Leo Tolstoy: A Study of His Work and Writing Advice:

When I think of Russian literature, the words that come to mind are “complicated” and “philosophical” rather than “simple” and “realistic.” However, prolific 19th-century Russian writer Leo Tolstoy’s works are a combination of the four seemingly opposite terms, as his complex novels focused on the human experience and the intricacies of the human condition. One of the most famous writers in terms of Russian literature, Tolstoy was born in 1828 and died in 1910, and is known for his two most famous novels, War and Peace and Anna Karenina. As a prolific writer, Tolstoy wrote numerous long-form novels and novellas and became known for writing realistic fiction, as he popularized the use of the narrative technique known as stream-of-consciousness writing. Tolstoy’s influence has spread far and wide over the course of centuries, inspiring many authors including 20th-century English novelist Virginia Woolf. A man who lived a long and complicated life, Tolstoy’s works and advice for aspiring writers all fall under the umbrella of creating realistic fiction and highlight themes including morals, identity, human existence, and more.

In this article, I’ll be writing about Tolstoy’s life as his inspiration for his writing, his diaries, and his final years beyond the success of War and Peace and Anna Karenina.

Tolstoy’s Life As Inspiration For Writing

According to Britannica, the “19th-century British poet and critic Matthew Arnold [stated] that a novel by Tolstoy is not a work of art but a piece of life.” I believe this assertion applies to Tolstoy as a person, and not just his work, as his life clearly informed and inspired the content of his novels. Tolstoy’s attempt to harness, explicate, and decipher the human condition led some to view him as “the embodiment of nature and pure vitality, others saw him as the incarnation of the world’s conscience, but for almost all who knew him or read his works, he was not just one of the greatest writers who ever lived but a living symbol of the search for life’s meaning.” Although he was born into an aristocratic family, his youth was tumultuous and he often engaged in behavior that was not suited for members of the aristocracy. Growing up just south of Moscow, Tolstoy lived most of his life in his childhood home and after his parents and grandparents’ deaths, he and his siblings were raised by his aunt Tatyana Aleksandrovna Yergolskaya. After being homeschooled by tutors for most of his childhood, he enrolled as a student at the University of Kazan in 1844 but then subsequently transferred to another institution. Because of poor grades, gambling, and drinking, Tolstoy eventually dropped out of university in 1847 without a degree and went back home. He eventually followed in his brother’s footsteps and joined the army in 1851, later fighting in the Crimean War from 1853-1856.

After participating in the war, Tolstoy changed his vocation numerous times over the years, going from managing his family estate to writing to lecturing, and more. Tolstoy began penning his early novels under a pseudonym, with his first essays and short stories published in the early 1850s. In 1862, he married Sofya (Sonya) Andreyevna Bers and began what became a decades-long marriage bearing 13 children. It was during these years (the 1860s and 1870s), when he was creating and growing his family, that he wrote his two greatest works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina.

War and Peace, first published in 1869, follows the story of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and delves into the lives of two men and one young woman. One of the most well-known novels of all time, War and Peace focuses on the lives of Pierre Bezukhov Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, and Natasha Rostov, in addition to the stories of many others who vary in terms of socioeconomic status, role in the war, and desires. Despite its specificity in terms of time period and circumstance, the prominent work is so relatable for bookworms that it has undergone hundreds of translations and is beloved by readers globally. Because of his ability to dive into the world of the 19th century and the circumstances of war, as well as portray so many characters of different backgrounds, War and Peace is still read in classrooms, libraries, and bookstores all around the world today.

An epic and ultimately tragic love story, Anna Karenina follows the stories of the titular character, Anna Karenina, a noblewoman, and Konstantin Levin, a landowner. In the novel set in 19th-century Imperial Russia, Anna Karenina abandons her marriage and child and chooses to embark on an all-consuming love affair with Count Vronsky, for which she learns the consequences later on, as she tries to navigate the rules of society while navigating love and heartbreak. Like Anna Karenina, Konstantin Levin tries to find his place in society and in the world at large by seeking his happiness through relationships and more. One of Tolstoy’s most famous works, Anna Karenina has been adapted for the screen several times and continues to resonate with readers across the globe today.

Tolstoy’s Journals

In addition to writing his novels and short stories, Tolstoy was also a dedicated diarist and kept journals documenting his thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and experiences throughout most of his life. Journaling almost religiously, he began writing in a diary in 1847 as a way to “experiment in self-analysis and, later, for his fiction.” In comparison to his own life and his lack of adherence to societal rules and customs, in his journals, Tolstoy would often reflect on rules and regulations and generally “record a fascination with rule-making,” heavily documenting his propensity for rule-breaking. As he aged, Tolstoy used his journals, documentation of his life, as extensions of his fiction works, and tried to dissect the human condition by examining his own life. Tolstoy’s diaries were eventually published for public consumption.

Writing Advice + Final Years

Tolstoy’s toying with philosophical and moral debates in his writing also extended to the critiques that he gave to other young writers. Generally speaking, Tolstoy advised writers to write in order to untangle the complications of human existence, and not write for the sake of money or fame. For instance, “Tolstoy advised them not to write, unless they felt it was absolutely necessary, and never to write with an eye to publication.” In this same vein, Tolstoy specifically told a writer in 1887, “The main thing is not to be in a hurry to write, not to grudge correcting and revising the same thing 10 or 20 times, not to write a lot and not, for heaven’s sake, to make of writing a means of livelihood or of winning importance in people’s eyes.’” Furthering that same notion of writing for the sake of writing, rather than for monetary gain or whatnot, Tolstoy once said to a writer, “You should only write when you feel within you some completely new and important content, clear to you but unintelligible to others, and when the need to express this content gives you no peace.” In order to truly understand and communicate elements of the human experience, Tolstoy also advised writers to, “…Live the lives of the people described, describe in images their inner feelings, and the characters themselves will do what they must do according to their natures.”

Following the publication of Anna Karenina, Tolstoy had an existential crisis that involved a religious awakening and vastly changing political ideologies. These mindset changes greatly affected his work and what he was trying to communicate to his readers, as he was coming to grips with his changing views on faith, political organizations, and his place in the world. From the 1880s onward, Tolstoy’s works focused primarily on the idea of morals. He explored this topic and many others through novels, short stories, and essays, and continued to document his changing beliefs in his diaries.

As a result of his shifting religious and political beliefs, as well as changes in his behavior, Tolstoy’s marriage fell apart. Documenting the deterioration of his marriage in his diaries, Tolstoy and his wife tragically fell out of love and out of like. Because of his staunch views and widespread teachings, his family could no longer support him. Sadly, Tolstoy became estranged from most of his immediate family at the end of his life. Only in contact with one of his children, a daughter to whom he left everything, Tolstoy tried to escape his family home but quickly contracted pneumonia and died from complications from lung infection and heart failure.

A prolific writer, Leo Tolstoy’s influence knows no bounds in terms of time, language, or genre. Influencing writers, political leaders, revolutionaries, and more, Tolstoy’s works truly articulated what it means to be human in this world. Tolstoy’s writing style heavily influenced the genre of realistic fiction and made writers realize just how important it is to ponder their moral, political, and social dilemmas through writing. Tolstoy’s way of putting a magnifying glass on society and how we function within it changed the literary world forever and will continue to influence authors and readers for generations to come.