships of individual families: adultery, weddings and the birth of children, quarrels and worries.

The work is based on two storylines: a) the relationship between the married Anna Karenina and the young and passionately in love with her Alexei Vronsky; b) the family life of landowner Konstantin Levin and Kitty Shcherbatskaya. Moreover, against the backdrop of the first couple, experiencing passion and jealousy, the second has a real idyll. By the way, in one of the early versions the novel was called “Two Marriages.”

On someone else's misfortune

Scene of the meeting between Anna and Vronsky in the light (Part II, Chapter VI). Drawing by Elmer Boyd Smith, 1886 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Anna Karenina’s life, it would seem, can only be envied - a woman from high society, she is married to a noble official and is raising a son with him. But her whole existence is turned upside down by a chance meeting at the station. Exiting the carriage, she exchanges glances with the young count and officer Vronsky. Soon the couple collides again - this time at the ball. Even Kitty Shcherbatskaya, who is in love with Vronsky, notices that he is drawn to Karenina, and she, in turn, is interested in her new admirer.

But Anna needs to return to her native Petersburg - to her husband and son. Persistent and stubborn Vronsky follows her - not at all embarrassed by her status, he begins to court the lady. Over the course of a year, the heroes meet at balls and social events until they become lovers. The entire high society is watching the development of their relationship, including Alexey Karenin, Anna’s husband.

But life with her lover does not bring her happiness. Anna begins to be jealous of Vronsky, and although he loves her, he is burdened by her and yearns for her. Returning to St. Petersburg does not change anything - especially since former friends avoid their company. Then the heroes go first to the village, and then to Moscow - however, their relationship does not become stronger from this. After a particularly violent quarrel, Vronsky leaves to visit his mother. Karenina follows him and at the station a decision comes to her on how to resolve this situation and “untie” everyone’s hands. She throws herself under a train.

Vronsky takes the loss seriously and volunteers to go to war. Their little daughter is taken in by Alexey Karenin.

Vasily Meshkov. "L. N. Tolstoy at work in the library in Yasnaya Polyana.” 1910 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Levin's second chance

In parallel, Tolstoy unfolds another storyline: he describes the story of Kitty Shcherbatskaya and Konstantin Levin. The 34-year-old landowner was in love with 18-year-old Kitty and even decided to propose to her, but she was then carried away by Vronsky and refused. Soon the officer left for Anna, and Shcherbatskaya was left “with nothing.” Due to nervousness, the girl fell ill, and Levin drove off back to the village, to manage his estate and work together with the peasant men.

Mirror of the era

Mikhail Vrubel. "Anna Karenina's date with her son." 1878 Photo: reproduction

As I wrote Sergei Tolstoy, son of a classic, “From a realistic novel, such as Anna Karenina, what is required first of all is truthfulness; therefore, his material was not only large, but also small facts taken from real life.” But what could have prompted the author to come up with such a plot?

In the 19th century, divorce was rare. Society harshly condemned and despised women who dared to leave their family for another man. However, precedents did occur, including in Tolstoy’s family. For example, his distant relative Alexey Tolstoy married Sofya Bakhmeteva- when the couple met, Bakhmeteva was already married to someone else and had a daughter. To some extent, Anna Karenina is a collective image. Some features of her appearance resemble Maria Hartung- daughter Pushkin, and the author “wove” the character of the heroine and the situation in which she found herself from several different stories. The spectacular ending was also taken from life - the live-in wife of Tolstoy's neighbor in Yasnaya Polyana died under a train - Anna Pirogova. She was very jealous of her lover, and somehow she quarreled with him and left for Tula. Three days later, the woman sent a letter to her partner through the coachman, and she threw herself under the wheels.

Nevertheless, critics were outraged by Tolstoy's novel. Anna Karenina was called immoral and immoral - that is, “in reality” readers treated her in exactly the same way as the secular characters in the book. The author's description of the scene of intimacy between his heroine and Vronsky also caused a number of attacks. Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin spoke of “Anna Karenina” as a “cow novel”, where Vronsky is a “bull in love”, and Nikolay Nekrasov wrote an epigram:

“Tolstoy, you proved with patience and talent,

That a woman should not "walk"

Neither with the chamber cadet, nor with the aide-de-camp,

PEOPLE USED to visiting the Tolstoys could sometimes even forget that they were visiting Leo Tolstoy. It was not easy and not immediately that they got used to the peculiarities of this house, but, having got used to it, they no longer so keenly felt the presence of the “great writer” in it. Day after day, in their eyes, Lev Nikolaevich gradually turned into simply an amiable and courteous “family” man. And only a loud exclamation, at certain hours, heard somewhere nearby, in the next room or on the stairs - “Proofreading!” - made me again wary, remember, guess: proofreading... Ah! These are prints brought from the printing house. At this exclamation, everyone involuntarily turned in the direction where the now ordinary man was sitting, and now again not just Lev Nikolaevich, but the writer Tolstoy. He drinks tea, thinks intently, as if he doesn’t hear anything, and someone, before the others, Maria Lvovna, already takes off and disappears somewhere. The machine works, the machine does not stop, Tolstoy moves his thoughts, prints. The building in the courtyard, similar to a barn, is something that is associated with proofreading, with the movement of a non-stop machine. This is a warehouse of publications, a “household of world fame” and at the same time the farm of Sofia Andreevna.

“He commands his angels to keep you; and in their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” M. Voloshin once began his speech about Tolstoy with this text from the Gospel (actually from the Psalter - Ed.). In fact, wasn't Tolstoy placed in exclusively favorable conditions to develop your talent? No matter how you feel about Sofia Andreevna’s influence on Tolstoy, you must, however, admit that among many “angels” she turned out to be the most real and businesslike, playing the complex role of a wife, a caring nanny and a reliable manager. Yes, up to a certain point, and then, and then? Discord, “spiritual divergence”... All this could be blamed entirely on her alone, if only Tolstoy himself had not shown hesitation on basic issues, on questions about material wealth, which he wanted, but could not decisively refuse. Tolstoy missed all the deadlines. Having sowed the wind, he reaped the storm. There is nothing new in the fact that among wealthy people, most issues are based on money; it is the beginning and end of relationships among distant and close ones... [...]

It is possible that sometimes he would like to “accept martyrdom,” but no one dares to cause him even the slightest disturbance. And if in all cases he is protected by someone so that he “doesn’t stumble his foot on a stone,” then in the future, very soon, he himself, in front of the whole world, will have to trip over this stone.

[...] Several evenings spent in this house, we experienced almost the same feeling with which we came the first time. Nothing prevented us from getting used to the situation, customs, family members, so attentive and simple. [...]

[Impression of one family scene.] You look with bewilderment, and you want to believe your impression - it is not the patriarch who is sitting, but a plucked chicken, evoking not a feeling of respect, but some kind of pity...

This scene, common in ordinary homes in the family life of almost all people, makes a particularly difficult impression. I don't want to remember her. It would be better to forget it as something too human, observed everywhere and inappropriate here, where marital conflicts could be overcome in other forms. But precisely because this scene was too human, it was characteristic of those persons whose history was already known to us. We knew who was hiding under the names of Kitty and Levin.

Just because we got into Tolstoy’s house, we considered it our duty to re-read his previous works again, and especially that novel, in which there are so many biographical features of the author himself and his wife - that novel that began once upon a time and is now our eyes has approached its last page. Time has changed both characters; but these faces, having already grown old, were in front of us and involuntarily forced us every time to compare what is with what was.

Scene at the card table, writing the initial letters of those phrases in chalk of great importance who do not dare, lovers cannot express. And further family life, minor hardships and joys - all this, together with Levin’s constant rebellion, who wants to live in truth, made us want to find out what kind of truth will guide and what will lead this couple, who are not similar in life goals to other heroes of the novel ...

IN last period In his work, Tolstoy spoke with contempt about this work of his: some vulgar lady fell in love with an equally vulgar officer. The matured philosopher Tolstoy, of course, could not react differently to Karenina and Vronsky, but what could he say now about the former and now existing Levin, who lived to be seventy years old, and the once adored Kitty with her clear, truthful eyes? Once upon a time, a scene at the card table, and now it’s different... Not he, Levin-Tolstoy, but Kitty - Sofia Andreevna, sobbing, now finished the end of the novel...

Levin's life and his torment do not always touch us. Much of what he considered serious and important now seems almost unnoticeable to us. worth attention. There was too much free time in the life of the landowners for Tolstoy himself, like Vronsky, not to experience desires for desires, melancholy, even the unbearability of this melancholy, which set him up either to seek God or to think about suicide. If Tolstoy were not such a great artist, able to excite even in those moments when we do not agree with him, we would not place a large part of his experiences above the broderie anglaise (English satin stitch embroidery. - Ed.), with which the long-desired woman filled her leisure time. and at some point, “happy” Kitty. For a long time now, her husband “was in a painful discord with himself and strained all his mental strength to get out of it.” What could the intelligent and observant Sofia Andreevna, in her own way, hope for, successfully directing family life in a direction favorable to her until she herself saw that all her strength had dried up and there was nothing left ahead? [...]

Tolstoy did not give the impression of being sick. He looked fitter and more alert than most his age. Only sometimes in his eyes could one see how alarmed and unhealthy he was about something - in these eyes, flickering as if from a hollow, undermined by time, and with effort maintaining the remnants of life in themselves. Not a single portrait out of many, painted by different artists, conveys to us this complex, strong at the core, but in some ways very broken Tolstoy. A conscientious and for Kramskoy very successful portrait, made in 1873, strongly resembles someone who “was in painful discord with himself.”

Ge's portrait can be called "Writer Tolstoy at his desk" - and that's all. What else should be added to the explanation about this man bending over the manuscript, about this writer with a large forehead and a fold between the brow ridges? Some consider this portrait to be the best. Maybe, especially if you put Repin’s next to it, the one where Tolstoy is depicted in a black blouse, sitting with a book. Repin painted Tolstoy during the period of his greatest popularity, already almost a worldwide celebrity, and took him not just from a random point, like Ge, but with a “plan” (an unartistically conceived portrait. - Note by Nikolai Ulyanov). But the idea hardly helped anything. As well as smaller half-portraits, half-genres, made by the same Repin with the same famous model; This portrait can only be included in a series of illustrations for one or another book entitled “How Tolstoy Lives and Works.” Repin, carried away by the external side, overlooked or could not overcome something more. In the great writer he did not see that wormhole that was noticeable to many, but for some reason was closed to an unartistically conceived portrait. A painterly touch was necessary for the artist who decided to make a portrait of Tolstoy. What you saw ordinary people, the portrait painters failed to see.

Other works by other artists also do not rise above the average level. All portraits are similar. Yes, and it would be strange to make someone different whose external characteristics, generally speaking, did not present any difficulties for copying or photographing through painting. But what required the artist’s creativity turned out to be beyond the power of everyone who tried to “hook” this confused man with his brush. It is very likely, however, that given the strict requirements we set, such a task really presented an insurmountable difficulty.

Like Pushkin, Tolstoy ultimately turned out to be an unused, only briefly touched upon model. Are we not forced to consider the portrait of Pushkin by Tropinin good only because the more spectacular portrait made by Kiprensky is much less reminiscent of the image already formed in our minds not only of our beloved poet Pushkin, but also of the “Arab demon” - in general, possessed by all sorts of captivating things? person? Tolstoy sits, writes, plows, lies, rests under a tree, but where is he in the general complex, he, hiding from everyone and jealously guarding his all sorts of things, alarmed and only in a conventional (banal) sense, a majestic-looking “ruler of thoughts.”

The textbook solemnity of both portraits... [...]

Last time I saw Tolstoy on a specific occasion. Through Tatyana Lvovna, he invited me to come in and talk about my manuscript “Ge Among Youth.” I didn’t attach that much importance to my manuscript. I only took up the pen in a moment of mental confusion. [...] The exit from the stage of one or another, famous, little-known and completely unknown extras like me. Why did I come, what is the need? And all around the room is plunged into darkness, which was lived by people yesterday and will live today, but now it’s like a forest where the echo has died down. This is the life that Tolstoy thinks about and in which he searches for meaning. What is he doing here at this moment: writing for so long or just sitting... The door creaked...

I hear or imagine the noise of the Trekhgorny beer factory located next door. What a strange combination - the brewery, Leo Tolstoy, near whom I sat down in anticipation - everything was now so ordinary, in the order of things. I didn’t understand where L[ev] Nikolaevich had gone, I asked myself, wondered what had happened to me in a short period of time. And when Tolstoy came in and, sitting down at the table, began to talk with me, I almost did not feel his harsh criticism of my writing, I calmly listened to his comments, agreed with them, did not object, feeling that it was not this that occupied me, but something something different, more interesting than the first literary experience.

I listened to his voice, peered into his face, into every muscle, forgetting about the purpose of my visit. And L[ev] N[ikolaevich] himself soon forgot what we were talking about, switched the conversation to something else, asked me about the life of artists, in particular, about the life of A.S. Golubkina, whom he once saw in his house. [...]