Tolstoy Alexei: works. List and review of the works of Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy

Tolstoy's surname, in our view, is closely connected with literary creativity, and this is no coincidence. In Russian prose and poetry there were three famous authors who carried it: Lev Nikolaevich, Alexei Konstantinovich and Alexei Tolstoy. The works written by them are not connected in any way, but the authors themselves are united by blood relationship, although far-off. All of them are representatives of a large noble branch. Tatyana Tolstaya, a contemporary writer, by the way, also refers to this genus. Although the most famous representative of this noble branch is, of course, Lev Nikolaevich, today we invite you to get acquainted with the work of Alexei Konstantinovich. The works of Aleksey Tolstoy also deserve close attention. However, this is already a topic of a completely different article. For example, he created the namesake of the poet and writer Alexei Tolstoy, which interests us, works for children, which are still very popular and fascinating to this day.

Biography of Tolstoy Alexei Konstantinovich

Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy (years of life - 1817-1875) - poet, writer, playwright. He was born in Petersburg. He came from the Razumovsky family on the maternal line (his great-grandfather was the last hetman of Little Russia, K. Razumovsky, and his grandfather, AK Razumovsky, minister of public education under Tsar Alexander I). The father of the future writer is Count K.P. Tolstoy, whom the mother left after the birth of the boy. Alexei Konstantinovich was brought up under the guidance of his parent and her brother - AA Perovsky, a writer who encouraged the poetry experiments of young Tolstoy.

In 1834 he was recruited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the Moscow Archives. After that he was in the diplomatic service. Tolstoy Alexei, whose works we will introduce to you below, received in 1843 the title of camera-junker.

Fantastic stories and romantic prose

In the late 1830s and early 1840s, he created fantastic novels that gravitated toward the Gothic novel, as well as romantic prose: "Meeting in Three Hundred Years," "The Ghoul Family." His first published work is written in 1841, the novel "Ghoul", created under the pseudonym of Krasnopogsky. Also in the 1840s, Alexei Konstantinovich began work on a historical novel called "Prince Serebryany" (completed in 1861), at the same time a whole series of lyrical ballads and poems were published that were published somewhat later (in the 1850s and 1960s Years). Many works by Alexei Tolstoy have become very popular. The list of them is as follows: "The Barrow", "My Bells", "Prince Mikhailo Repnin", and also "Vasily Shibanov", etc.

Cooperation in the "Contemporary"

At the beginning of the 1850s, Tolstoy's rapprochement with NA Nekrasov, IS Turgenev, and other writers occurred. Since 1854, his literary parodies and poems have been published in Sovremennik. In co-authorship with VM and AM Zhemchuzhnikov (their cousins), satiric-parody works were published under the pseudonym Kozma Prutkov in the department of this magazine "Literary Eralash". The creativity of this fictional author became a mirror of phenomena that had become obsolete in the literature and simultaneously created a satirical picture of a bureaucrat pretending to be a legislator of artistic taste.

Tolstoy Alexei, whose works were already numerous by that time, having moved away from participation in Sovremennik, since 1857 began to be published in the "Russian Conversation", and later, in the 1860s and 70s - mainly in the "Bulletin of Europe" And also "Russian Herald". At this time he defended the principles of the so-called "pure art", that is, independent of any political ideas, including "progressive" ones.

In 1861, Tolstoy Alexei Konstantinovich, whose works are considered in this article, finally resigns from the service, which is very burdensome to him, and completely focuses on literary creation.

In 1862 his poem "Don Giovanni" was published, in the next one - "Prince Serebryany" (novel). In 1866, the first part of the great creation - the historical trilogy "The Death of Ivan the Terrible" - was released, in two years - the second one - "King Fyodor Ioannovich", and in 1870 - the final part - "Tsar Boris".

Lyrical heritage

Answering the question about what works Alexei Tolstoy wrote, one can not but note his lyrics. In 1867, the first poetic collection of this author appears. In the last ten years of his life, ballads were written to him (in 1868 - "The Serpent Tugarin", 1869 - "The Song of Harald and Yaroslavna", 1870 - "Roman Galitsky", 1871 - "Ilya Muromets", etc.). There were also political satires in verse ("The History of the Russian State ...", published in 1883, "The Sleep of Popov" - in 1882, etc.), lyric poems and poems (1874 - "Portrait", 1875 - "Dragon" ).

General characteristic of creativity

The work of Alexei Konstantinovich is imbued with the unity of philosophical ideas, motives, lyrical emotions. One can note interest in such problems as the philosophy of history, national antiquity, love of nature, rejection of the tsarist tyranny - these features of Tolstoy's creativity are reflected in many of his works relating to various genres. The ideal of the device of the country, corresponding to the Russian national character, Alexei Konstantinovich considered ancient Novgorod and Kievan Rus. The way of life of Rus at that time seemed to him as follows: the high level of development of various arts, the importance of such a cultural layer as aristocracy, the prince's respect for the freedom and personal dignity of citizens, the simplicity of morals, the diversity and breadth of international relations, especially with Europe.

Ballads

Representing images of Ancient Rus ballads are permeated with lyricism, they reflect the passionate dream of their creator about spiritual independence, as well as the admiration for the heroic whole natures, which Alexei Tolstoy portrayed in folk epic poetry. The works whose list is offered to you ("Matchmaking", "Ilya Muromets", "Canut", "Alyosha Popovich" and other ballads) are marked by the fact that the images of the legendary heroes in them, the plots of historical events illustrate the author's idea, embody his ideals (to For example, Prince Vladimir of Kiev). They are similar in their artistic means to some other lyrical poems by Alexei Konstantinovich ("You are my land ...", "If you love, so without reason," "Blagovest", etc.).

The ballads of Tolstoy, depicting the era of strengthening statehood in Russia, are permeated through a dramatic beginning. Their subjects are the events of the time of the reign of Ivan the Terrible, whom the poet considered the most vivid exponent of the principle of absorption by the state of the individual and unlimited autocracy.

Ballads "dramatic" in their form are more traditional than "lyrical", which refer mainly to the late 1860s - early 1870s. However, these works by Alexei Tolstoy are marked by the fact that he appeared as an original poet, capable of modifying the structure of the genre.

For example, in one of the ballads, "Vasily Shibanov," he reconsiders the classic situation of a dispute with the tsar of a freedom-loving subject, widely spread under the influence of works by F. Schiller. Passing on the way Kurbsky denounces Ivan the Terrible, Tolstoy in the participants of this dramatic conflict - the rebellious boyar and the tsar - emphasizes the general: ingratitude, inhumanity, pride. The readiness to suffer for the truth, the ability to self-sacrifice, Alexei Konstantinovich finds in a simple man, who is sacrificed to this dispute by the powerful of this world. Thus, a slave conquers a moral victory over the tsar and restores with his feat the triumph of the true greatness of man over the imaginary. Like the other "dramatic" ballads of this author, "Vasiliy Shibanov" on themes of his and the psychological complexity of the characters' images, as well as the ethical approach of the creator to historical events, comes close to the creations of major genres that Tolstoy wrote Alexei. We shall now consider these works.

Novels of Tolstoy

Alexei Konstantinovich in his novel "Prince Serebryany" depicts brutal encounters in the atmosphere of unbridled tyranny of strong people and shows that the personality of the monarch, as well as his surroundings, arbitrariness has a detrimental effect. In this work, it is noted that, while moving away from the already ruined court circle, sometimes gifted people belonging to different strata of society who are forced to hide from social oppression and persecution nevertheless "create history," defend the country from the attack of external enemies, master and discover New lands (Ermak Timofeevich, Mitka, Ivan Koltsov, Prince Serebryany, etc.). The style of this work is connected with the traditions of the story and the historical novel of the 1830s, including Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol's novels such as Taras Bulba and Terrible Vengeance.

Dramaturgical Creativity

In the aforementioned dramatic trilogy, the author portrayed Russian life at the end of the 16th century - the beginning of 17. And in these plays, it is more important for him to solve various historical and philosophical problems than accurately following historical facts. Alexei Konstantinovich depicts the tragedy of three boards, three autocrats: Ivan the Terrible, obsessed with the idea that his power is of divine origin, the kind-hearted ruler of Fedor and the wise Boris Godunov, a "genial ambitious man."

Much attention Tolstoy Alexei, whose works often depicted the past epoch, gave to the creation of unique, individual and vivid portraits of historical figures. His great achievement is the image of the Emperor Fedor, who testifies that in the 1860s the writer acquired the principles of psychological realism. In 1898 the Moscow Art Theater was opened by staging the tragedy of this author - "Tsar Feodor Ioannovich". These are the main dramatic works of Alexei Tolstoy. The list can be continued, since we listed only the main ones.

Political Satire

Features of the historical outlook of Alexei Konstantinovich were reflected in his political satires. For example, behind such an anecdotal story, which was in the work "The Dream of Popov," the author's mockery of the liberals was concealed. In verse "Against the Current" or, for example, "Sometimes May Be Happy" and others, a polemic with the nihilists was reflected. In "History of the State ..." Aleksei Konstantinovich subjected historical phenomena to merciless mockery, he believed that they prevented Russia from living.

Intimate lyrics

Unlike ballads and dramaturgy, the intimate lyrics of this author were alien to the elation of the tone. The lyrical works of Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy are sincere and simple. Many of them are, as it were, psychological verse novels ("That was early in the spring", "Among the noisy ball, accidentally ...").

Music, created by the works of Alexei Konstantinovich

Alexei Konstantinovich introduced into his work elements of folk poetic style, often his poems are close to the song. Many of the creations created by Alexei Tolstoy are put to music. Works (the list includes more than 70 poems) became the basis for the romances that PI Tchaikovsky, NA Rimsky-Korsakov, SI Taneyev, MP Mussorgsky and others wrote on his words.