Brief biography of Alexei Tolstoy. Tolstoy, Alexei Konstantinovich - a short biography Biography of Alexei Tolstoy the world around
Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy (January 10, 1883 - February 23, 1945) - Russian Soviet writer, count, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1939). Member of the commission to investigate the atrocities of the German invaders (1942).
Author of socio-psychological, historical and science fiction novels, novellas and short stories, journalistic works. Laureate of three Stalin Prizes of the first degree (1941, 1943, 1946 - posthumously). The greatest fame brought him the book "The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio."
It was already the middle of the night, but no one slept in the City of Fools.
Tolstoy Alexey Nikolaevich
Father - Count Nikolai Alexandrovich Tolstoy (1849–1890).
Mother - Alexandra Leontievna (1854–1906), nee Turgeneva - writer, cousin of the Decembrist Nikolai Turgenev.
Museum-estate of A. N. Tolstoy in Samara
The childhood years of the future writer were spent in a small estate on the farm Sosnovka, not far from Samara (at present - the village of Pavlovka, Krasnoarmeisky municipal district).
(Quote from the work "The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio")
Tolstoy Alexey Nikolaevich
Tales and stories from the life of the estate nobility (cycle "Zavolzhye", 1909-1911).
In 1918-1923, Alexei Tolstoy was in exile, the impressions of which he reflected in the satirical story The Adventures of Nevzorov, or Ibikus (1924). In 1927 he took part in the collective novel "Big Fires", published in the magazine "Spark".
In the trilogy "Walking Through the Torments" (1922-1941) he seeks to present Bolshevism as having a national and popular soil, and the revolution of 1917 as the highest truth comprehended by the Russian intelligentsia.
This teaching will not bring you to good ... So I studied, studied, and - look - I walk on three paws.
(Quote from the work "The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio", Alice the Fox)
Tolstoy Alexey Nikolaevich
The historical novel Peter the Great (books 1-3, 1929-1945, unfinished), perhaps the most famous example of this genre in Soviet literature, contains an apology for a strong and cruel reformist government.
Tolstoy's novel Aelita (1922–1923) and the novel The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin (1925–1927) became classics of Soviet science fiction.
The story "Bread" (1937), dedicated to the defense of Tsaritsyn in the years civil war is interesting in that it tells in a fascinating artistic form that vision of the Civil War in Russian Empire, which existed in the circle of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin and his associates and served as the basis for the creation of his personality cult. At the same time, the story pays detailed attention to the description of the warring parties, the life and psychology of people of that time.
Among other works: the story "Russian character" (1944), drama - "Conspiracy of the Empress" (1925), about the decay of the tsarist regime; Vyrubova's Diary (1927).
Awards and prizes
* 1941 - Stalin Prize of the first degree for 1-2 parts of the novel "Peter I".
* 1943 - Stalin Prize of the first degree for the novel "Walking through the torments" (transferred to the Defense Fund for the construction of the Grozny tank).
* 1946 - Stalin Prize of the first degree for the play "Ivan the Terrible" (posthumously).
The Great Patriotic War found Alexei Tolstoy already a well-known writer (in 1941, at the age of 58, he finished the third book of his novel "Walking through the torments").
During the war years, Alexei Tolstoy wrote about 60 journalistic materials (essays, articles, appeals, sketches about heroes, military operations), starting from the first days of the war (June 27, 1941 - “What we are defending”) and until his death at the end of winter 1945. The most famous work of Alexei Tolstoy about the war is the essay "Motherland".
In these articles, the writer often turns to folklore, to episodes of Russian history. The articles often refer to Russian folk tales (in Army of Heroes, Alexei Tolstoy compares Hitler to a fairy tale wolf).
In "Russian Warriors" the writer quotes "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". Other articles mention the fight against Khan Mamai, the victories of Alexander Nevsky and Mikhail Kutuzov.
Alexei Tolstoy consistently deduces a certain "Russian character", noting certain features characteristic of the Russian people: difficult moments life "("What we are defending"), "Russian smetka" ("Army of Heroes"), "the aspiration of the Russian people for moral perfection" ("To the writers North America”), “disregard for one’s life and anger, intelligence and tenacity in a fight” (“Why Hitler must be defeated”).
You have committed three crimes, scoundrel: you are homeless, without a passport and unemployed. Take him outside the city and drown him in a pond.
(Quotation from the work "The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio", duty bulldog-policeman Pinocchio)
Tolstoy Alexey Nikolaevich
Aleksey Tolstoy ridicules the psychological methods of warfare of the Nazis ("Daredevils"), comparing "the skull and bones ... in buttonholes, black tanks, howling bombs" with horned masks of savages. Thus, Tolstoy tried to fight various myths about the enemy that were circulating
Some places near Moscow are associated with the name of A. N. Tolstoy: he visited the House of Creativity of Writers in Maleevka (now the Ruzsky district), at the end of the 30s he visited Maxim Gorky at his dacha in Gorki (now the Odintsovo district), together with Gorky visited in 1932 the Bolshevo labor commune (now the territory of the city of Korolyov).
For a long time he lived in a dacha in Barvikha (now the Odintsovo district). In 1942, he wrote his military stories here: “Mother and Daughter”, “Katya”, “Stories of Ivan Sudarev”. Here he began the third book of the novel "Walking through the torments", and at the end of 1943 he worked on the third part of the novel "Peter I". Alexey Nikolaevich Tolstoy died on February 23, 1945 in the Barvikha sanatorium.
I will only threaten with a whip -
My people are meek
sings songs,
Collects money
Into my big pocket.
(Quote from the work "The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio")
Tolstoy Alexey Nikolaevich
The origin of Tolstoy raises questions. Roman Borisovich Gul, in his memoirs, cites one of the prevailing versions that A. N. Tolstoy was not the biological son of Count Nikolai Tolstoy, referring to the other sons of the Count, who, according to his version, had a negative attitude towards him, since he participated in the section father's inheritance.
In the latest biography of Tolstoy, published in the ZhZL series (2006), biographer Alexei Varlamov provides convincing evidence that Gul's testimony is just one of the versions, caused, in addition, by the memoirist's negative attitude towards Tolstoy, and in fact Alexei Nikolaevich had the right to a surname, patronymic and title.
Sergei Golitsyn in the book "Notes of a Survivor" mentions: "I remember one story of Uncle Alda from his archival searches. Somewhere he unearthed a copy of the appeal of the mother of the writer A. N. Tolstoy to the royal name: she asks to give her young son the surname and title of her husband, with whom she had not lived for many years. Turned out to be a classic Soviet literature not a third Tolstoy at all. Uncle showed this document to Bonch. He gasped and said: “Hide the paper and don’t tell anyone about it, this is a state secret…”
Pinocchio said:
- Pierrot, roll to the lake, bring water.
Piero obediently trudged along, muttering verses and stumbling along the way, he lost the lid, barely bringing water at the bottom of the kettle.
Pinocchio said:
- Malvina, fly off, pick up branches for the fire.
Malvina looked reproachfully at Pinocchio, shrugged her shoulders, and brought a few dry stalks.
Pinocchio said:
- Here is the punishment with these well-bred ...
He himself brought water, he collected branches and pine cones, he made a fire at the entrance to the cave, so noisy that the branches on a tall pine swayed ... He himself boiled cocoa on the water.
(Quote from the work "The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio")
Tolstoy Alexey Nikolaevich
Wives and children
* Julia Vasilievna Razhanskaya, a native of Samara
1. son Yuri, died in childhood
* Sofia Isaakovna Dymshits, artist. A Jewess, after several years of cohabitation with Tolstoy in a civil marriage, converted to Orthodoxy in order to legally marry him, but the wedding did not take place.
1. daughter Maryana (Marianna) (b. 1911 - 1988), husband Evgeny Alexandrovich Shilovsky (1889–1952).
* Krandievskaya, Natalia Vasilievna (1888–1963), in her youth a poetess - in 1914-1945. Prototype of Katya Roshchina from "Walking through the torment"
1. Dmitry, composer, three wives (one of them is Tatyana Nikolaevna), one child from each marriage
2. Nikita (1917–1994), physicist, the story “Nikita’s Childhood” is dedicated to him, wife Natalya Mikhailovna Lozinskaya (daughter of translator Lozinsky), seven children (including Tatyana Tolstaya), fourteen grandchildren (including Artemy Lebedev)
3. (adoptive) Fyodor Krandievskiy - son of Krandievskaya from his first marriage, grew up in Tolstoy's family
* Love (in other source. Lyudmila) Ilyinichna Krestinskaya-Barshcheva. There were no children.
Works about the war
* Army of heroes
* "Blitzkrieg" and "blitzcrach"
* To the Writers of North America
* Moscow is threatened by the enemy
* You can't beat us!
* Why Hitler must be defeated
* Motherland
* Russian character
* Cycle "Stories of Ivan Sudarev"
* Black days of Hitler's army
* What we protect
*I call for hate
Novels
* Adventures of Nevzorov, or Ibicus (1924)
* Hyperboloid engineer Garin (1927)
* Emigrants (1931)
* The Road to Calvary. Book 1: Sisters (1922)
* The Road to Calvary. Book 2: Year Eighteen (1928)
* The Road to Calvary. Book 3: Gloomy Morning (1941)
* Peter I
Novels and stories
* Arkhip (1909)
* Cockerel [= Week in Tourenev] (1910)
* Matchmaking (1910)
* Mishuka Nalymov (Zavolzhye) (1910)
* Actress (Two Friends) (1910)
* Dreamer (Aggey Korovin) (1910)
* Adventures of Rastegin (1910)
* Khariton's gold (1911)
* Love (1916)
* Beautiful lady (1916)
* Peter's Day (1918)
* Ordinary person (1917)
* simple soul (1919)
* Four centuries (1920)
* In Paris (1921)
* Count Cagliostro (1921)
* Childhood of Nikita (1922)
* Tale of the Time of Troubles (1922)
* Aelita (1923)
* Seasoned Man (1927)
* Viper (1928)
* Bread (1937)
* Ivan the Terrible (Eagle and eagle, 1942; Difficult years, 1943)
* Russian character (1944)
* Strange story (1944)
* Seven days in which the world was robbed (1924)
* Ancient way
* Black Friday
* On the island of Halki
* Manuscript found under the bed
* In the snow
* Mirage
* Assassination of Antoine Rivaud
* Fishing
Biography and episodes of life Alexei Tolstoy. When born and died Alexey Tolstoy, memorable places and dates of important events in his life. Quotes from a writer and playwright, Photo and video.
Years of life of Alexei Tolstoy:
born December 29, 1882, died February 23, 1945
Epitaph
“Now I am dead. I became the lines of a book
In your hands…
And the chains are removed from the shoulders of your love,
But my ashes are burning.
From now on I can be in the hour of anxiety
flip through,
But your roads will always be preserved
my seal."
From a poem by M. Voloshin, a friend of A. Tolstoy
Biography
Alexey Nikolaevich Tolstoy, along with Gorky, was in Soviet time"canonical", "correct" writer. For this, his monumental work “Walking through the torments”, which glorified the revolution, would have been enough. But there were others, there was "Bread" - a laudatory ode to Stalin. Were state awards, honors and awards. And at the same time, there was something else that did not fit into this portrait: noble origin, years of life in exile, children's fairy tales and reference books for Soviet science fiction...
Alexei did not know his father, Count Nikolai Aleksandrovich Tolstoy: even before his birth, his mother left for another. Tolstoy began to publish his first poems at the age of 23, and prose a few years later. Already in the first works of Alexei Tolstoy, his obvious literary talent was manifested, which was later recognized even by those who did not agree with the line chosen by the author. For your creative way Tolstoy managed to work in a variety of genres, he wrote everyday sketches, kept a military chronicle, created science fiction novels, edited fairy tales, and prepared film scripts. He was also an unusually prolific author: the collected works of Tolstoy fit into 15 volumes.
Tolstoy loved the theatre: he wrote plays and acted in several performances himself. Perhaps this explains the strange duality that was in this writer. After all, he was a count - and an ardent communist; a children's storyteller - and an ardent propagandist of the regime; an emigrant - and a patriot, long years who lived and worked at his dacha near Moscow. Today it is already difficult to say which of these Tolstoys was "real". It is also difficult to say whether Alexei Nikolaevich knew about this himself.
Alexey Nikolaevich Tolstoy died of lung cancer. According to biographers, he was greatly crippled by his work in the commission investigating the atrocities of the Nazis. After the heavy pictures that he was forced to see, Tolstoy fell ill and never recovered. His burial was arranged very solemnly, and the day of the funeral was declared national mourning.
life line
December 29, 1882 Date of birth of Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy.
1905 A trip to the Urals for practice from the institute.
1916 Trip to France and England as a war correspondent.
1918-1923 Life in exile in Turkey, Germany, France.
1922-1941 Creation of the trilogy "Walking through the torments".
1922-1923 Creation of the novel "Aelita".
1925-1927 Creation of the novel "The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin".
1932 Trip to Germany and Italy.
1935 Trips to Great Britain, Germany, France, Czechoslovakia.
1936-1938 Management of the Writers' Union of the USSR.
1937 Trips to England, Spain, France.
1939 The title of Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
February 23, 1945 Date of death of Alexei Tolstoy.
Memorable places
1. Nikolaevsk (now - Pugachev, Samara region), where Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy was born.
2. Syzran, where A. Tolstoy lived in 1897-1898.
3. Petersburg Institute of Technology (now - Technical University), where A. Tolstoy studied.
4. House number 35 on Tavricheskaya st. in St. Petersburg ( tenement house Dernov), where A. Tolstoy lived in 907-1910.
5. House number 147 on Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg (Kruglov's profitable house), where the writer lived in 1910-1912.
6. House number 3 on the embankment. Zhdanovka in St. Petersburg, where Tolstoy lived in 1928-1930.
7. House number 8 on Moskovskaya Street in Pushkin (formerly Detskoye Selo), where the writer lived in 1928-1930.
8. House number 6 on Church (formerly Proletarskaya) street. in Pushkin (House of creativity of writers), where A. Tolstoy lived in 1930-1938.
9. Barvikha, where Tolstoy lived in his dacha from the 1940s.
10. Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow, where Alexei Tolstoy is buried.
11. Museum-estate of A. N. Tolstoy in Samara.
Episodes of life
Some historians doubt the authenticity of Tolstoy's "count" origin. It is known that his mother was already expecting a child when she left her husband for Tolstoy's future stepfather, whose last name he bore until the age of 17.
Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy was awarded three Stalin Prizes of the first degree, the last - posthumously.
Tolstoy was married four times and had four natural children from different wives.
Documentary "Red Count Alexei Tolstoy"
Testaments
“It is not death that is terrible, the consciousness of a fruitlessly lived life torments us with melancholy.”
“Only fools, and even those who do not know what struggle and victory are, see chance everywhere.”
"It must be when a person has everything - then he is truly and unhappy."
condolences
"Perhaps none of our contemporary writers there is no such organic sense of the Russian language as that of Tolstoy. He speaks this magnificent language as easily as people use their fingers, their voice. Tolstoy studied this language where it can only be studied - from the people themselves, from the richest sources of this language.
Konstantin Paustovsky, writer
“His eyes are very talented. They are some kind of tenacious devices, seines into which the large does not fall, but from which the smallest and, however, interesting prey does not escape. What he notices and notes would not stop anyone else. He is irreplaceable."
Yuri Aikhenvald, poet and translator
Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy - Russian writer, poet and playwright. Count Alexei was born on August 24 (according to Yul.kal-ryu) on September 5, 1817 in St. Petersburg in the family of Count Konstantin Tolstoy and the pupil of Count Alexei Razumovsky Anna Perovskaya. Tolstoy died on September 28 (Yul.kal-ryu) on October 10, 1875 in the village of Krasny Rog (Chernigov province).
Biography
Immediately after the birth of her son, Anna left her husband. Little Alyosha's father was replaced by his maternal uncle, famous writer Alexey Alekseevich Perovsky (real name Anton Pogorelsky). It was he who instilled in his nephew a love of books and literature, encouraging the boy's creative impulses.
The writer spent his early years in the Chernihiv province, namely in the village of Pogoreltsy. It then appeared more than once in the works of Tolstoy, at the mention of childhood. Perovsky brings his sister and nephew to St. Petersburg. In the northern capital, the future playwright meets with Pushkin, Zhukovsky and other writers of that time, with whom his uncle has friendly ties. Alexey shows interest in literature, sneaking into meetings famous poets and writers, listening to the conversations of adults. A little later, Tolstoy meets the future Russian Emperor Alexander II. The boys find mutual language and become good friends, keeping friendly relations for life.
(K.P. Bryullov. "Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy in his youth")
In 1827, the uncle arranges for the family a trip to Germany, where Alexei Tolstoy meets Goethe and even receives a gift from the great writer, who then keeps for many years as a valuable trophy. In 1831, Perovsky shows the boy Italy, this country fascinates Tolstoy so much that he calls it "paradise lost" and for a long time sad, having arrived at home.
The playwright receives education at home, and in 1834 enters the Moscow Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The service takes a little time from the young man, but it develops his interest in history. The young man is actively engaged in creativity, simultaneously studying literature. He actively writes his own poems, reflecting on various themes. In the future, his works will be appreciated by Zhukovsky and Pushkin. After completing his studies, Tolstoy gets a place in Germany and lives there for some time, traveling around Italy and France along the way.
But Alexei did not stay abroad for long, in 1839 he received the title of collegiate secretary and was assigned to St. Petersburg in the department of the imperial office. Ambitious man is successfully advancing on career ladder up, getting new ranks. During these years, Tolstoy travels a lot, leads an active social life, attends parties and meets women.
In 1850, the writer met Sophia Miller and fell in love, but officially married her only thirteen years later in 1863. After his resignation in 1861, Tolstoy lives in an estate near St. Petersburg and in the village of Krasny Rog.
In 1875, Alexei, who was taking morphine as a cure for headaches, went too far with the dosage. It was a large dose of the drug that caused the death of the writer, who was known among the people as one of the most strong people that time.
Creation
The first works (“Ghoul Family” and “Meeting in Three Hundred Years”) by Tolstoy were on French written while living in Germany. Later they were also available for the Russian audience. The first book is published in 1841 and has the title “Ghoul”, when writing it, the writer refers to memories, especially to the time spent in the company of the future heir to the throne.
During his service from 1842 to 1846, Tolstoy seeks himself in poetry, releasing the poem "Serebryanka" in the newspaper, and also tries his hand at prose, writes essays. In 1847, Alexei Konstantinovich began to create Russian ballads, even planning to write a novel about princely life.
After the official resignation, he goes deeper into literature, becoming the author satirical works, the historical novel "Prince Silver", the dramaturgical trilogy "The Death of Ivan the Terrible" and the psychological novel in poetic form "In the midst of a noisy ball, by chance ...".
Throughout his life, Alexei Tolstoy creates many biting works that tell about modern life, so most of the satirical creations, ridiculing power and political foundations, were published posthumously.
The count family of Tolstoy gave Russian literature many famous writers and poets. One of them is Alexei Konstantinovich - a prose writer who wrote several very famous works at the end of the 19th century.
Brief biography of the classic
The writer was born in 1817 in St. Petersburg, as a child he often traveled with his family around European countries. He was part of the environment of the future Emperor Alexander II - they were the same age.
Thanks to good origin the beginning of the life of Alexei Konstantinovich was easy - in 1834 he entered the service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then he was in the Russian embassy in Germany. After that, he was appointed to the court of the emperor and granted the title of chamber junker, which was the beginning of his career. He retired in 1861, by that time already being a significant official - a real state councilor.
The literary activity of the classic began in 1841 with the fantastic story "Ghoul". Aleksey Konstantinovich wrote mainly in two genres - historical and science fiction genre, atypical for that time. He wrote such works as the novel "Prince Silver" and a literary trilogy about the era preceding the Time of Troubles - about recent years the reign of Ivan the Terrible and the accession of Godunov.
In addition, Alexei Konstantinovich wrote several well-known lyric poems. He also took part in creating the image of "Kozma Prutkov" - a collective literary image under which several writers spoke at once. The writer died in 1875 in the Chernihiv province.
Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy - another prominent writer of the famous family
It is interesting that the Tolstoy family gave Russia another famous writer- Alexei Nikolaevich. The writer, born in 1883, fully supported the communist government and was one of the most eminent writers of the USSR.
Although he was not a direct descendant of Alexei Konstantinovich, since he belonged to a different branch of the family, there are similar points in the work of the two writers. In particular, Aleksey Nikolaevich is the author of the famous historical novel "Peter I" and the trilogy "Walking through the torments", which tells about the period of the revolution. The writer's archive also contains works in the fantasy genre - such as "Aelita" and others.
In addition, Alexei Nikolaevich is widely known for children's stories and novels, fairy tales, plays, as well as essays and stories about the period of the Great Patriotic War.
Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy is a writer of many-sided and bright talent. He created novels about the present and the historical past of our Motherland, stories and plays, scripts and political pamphlets, autobiographical story 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 an atmosphere of wild life of ruined Trans-Volga landowners. The writer vividly depicted this life in his stories and novels written in 1909–1912. ("Mishuka Nalymov", "Eccentrics", "The Lame Master", etc.).
Tolstoy did not immediately accept the Great October Socialist Revolution. 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 childhood memories in the writer's memory, paintings native nature. This is how the autobiographical story "Nikita's Childhood" (1919) appeared, in which one feels how deeply and sincerely Tolstoy loved his homeland, how he yearned away from it. The story tells about the childhood years of the writer, pictures of Russian nature, Russian life, images of Russian people are beautifully depicted.
In Paris, Tolstoy wrote a scientific fantasy novel"Aelita".
Returning to his homeland in 1923, Tolstoy wrote: “I became a participant in a new life on earth. I see the challenges of the era.” The writer creates stories about Soviet reality ("Black Friday", "Mirage", "Union of Five"), the science fiction novel "The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin", the trilogy "Walking Through the Torments" and the historical novel "Peter I".
Tolstoy worked on the trilogy "Walking through the torments" ("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 tells 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 to determine their place in the nationwide struggle for socialism, to find personal happiness. The reader parted with them at the end of the civil war. Begins new stage in the life of the country. The victorious people begin to build socialism. But, saying goodbye to his regiment, the heroes of the novel Telegin say: “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 do not win ... Rainy, gloomy morning we went into battle for a bright day, and our enemies want a dark night of robbers. And the day will rise, even if you burst with annoyance ... "
The Russian people appear in the epic as the creator of history. Under the leadership of the Communist Party, he fights for freedom and justice. In the images of representatives of the people - Ivan Gora, Agrippina, Baltic sailors - Tolstoy reflects steadfastness, courage, purity of feelings, devotion to the Motherland Soviet people. With great artistic power, the writer managed to capture the image of Lenin in the trilogy, to show the depth of thoughts of the leader of the revolution, his determination, energy, modesty and simplicity.
Tolstoy wrote: “In order to understand the secret of the Russian people, its greatness, you need to know its past well and deeply: our history, its root knots, tragic and creative eras in which the Russian character was tied.
One of these eras was the Petrine era. A. Tolstoy turned to 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 reformer Peter I, but also about the fate of the Russian nation in one of the "tragic and creative" periods of its history. The writer tells the truth about major events Petrine era: Streltsy revolt, Crimean campaigns Prince Golitsyn, about Peter's struggle for Azov, Peter's travels abroad, his reformative activities, about the war between Russia and the Swedes, about the creation of the Russian fleet and a new army, about the founding of St. Petersburg, etc. Along with all this, Tolstoy shows the life of the most diverse layers population of Russia, the life of the masses.
When writing the novel, Tolstoy used huge stuff – historical research, notes and letters of 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, brings up love for the Motherland, legitimate pride in its past.
For children younger age Tolstoy wrote the fairy tale "The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio". On the material of the fairy tale, he made a film script and a play for the children's theater.
During the Great Patriotic War, A. Tolstoy spoke 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 the enemy”, the story “Russian character” and others inspired the Soviet people to new feats.
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 an outstanding public figure. He was repeatedly elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, was elected a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
A patriotic writer and humanist, an artist of a wide creative range, a master of a perfect literary form, who owned all the riches of the Russian language, Tolstoy went through a difficult creative path and took a prominent place in Russian Soviet literature.
