The creative and life path of Tolstoy Alexey Nikolaevich. Spiritual problems of creativity of A.K. Tolstoy

Alexey Nikolaevich Tolstoy was born on January 10, 1883 (December 29, 1882 - old style) in the family of Nikolai Alexandrovich Tolstoy and Alexandra Leontievna Turgeneva. True, in all biographies of Tolstoy it is noted that the boy was raised not by his own father, but by his stepfather, Alexei Apollonovich Bostrom, whom Alexei Tolstoy’s mother married. The future writer spent his childhood on the Sosnovka farm, which belonged to his stepfather. A guest teacher was involved in the boy's education.

In 1897, Alexei Tolstoy's family moved to Samara. There the young man entered the school, and upon graduation in 1901 he left for St. Petersburg to continue his education at the Technological Institute.

Beginning of literary activity

In 1907, shortly before defending his diploma, Alexey suddenly decided to leave the institute to study literature. He considered his attempt at writing in 1905, when Tolstoy published several of his poems in a provincial newspaper, a great success, so the decision to leave the institute was relatively easy for the future writer. In the same 1907, Tolstoy published a collection of poems “Lyrics”, and in 1908 the magazine “Neva” published the prose of the aspiring writer Tolstoy - the story “The Old Tower”.

In 1908, his second book of poems, “Beyond the Blue Rivers,” was published. Already in Moscow, where the writer moved in 1912, he began collaborating with Russkie Vedomosti, where he published his prose of the small genre (mainly stories and essays) on an ongoing basis.

When the First World War began, Tolstoy decided to go to the front as a war correspondent. As a journalist during the war, the writer visited England and France.

Years of emigration

The February Revolution aroused in Tolstoy a keen interest in questions Russian statehood. This event became a kind of impetus, after which the writer seriously began studying the Peter the Great era. He spent a long time studying historical archives, studying the history of Peter the Great and being keenly interested in the fates of people from his inner circle. But Alexei Nikolaevich perceived the October Bolshevik coup very negatively.

In 1918, historical motifs appeared in his prose. He writes the stories “The Day of Peter” and “Obsession.” Even in short biography Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy is worth mentioning that subsequently this fascination with the time of Peter the Great, all the knowledge gained about this great era of change will result in a wonderful historical novel"Peter the First".

In the next two years, three more books by the author were published: the fantastic novel “Aelita”, the story “Black Friday” and “The Manuscript Found Under the Bed”. The author also returned to the fantasy genre in the book “Engineer Garin’s Hyperboloid.”

But the real bestseller was the book “The Golden Key,” which told about the exciting adventures of the wooden boy Pinocchio (it is recommended for extracurricular reading 5th grade students, but the fairy tale is probably suitable for elementary school). The fairy tale was written based on the book “Pinocchio” by the Italian author Carlo Collodi. While in exile, Tolstoy began working on the trilogy “Walking Through Torment,” which would become the most important work in the writer’s life.

Return to the USSR

After emigrating, old friends turned away from Tolstoy, but in Berlin, in 1922, he made a new friend - Maxim Gorky, whom he met when the latter came to Germany. A year later, in 1923, Alexey Nikolaevich decided to return to his homeland. Here he continued to work on the trilogy “Walking in Torment” (“Sisters”, “The Eighteenth Year”, “Gloomy Sky”). Thematically related to the trilogy is the story “Bread,” written in 1937, which is considered the most unsuccessful work. In it, he distorted the historical truth, falsely described the personality of Stalin and the events of the bloody and hungry time. Because of this hypocritical propaganda, historical truth, moral traditions and the very work of the writer could not but suffer.

Tolstoy as a citizen and Tolstoy as an artist are two different people. Of course, he saw his acquaintances and friends die from Stalin’s repressions, but he never provided any help to anyone, although he was close to Stalin and favored by the authorities. He simply ignored requests for help.

Other biography options

• Alexey Tolstoy considered collecting stamps important for himself. He was an avid philatelist.
• The writer was married four times, and all four times he married out of great love.
• A series of stamps dear to his heart was issued with the image of Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy.
• I despised the writer all my life

Alexey Nikolaevich Tolstoy is a writer of multifaceted and brilliant talent. He created novels about modernity and the historical past of our Motherland, stories and plays, scripts and political pamphlets, autobiographical stories and fairy tales for children.

A. N. Tolstoy was born in the city of Nikolaevsk, Samara province - now the city of Pugachev, Saratov region. He grew up in the wild life of the bankrupt Trans-Volga landowners. The writer colorfully depicted this life in his stories and novels written in 1909–1912. (“Mishuka Nalymov”, “Cranks”, “The Lame Master”, etc.).

Great October socialist revolution Tolstoy did not accept it right away. He emigrated abroad.

“Life in exile was the most difficult period of my life,” Tolstoy later wrote in his autobiography. “There I understood what it means to be a guy, a person, cut off from his homeland, weightless, barren, not needed by anyone under any circumstances.”

Homesickness evoked in the writer's memory childhood memories, paintings native nature. This is how the autobiographical story “Nikita’s Childhood” (1919) appeared, in which you can feel how deeply and sincerely Tolstoy loved his homeland, how he yearned away from it. The story tells about the writer's childhood, beautifully depicting pictures of Russian nature, Russian life, and images of Russian people.

In Paris, Tolstoy wrote the science fiction novel Aelita.

Returning to his homeland in 1923, Tolstoy wrote: “I became a participant in a new life on earth. I see the tasks of the era." The writer creates stories about Soviet reality (“Black Friday”, “Mirage”, “Union of Five”), a science fiction novel “Engineer Garin’s Hyperboloid”, a trilogy “Walking in Torment” and a historical novel “Peter I”.

Tolstoy worked on the trilogy “Walking Through Torment” (“Sisters”, “The Eighteenth Year”, “Gloomy Morning”) for about 22 years. The writer defined its theme as follows: “This is the lost and returned Motherland.” Tolstoy talks about the life of Russia during the period of revolution and civil war, about the difficult path to the people of Russian intellectuals Katya, Dasha, Telegin and Roshchin. The revolution helps the heroes of the trilogy determine their place in the national struggle for socialism and find personal happiness. The reader parts with them at the end of the civil war. A new stage in the life of the country begins. The victorious people begin to build socialism. But, saying goodbye to his regiment, the heroes of the novel Telegin says: “I warn you - there is still a lot of work ahead, the enemy has not yet been broken, and it is not enough to break him, he must be destroyed... This war is such that it must be won, it cannot be won cannot win... On a stormy, gloomy morning we went out into battle for a bright day, but our enemies want a dark robber night. And the day will rise, even if you burst out of frustration...”

The Russian people appear in the epic as the creators of history. Under the direction of Communist Party he fights for freedom and justice. In the images of representatives of the people - Ivan Gora, Agrippina, Baltic sailors - Tolstoy reflects the perseverance, courage, purity of feelings, devotion to the Motherland of the Soviet people. With great artistic power, the writer managed to capture the image of Lenin in the trilogy, showing the depth of thoughts of the leader of the revolution, his determination, energy, modesty and simplicity.

Tolstoy wrote: “To understand the secret of the Russian people, its greatness, you need to know its past well and deeply: our history, its fundamental nodes, the tragic and creative eras in which the Russian character was born.”

One of these eras was the era of Peter the Great. A. Tolstoy addressed her in the novel “Peter I” (the first book – 1929–1930, the second book – 1933–1934). This is a novel not only about the great transformer Peter I, but also about the fate of the Russian nation in one of the “tragic and creative” periods of its history. The writer truthfully talks about the most important events of Peter's era: the Streltsy revolt, the Crimean campaigns of Prince Golitsyn, Peter's struggle for Azov, Peter's travels abroad, his transformative activities, the war between Russia and the Swedes, the creation of the Russian fleet and a new army, the founding of St. Petersburg and etc. Along with all this, Tolstoy shows the life of the most diverse segments of the Russian population, the life of the masses.

When creating the novel, Tolstoy used a huge amount of material - historical research, notes and letters from Peter’s contemporaries, military reports, court archives. “Peter I” is one of the best Soviet historical novels; it helps to understand the essence of a distant era, fosters love for the Motherland and legitimate pride in its past.

For young children, Tolstoy wrote the fairy tale “The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio.” Using the material from the fairy tale, he made a film script and a play for the children's theater.

During the Great Patriotic War, A. Tolstoy talked about the strength and heroism of the Soviet people in the fight against the enemies of the Motherland. His articles and essays: “Motherland”, “Blood of the People”, “Moscow is Threatened by an Enemy”, the story “Russian Character” and others - inspired the Soviet people to new exploits.

During the war years, A. Tolstoy also created the dramatic story “Ivan the Terrible,” consisting of two plays: “The Eagle and the Eaglet” (1941–1942) and “Difficult Years” (1943).

A wonderful writer was also outstanding public figure. He was repeatedly elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and was elected a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Patriotic writer and humanist, artist of a wide creative range, master of the perfect literary form Having mastered all the riches of the Russian language, Tolstoy went through a difficult creative path and took a prominent place in Russian Soviet literature.

In this article we will consider the biography of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy. We will tell you about his life, work, and introduce you to interesting facts about this poet. You probably associate the surname Tolstoy with another Russian writer, and this coincidence is no coincidence. They are not just namesakes - these figures Russian literature are distant relatives. The fact is that the Tolstoy family is very extensive. There is another writer with the name Alexey Tolstoy, but his patronymic is different - Nikolaevich (“Peter the Great”, “Walking in Torment”). This surname is also represented in modern Russian literature. Everyone, at least, knows the writer Tatyana Tolstaya.

Origin of Alexei Tolstoy

This poet belonged to the Razumovsky family on his mother’s side. Kirill Razumovsky, the last hetman in Ukraine, was his great-grandfather. And the rich man and nobleman A.K. Razumovsky - count, senator and minister of public education - was the grandfather of this poet. The illegitimate children of this count were the poet's mother, as well as her sisters and brothers. They were legalized at the beginning of the 19th century, receiving the surname Perovsky, as well as the title of nobility.

The childhood of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy

The poet was born in St. Petersburg in 1817, on August 24. Count K.P. Tolstoy, his father, did not play any role in the boy’s life: immediately after the birth of the child, the couple separated, and Alexei’s mother left with her son for the Chernigov province. Here, surrounded by Ukrainian southern nature, on the estates of first his mother and then her brother, Tolstoy spent his childhood, which left only good memories in his memory.

Alexey Konstantinovich showed literary interests very early. From the age of 6, he began to write poetry, as the poet himself reported in a letter to A. Gubernatis. The famous prose writer of the 20-30s, Alexey Perovsky, who signed his works with the name “Antony Pogorelsky”, tried to instill in his nephew a love of creativity and art, and in every possible way encouraged his first poetic experiments. The boy was taken abroad from the age of 10. He described in his diary his trip to Italy, which took place in 1831. Tolstoy was part of the childhood environment of the future heir to the throne, young Alexander II. The connection with this person will continue later.

Work in the Moscow Archives

Tolstoy was enrolled as a “student” in the Moscow Archive in 1834. His duties included the description and analysis of ancient documents related to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Alexey Konstantinovich in 1840 moved to the department of the Emperor's chancellery and served here for many years, moving up the ranks quite quickly. In 1843, Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy was awarded the title of chamber cadet.

We have very scant information about his work and life in the period of the 30s and 40s. This witty, affable, handsome young man was gifted with great physical strength. He could, for example, twist a poker with a screw. Tolstoy knew perfectly well foreign languages, was very well read. Alexey Konstantinovich divided his time between his service, which did not burden him very much, secular society and literary pursuits. The poet's main adviser until 1836 was Perovsky (he died in 1836). This man showed his literary friends the poems of the young Tolstoy. Among his friends was V.A. Zhukovsky, who spoke sympathetically about them.

First published works

In the period from the late 30s to the early 40s French he wrote two science fiction stories: “Meeting after 300 years” and “The Family of the Ghoul.” Tolstoy first published in May 1841, publishing the story “The Ghoul” under the pseudonym “Krasnorogsky” (derived from the Krasny Rog estate). V. G. Belinsky responded very favorably to this work. He saw signs of a young, but promising talent.

Creativity in the 40s

Alexey Konstantinovich published very little in the 40s - only a few stories and essays, as well as one poem. However, "Prince Silver", a historical novel telling about the reign of Ivan the Terrible, was conceived already during this period. Even then, Tolstoy was formed both as an author of ballads and as a lyricist. Many of his famous poems belong to this decade, for example: “Vasily Shibanov”, “My bells...”, “You know the land...” and others. All of them were published much later.

At this time, Alexey Konstantinovich was satisfied with a small circle of listeners - secular friends and acquaintances. Heated arguments passed him by and ideological quest Russian advanced intelligentsia of the 40s.

Birth of Kozma Prutkov

Kozma Prutkov was “born” in the early 50s. It was not just a pseudonym, but a satirical mask created by Tolstoy, as well as the Zhemchuzhnikovs, his cousins. Kozma Prutkov is a narcissistic, stupid bureaucrat from the period of Nicholas' rule. In his name, they created poems (parodies, epigrams, fables), and plays, as well as aphorisms and anecdotes on historical topics, which ridiculed the phenomena of literature and surrounding reality. In life, the works corresponded to a number of witty pranks.

It is impossible to unambiguously determine which works were written by Tolstoy, but we can say without a doubt that Alexei Konstantinovich’s contribution was very great, since he had a very strong humorous streak. This poet had the gift of subtle, good-natured ridicule. Many of his most famous and best poems are examples of skillful use of irony (for example, “At the Order Gate,” “Arrogance”).

In 1851, in January, the comedy “Fantasy” by Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov and Tolstoy was staged. It was a parody of vaudeville, meaningless and empty, which then still dominated the Russian stage. Nicholas I, who was present at the premiere, was very dissatisfied with this play and ordered it to be excluded from the repertoire.

Tolstoy marries Sophia Miller

In the winter of 1850-1851, Alexey Konstantinovich met Sofia Andreevna Miller, the wife of a colonel. He fell in love with this girl. Sophia reciprocated, but the marriage was interfered with: on the one hand, her husband, who did not want to give a divorce to his wife, and on the other hand, Tolstoy’s mother, who treated her son’s chosen one unkindly. Only in 1863 was their marriage officially formalized. Sofya Andreevna was an educated woman who knew several languages, knew how to play the piano, and also sang. In addition, she had an extraordinary aesthetic taste. More than once Tolstoy called his wife the best critic. All love lyrics this author, starting in 1851, was addressed specifically to her.

Meeting different writers

Gradually Tolstoy acquired connections in literary circles. He became close to Turgenev in the early 50s and helped him free himself from the village, where he was in exile for Gogol’s obituary, which was published by Ivan Sergeevich. Later, Alexey Konstantinovich also met Nekrasov. After a long break, in 1854, it appeared in print again. Several poems by this poet were published in Sovremennik, as well as the first series of works by Kozma Prutkov.

The life of Alexei Konstantinovich during the Crimean War

During the Crimean War, Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy first wanted to create a partisan detachment, after which (in 1855) he entered a rifle regiment as a major. However, the poet did not have the opportunity to visit the war - he fell ill with typhus when the regiment was stationed near Odessa. After the end of hostilities, on the day when Alexander II was crowned, Alexei Konstantinovich was already appointed aide-de-camp.

The second half of the 50s in the poet’s work

The second half of the 50s was a period of revival of social movement and thought after the collapse of the Nikolaev regime. During these years, the poems of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy appeared very actively. Two thirds of all his works were created then. They were published in all sorts of magazines.

At the same time, this time is characterized by increasing social differentiation. In 1857, relations between the editors of Sovremennik and Tolstoy cooled somewhat. At the same time, the poet became closer to the Slavophiles. Alexey Konstantinovich became friends, in particular, with Aksakov. However, several years later, he did not accept the claims of the Slavophiles to become spokesmen for the true interests of the people.

Vacation and resignation

Alexey Konstantinovich often visited the court. Visits were not limited to official receptions. But he increasingly disliked his official duties, especially the fact that he did not have the opportunity to fully concentrate on art. Only in 1859 did the poet achieve indefinite leave, and retired in 1861.

Life and work of Tolstoy in the 60s

A brief biography of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy in the 60s can be marked by the following events. After the poet retired, he settled in the village permanently. Tolstoy lived either in Pustynka, his estate near St. Petersburg, or in Krasny Rog, far from the capital (Chernigov province). Only occasionally did he come to St. Petersburg.

In the 60s, the poet kept himself pointedly aloof from the literary circle, corresponding and meeting only with a few writers (Markevich, Fet, K.K. Pavlova, Goncharov). He was published mainly in M. N. Katkov’s “Russian Bulletin,” a reactionary magazine. Then (at the end of the 60s) the works of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy were published in Vestnik Evropy, edited by M. M. Stasyulevich.

During this time, at the beginning of the decade, he wrote the dramatic poem Don Juan, as well as a novel called Prince Silver, after which three plays that formed a dramatic trilogy: Tsar Boris, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich and Death Ivan the Terrible" (years of creation of works - 1862-1869). The poems of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy in the form of a collection that summed up his poetic work were published in 1867.

After a long break, Alexey Konstantinovich returned to the ballad in the second half of the 60s and wrote a number of magnificent examples of this genre. The lyrics of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy now occupied much less space in his work than a decade ago. In the late 60s and 70s it was also created most of his satyr.

The concept of the drama "Posadnik", which tells about an episode from the history of ancient Novgorod, dates back to the early 70s. Alexey Konstantinovich was passionate about this topic. He created a significant part of the work, but, unfortunately, the author was unable to finish it. The work of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy was never replenished with this interesting work in its finished form.

Material difficulties and social contradictions in society, their reflection in the life and work of the poet

The 70s were a difficult time for this poet. Judging by the available information, Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy (his photo is presented in the article) was a very humane landowner. However, he did not manage the estates on his own; farming was carried out rather chaotically, using patriarchal methods. This led to the poet’s material affairs gradually falling into disarray. The devastation became especially noticeable towards the end of the 60s. Alexei Konstantinovich told his relatives that he would have to ask the tsar to take him back into service. All these circumstances weighed heavily on the poet.

However, it was not only a matter of ruin. Alexey Konstantinovich felt lonely in society and even called himself an “anchorite.” Tolstoy's experiences were connected with the processes in the life of Russia at that time. In the post-reform era, the existing social contradictions. The power of money grew rapidly and had a corrupting effect on the consciousness of people, and political reaction also thickened. Destruction eternal values accompanied by the collapse of former foundations.

The feeling of confusion and bewilderment, the search for a way out of this uncomfortable reality at that time was also characteristic of other contemporaries of the author (Uspensky, L.N. Tolstoy, Saltykov-Shchedrin).

At the end of his life, Tolstoy's fear of existence, of the course of history, intensified. In his poem in 1870, the poet said that “the veils have been removed” from his soul, its “living tissue” is exposed, and every touch of life is “a burning torment and evil pain.” This is what Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy wrote. The poems of many of his contemporaries reflect similar sentiments.

Last years

The poet's health has deteriorated significantly since the mid-60s. He began to suffer from asthma, neuralgia, angina pectoris, and headaches. Alexey Konstantinovich went abroad for treatment every year, but this only helped for a short time. He died in 1875, on September 28, in Krasny Rog. Nowadays there is a museum-estate of this poet (Bryansk region, Pochepsky district).

The Count spent his childhood in Krasny Rog, and also returned several times to mature years to these places. The biography of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy is thus closely connected with Red Horn. His grave is now located here. The poet did not leave behind any children. But he had Sofya Petrovna Bakhmeteva, an adopted daughter.

This ends the biography of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy. We examined the work of this poet only briefly. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with it in more detail. Then the biography of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy will be understood more deeply. After all, the life and work of any poet and writer resonate with each other. A biography helps to better understand the works written by various authors, and autobiographical features are often reflected in poetry and prose. Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy is no exception in this regard.

He was born in St. Petersburg on August 24 (September 5), 1817 from a short marriage of representatives of two noble families - the Tolstoys and the Razumovskys.

His father, Count Konstantin Petrovich Tolstoy, brother of the famous artist Fyodor Tolstoy, gave him the title of count (Leo Tolstoy was the poet’s second cousin on this line), and his mother, Anna Alekseevna Perovskaya, and her relatives had a significant fortune (she was the natural daughter of Count Alexei Kirillovich Razumovsky, the son of the last Ukrainian hetman, and received the surname from his village of Perovo near Moscow).

Almost immediately after the birth of their son, the parents separated. The mother took the six-week-old baby to Little Russia to her brother Alexei Alekseevich Perovsky (1787–1836), a later famous writer (he became famous as the author of fantastic stories under the pseudonym Antony Pogorelsky). On his estate, Pogoreltsy, Chernigov province, the future poet spent his first childhood years. The uncle, who replaced the child’s father, worked a lot and diligently on his upbringing, encouraging his artistic inclinations in every possible way, and, by the way, composed specially for him famous fairy tale"Black chicken, or Underground inhabitants"(1829). The tale had a moral and spoke of the modesty befitting a gifted boy.

In 1826, Tolstoy was presented to the court and chosen as a playmate for the heir to the throne, the future Emperor Alexander II. In the summer of 1827, ten-year-old Tolstoy visited Germany with his uncle and mother, visiting, in particular, Weimar, and played on the lap of Goethe himself. In St. Petersburg, where they settled after returning from abroad, he also found himself surrounded by writers, friends of Perovsky (in his house, young Tolstoy often saw A.S. Pushkin, A.A. Delvig, V.A. Zhukovsky, P.A. Vyazemsky, I.A. Krylov, etc.).

1831 - again with his uncle and mother - Tolstoy traveled around Italy, visiting Venice, Milan, Florence, Rome and Naples. “...In each of these cities,” he later recalled, “my enthusiasm and love for art grew in me, so that upon returning to Russia I fell into real “homesickness,” into some kind of despair, as a result of which I day I didn’t want to eat anything, and at night I cried when my dreams carried me to my lost paradise.” This journey is described in Tolstoy’s diary for 1831 - his first surviving literary experience, publ. in 1905; his guides and interlocutors in Italy were S.A. Sobolevsky, a friend of Pushkin, S.P. Shevyrev, who was a teacher for the children of Princess Z.A. Volkonskaya, and the painter K.P. Bryullov, who later, in 1836, would write portrait of Tolstoy - with a gun and a dog.

In 1834, Tolstoy was enrolled as a “student” in the Moscow archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in 1835 at Moscow University he passed the exam for rank (passed the exams “from the subjects that make up the course of the Faculty of Literature, to receive an academic certificate for the right of officials of the first category "). An attempt to immediately retire in order to engage exclusively in art met with opposition from Perovsky, and, in order not to upset his beloved uncle, Tolstoy reconciled himself and continued to be listed in the archive. In July 1836, the childless Perovsky died in the arms of his nephew, leaving him a huge fortune - more than three thousand souls in the Chernigov province (his mother took over the management of the estates, so the heir had no more worries).

At the beginning of 1837, Tolstoy was assigned to the Russian diplomatic mission in Frankfurt am Main, but almost immediately secured leave and spent two years traveling around Germany, Italy and France (and, by the way, met Gogol several times, busy then with writing" Dead souls"). Two fantastic stories written in French date back to this time: "La famille du vurdalak" ("The Family of the Ghoul", published in 1884) and "Le rendez-vous dans trois cent ans" ("Meeting after three hundred years", publ. 1912).

In 1840, upon returning to St. Petersburg, Tolstoy was promoted to collegiate secretary and moved as a “junior official” to the II department of the imperial chancellery, which was involved in drawing up various laws and decrees, and in 1843 he became a chamber cadet, t .e. He also had court duties. The service did not occupy him much, however, thanks to influential relatives, he quickly rose in rank (titular councilor, 1842; collegiate assessor, 1845; court councilor, 1846; collegiate councilor, 1852) and court ranks (master of ceremonies, 1851).

In the 1840s. Tolstoy led the life of a secular man. His literary studies were not systematic and were of a distinctly amateurish nature. He did not publish any poems at that time, although they were written in abundance; only one poem - “A pine forest stands in a lonely country...” - appeared without a signature in 1843. The reason for this was probably not only the modesty of the author, but also the indifference of the public to poetry in those years, and the prose works he published over the decade can be counted on one hand. The most significant is the fantastic story “The Ghoul” (1841), which appeared under the signature “Krasnogorsky” and earned the approval of V.G. Belinsky (this was literary debut Tolstoy). The result of a trip to the Orenburg province in 1841 (where his other uncle, V.A. Perovsky, was the governor) was the small hunting essays “Two Days in the Kyrgyz Steppe” (1842) and “The Wolf’s Adopted Child” (1843). A tribute to the style of fashionable writers" natural school", who were keen on recreating the "types" of Russian public life, became the essay “Artemy Filippovich Bervenkovsky” (1845) - about an eccentric landowner-inventor. The most original story from the time of the Roman Christian martyrs is “Amena” (1846), which appeared with the subtitle “An excerpt from the novel “Steblovsky”” (there is no information about the novel itself).

In metropolitan society, Tolstoy had a reputation as a joker and prankster, sharing it with his Zhemchuzhnikov cousins ​​- Alexander, Alexei and Vladimir. In collaboration with Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov, Tolstoy composed the parody vaudeville “Fantasy,” which failed with scandal on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater in January 1851. Emperor Nicholas I regarded the vaudeville as a stupid joke, and the magazines unanimously scolded it. Only Apollo Grigoriev, with his characteristic sensitivity, understood the intention of the authors hiding behind the initials Y and Z: “Here it is only brought to the point of absurdity and presented in big picture something that can be found in parts in each of the successful vaudevilles. Parody of Messrs. Y and Z could not succeed because the hour of the fall of the works they parodied had not yet come."

Later, “Fantasy” became one of the works of Kozma Prutkov. The parodic “mask” of this thoughtful writer and official of the Assay Office was formed precisely in 1851 through the joint efforts of Tolstoy and Alexei and Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov. Kozma Prutkov's "Leisures" first appeared in the Sovremennik magazine in 1854, and his " Complete collection works" was compiled by Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov already in 1884. In the works of Kozma Prutkov, Tolstoy contains about a dozen poems and many aphorisms, however, he did not foresee the future glory of the collective brainchild and did not take this comic production seriously. Of Tolstoy’s later humorous works, which appeared under in his own name, the most significant are “The History of the Russian State from Gostomysl to Timashev” (1868; published 1883) and “Popov’s Dream” (1873; published 1878).

In the winter of 1850/1851. Tolstoy began an affair with Sofia Andreevna Miller, the wife of a Horse Guards colonel. Soon she left her husband, and from that moment the poet’s entire subsequent life was connected with her. Thanks to his position at court and friendship with the heir to the throne, a dubious connection with married woman had no unpleasant consequences for him, however, Sofia Andreevna’s husband did not give her a divorce for a long time, and her marriage to Tolstoy was concluded only in 1863. All his love lyrics, starting from 1851, were addressed exclusively to her (including those dedicated to their first meeting, the romance “Among a noisy ball, by chance...”, 1851, publ.

During the Crimean War, Tolstoy volunteered to join the army. In the summer of 1854, he formed a detachment to repel the proposed English landing on the Baltic coast. In March 1855, he was enlisted in a rifle regiment as a company commander with the rank of major. After military training in December 1855, he joined the regiment near Odessa, but did not have time to take part in hostilities, as he soon fell ill with typhus. He recovered from his illness only in the summer of 1856, when the war ended. That same summer, with Sofia Andreevna, he made a trip to the Crimea, which resulted in the poetic cycle “Crimean Sketches” (published 1856–1859).

In August 1856, the coronation of Alexander II took place, and Tolstoy was appointed aide-de-camp. Soon, due to reluctance to stay on military service, he became a Jägermeister (chief of the royal huntsmen). The new emperor repeatedly tried to elevate his childhood friend and attract him to government activities(in particular, in the fall of 1856, Tolstoy was appointed clerk of the “Secret Committee on Dissenters”), but the poet had absolutely no ambitions as a politician, much less as an official. In addition, he was experiencing a creative surge and had already fully realized his calling.

In the 1850s The vast majority of Tolstoy's lyric poems were written. In 1854–1856 they were regularly published on the pages of Nekrasov's Sovremennik. Previously an unknown poet, Tolstoy gained recognition in literary circles, especially among Slavophiles: already in his first published poems - “My little bells...”, “You know the land where everything breathes abundantly...”, “Oh, haystacks, haystacks... " - the theme of unity was read Slavic world. A.S. Khomyakov, K.S. Aksakov, I.S. Aksakov found in his poems a Russian “mindset” and “Russian forms” (they especially liked the stylization folk songs, such as, for example, “Arrogance walks, puffing up...”, 1856).

Having parted ways with N.A. Nekrasov and his Sovremennik, which was taking an increasingly radical direction, Tolstoy, from 1857, began to submit new poems to the Russian Conversation, published by I.S. Aksakov. His first poems appeared here: “The Sinner” (1858) and “John of Damascus” (1859). The latter contained autobiographical motives. Tolstoy repeatedly asked to be dismissed from service, but met resistance from people who sincerely loved him and wished him well, incl. the emperor himself. So in his poem, John of Damascus, “beloved by the caliph,” surrounded by “honor and affection,” asks to be released “to freedom”:

O sir, listen! my san,
Majesty, splendor, power and strength,
Everything is unbearable to me, everything is disgusting.
I am attracted by another calling,
I cannot rule the people:
I was born simple to be a singer,
Glorify God with a free verb!
In a crowd of nobles there is always one,
I am full of torment and boredom;
Among the feasts, at the head of the squads
I hear different sounds;
Their irresistible call
It attracts me more and more -
Oh, let me go, Caliph,
Let me breathe and sing in freedom!

In the same 1859, Tolstoy finally achieved an indefinite leave, and in 1861 - complete resignation. From that moment, with the exception of trips abroad (France and England, summer 1860; Germany, autumn 1862 - spring 1863; Italy, December 1863; Germany, summer 1864 and January 1868), he spends almost all his time in his two estates - Pustynka under St. Petersburg and Krasny Rog in the Chernigov province. In the lively literary and public discussions of the 1860s. he practically does not participate, except for several satirical poems with poisonous attacks against the “nihilists”: “The Stream-Bogatyr”, “Sometimes Merry May...”, both 1871, etc. Most of the public of that time considered Tolstoy a supporter of “art for art’s sake” , which was not entirely thorough. He was simply convinced that “the purpose of a poet is not to bring people any direct benefit or benefit, but to elevate their moral level, instilling in them a love of beauty.”

In a situation of acute conflict between Slavophiles and Westerners, liberals and revolutionaries, “fathers” and “sons,” among magazine “parties” mortally warring with each other, Tolstoy tried to maintain independence and generosity towards the enemy. He clearly outlined his position – and not without challenge – in the poem “Not a fighter of two camps, but only a random guest...” (1858, published 1867):

Two stans is 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 is hitherto my secret lot,
And no one could bring me to the oath;
There will not be a complete union between us -
Not bought by anyone, under whose banner I would stand,
I can’t bear the biased jealousy of my friends,
I would defend the enemy's banner with honor!

However, Tolstoy was not an indifferent contemplator of social unrest and his not the most “advanced” - by the standards of the 1860s. – he didn’t hide his glances. His increased interest in Russian history, especially in the era of Ivan the Terrible and Boris Godunov, was dictated by the desire to comprehend not only the past, but also the present of Russia and guess its future.

Despite his independence (or perhaps thanks to it), Tolstoy had the opportunity to publish in various magazines, and his literary fate was generally prosperous. In 1862, the dramatic poem “Don Juan” and the historical novel “Prince Silver,” conceived in the late 1840s, appeared in M.N. Katkov’s magazine “Russian Messenger,” which had a reputation as an extremely conservative publication. In 1867, the first (and only during his lifetime) collection of Tolstoy’s poems was published. But his real fame was brought to him by historical tragedies - his main and, it seemed, not very timely work in the 1860s. “The Death of Ivan the Terrible” (1866) was published in “Notes of the Fatherland”, “Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich” (1868) and “Tsar Boris” (1870) were published in “Bulletin of Europe”. Almost immediately they were staged on stage (with the exception of “Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich,” which would later be destined for a brilliant stage fate) and received European recognition (at the premiere of “The Death of Ivan the Terrible” in Weimar in 1868, Tolstoy was personally present; translation into German was carried out by Karolina Pavlova with the participation of the author).

After completing the “dramatic trilogy,” Tolstoy turned to the lyric-epic genres. In 1869–1875 most of his ballads and poems “Dragon” (1874) and “Portrait” (1875) were written.

His last work was historical drama"Posadnik", the action of which takes place in Veliky Novgorod in the 13th century. Work on it began immediately after the end of the dramatic trilogy in 1870, but the poet did not have time to complete it (three of the four acts were completed; the last is known in the retelling of D.N. Tsertelev).

On September 28 (October 10), 1875, Tolstoy died at the 48th year of his life in Krasny Rog from an overdose of morphine, which he used to relieve suffering from asthma, angina pectoris and neuralgia with severe headaches. He was buried there, together with Sofia Andreevna, who briefly survived him, in a crypt near the Assumption Church.

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Here is a famous fragment from the memoirs of Alexei Konstantinovich’s cousin:

“ - Alyosha, do you believe in God?

He wanted, as usual, to answer with a joke, but, probably noticing the serious expression on my face, he changed his mind and answered somewhat embarrassedly:

Weak, Louise!

I couldn't stand it.

This point is often used to prove that Alexey Konstantinovich was not an Orthodox believer and was indifferent to religious issues, and this opinion is supported by indications of his passion for spiritualism, which is not approved by the church. In Tolstoy’s dialogue with his cousin one can also hear a bad evasiveness, as in Faust’s conversation with his trusting but demanding lover:

Margarita

<…>
Do you believe in God?

Faust

Oh honey, don't touch
Such questions. Which of us will dare
Answer without embarrassment: “I believe in God”?
And the rebuke of the scholastic and the priest
So sincerely stupid on this score,
Which seems like a wretched mockery.

Margarita

So you don't believe it, then?

Faust

Don't distort it
My speeches, O light of my eyes!
Who can trust
Whose mind
Dare to say: “I believe”?
Whose being
Will he arrogantly say, “I don’t believe it”?
into it,
Creator of everything.
Supports
Total: me, you, space
And yourself? (I.V. Goethe. Faust. Part 1. Chapter 16)

But if you seriously listen to what Alexey Konstantinovich says and how, then you can feel the modesty of a true Christian who does not want to fall into the sin of pride. Who will dare to declare the strength and depth of their religiosity if the “mustard seed” of faith should move mountains, if even the Apostle Peter is called in the Gospel of little faith (cf. Matt. 14:31)?

In one of the letters to S.A. Tolstoy (from 05/11/1873), the writer directly speaks about his faith, as usual, in personal communication with loved ones, intertwining a serious topic and a humorous intonation: “By seven o’clock in the morning, asthma began to pass, and I began to dance around the room with happiness, and I It occurred to me that the Lord God must feel pleasure in ridding me of asthma, since I thank Him so picturesquely. In fact, I am sure that He would never have sent her if it had depended on Him; but this must be a consequence of the necessary order of things, in which the first “Urheber” is myself, and perhaps, in order to save me from asthma, it would be necessary to make people less sinful than me suffer. So, since a thing exists, it must exist, And nothing will ever make me grumble against God, in whom I believe completely and endlessly» .

The religious orientation of A.K.’s creativity Tolstoy was most “purely” manifested in two poems that occupy a special place in Russian XIX literature centuries and forming a kind of “natural cycle”: “The Sinner” (1857) and “John of Damascus” (1858).

"Sinner"

The poem “The Sinner,” published in the magazine “Russian Conversation,” gained enormous popularity among contemporary readers, was distributed, among other things, in lists, and was recited at literary evenings (this fact received ironic coverage in A.P. Chekhov’s comedy “ The Cherry Orchard"). At first glance, the very appeal to the Gospel history seems uncharacteristic of Tolstoy’s contemporary Russian literature and can be interpreted as a conscious departure from the “spite of the day” into the realm not so much of the past as of the Eternal. This is how this work was generally accepted by most critics. However, it is curious that in the middle of the 19th century, Russian poets repeatedly used this very plot: the meeting of Christ with a sinner.

Here is the text of the original source - the Gospel of John:

...in the morning he came to the temple again, and all the people came to Him. He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman taken in adultery, and, placing her in the middle, they said to Him: Teacher! this woman was taken in adultery; and Moses commanded us in the law to stone such people: What do you say? They said this, tempting Him, in order to find something to accuse Him of. But Jesus, bending low, wrote with his finger on the ground, not paying attention to them. When they continued to ask Him, He bowed down and said to them: He who is without sin among you, be the first to throw a stone at her. And again, bending low, he wrote on the ground. They, having heard [that] and being convicted by their conscience, began to leave one by one, starting from the eldest to the last; and only Jesus remained and the woman standing in the middle. Jesus, standing up and not seeing anyone but the woman, said to her: woman! where are your accusers? no one judged you? She answered: no one, Lord. Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more(John 8:2-11).

The most popular “reading” of this episode in the mid-19th century was associated with social issues: Christ’s famous phrase about the stone was interpreted as an exposure of Pharisaic hypocrisy. This “external” aspect of the gospel history turned out to be very popular, since it seemed to provide a justification for the theory of the “environment” (“the environment is stuck”), which became widespread in the radical democratic press from the late 1850s. According to this theory, there are no criminals, there are unfortunate victims of a dysfunctional life, an unjust social order that needs to be changed. It turned out that a hypocritical society that condemns (and punishes) an outright sinner is itself much more sinful than him and therefore has no right to judge. Here the words “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” turned out to be no less convenient, understood too straightforwardly. That is, Christ, in this interpretation, turned out to be one of the first socialists, a kind of “forerunner” of the radicals of the 19th century. See an episode from Dostoevsky’s memoirs about Belinsky in the “Diary of a Writer” for 1873:

“Belinsky said:

Believe me, that your Christ, if born in our time, would be the most inconspicuous and an ordinary person; It would be obscured by current science and the current drive of humanity.

Well, noooo! - Belinsky’s friend picked up. (I remember we were sitting and he was pacing back and forth across the room). - Well, no: if Christ appeared now, he would join the movement and become its head...

Well, yes, well, yes,” Belinsky suddenly agreed with surprising haste, “he would have just joined the socialists and followed them.” This episode, apparently, formed the basis of the famous conversation between Kolya Krasotkin and Alyosha Karamazov in last novel writer: “And, if you like, I’m not against Christ. He was a completely humane person, and if he had lived in our time, he would have directly joined the revolutionaries and, perhaps, would have played a prominent role... This is even certain.”

A similar view of Christ was reflected in the poetry of A.K.’s contemporaries. Tolstoy - D.D. Minaeva and V.P. Burenin, who (the first in 1864, the second in 1868) translated Alfred de Vigny’s poem “The Harlot” (“The Sinner”) into Russian.

Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, offering his artistic interpretation of the Gospel episode in the poem “The Sinner,” radically excludes the social aspect: his Christ does not say the famous words about the stone and does not denounce hypocritical judges. O. Miller drew attention to this feature as a fundamental one in his extensive article “Count A.K. Tolstoy as a lyrical poet": "... our poet was completely imbued with a purely religious idea in it [the poem] personal appeal to God of a living soul. He did not touch upon the social side of the issue at all, but it would not be difficult to touch upon it if he directly adhered to the beautiful Gospel story with the meaningful words of the Savior: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Already on the basis of these words, which our poet did not use at all, it would be possible to expose the sin of this woman as the sin of the whole society, a natural consequence of the established order in it - and such a statement of the matter would give the story of distant antiquity a lively interest to the present, would directly connect it with the “spite of the day”.

Tolstoy did not take advantage of the opportunity to give the Gospel story “a lively contemporary interest”

This reproach also contains a possible explanation - why Tolstoy did not take advantage of the opportunity to give the Gospel story “a living interest of our time.” That is precisely why I didn’t use it: I didn’t want the eternal plot to be read “on the topic of the day” and thereby lose its spiritual “dimension”. Christ’s words about the stone can be used for purposes far from Christianity: outwardly intersecting with Tolstoy’s contemporary social theories about the “environment” and about crime as a “protest”, these words, of course, are about something else - about the need to look into one’s own soul before judge other people's sins. About the need to see the beam in your own eye before pointing out the mote in someone else's. And the “spite of the day” turns this eternal truth into a “party” truth: lawyers do not have the right to judge a criminal, because they themselves are worse than him, because society is structured so unfairly that it is not the one who is more sinful who is to blame, but the one who is weaker, who stands lower in the social hierarchy. And this injustice needs to be corrected.

It is likely that Tolstoy felt the danger of profanation, a pragmatic interpretation of Christ’s phrase, and therefore considered it necessary to do without it. Moreover, the idea of ​​the internal transformation of a person upon meeting Christ (and this happened with both the Sinner and the Pharisees) is shown in the poem consistently and convincingly from an artistic point of view. Moreover, the poet even emphasized that the sinner is not condemned by others at all, she is a legitimate part of this world, which Christ came to save. She is, if you like, a symbol of this world, the personification of carnal pleasure as a life value.

The very image of a harlot, a fallen woman in Tolstoy’s contemporary poetry often became a reason for sharpening social issues, a call for mercy and compassion towards the “outcast” in general. And the gospel analogy in such cases faded into the background and was used only to contrast with the modern hard-hearted world. Or it became a lesson-reproach. What Christ did with the soul of a sinner was often thought of as a universal means of getting rid of social vices - through the renunciation of condemnation in the name of “love and forgiveness.” True, Christ, as we remember, says to her in the Gospel: “Go and sin no more,” that is, he calls sin sin and thereby pronounces his judgment on the harlot. Otherwise, a person will generally turn into an “innocent”, “fallen” “victim”, deserving only compassion, due to the lack of free will and the possibility of choice. And this is already anti-Christianity.

Of course, one can hardly doubt the deeply religious feeling in nature that animated the great Russian writers, who in their work turned to the image of fallen man, no matter what form he appeared in - a thief, a murderer, a harlot, a drunkard, etc. Oblomov’s fiery monologue from Goncharov’s novel of the same name accurately reflects this general “passionate” need of Russian literature to find a person in a person: “Depict a thief, a fallen woman, a pompous fool, and don’t forget the person right away. Where is the humanity? You want to write with your head!.. Do you think that you don’t need a heart to think? No, she is fertilized by love. Extend your hand to a fallen person to lift him up, or weep bitterly over him if he dies, and do not mock him. Love him, remember yourself in him and treat him as yourself...” Only, as we have seen, compassion can turn out to be a seductive cover for social theories that are anti-Christian in nature, deliberately confusing sin and the sinner, so that, under the guise of sympathy for a person, they can quietly teach tolerance to evil. Perhaps the most radical version of such a denial of the guilt of the “fallen woman” is the novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "Resurrection" (1899).

For Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, in the poem “The Sinner,” another aspect of the consideration of the topic turns out to be more important. If many poets are relevant gospel story open through sharpening its social meaning, then Tolstoy seeks to emphasize its timeless significance - a religious idea does not need a “modern” masquerade to reach the reader’s heart. On the contrary, he seems to free the story of Christ and the sinner from the too specific attributes of historical time, which gives the poem the features of an artistically developed parable.

Nowhere in “The Sinner” is the heroine named; this story is about man in general, for “who among you is without sin”? In addition, this poem seems to “test for strength” one of the most important values ​​for the writer’s creative consciousness - Beauty. In the description of the servant of “venal love”, after listing the external attributes of a “sinful life”, the significant conjunction BUT is inserted:

Her fancy outfit
Involuntarily attracts the eye,
Her immodest attire
They talk about a sinful life;
But the fallen maiden is beautiful;
Looking at her, it’s unlikely
Before the power of dangerous charm
Men and elders will stand:
<…>

And, casting a shadow on the cheeks,
In all the abundance of beauty,
Intertwined with a pearl thread,
Luxurious hair will fall...

Several “tempting” questions arise here: is the beautiful synonymous with the fallen? Or its consequence? Does this emphasize the physical nature of beauty? Or its independence from moral categories? Or maybe the conjunction “but” contrasts these concepts, indicates their oxymoronic, unnatural combination in one person? Is the word “charm” used here in the meaning of “worldly”, “Pushkin” - or religious?

The first clarification appears in the Sinner’s monologue addressed to John, whom she mistakenly mistook for Christ Himself:

I believe only in beauty
I serve wine and kisses,
My spirit is not disturbed by you,
I laugh at your purity! (1, 62)

A meaningful rhyme creates direct opposition: beauty is purity. It turns out that it is impossible to be pure and beautiful at the same time, because you don’t serve two gods, a choice is necessary. And it seems to the “beautiful maiden” that she made the right choice. Only for some reason the entire boastful monologue of the Sinner is called “weak grievances.” Maybe the pride that awoke in her when hearing stories about a wonderful teacher hides something else? Internal uncertainty about your own choice? Feeling of fragility, temporaryness of your “beauty”? Fear of looking into your own soul?

However, Christ appears, and the epithet “beautiful” passes to him:

Lying around his beautiful lips,
The bar is slightly forked... (1, 63)

It is curious that the “beautiful lips” of the Savior in Tolstoy’s poem will not utter a word. This reflected not only the artistic, but also the spiritual tact of the poet: Christ has already said everything in the Gospel. Translating his words into modern poetic language is fraught with profanation (by the way, this may be another explanation why Tolstoy does not remember the phrase about the stone). Even his appearance among people is compared to a “breath of silence”: the noisy talk falls silent, the world seems to listen to the quiet steps of the Son of Man. Therefore, the miraculous transformation of the Sinner takes place thanks to His “sad gaze” - and in silence.

And that gaze was like a ray of the morning star,
And everything was revealed to him,
And in the dark heart of a harlot
He dispersed the darkness of the night... (1, 64)

This gaze brings insight: the sinner begins to realize her own darkness, for she saw the light and separated the darkness from the light.

This is akin to the creation of the world - a miracle of the spiritual birth of man, a sacrament impossible without repentance. “The Apostle Paul calls for such repentance - for resurrection from spiritual death: “Awake, you who sleep... and rise from the dead, and Christ will illuminate you” (Eph. 5:14). The story of the converted harlot appears to be a kind of analogue to the story of the resurrected Lazarus; as St. says Macarius the Great, “The coffin is the heart, where your mind and your thoughts are buried and kept in impenetrable darkness. The Lord comes to the souls in hell crying out to him, that is, into the depths of the heart, and there he commands death to release the imprisoned souls... Then, having rolled away the heavy stone lying on the soul, he opens the coffin, resurrects like a mortified soul, and brings it out, imprisoned in prison , to the light."

And now, after the heroine’s inner insight, the answer to the question about the essence of Beauty becomes obvious - it was the very gift that the maiden misused:

How many blessings, how much strength
The Lord generously gave her... (1, 64‒65)

In a strict sense, any gift from God is not a gift in the everyday meaning of the word, since a gift does not imply responsibility for it. And in the gospel context, a gift is the very talent that should not be buried in the ground or thoughtlessly wasted, as the Sinner did with her beauty, forcing her to serve debauchery, impurity, and evil. And in the end, she herself distorted the initial nature of this gift, violated it, that is, herself.

And she fell on her face, sobbing,
Before the shrine of Christ (1, 65).

Tears in in this case and is the purest manifestation of the soul, which has not yet acquired new words, but has already been freed from the old ones. And the verb “fell” is paradoxically, at first glance, correlated with the epithet “fallen”, which characterized the heroine before meeting Christ. Words with the same root become antonyms here, for falling on one’s face before the shrine of Christ means overcoming the moral, spiritual fall. That is, in a figurative sense, the Sinner “stood up”, “rose up”, and the sad and compassionate gaze of the Savior carries the most important Christian call addressed to the soul of a sinful person: Talifa kumi(Mark 5, 41), “get up and go” (it is no coincidence that these are the only words spoken by the silent Savior in the legend of the Grand Inquisitor in F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “The Brothers Karamazov”).

Of course, we have a miracle before us, but it is unlikely that it completely excludes the psychological motivation of the heroine’s rebirth. The future transformation seems to be prepared by “weak insults,” which are clothed in the boastful form of the harlot’s bold appeal to John. Apparently, this boasting (even a kind of bet that the sinner makes with others) was born precisely from internal doubt about the correctness of the chosen path. Moreover, when talking about a meeting with Christ and the impact of this meeting on a sinner, it is more appropriate to talk not about evolution, but about the revolution that takes place in the human soul.

In Tolstoy’s work there are other situations that can be called a “graceful shock” of a sinner upon meeting the truth of Christ. So in “The Song of Vladimir’s Campaign to Korsun” the pagan miraculously changes after Baptism:

Vladimir stood up from the prince's seat,
The merrymakers' singing was interrupted,
And the moment of silence and silence came -
And to the prince, in the consciousness of new beginnings,
‎A new vision has opened:

Like a dream, my whole past life flashed by,
I sensed the truth of the Lord,
And tears flowed from my eyes for the first time,
And Vladimir imagines: for the first time he
I saw my city today (1, 652--653).

This is how love regenerates the lyrical hero of some of Tolstoy’s poems, for example, “Me, in the darkness and in the dust...”, “Not the wind, blowing from above...”, freeing his soul from everyday “trash” and revealing the main thing.

The ending of the poem evokes several literary associations at once.

Firstly, this is how the resurrection of the convict Rodion Raskolnikov will be described in the epilogue of the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”: “He himself did not know how it happened, but suddenly something seemed to pick him up and seem to throw him at her feet. He cried and hugged her knees." In this sense, Tolstoy’s poem, like many works of Russian literature, realizes the national Easter archetype: showing the horror and darkness of fall, spiritual death, it leads a person to light and resurrection.

Secondly, the poem by A.S. ends almost the same way. Pushkin's "Beauty":

But, having met her, embarrassed, you
Suddenly you stop involuntarily,
Reverently
Before the shrine of beauty.

The shrine of Christ is a shrine of true beauty

The last analogy, we dare to suggest, points to a completely conscious (inherently polemical) reminiscence in the poem by A.K. Tolstoy and puts an end to the development of the motif of beauty in “The Sinner”: the shrine of Christ is the shrine of true beauty. The one who will “save the world.” Other shrines are false idols. This probably contains an explanation for the, at first glance, strange in its grammatical ambiguity of the phrase “shrine of Christ” - in the strict sense impossible in the Gospel context. On the one hand, what is holy for Christ becomes holy for the heroine, thereby she abandons the old hierarchy of values, accepting the new one with all her soul. On the other hand, Christ himself for the heroine becomes a shrine, an object of reverent worship - as if the Church even before the Church.

Thus, the poem “The Sinner” is created by A.K. Tolstoy for an artistic solution to several important questions at once: about the nature and essence of beauty, about the hierarchy of the physical and spiritual, about the meaning of the Coming of Christ, and finally, about the relationship between the eternal and the actual: any person, regardless of the era, can be (and should become) a sinner , transformed by the meeting with the Savior.

"John of Damascus"

One of the best poetic creations of A.K. Tolstoy's "John of Damascus" did not have the success among his contemporaries that befell "The Sinner." This poem is considered by most contemporaries (most shining example- N.S. Leskov, who believed that in the main character Tolstoy “portrayed himself”) was interpreted from an “autobiographical” point of view. There is a certain reason for this: the poem begins with a description of John’s apparently prosperous life at the caliph’s court, but “wealth, honor, peace and affection” do not satisfy the spiritual needs of the hero; rather, on the contrary, they become a prison for his spirit and his gift. That is why the plea of ​​the “successful courtier” sounds so passionately: “Oh, let me go, Caliph, / Let me breathe and sing in freedom!”

Here the deeply personal, hidden dissatisfaction of A.K. himself was poetically expressed. Tolstoy’s own life, which he directly decided to admit only in letters to his beloved: “ I was born an artist but all the circumstances and my whole life have so far resisted my becoming quite an artist..." (S.A. Miller dated 10/14/1851). “I don’t live in my environment, I don’t follow my calling, I don’t do what I want, there is complete discord within me...” (S.A. Miller, 1851. (55)). “But how can you work for art when you hear words from all sides: service, rank, uniform, superiors etc? How to be a poet when you are absolutely sure that you will never be published and, as a result, no one will ever know you? I cannot admire the uniform, and I am forbidden to be an artist; What can I do if I don’t fall asleep?..” (S.A. Miller dated July 31, 1853. (63)).

Here we touch on another problem of Alexei Konstantinovich, which can be called family: the mother and her brothers persistently “move” their beloved offspring along career ladder, starting from Sunday games with the heir to the throne and ending with high court positions (aide-de-camp, master of ceremonies), the last of which - the huntsman of the court - according to the table of ranks corresponds to the privy councilor, that is, is “general”. How can one not recall Tolstoy’s playful appeal to the ancient patron of the Muses: “Don’t let me, Phoebus, be a general, / Don’t let me become innocently stupid!” (“Filled with the eternal ideal...”). The request with which the hero of Tolstoy’s poem addresses the caliph, in reality, the author managed to pronounce only two years after writing the work; so the beginning of “John of Damascus” can to some extent be considered both a “sublimation” of the poet’s specific intention, and a kind of rehearsal of the subsequent request for resignation: “Sir, service, whatever it may be, is deeply disgusting to my nature; I know that everyone should benefit the fatherland to the best of their ability, but there are different ways to benefit. The path shown to me for this by Providence is mine literary talent, and any other path is impossible for me...<…>I thought... that I would be able to conquer the artist’s nature within myself, but experience showed that I fought against it in vain. Service and art are incompatible, one thing harms the other, and a choice must be made.<…>Your Majesty’s noble heart will forgive me if I beg you to finally resign me, not in order to move away from you, but to follow a clearly defined path and no longer be a bird flaunting other people’s feathers” (Alexandru II, August or September 1861. (139-140)).

So, certain grounds for a “personal-biographical” interpretation of the problematics of the poem “John of Damascus” are obvious. However, with one significant amendment: we're talking about exclusively about the beginning of the poem, about its first chapter, that is, about the introduction. The contradiction between the appointment of the hero and his official role at the court of the caliph, the resolution of this contradiction is only a condition for the subsequent movement of Damascus along his path, to which the poem is dedicated. The caliph, as we remember, heeded the singer’s plea without offense or conditions, so John does not take away any internal conflict from his rich palace:

"In your chest
I have no power to restrain my desire:
Singer, you are free, go,
Where does your calling take you? (1, 31)

Determining one’s own calling, internal dissatisfaction with oneself and a life that contradicts one’s calling - all this is a kind of “pretext” of Tolstoy’s poem, whose lyrics often pose the problem of choosing a path (see, for example: “Only one will I remain with myself...”, “ I recognized you, holy convictions...", "Darkness and fog obscure my path..."), but John is shown as a man who had already realized his path by the beginning of the work.

Attracted by another calling,
I cannot rule the people:
I was born simple to be a singer,
To glorify God with a free verb.
In a crowd of nobles there is always one,
I am full of torment and boredom;
Among the feasts, at the head of the squads,
I hear other sounds;
Their irresistible call
I am drawn more and more towards myself... (1, 29)

Only awareness is not movement. And a perfect choice does not mean that in the future the hero will not have to face the problem of choice again and again. It is also worth pointing out that from the life of St. John, Tolstoy does NOT select the most famous episode for his poetic interpretation - the miraculous return of the saint’s right hand, which was severed by an unjust sentence. Perhaps here, as in a similar case with “The Sinner,” where the poet deliberately did not use Christ’s famous words about the stone, the “against the grain” motif is at work: Tolstoy is not interested in public roads, although this explanation is too universal to provide clarity in a specific case. Let us assume that the author’s artistic task does not require turning to John’s healing through the intervention of the Most Holy Theotokos, since the composition of the poem assumes only one climactic episode. And it is connected with the most important, in Tolstoy’s opinion, test that awaits Damascus after his release from court life.

The hero's path is the path to Christ and at the same time to oneself

Damascene’s famous monologue-prayer “I bless you, forests” is harmonious and bright; the most important contradiction between life and purpose has been removed, the choice of subject for spiritual chanting was made from the very beginning: “Rattle only in the name of Christ, / My enthusiastic word.” The hero's path is the path to Christ and at the same time to himself. However, this path cannot be easy. The most difficult choice confronts John not in the royal palaces, not in the bustle of the capital of Damascus, but in the blessed monastery of St. Sava, where the merciless sentence of the spiritual mentor will sound:

But from now on you must postpone
Unnecessary thoughts, fruitless fermentation;
The spirit of idleness and the charm of song
Fasting, singer, you must win.
If you came as a hermit to the desert,
Know how to trample worldly dreams,
And on the lips, having humbled my pride,
You put a seal of silence;
Fill your spirit with prayer and sorrow -
Here are my rules for your new beginning!” (1, 37-38).

It is curious that in the original source of Tolstoy’s work - the life (as presented by St. Demetrius of Rostov, which was included in the Cheti-Menaion) John with joyful humility takes a vow of silence. The hero of the poem is literally crushed by the “stone” sentence. He was ready for anything except this:

So this is where you were hiding, renunciation,
What I promised more than once in prayers!
My joy was singing,
And You, Lord, chose him as a sacrifice! (1, 38-39).

Perhaps the folk archetype of a frivolous promise, realized in many fairy-tale plots, was manifested here, when the hero agrees to a condition, not realizing that he will have to give up the most precious thing he has (for example, his own child). Tolstoy’s John clearly did not intend to make just such a sacrifice. But there is a stern logic in the decision of the monk: self-denial, necessary to get closer to God, means abandonment of oneself. The burden of the old man must be thrown off in order to be resurrected in soul. True, this logic assumes that the poetic gift of Damascus is precisely a charm, that is, a sin or weakness that needs to be fought. And the more dear this weakness is to John, the more severe and consistent the struggle should be.

However, isn’t there a terrible substitution happening here - instead of renouncing sin, isn’t there a renunciation of the soul? For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.(Matt. 16:25). These words of Christ seem to confirm the inexorable correctness of the elder: the soul, captivated by the charm of the chant, that is, overwhelmed by pride, that is, dead, must be “thrown into the fire”, only in this way is resurrection possible (remember, at first glance, a similar episode in “The Sinner” , when the heroine realizes how wrongly she has used the gift of life and beauty, and abandons herself as “decrepit”, “lovely”, in order to fall in repentance “before the shrine of Christ”).

In any case, the motive of death begins to sound in the poem precisely after the vow of silence that John takes. In fact, he had no choice in this case - obedience is one of the key conditions of the path that Damascus initially chose. But the hero does not gain any grace-filled immersion in the heartfelt contemplation of God, nor mental (unpronounceable) prayer, nor the joy of liberation from the lies of “expressed thoughts.” On the contrary, he is still depressed by the irreparable loss, and his internal overflow of images and “unsung psalms” demands and does not find a way out, burning him from the inside. Having blocked his lips with a seal of silence, the hero is unable to “block” the chaos from which “consonances” and “waking thoughts” continue to call to him. Internal conflict Damascene is also emphasized by the fact that the “statutory words” and “memorized prayers,” which he repeats in the hope of finding peace as agreement with himself, do not work, are deprived of their healing power - precisely because they are “statutory and memorized.”

And the idle gift became my punishment,
Always ready to wake up;
So he waits only for the wind to blow
There is a smoldering fire under the ashes.
Before my restless spirit
Images are crowded together,
And, in silence, above a sensitive ear,
The rhythmic harmonies tremble;
And I, not daring to be sacrilegious
To call them to life from the kingdom of darkness,
I'm driving back into the chaos of the night
My unsung psalms.
But in vain I, in a fruitless battle,
I repeat the statutory words
And memorized prayers -
The soul takes its rights!
Alas, under this black robe,
Like those days under the crimson,
Burned alive by fire,
The heart is restless. (1, 41-42)

A significant parallel: the heart does not accept the “condition” of monastic life, just as it did not accept the “grandeur, pomp, power and strength” of the caliph’s palace life. Has nothing essentially changed, and the hero’s soul, instead of being freed, has only found a new prison? It is unlikely, of course, that Damascus himself thinks so; what is more important here is his direct emotional experience, mental pain, which has yet to develop into spiritual gain. But in any case, the essence of the conflict is between the “external” and “internal” person, between obedience (silence) and the “rebellious” heart (word). The outcome of this conflict is predetermined by the meaningful line: “The soul takes its rights!” That is, by imposing a cruel vow on John, the elder violated the “rights” of his soul? We dare to suggest that the category of “right,” so beloved by Tolstoy in the socio-political sense, here acquires a new semantic connotation. This is not about a contradiction between rights and obligations. The rebellious soul of the hero is right. This is already clear to the reader, and will soon become obvious to the characters in the poem.

Here, at this moment of tragic discord with his soul, Damascene finds himself faced with a real and very difficult choice: to violate the elder’s prohibition or to refuse the request of his brother, dejected by the loss of a loved one.

One monk came up to the mournful one,
He fell to his knees before him and said: “Help, Joanna!
My brother according to the flesh has passed away; he was like a brother to me.
A heavy sorrow consumes me; I would like to cry -
Tears do not flow from the eyes, but boil in a sorrowful heart.
You can help me: just write a touching song,
A funeral song for a dear brother, so that when you hear it,
I could cry, and my melancholy would be relieved!” (1, 43)

Compassion wins, releasing the word that languished in the soul of Damascus

Isn’t the most important Christian virtue - merciful help to one’s neighbor, for whose sake one can forget both oneself and one’s vow (that is, suffer oneself in order to alleviate his suffering)? But in this situation something more is tested: John’s ability to live without the gift of speech. Or maybe the vow of silence itself, its spiritual meaning, is being tested? Compassion wins, releasing the word that languished in the soul of Damascus. And it is no coincidence that this word about death - as if some emotional and philosophical summation of this topic was summed up: the decay and desolation of the rich palaces of John, the deathly landscape of the desert, the death of the soul, the death of a brother... The famous troparion of Damascus in Tolstoy's poem is an artistically accurate transcription of the stichera of the saint about frailty of earthly existence.

What sweetness in this life
Are you not involved in earthly sadness?
Whose wait is not in vain,
And where is the happy one among people?
Everything is wrong, everything is insignificant,
What we have acquired with difficulty -
What glory on earth
Standing, firm and immutable?
All ashes, ghost, shadow and smoke,
Everything will disappear like a dusty whirlwind,
And we stand before death
And unarmed and powerless.
The hand of the mighty is weak,
The royal commands are insignificant -
Receive the deceased slave,
Lord, to the blessed villages! (1, 46)

Content-wise, this troparion sets a certain independent “vertical” for understanding the problem of choice in the poem: between the earthly and the heavenly, between the perishable and the eternal, between the vain and the important. It remains to understand to which sides of the antithesis the word and silence belong. If the word is only the vain self-expression of a sinful earthly man, his spiritual impulses and sensual passions, then naturally, the ban on speech should bring the hero closer to eternity. But then it turns out that the solemn chant about life and death is sinful from the very beginning and seems to deny itself. In this situation, a question arises that requires an immediate answer: what is the nature of the gift of speech? For the elder who accused John of violating his vow, the answer is obvious - the soul speaks in words, the spirit speaks in silence. According to the monastic charter, severe penance is imposed for disobedience, and Damascene accepts it resignedly and even joyfully, as if recognizing the rightness of his spiritual father. In any case, the punishment removes a heavy stone from his soul, which, so to speak, was formed gradually - from the moment of the ban until its violation.

And the elder’s speech reached Damascus;
Having learned the penance conditions,
The singer hurries to make amends;
Hastens to honor the unheard-of statute;
Joy was replaced by bitter sorrow.
Without a murmur, he took the shovel in his hands,
The singer of Christ does not think of mercy,
But he endures humiliation for God’s sake. (1, 52)

We can say that he could not help but do something wrong, just like the hero of the story by N.S. Leskov “The Man on the Clock” (1887). Postnikov could not help but save the man. But, punished for leaving his post, he perceives this punishment as fair! This is religious consciousness. Yes, life is designed in such a way that sometimes it is impossible not to sin. But this does not mean that a person has the right to say about himself: “I am not guilty.” He can only hope that he will be forgiven, that his guilt will be absolved - voluntary or involuntary. And the joy of the punished is completely natural, because external punishment not only eases the main burden - the pangs of conscience, but is also perceived as a promise of mercy and atonement for guilt.

Damascene does not look for excuses and does not try to forgive himself. The Mother of God intercedes for John and reveals the true nature of his gift:

Why, old man, did you block
Mercilessly that source is strong,
Which the world would drink
Healing and abundant water!
Is this what grace is for in life?
The Lord sent to his creatures,
May they be subjected to fruitless torture
Execute and kill yourself? (1, 54)

Life and sin are not identical concepts

The gift of speech is Divine in origin, and it depends on the person himself whether he will become the “beauty of song” or will glorify His Giver. The gift of speech of Damascus served the Lord, and therefore the vow of silence is violence not just against a person’s soul, but against the spirit that spoke through his lips. John could not disobey the elder when taking a vow. But, finding himself in a situation of choice and violating the will of his spiritual father, in a paradoxical, at first glance, way, he thereby fulfills the will of the Heavenly Father. Consequently, the spiritual father was not the conductor of this will. Chernorizets understands this thanks to the appearance of the Mother of God, which opens his eyes to the most important truth: life and sin are not identical concepts. Here, in general, a general feature of the Russian religious tradition is revealed - spiritual service does not deny the world, but strives to enlighten it, to mercifully and humbly accept it. In this sense, the antithesis of John and the monk will subsequently be echoed by the contrast between the bright old man Zosima and the gloomy father Ferapont in “The Brothers Karamazov” by F.M. Dostoevsky. And the very appearance of the Mother of God, after which John receives the legal opportunity to “glorify God with a free verb,” may become one of the explanations why A.K. Tolstoy did not address the episode with the severed hand of the saint, which was miraculously healed by the Intercessor. The poet caught the inner consonance of two events in the life of John with his spiritual ear - and showed only one of them. And thanks to the hidden analogy, the shown event acquires additional “volume” and shimmers with new meanings. Unjust deprivation of a hand and a word, humble acceptance and suffering, finally healing - the return of a gift. This general pattern, spiritual composition human life: from death to resurrection. That is, the “injustice” of this or that test is very conditional; only a short-sighted earthly glance will see here some kind of violation of the right - to life and health (John did not commit the crime for which he was accused and for which he was deprived of his right hand) or to freedom of speech. Otherwise, then the monk becomes a censor, and the whole poem is reduced to a pamphlet, as A.N. saw it. Maykov:

Here is Damascus by Alexei Tolstoy - it hurts for the author!
How many colors and inspired features have been lost for nothing.
What did he spend his life on? To protest for “free speech”
Against censorship, and a pamphlet was published instead of a wonderful legend.
All because speaker's face he didn’t see before him… .

The providence, the supreme necessity of the hero’s deprivation is obvious from a spiritual perspective: in order to be resurrected, one must die. Moreover, here this is not subject to the rigid scheme of “crime-punishment-correction”, like the keeping of “accounting accounts” in the book of human destiny. The saint did not commit a fall or crime. But the sufferer Christ was absolutely innocent. And Damascene himself, at the beginning of the poem, laments why he is not a contemporary of the Savior and cannot share His burden. The Lord seemed to hear these complaints and fulfill the prayer of His singer. Resurrection cannot be earned, one must grow into it... suffer.

You, whose best aspirations
They perish for nothing under the yoke,
Believe, friends, in deliverance -
We are coming to God's light.
You, bent over,
You, depressed by chains,
You, buried with Christ,
You will rise with Christ! (1, 52)

The poem ends with a bright Easter chord:

Ring out, my Sunday song,
Like the sun rise above the earth!
Break the murderous dream of existence
And radiant light everywhere,
Thunder what was created by darkness! (1, 56)

It is noteworthy that the last words in the poem - “Whom to praise in your verb / Will never cease / Not every blade of grass in the field, / Not every star in the sky” - literally refer us to the beginning of the poem, to the prayer of Damascus “I bless you, forests.” Only now the blade of grass and the star are not the “object of blessing” of the singer, but themselves are a source of praise to the Lord. It’s as if the “verb” has now become a property not only of a person, but of the whole world: the “deaf-mute universe” began to sound, and this is somehow connected with the fact that his gift returned to Damascus.

Of course, Tolstoy's poem is about choice and path, and more than that - about the meaning of existence, about the name for which a person comes into the earthly world. But this is the way of the man of the Word - in the high meaning of God's gift. Moreover, this gift of Damascus is associated not only with the glorification of the Creator (and in this regard, man is part of the global “orchestra”, the created world), but also with struggle, opposition to “darkness,” silence, evil and death. It turns out that this is the “peculiarity” of a person, his “specific” purpose, which sets him apart from the general symphony. One way or another, Tolstoy’s poem sets the most important “coordinates” for the artistic understanding of one of eternal themes- themes of words, creativity, art and its purpose.

Tolstoy considers the opposition between the “secular,” “secular,” and “ecclesiastical” understandings of art to be false—or, in any case, he finds a “common point” where they meet. Modern researcher Yu.K. Gerasimov cites a fragment from a letter from S.T. Aksakova: “You cannot profess two religions with impunity. It is a vain idea to combine and reconcile them. Christianity now sets a task for art that it cannot fulfill, and the vessel will burst,” and then proposes to perceive Tolstoy’s poem as an artistic refutation of Aksakov’s thought (in any case, as an exception to the rule): “Tolstoy’s high example of John of Damascus, the singer and a zealot of faith, with the lyrical declarations of the poem and the very fact of its creation, he affirmed the fundamental compatibility, the possibility of merging art and religion. Poets, he believed, have the power to feel and sing the divine harmony of the world.”

And here it becomes clear why the Monk Damascene became the hero of the poem - not only as a recognized author of canonical religious stichera, but also as a “fighter for the honor of icons, the fence of art.” This refers to his famous “words” against the iconoclasts, revealing the essence of icon painting through the relationship between the visible and the invisible in the Divine image.

“For it was not the nature of the flesh that became the Divinity, but just as the Word, remaining what It was, without experiencing change, became flesh, so the flesh became the Word, without losing what it is; it is better to say: being one with the Word by hypostasis . Therefore, I boldly portray the invisible God, not as invisible, but as having become visible for our sake through participation in both flesh and blood. I do not depict the invisible Deity, but through an image I express the flesh of God, which was visible (1, IV).

How will the invisible be depicted? How will the incomparable be compared? How will that which has no quantity and magnitude and is unlimited be inscribed? How will something without form be endowed with qualities? How will the incorporeal be painted? So, what is mysteriously shown [in these places]? It is clear that when you see the incorporeal one made human for your sake, then make an image of His human form. When the invisible one, clothed in flesh, becomes visible, then depict the likeness of Him who appeared. When He Who, being, by virtue of the excellence of His nature, is deprived of body and form and quantity and quality and magnitude, Who in the image of God, I take on the form of a servant, through this you have become limited in quantitative and qualitative terms and have clothed yourself in a bodily image, then draw it on the boards and expose it for contemplation of the One Who Desired to Appear. Draw the ineffable. His condescension, birth from the Virgin, baptism in the Jordan, transfiguration on Tabor, suffering who freed us from passions, death, miracles - signs of His divine nature, performed by divine power through the activity of the flesh, the saving cross, burial, resurrection, ascension to heaven; Draw everything with words and paints. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! (1, VII)<…>

The incorporeal and formless God was once not depicted in any way. Now that God has appeared in the flesh And live with people, I depict the visible side of God. I do not worship matter, but I worship the Creator of matter, who became matter for my sake, who deigned to dwell in matter and through matter. who did my salvation, and I will not cease to honor the substance through which done my salvation" (1, XVI).

Thus, through the very choice of the hero and the mention of his defense of icons, that is, thanks to the historical and religious allusion-analogy, Tolstoy addresses a very topical topic related to contemporary aesthetic (or rather, anti-aesthetic) trends. This will later be reflected in the poem “Against the Current” (1867), which refers to the “days of relaxed Byzantium,” when the “icon destroyers” triumphed. Before nihilism received its name as a phenomenon of the 1860s, two years earlier than the publication of Turgenev’s novel Fathers and Sons, almost simultaneously with the articles of Pisarev and his radical associates, in the updated G.E. In Blagosvetlov’s journal “Russian Word,” the poet points out the serious danger that not only literature, but also society as a whole is about to face. V.S. Solovyov emphasized the fidelity of this hidden analogy in Tolstoy’s poem, speaking about the iconoclasts and their denial of the possibility of depicting the “incorporeal”: “Here, undoubtedly, the very principle of Beauty and the true knowledge of art were denied, albeit unconsciously. The same point of view is held by those who consider everything aesthetic to be the realm of fiction and idle fun... Tolstoy was not mistaken: what he fought for against the prevailing trend in his time was, in essence, the very same thing for which John of Damascus and his supporters stood against iconoclasm".

True, the extremely ascetic old man (seemingly unrelated to iconoclasm) can also be correlated with “nihilists”-pragmatists-utilitarians who deny the “useless charm” of chanting. Indeed, it turns out that “by bringing together... all the persecutors of art and beauty and contrasting them with his ideal of a Christian poet, the author combined the acquired internal unity of the poem’s concept with the integrity of the spiritual appearance of the hero in all his fields.”

Of course, with a holistic analysis of the religious poems of A.K. Tolstoy needs to consider them in close relationship with each other, as components of a certain cycle, a kind of “Easter dilogy”, although not directly indicated by the author himself. In fact, these poems continue one another - both at the “chronological” level ( - Sacred Tradition), it is no coincidence that John can only dream of being a contemporary of Christ, and at the metaphysical level: if the story of the Sinner is connected with the transformation of the soul thanks to the meeting with the Savior, then the story of Damascus is the path of a transformed soul through earthly trials and temptations. If we draw a distant analogy with Dostoevsky’s novels, then the harlot who has fallen on her face correlates with the epiphany of the convict Raskolnikov, the finale of Crime and Punishment, which shows, as it were, the birth of a new man; and the “new story” of this “new man” is described in the novel “The Idiot,” where the sinless hero constantly faces the relativity of earthly choice. The theme of Beauty in its connection with Divine truth is also important for understanding the spiritual problematics of each of the poems: the artificiality, falsity, and destructiveness of the opposition between the beautiful and the holy are overcome by the end of the works. Finally, both poems are connected by the common Easter idea of ​​the resurrection of the soul and the image of Christ, which appears in reality in the first poem and appears before the inspired gaze of the hymnist for the glory of God in the second.

The image of Christ in the works of A.K. Tolstoy appears again at about the same time, only in lyric poetry: in the poem “Raphael’s Madonna” (before May 1858):

Leaning towards the young Christ,
Mary overshadowed him,
Heavenly love has eclipsed
Her earthly beauty.
And He, in deep insight,
Already entering into battle with the world,
Looks forward - and with a clear eye
He sees Golgotha ​​before him. (1, 709-710)

Shortly before the publication of the poem, an essay by A.V. was published in the same magazine “Russian Messenger”. Nikitenko (by the way, the censor of the first published work of A.K. Tolstoy - the story “The Ghoul”, 1841) “Raphaeleva Sistine Madonna“: “Isn’t it because the Baby’s face is so thoughtful that he vaguely foresees his difficult earthly future, and, like a creature that has just become human, feels, as if instinctively, the first thrill of mournful human existence?” We would venture to suggest that the remark about the thoughtfulness and prophetic gift of the Infant Christ at the beginning of His sorrowful earthly journey could have influenced the magazine edition of Tolstoy’s poem, although dedicated to another painting by the same artist.

Poem by A.K. Tolstoy in the magazine publication had a different title - La Madonna della Seggiola - and a slightly different beginning of the second stanza: “And He, in deep thinking, / Already preparing for battle with life, / Looks into the distance...” (1, 982). Thinking, which has become an insight, indicates an important shift in emphasis - from rational, “philosophical” knowledge of the world - to mysterious-spiritual comprehension, intimate knowledge - including one’s tragic mission in this world. Before us is not a sage, not a thinker, but the Son of God. From birth, He begins His path to which He is destined; He “has no time” for “preparation,” so the Baby immediately sees Golgotha ​​as the pinnacle and point of His earthly career. Thus, “insight” merges with the “clear eye,” directed into the region of the Eternal, inaccessible to ordinary vision. And one more important clarification - Christ enters into battle not with life, but with the world. I am the way and the truth and the life(John 14:6) - He who brought victory over death cannot fight with life - in the highest spiritual sense this word. Despite the fact that in Tolstoy’s lyrics “life” is repeatedly personified by “baba”, “Baba Yaga”, and becomes a designation for everything petty, trashy, vain, destructive for the creative aspirations of the soul, here the writer changes this word to “peace”, first all meaning earthly existence, not enlightened by the Savior’s sacrifice. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword(Matthew 10:34) - it is also significant that the future suffering on the cross for everyone is inseparable from the struggle, the spiritual sword, just as Love and Anger become the main Divine gifts of the lyrical hero of the poem “Lord, preparing me for battle...”.

And yet, in Tolstoy’s poem we do not see a tender and prayerful contemplation of an icon; here there is a lot of aesthetic admiration for the perfect embodiment of a spiritual event in colors and lines. It is no coincidence that in the third and fourth lines the earthly beauty of Mary is mentioned, as if “fading into the background” of the viewer’s attention thanks to the masterful transfer by the brilliant painter of “heavenly love” in Her human features. This probably reflected not so much the previously noted desire to bring earthly art closer to religious service as a way of praising the Creator, but also the spiritual tact of Alexei Konstantinovich, who never described lyrical works what is shown on Orthodox icon. An icon is not created to be admired; one must pray in front of it.

Poetic prayer

Alexey Konstantinovich reflects on prayer, its healing effect on the soul, its miraculous ability to unite spiritually close people, regardless of the distance between them in a letter to S.A. Miller on May 10, 1852: “...of all actions, the most powerful is the action of the soul, and in no position does the soul acquire more extensive development than in bringing it closer to God. Asking God with faith to remove misfortune from a loved one is not a fruitless endeavor, as some philosophers claim, who recognize in prayer only a way to worship God, communicate with Him and feel His presence.

First of all, prayer has a direct and powerful effect on the soul of the person for whom you pray, since the closer you come to God, the more you become independent of your body, and therefore your soul is less constrained by space and matter that separates it from the soul for which she prays.

I am almost convinced that two people who would pray at the same time with equally strong faith for each other could communicate with each other, without any material help and despite the distance.

This - direct action on thoughts, on desires, and therefore - on the decisions of that kindred soul. I always wanted to have this effect on you when I prayed to God... and it seems to me that God heard me... and that you felt this effect - and my gratitude to God is endless and eternal...<…>May God protect you, may He make us happy, as we understand, i.e. may He make us better."

And one more wonderful passage from Tolstoy’s letter to his nephew, Andrei Bakhmetev: “Everything depends on you; but if you ever feel that you might go crazy, pray well to God, and you will see how strong you will become and how easy it will become for you to walk along the honest road” (from 08/17/1870 (351)).

Prayer in the writer’s work is presented in a very diverse manner - in almost all major works: prayers of Ivan the Terrible (the novel “Prince of Silver”, “The Death of Ivan the Terrible”), Fyodor Ioannovich (“Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich”), John of Damascus (the poem “John of Damascus” ) and etc.

But Tolstoy’s actual lyrical appeal to God is the same: the poem “I dozed off, my head drooping...” (until May 1858).

I dozed off, head down,
And I don’t recognize my former strength;
Die, Lord, of the living storm
For my sleepy soul.

Like a voice of reproach, above me
Roll your calling thunder,
And burn off the rust of peace,
And sweep away the ashes of inaction.

May I rise up, lifted up by You,
And, heeding the punishing words,
Like a stone from a hammer blow,
I will release the hidden fire! (1, 362)

It consists of three quatrains and is compositionally organized logically and strictly: in the first quatrain - the reason for the request and the request itself ( I dozed off, I don’t recognize it - die); in the second quatrain - clarification of what the lyrical hero asks for ( roll, burn, sweep away); in the third - the desired result of the influence of Divine help on his soul ( I'll wake up and publish).

Noteworthy is the abundance of Old Church Slavonic vocabulary in this poem: “chapter”, “voice”, “dust”, “will rise up”, “raised”, “mlata”. On the one hand, this actualizes the heritage of the 18th century, when the church genre itself in the classicist “coordinate system” was transformed into a spiritual ode. Let us remember, for example, “Morning reflection on God’s majesty...” by M.V. Lomonosov, some lines from which Tolstoy seems to quote:

Creator! covered in darkness for me
Spread out the rays of wisdom...

On the other hand, the Church Slavonic vocabulary in Tolstoy’s poem does not create the pathos of special solemnity, the significance of a conversation with the Almighty (as one would expect, bearing in mind the development of classicist traditions in the lyrics of the 19th century); on the contrary, oddly enough, the intonation of this conversation is sincere and “intimate”; communication with the Lord occurs as if “face to face”, without outside “listeners” or witnesses. It can be assumed that the Slavicisms here simply signal the utmost seriousness of the topic and situation. Why did the need for Divine help arise? The poet says this in the first two lines:

I dozed off, head down,
And I don’t recognize my former strengths...

This poetically and laconically conveys a special state of the soul, which was repeatedly interpreted in patristic literature, because sleep has been considered since ancient times one of the synonyms or images of death, and in the Christian understanding of living and dead dream acquires a distinctly spiritual semantic content: Arise, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you(Eph. 5:14). The “drowsy” state of the soul, which is mentioned in Tolstoy’s poem, evokes associations with “petrified insensibility” - a common phrase in the writings of the Church Fathers: “Lord, deliver me from all ignorance and oblivion, and cowardice, and petrified insensibility” (John Chrysostom); “Sometimes there is such a petrified insensibility in the soul that you don’t see or feel your sins; You are not afraid of death, or the Judge, or the terrible judgment; everything spiritual is, as they say, trin-grass. O wicked, oh proud, oh evil flesh!” (John of Kronstadt).

Of course, the feeling (humble recognition) of one’s own insufficiency, sinfulness, weakness, “winglessness” - necessary condition and for the meeting of the Pushkin prophet with Seraphim (“We are tormented by spiritual thirst, / I dragged myself in the dark desert”), and for the ascension to the Fatherland of the flame and the words of the hero of Tolstoy’s earlier poem (“Me, in the darkness and in the dust / Hitherto dragging out the chains...” ).

However, here we have an emphatically “earthly”, concrete “self-portrait” sketch - almost at the level of gesture. But this gesture is deeply symbolic: the head is lowered down, that is, the consciousness is immersed in the contemplation of the worldly, everyday, vain. Before us is a hero on the verge of mental death, and he cannot overcome this danger on his own, because he does not recognize his “former strengths.” Of course, we are talking about spiritual powers - the same ones that he received in the earlier poem “Lord, preparing me for battle...”:

Inspired by a powerful word,
Breathed a lot of strength into my heart... (1, 286)

And turning to God in prayer begins with the word “Dohni.” The creature needs not only creation, but also support, the constant help of its Creator. The sleepy soul must be awakened by the “living storm.” Most often, even in the poetic dictionary, a storm means the threat of destruction. But here it seems to be the other way around - it is defined almost by an oxymoron: “life-giving.” That is, the storm is a kind of gracious shock that will revive a dead soul. And further the metaphor of the storm is developed, connecting with the traditional idea of ​​the Lord's punishment in the image of a thunderstorm:

Like a voice of reproach over me
Roll your calling thunder...

What is surprising is that the poet here seems to swap the elements of comparison: it is not the voice of reproach that is compared to thunder, but vice versa, since it is the person who “translates” the majestic natural phenomena, inaccessible to his power. It is also through them that he perceives the Lord.

Even at the phonetic level, the line “Roll your calling thunder” seems to convey the booming sound of heavenly wrath; thanks to this line, the key role of the sound R in the entire poem is revealed: only two lines out of twelve are devoid of words with this sound. Thus, alliteration becomes the most important phonetic “instrumentation” of the semantic motives of Tolstoy’s poetic prayer: doze off, hang down, storm, reproach, thunder, call, roll, rust, ashes, rise up, punishing, blow- these words constitute the “conceptosphere” of the poem and convey the movement of lyrical thought and the development of lyrical experience, creating a certain mood the reader or speaker of this poem.

And the heavenly fire, not named in the poem, is recognized through another metaphorical action: “burn out the rust of peace.” Peace in general different works Tolstoy is presented and assessed ambiguously, cf. for example, in “Vasily Shibanov”:

The king in humble clothes rings the bell.
Does it call back the former peace
Or does conscience bury you forever? (1, 250)

In this context, peace is agreement with one’s own soul, it is the peace of victory over internal demons. And in prayer, peace becomes rust caused by lack of movement. Peace is static. Peace is like death. Peace is inhuman and destructive. Almost at the same time and practically the same thing, L.N. speaks. Tolstoy in one of his letters: “To live honestly, you have to struggle, get confused, struggle, make mistakes, start and give up, and start again, and give up again, and always struggle and lose. And calmness is spiritual meanness.”

The motive of death is also developed in the next line: “sweep away the ashes of inaction.” Sound, fire (light) and movement (breath) must defeat the silence, darkness and peace in which the soul of the lyrical hero is immersed. Ashes are a reminder of the earthly, mortal nature of the human body, but this dust must be swept away precisely from the soul, which is the breath of God. And then what is said in the third stanza will happen:

May I rise up, lifted up by You,
And heeding the punishing words,
Like a stone from a hammer blow,
I will release the hidden fire!

Firstly, instead of moving down, an ascent will begin - soaring. And secondly, the petrified soul will “let out” fire and free him from captivity. This is the same Divine fire that burns (or smolders) in any person. And thanks to Divine help, he will break out to connect with his original source. This is a living soul - a soul united with God.

It is paradoxical that in prayer, at first glance, the essence of the request comes down not to forgiveness, but to punishment ( voice of reproach in the second stanza it turns into punishing words in the third). It may seem that we are faced with a prayer for punishment. But this punishment must be directed at vices, at what deadens the soul. And then the prayer becomes a request for resurrection.

It is also surprising that, as the prayer is said and the lyrical monologue develops, what the hero asks for happens in reality: his intonation goes upward, and at the end of the poem there is almost nothing reminiscent of the initial apathy-drowsiness, and the final exclamation mark - a kind of symbol of victory. The prayer is heard and fulfilled as if at the very moment of utterance, since the desire to free oneself from the worst in oneself, warmed by sincere faith in Divine help, is in itself almost omnipotent.

So, religious issues in the spiritual poetry of A.K. Tolstoy includes a wide range of issues: the relationship between the eternal and the temporary in human earthly life; choice of path; realization of the gift, which is understood as mission and responsibility; Beauty and its relationship with Truth and Goodness; temptation and spiritual death, overcoming which is impossible without Divine help; word and silence; renunciation and obedience; sin and its condemnation. The formulation and solution of these problems is shown by A.K. Tolstoy as a deep and original religious artist-thinker. He is sincerely convinced that the eternal can become relevant without the help of topicality, as long as a person remains human and faces “damned questions” to which each generation must seek its own answer.

I would like to believe that readers of our generation will rediscover the work of this wonderful Russian writer. And this discovery will be akin to the miracle of self-knowledge, spiritual transformation - and movement towards God.