Sophia Tolstaya, Leo Tolstoy's wife, was a remarkable woman. Her biography is closely connected with the life and work of her great husband. This woman sacrificed secular society and familiar city life in order to be with him. After the death of the writer, it was Sofya Andreevna Tolstaya who was engaged in the publication of his heritage. The biography of this woman will be discussed in detail in the article.
L. N. Tolstoy married on September 23, 1862. The maiden name of Sofia Andreevna Tolstoy is Bers. At that time, the girl was 18 years old, and Lev Nikolayevich - 34. The couple lived together for a very long time - 48 years. They were separated by the death of Count Tolstoy. However, this marriage cannot be called uncloudedly happy and easy. Sofia Tolstaya gave birth to 13 children to Leo Nikolayevich. She published Tolstoy's lifetime collected works, as well as a posthumous edition of the great author's letters. Lev Nikolaevich, in the last message addressed to his wife after a quarrel, admitted that, in spite of everything, he loves her, but he cannot live with her. After that, he went tohis last journey to St. "Astapovo".
Was Sofia Andreevna a bad wife?
Both during the life of her husband, and after the death of Lev Nikolayevich, Sofya Andreevna was accused of failing to understand her husband, to share his ideas. She allegedly was too mundane and very far from the philosophical views of Tolstoy. Lev Nikolayevich himself accused her of this. In fact, this was the main reason for their disagreements, which overshadowed at least the last 20 years of married life. However, she cannot be called a bad wife. This is evidenced by the biography of Sophia Tolstoy. She devoted her whole life to the birth and upbringing of children, solving economic and peasant problems, taking care of the house and preserving the creative heritage of her husband. For this, she had to forget about social life and dresses.
Tolstoy's friendship with the Bers family
Count Tolstoy had already made a teaching and military career before meeting his wife. In addition, he became a famous writer. Tolstoy knew the Bers family even before serving in the Caucasus and traveling around Europe in the 1850s. Sophia is the second daughter of Andrei Bers, a doctor who worked in the Moscow Palace Office, and Lyubov Bers, his wife (maiden name - Islavina). In total, the family had three daughters, as well as two sons. The Berses lived in Moscow, but rarely visited the Tula estate of the Islavins, located in the village of Ivitsy, from where it was very close to Yasnaya Polyana. Lyubov Alexandrovna was friends with Maria, the sister of Lev Nikolaevich. And Konstantin, her brother, was a friendthe Count himself. Tolstoy first saw Sophia and her sisters as children. They spent time together in Moscow and Yasnaya Polyana, singing, playing the piano, and even staged an opera performance once.
Education
Tolstoy's future wife, Sofya Bers (Tolstaya), received an excellent home education. From childhood, her mother instilled in her children a taste for literature. She then graduated from Moscow University with a diploma as a home teacher. It is known that Sophia Bers wrote short stories. She has been writing since she was young. In addition, Sophia kept a diary, later recognized as one of the best examples of the memoir genre.
How Sofia Andreevna charmed Tolstoy
Tolstoy, who returned to Moscow, found an adult charming girl instead of the little girl he remembered Sophia Bers. The families became close again and began to visit each other. The Berses noticed Lev Nikolayevich's interest in his daughter, but they believed that Tolstoy would marry the eldest, Elizabeth. It is known that at one time he himself doubted, but in August 1862, after another day that Leo Tolstoy spent with his family, he made a final decision. The girl conquered him with clarity and simplicity of judgment, with her spontaneity. They parted for a few days, and then the count himself went to Ivica. Here the Berses held a ball. Sophia danced on it so that Tolstoy cast aside his last doubts.
Reading Tolstoy's diary
September 16, Leo Tolstoy asked for the hand of Sophia Bers, sending a letter to the girl in advance, in order toto make sure she agrees. Tolstoy, wanting to be honest with his future wife, let Sophia read his diary. Bers learned about the turbulent past of Lev Nikolaevich, about gambling, about many novels, including a relationship with Aksinya, a peasant girl who was expecting a child from the count. This shocked the future wife of Tolstoy, but she hid her feelings as best she could. Nevertheless, Sophia will carry the memory of these revelations through her whole life.
Wedding and early years of marriage
A week after the engagement, they got married. The count wanted to marry his bride as soon as possible. As it seemed to Tolstoy, he finally found the one he had been dreaming about since childhood. Lev Nikolaevich, who lost his mother early, often listened to stories about her. He wanted his future wife to be the same loving, faithful, assistant and mother who shared his views, simple and at the same time able to appreciate the gift of her husband and the beauty of literature. This is exactly how Sofya Bers seemed to him - an 18-year-old girl who refused beautiful outfits, social receptions, city life in order to be close to her husband, to live in his country estate. She took care of the household, gradually getting used to rural life, so unlike before.
Tolstoy family world
Sofya Andreevna created a special family world. The Tolstoys had their own traditions. This was felt most of all during family holidays, it was also felt at Christmas, Trinity, Easter. All these holidays were loved in Yasnaya Polyana. Prepared for them in advancealways solemnly celebrated. The family went to St. Nicholas Church for the liturgy. It was located two kilometers south of the estate. Every year at Christmas they put up a Christmas tree, decorated it with gilded nuts, carved figures of animals from cardboard, etc. In addition, a masquerade was held in Yasnaya Polyana. Sofya Andreevna, Lev Nikolaevich, their children, as well as guests, peasant children, courtyards took part in it. Ankov pie and turkey were invariably served at the festive dinner.
Sophia brought the pie recipe from her family. It was given to the Bers by Professor Anke, a doctor and family friend. In the summer, Tolstoy's life revived. Bathing was arranged in the river. Funnel, playing gorodki and tennis, mushroom picking, picnics, home performances, musical evenings. We often dined in the yard and drank tea on the veranda. Many guests invariably came to the Tolstoys, and all of them found a place to sleep. Sofya Andreevna could both feed everyone and honor everyone with her attention. According to A. Fet, the countess combined two important qualities - "poetic nature" and "practical instinct".
In the family of Ilya Lvovich, the son of Sophia, in 1888, daughter Anna was born. She became the first granddaughter of Sofia Andreevna and Lev Nikolaevich. Since that time, the large Tolstoy family has grown every year. The grandchildren became the most welcome guests in Yasnaya Polyana.
The first manifestation of character
In 1863, Sophia Tolstaya gave birth to her first child Serezha. At the same time, Tolstoy set about writing his great novel War and Peace. his wife, despitefor a difficult pregnancy, not only did household chores, but also found time and energy to help her husband in his work - she rewrote drafts.
After the birth of Serezha, Sofya Andreevna showed her character for the first time. She was not able to feed her son herself, so she demanded to bring a nurse, although Tolstoy was categorically against it. He said that in this case, the children of this woman will be left without milk. In all other respects, Sophia Tolstaya followed the rules established by her husband. She solved the problems of the peasants who lived in the surrounding villages, treated them. Sofia Tolstaya raised and taught all the children at home. Of the thirteen, five died at an early age, and the death of each of them left a mark on the soul of this woman.
Grievances accumulate
The first 20 years passed almost cloudlessly, but claims gradually accumulated. Tolstoy completed Anna Karenina in 1877. He felt dissatisfied with life. This greatly offended and upset his wife. After all, Sofya Andreevna Tolstaya sacrificed everything for him, and in return - dissatisfaction with the life that she arranged for him so diligently.
The moral quest of Lev Nikolaevich took shape in the commandments by which his family now had to live. The count called, among other things, for a simple existence, for giving up smoking, alcohol, and meat. He wore peasant clothes, he made shoes and clothes for his children, his wife and himself. Lev Nikolayevich even wanted to give up his property in favor of the villagers. It took a lot of work for his wife to dissuade him from this.deed.
Sofya Andreevna Tolstaya could not come to terms with the fact that Lev Nikolaevich, feeling his guilt before humanity, did not feel it before her. He was ready to give the peasants everything he had acquired over the years. And the count expected from his wife that she would completely share both material and spiritual life, the philosophical views of Lev Nikolayevich. Tolstoy, having for the first time seriously quarreled with his wife, left home. After returning, he no longer trusted Sofya Andreevna with his manuscripts. The duty to rewrite drafts now fell on the daughters, and Leo Tolstoy's wife, Tolstaya Sofya Andreevna, was very jealous of them.
The story with Alexander Taneyev
The death of Vanya, the last child born in 1888, knocked down the wife of the great writer. This boy did not live up to 7 years. At first, the common grief brought the spouses together, but not for long. The abyss that separated them, misunderstanding, mutual insults prompted Sofya Andreevna to find solace on the side. Tolstoy became interested in music. She began to travel frequently to Moscow, where she took lessons from Alexander Taneyev. Sophia's romantic feelings for the latter were not a secret either for Tolstoy or for Taneyev himself, but the relationship between them remained friendly. Nevertheless, Lev Nikolaevich, angry, jealous, could not forgive his wife for this "half-treason".
Fatal quarrel
Mutual grievances and suspicions in recent years have grown into almost manic obsession. Tolstaya began to reread her husband's diaries, trying to find something bad about them.her. Lev Nikolaevich scolded her for being too suspicious. A fatal quarrel took place between the spouses on the night of October 27-28, 1910. The count gathered his things and left, leaving a farewell letter to Sofya Andreevna. He reported that he loved her, but could not do otherwise. After reading the note, as the family testifies, Sofya Andreevna rushed to drown herself. The fat woman was miraculously pulled out of the pond.
Tolstoy's illness and death
After some time, information was received that Lev Nikolaevich, having caught a cold, was dying at the Astapovo station from pneumonia. His children and Sofya Nikolaevna, whom he did not want to see even then, came to see him at the stationmaster's house. Before the death of the writer, the last meeting of the spouses took place. Lev Nikolaevich died on November 7, 1910
The life of Sofia Andreevna after the death of her husband
Sofya Tolstaya, Leo Tolstoy's wife, outlived her husband by nine years. She published his diaries. The departure of Tolstoy and his death had a hard effect on her. She could not forget that she did not see her husband in the mind before his death.
The last years Sofya Andreevna lived in Yasnaya Polyana, putting her husband's legacy in order. In the last years of her life, Tolstaya described books and objects by cabinets and rooms. In her husband's bedroom and his study, Sofya Andreevna left the atmosphere of the last day of his life, conducted the first excursions through these rooms.
She died on November 4, 1919, of pneumonia, at the age of 75. Not far from the estate, at the Kochakovsky cemetery, she was buriedSofia Tolstaya. A photo of the graves of this woman and Tatyana Andreevna Kuzminskaya, her sister, is presented above.
