Tolstoy, Leo (1828-1910) Also known as: Tolstoy, Lev Nikolayevich

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Jane Addams to William Vaughan Moody, February 9, 1901

The College Woman and Christianity, August 8, 1901

Obligation of the Woman College Student to Christianity Today, August 8, 1901

Obligation of the Woman College Student to Christianity Today, August 8, 1901

The Message of a Good Woman: Review of Democracy and Social Ethics, April 16, 1902

Samuel A. Barnett to Jane Addams, May 13, 1902

Arts and Crafts and the Settlement, July 8, 1902

Count Tolstoy, the Russian Peasant, July 10, 1902

Tolstoy's Theory of Life, July 11, 1902

Samuel Milton Jones to Jane Addams, August 15, 1902

Peace and War, September 16, 1903 (excerpts)

Jane Addams to Miss Browne, October 3, 1903

A Moral Substitute for War, January 9, 1904

Newer Ideals of Peace, February 19, 1904

Aylmer Maude to Jane Addams, June 22, 1904

The Interests of Labor in International Peace, October 5, 1904

The Responsibilities and Duties of Women toward the Peace Movement, October 5, 1904

Women's Peace Meeting, October 22, 1904

Address at Meeting for Catherine Breshkovsky, January 22, 1905 (excerpt)

Color of Americans, April 16, 1905

Jane Addams's Own Story of Her Work: Fifteen Years at Hull House (First of Three Installments), March 1906

Newer Ideals of Peace, January 5, 1907

New Ideals of Peace, April 16, 1907

New Ideals of Peace, April 16, 1907

Aylmer Maude to Jane Addams, April 28, 1907

Jane Addams to W. E. B. Du Bois, May 18, 1908

Jane Addams to Brand Whitlock, February 8, 1909

Franklin Baldwin Wiley to Jane Addams, February 5, 1910

Jane Addams to Mary Rozet Smith, March 13, 1910

Samuel Sidney McClure to Jane Addams, March 25, 1910

Autobiographical Notes upon Twenty Years at Hull-House: The Snare of Preparation, May 1910

Samuel Sidney McClure to Jane Addams, October 7, 1910

Samuel Sidney McClure to Jane Addams, November 2, 1910

W. W. Warner to Jane Addams, November 26, 1910

Edward Alfred Steiner to Jane Addams, November 30, 1910

A Visit to Tolstoy, December 3, 1910

Edward L. Burchard to Jane Addams, December 10, 1910

Jenkin Lloyd Jones to Jane Addams, December 14, 1910

Ada C. Sweet to Jane Addams, December 20, 1910

Jane Addams to Graham Taylor, December 24, 1910

Ellen Frost to Jane Addams, December 31, 1910

A Visit to Tolstoy, January 1911

Religious Education and Contemporary Social Conditions, February 16, 1911

Jane Addams to Joseph Krauskopf, April 4, 1911

The Social Situation: Religious Education and Contemporary Social Conditions, June 1911

Child Labor on the Stage, July 1911

A New Conscience and an Ancient Evil, Chapter I, November 1911

A New Conscience and an Ancient Evil, Chapter IV: Tragedies of Lonely and Unprotected Girls, February 1912

George Ashley Lewis to Jane Addams, April 30, 1912

Old Glory: The Flag of Hope for World Peace, 1915

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Birth Date

1828-09-09

Death Date

1910-11-07

Birthplace

Yasnaya Polyana (family estate, 12 kilometers from Tula, Russia)

Biographical Text

Leo Tolstoy was a Russian novelist and master of realistic fiction, best known for writing War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877). He was also known for his moral and religious teachings.

Tolstoy was born at his family’s estate, Yasnaya Polyana. His parents died when he was a child and he had to move live in Kazan with his second aunt. Tolstoy received his primary education at home and in 1843 he started studying at the University of Kazan. In 1847 he left university without graduating. He returned to Yasnaya Polyana and tried to become a farmer. Under the influence of his older brother, Nikolay, Leo joined the army in 1851 and was stationed in the Caucus Mountains. During his period in the army he began writing. From 1854 to 1855 fought in the Crimean War.

After the war he returned to Yasnaya Polyana and in 1857 went to Paris but was forced to return back to Russia because he gambled away all of his money. With the help of his wife who acted as editor Tolstoy published his two most famous works War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877). Despite his success the author suffered a spiritual crisis and grew depressed. He came to believe that Christian churches were corrupt and developed his own beliefs. When Tolstoy’s new beliefs prompted his desire to give away his money, Sophia strongly objected. The disagreement put a strain on the couple’s marriage until Tolstoy begrudgingly agreed to a compromise and granted her the copyrights to his works predating 1881. Tolstoy continued writing in the 1880s and 90s and also established himself as a moral and religious leader. His wife not only disagreed with his teachings, but she also disapproved of his disciples, who regularly visited Tolstoy at the family estate. In October 1910 Tolstoy embarked on a pilgrimage.

On 23 September 1862, Tolstoy married Sophia Andreyevna Behrs. The Tolstoys had 13 children, eight of whom survived childhood. Leo Tolstoy died in November 1910.