Tolstoy and Tolstaya: A Portrait of a Life in Letters

Nº 236 – SOFIA ANDREEVNA TOLSTAYA

LEV NIKOLAEVICH TOLSTOY
[LSA 440]
30 October 1910. 4 a.m. [Yasnaya Polyana]

I have yet no news from you, my dear Lëvochka, and my heart is being torn apart from suffering. My dove, do you not feel its resonance in yourself? Can it be that my one stupid gesture will bring ruin to my whole life?⁶⁶⁵ You sent a message to me through Sasha that my suspiciously rummaging through your papers that night was the last straw which precipitated your departure. That night I was carrying my letters downstairs; the yellow dog chased after me, and I hastened to close all the doors [behind me] so that it wouldn’t wake you up, and I honestly don’t know what prompted me to go into your study and just touch your diary, which I used to do but have not done for some time — [just] to make sure it was in its place.

And how is it that I, who am ever alert, did not hear you leave? When I ran away, I must have looked quite a fright, since Sasha immediately called [Valentin Fëdorovich] Bulgakov, Vanja⁶⁶⁷ and the cook⁶⁶⁸ and they came after me. But I had already reached [the pond], the water covered me completely, and I felt with great delight that here it was — the end of my mental agony — for ever. But it did not please God to allow you and me to be touched by this sin; poor Sasha and Bulgakov plunged, fully clothed, into the water and managed to pull me out with the help of Vanja and the cook, and carried me home.

You, no doubt, will be angered to hear this, but at the time, as now, I was beside myself with despair. I sleep in your room, that is, I sit and lie at night, and water your pillows with my tears and I pray to God and you to forgive me, to return you to me. — The kind Marija Aleksandrovna⁶⁶⁹ sleeps next to me on the sofa, coughing all night long. Poor Sasha has caught cold and has a severe cough. All the children have taken pity on me, bless them, and have come to heal and comfort me. Tanechka⁶⁷⁰ is so thin! She’ll be coming again at the beginning of November and spend a month with us, along with her husband and little girl. Couldn’t you come then, too? When Misha and Il’ja saw me, they shed such sorrowful tears, hugging me and looking at my agonised face, that I felt joy at their love. The same with Serëzha.

Lëvochka, dear, have you really left us for good? Did you not love me before? You write that elderly people retreat from the world. But where did you see this? Elderly peasants live out their final days [by sleeping] on the stove,⁶⁷¹ and within the circle of their family and grandchildren, and this latter is the same whether in lordly or any other kind of surroundings. Is it natural for a weak old man to abandon the care, concern and love on the part of his children and grandchildren around him?

Come back, my dear, precious husband. Come back, Lëvochka, my dove. Don’t be cruel, allow [me] at least to visit you, once I’m feeling a little better after my treatment.

You know, it says in the Gospel: “Love thy neighbour as thyself.”⁶⁷² And nowhere does it say to love some sort of writings more than a human being. If only you could feel how I love you, how I am willing with my whole being to make any kind of concessions, to do anything to serve you. Lëvochka, forgive me, come back to me, save me! Don’t think these are all just words, love me, take pity [on me] once again in your heart, pay no attention to what people will write or say about you — hold yourself superior to that — after all, there is nothing in this world that is superior to love, and let us live out the final days of our life together in holiness and love! How many times you have conquered your passions! How many times, in love to me, you have stayed with me, and we have lived a long life together in friendship and love! Could my guilt be so great now that you are unable to forgive me and come back to me? After all, I was, indeed, ill.

Dear Lëvochka, your concessions, your living together with me, have to date not lessened or diminished your greatness or glory. And your forgiveness and love for me will elevate your soul in God’s sight. They will elevate it also through your saving me, your wife — simply saving a human being and ignoring your desire for glory and good for yourself. If you could see me [the way I am] now, if you could peer into my soul, you would be horrified at the sufferings I am experiencing — the tearing apart of my whole spiritual and physical being! I already wrote to you, my precious Lëvochka; I don’t know whether my letter reached you. Andrjusha took it to send off by some means — I don’t know.

Read this letter carefully; I shall not be writing any further about my feelings. For the last time I am appealing to you, my husband, my friend, my precious, beloved Lëvochka; forgive me, save me, come back to me.

Nº 237 – LEV NIKOLAEVICH TOLSTOY

SOFIA ANDREEVNA TOLSTAYA
[PSS 84/839]
30–31 October 1910. Shamordino.

Our meeting together and especially my return are now completely impossible.⁶⁷³ This would be, as everybody says, harmful in the highest degree for you, while for me it would be an [absolute] horror, since my current situation, thanks to your agitation, irritation and diseased condition would become, if such a thing is possible, even worse. I advise you to come to terms with what has happened, adjust to your new temporary situation, and, most importantly, take treatment.

I received your letter;⁶⁷⁴ have no fear that I shall now come in search of you. I am so weak that I can hardly move, and I have no wish to force anything. Do what is best for you. It is a terrible misfortune, your departure — [it teaches] me the lesson that if I should survive and you join together with me, I shall make every effort in the world to make sure that everything is good for you.

But for some reason I get the impression that we shall not see each other again! Lëvochka, dear, I am writing this in full awareness and sincerity and shall definitely carry it out. Yesterday I made peace with Chertkov; today I shall confess my sin of [attempted] suicide, with which I was hoping to bring an end to my sufferings!

I don’t know what to write to you, I have no knowledge of what is to come. Your saying — that if you met with me it would be disastrous for you — has convinced me that it is impossible. But how meekly, gratefully and joyfully I would meet with you! My precious, have pity on me and the children, put an end to our sufferings!

Serëzha has gone, Andrjusha is here and just now Misha arrived. Tanja is so exhausted that right now she wants to leave. Lëvochka, [just] awaken the love within yourself and you will see how much love you will find in me.

Before we part, possibly forever, I want to — not justify, but only — explain to you my conduct which you accused me of in your letter to Sasha.⁶⁷⁶

If I watched you through the balcony door as you were playing patience, if I met you and saw you off on your ride or wanted to come across your path on a walk, or if I ran into the salon when you were just coming in or having breakfast, none of that was ever out of suspicion, but out of some kind of crazy, passionate feel for you which I’ve been having lately. I must have had a premonition of what was going to happen. I would look through the window and think: “Oh, there’s my Lëvochka, still here with me, God bless him!” After seeing you off on a ride, on entering the house I would often cross myself and say: “God bless him, bring him safely home.” I cherished each minute with you, I was so happy when you would ask me for something, or simply call out: “Sonja!” Every day I would be resolved to tell you what I wanted — that you would see Chertkov, but somehow felt ashamed to again, as it were, allow you to do something. And you became gloomier and more austere; in my presence you would hold out your cup and ask others to pour you tea or offer you strawberries; you would no longer talk with me. And you took cruel revenge on me for your friend. And I had a painful premonition of this.

As for your diary, I acted out of a silly habit: if I happened to be [in your study], I would feel to check whether the diary were there or not; but, you see, I did it without making a sound. On that terrible final night I closed the door to shut out the yellow dog which had come upstairs, so that it wouldn’t waken you. I peeked into your office after taking the letters downstairs, and out of a stupid habit I touched the diary just with my hand. I did not rummage through anything, I wasn’t searching for anything, I didn’t read anything, and right away I realised I had made a stupid mistake.

But you would have left all the same; I had a premonition of this and was greatly afraid.

II-1. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy with his daughter Alexandra L’vovna, 1906.

Photo by V. Chertkov, from the collection of Igor Jascolt

II-2. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy with his sister Marija Nikolaevna Tolstaja at Yasnaya Polyana, 1908.

Photo by Karl Karlovich Bulla

II-3. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy and Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya on the eve of his 80th birthday, August 1908, at Yasnaya Polyana.

Photo by Vladimir Grigor’evich Chertkov

II-4. The only known colour photograph of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, taken 28 May 1908 by Sergej Mikhajlovich Prokudin-Gorskij, who served as photographer to the Tsars. He had developed a high-quality colour-processing technique that was far ahead of its time.

II-5. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy (right) with his brother Sergej Nikolaevich Tolstoy (left), 1902.

Photo by Marija L’vovna Obolenskaja (the Tolstoys’ daughter)

II-6. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy with his granddaughter Tat’jana Mikhajlovna (Tanjushka) Sukhotina, daughter of Tat’jana L’vovna Sukhotina (née Tolstaja), Yasnaya Polyana, 1908.

Photo by Vladimir Grigor’evich Chertkov

II-7. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy at work in his Yasnaya Polyana study in 1909.

Photo by Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya

II-8. Page from an early draft of Tolstoy’s novel Resurrection [Voskresenie], showing deletions by the censors and the author’s revisions in the margins (1899).

II-9. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, followed by his personal physician Dushan Petrovich Makovitskij, passing through the gates of Yasnaya Polyana, January 1910.

Photo by A. I. Savel’ev

II-10. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy standing in front of his Moscow house in Khamovniki Lane, 1899.

Photo by Il’ja L’vovich Tolstoj

II-11. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy’s last letter to his wife, dated 31 October 1910, written from Shamordino. See Letter Nº 237.

II-12. Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya’s last letter to her husband, dated 2 November 1910, written from Yasnaya Polyana, but not sent. See Letter Nº 239.

II-13. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy on his deathbed at Astapovo Station, 7 November 1910.

II-14. Last will and testament of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, dated 22 July 1910.

II-15. Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya at her husband’s grave, 1912.

Photo by Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya

II-16. Stamp commemorating the 25-year anniversary of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy’s death.

From the collection of Igor Jascolt

1 LNT arrived for a stay at Sergej Semënovich Urusov’s (see Letter Nº 40, Note 258) estate on 22 March 1889.

2 Pavel Ivanovich (Posha) Birjukov (LNT’s biographer) — see Letter Nº 120, Note 453.

3 Gerasim Pavlovich (former servant to Urusov) and his sister Dar’ja Pavlovna (no further details available).

4 LNT was busy reading Zapiski [Notes] by Nikolaj Nikolaevich Murav’ëv-Karskij.

5 Urusov’s unpublished essay was entitled “Filosofija soznanija very” [The philosophy of confessing one’s faith]. LNT described this reading in his diary: “There are some good thoughts, for example, that the Mohammedans are close to us and would be even closer were it not for their rejection by the Church; and even better are his three criteria for [determining] authenticity: the Book of Revelation, the Book of Nature and the Book of the Human Soul. That is true. We need all three criteria in order to have authenticity and truth” (PSS 50: 57).

6 “Hours” — one of four brief prayer services of the Russian Orthodox Church marking the cycles of the day (daybreak, mid-morning, mid-day, mid-afternoon).

7 LNT’s book On life was translated into French by SAT in collaboration with Edmond Tastevin and his brother; it was published in Paris in 1888 by Charles Marpon and Ernest Flammarion (publishers of works by Émile Zola and Alphonse Daudet).

8 Sof’ja Èmmanuilovna Dmitrievna-Mamonova (1860–1946) and Aleksandr Èmmanuilovich Mamonov — Moscow friends of the Tolstoys.

9 Osip Petrovich Gerasimov (1863–1920) — writer, educator; and his wife Anna Andreevna Gerasimova (née Linberg).

10 LNT’s niece Elena Sergeevna (Lenochka) Tolstaja (married name: Denisenko) — see Letter Nº 24, Note 161.

11 Ol’ga Andreevna Golokhvastova (née Andreevskaja; 1840–1897) — writer; wife of folk musicologist Prince Pavel Dmitrievich Golokhvastov (1838–1892).

15 Spasskoe — the name of Sergej Semënovich Urusov’s estate at Spass-Torbeevo. During his 1889 visit here, LNT took many long walks through the surrounding countryside and villages. He was especially delighted to meet Urusov’s wife, Princess Tat’jana Afanas’evna Urusova (née Nesterova; 1829–?).

16 A letter written 28 March 1889 (not included here; see Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 432–33).

17 On 30 March, at the recommendation of Aleksandra Andreevna Tolstaja, three Americans came to see LNT at Spasskoe. One of them, Episcopalian pastor William Wilberforce Newton (1843–1914) wrote a book which was published in 1894 entitled A run through Russia. The story of a visit to Count Tolstoi.

18 LNT first intended to publish his article on art in the journal Russkoe bogatstvo, and was going over the proofs when he became disenchanted with his article and decided to postpone its publication. He continued to work on it and it eventually appeared under the title What is art? [Chto takoe iskusstvo?].

19 A reference to what he first called Themselves outwitted [Iskhitrilas’] and eventually became The fruits of enlightenment [Plody prosveshchenija].

20 A reference to the Troitse-Sergiev Monastery [Troitse-Sergieva lavra] located at Sergiev-Posad, not far from Spass-Torbeevo. However, the trip never materialised.

21 A letter written 29 March 1889, written in response to SAT’s letter (Nº 145 of 26 March) in which she complained of her husband’s indifference to her activities and concerns.

25 Nikolaj Alekseevich Filosofov (her husband) — see Letter Nº 139, Note 620.

29 LNT’s nieces: Elizaveta Valer’janovna (Liza) Obolenskaja and Varvara Valer’janovna (Varja) Nagornova, as well as the Tolstoys’ daughter Marija L’vovna (Masha) Tolstaja (married name [as of 1897]: Obolenskaja).

31 Vera Aleksandrovna Shidlovskaja (see Letter Nº 123, Note 487) and her family.

32 Marija Vjacheslavovna Sverbeeva (née Shidlovskaja; see Letter Nº 81, Note 170) with her daughter Ekaterina Mikhajlovna (Katja) Sverbeeva (married name: Zvegintseva).

33 Vera Vjacheslavovna (Verochka) Shidlovskaja (see Letter Nº 108, Note 354) and her sister Ol’ga Vjacheslavovna Shidlovskaja (see Letter Nº 30, Note 181).

35 LNT’s niece Varvara Valer’janovna Nagornova and her husband Nikolaj Mikhajlovich Nagornov.

37 On 28 October 1889 the manuscript of The Kreutzer Sonata [Krejtserova sonata] was sent to the Kuzminskijs in St. Petersburg, who held a reading by Anatolij Fëdorovich Koni (1844–1927) — a St. Petersburg court judge and a respected member of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

38 For a more detailed description of the property division, see Parts V and VI of My Life (specifically: V.68, V.71, V.79, V.80, V.97, V.99, V.106, V.108, V.116, V.123; also VI.32, VI.36, VI.38, VI.57, VI.116).

39 SAT was planning to go St. Petersburg to petition Emperor Alexander III for permission to publish The Kreutzer Sonata, and was waiting for a telegram confirming that she would be granted an audience with His Imperial Majesty. For further details, see My Life, V.84.

40 On 26 February 1891 Grand Prince Mikhail Mikhajlovich (1861–1929), while abroad, entered into a morganatic marriage with Sof’ja Nikolaevna Dubbel’t (née Countess Merenberg; also spelt Duppel’t; 1858–1927) — granddaughter to the poet Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin.

41 Dr. Aleksandr Matveevich Rudnev (1842–1901) — Chief Physician at the Tula Gubernia Hospital, who treated members of the Tolstoy family on a number of occasions. In 1891 he founded a clinical research laboratory and in 1894 was elected chairman of the Society of Tula Physicians.

43 Mikhail Aleksandrovich Stakhovich (poet) — see Letter Nº 101, Note 287. LNT’s letter to him was dated 1 April 1891 (PSS 65: 283).

44 Semën Alekseevich Losinskij — stationmaster at Yasenki, who was attempting to adopt his premaritally conceived son.

46 A reference to the Tolstoys’ youngest daughter Aleksandra L’vovna (Sasha) Tolstaja.

48 Sof’ja Dmitrievna (Ljuba) Sverbeeva (1842–1903) — sister to Tula Deputy Governor Dmitrij Dmitrievich Sverbeev (1845–1921), with her niece L’jubov’ Dmitrievna Sverbeeva (1879–1958).

49 A reference to Nikolaj Nikolaevich Strakhov’s article “Tolki o Tolstom” [Rumours about Tolstoy], published in Russkoe obozrenie (1891, Nº 2, pp. 287–316).

50 For LNT’s letter to Strakhov of 7 April 1891 see A. Donskov, Leo Tolstoy and Nikolaj Strakhov: complete correspondence, vol. II, p. 865.

51 On 31 March 1891 SAT wrote a letter to Emperor Alexander III asking for an audience. An English translation of this letter is given in My Life, V.84.

53 Mitrofan Filipovich (Mitrokha) Egorov — son to the Tolstoys’ coachman Filip Rodionovich Egorov (see Letter Nº 73, Note 110).

54 Two editions of Volume XIII (“Writings of recent years”) of LNT’s Complete Collected Works were published in 1891.

56 Natal’ja Petrovna Grot (née Semënova; 1824–1899) — mother to Nikolaj Jakovlevich Grot.

57 Natal’ja Jakovlevna Grot (1860–1918) — sister to N. Ja. Grot; an artist.

59 The Tolstoys’ sons were friends with the sons of Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij (see Letter Nº 69, Note 76): Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij Jr (1871–1931) and Pëtr Ivanovich Raevskij (1873–1920).

64 In October 1891 SAT’s niece Marija Aleksandrovna (Masha) Kuzminskaja (1869–1923) married Ivan Egorovich Èrdeli (1870–1939) — later a cavalry general and a participant in the so-called “White Movement” which fought against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War (1917–1923).

65 Because of poor harvests, a number of Russian gubernias experienced an extended famine in the years 1891–93.

68 On 26 September 1891 SAT left for Moscow together with her sister Tanja’s family (who had been summering at Yasnaya Polyana); in Moscow she collected her gymnasium-pupil sons Andrej and Mikhail and returned to Yasnaya Polyana on 28 September (see her Diaries I: 212).

69 LNT eventually submitted this article to the journal Voprosy filosofii i psikhologii, but it was rejected by the censorship committee.

70 Sof’ja Alekseevna Filosofova (see Letter Nº 139, Note 618) with her two daughters and Vera Alekseevna Kuzminskaja.

71 Here a reference to Aleksandra Nikolaevna Filosofova (1878–1897), sister to Sof’ja Nikolaevna Filosofova (Il’ja’s bride).

73 Evgenij Mikhajlovich Feoktistov’s (see Letter Nº 114, Note 402) letter of 25 September 1891 was in response to LNT’s declaration of 16 September 1891 renouncing his copyright to all his writings published after 1881, including The Kreutzer Sonata [Krejtserova sonata]. For further details, including the text of LNT’s copyright renunciation, see My Life, V.122.

74 Lev L’vovich (Lëva) Tolstoj has left for Samara Gubernia to help organise famine relief efforts among the peasant population there.

75 Sof’ja Èmmanuilovna (Sonja) Dmitrieva-Mamonova and her brother Aleksandr Èmmanuilovich (Alik) Dmitriev-Mamonov — see Letter Nº 145, Note 8.

76 Muir & Mirrielees Trade Company — the largest department store in Moscow at the time, co-founded in St. Petersburg in 1857 by British merchants Andrew Muir (1817–1899) and Archibald Mirrielees (1797–1877). It was nationalised during the 1917 revolution and was eventually named TsUM (the Russian initials for “Central Department Store”).

77 Aleksej Alekseevich Gattsuk (1832–1891) — publisher of a newspaper and the Cross Calendar (since 1875).

80 Dankovskij Uezd — the location of Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij’s Begichevka estate, where LNT went with his daughters Tat’jana (Tanja) and Marija (Masha) to organise famine relief efforts.

82 Prince Dmitrij Dmitrievich (Mitasha) Obolenskij (jurist) — see Letter Nº 17, Note 112.

83 Princess Elizaveta Petrovna Obolenskaja (née Vyrubova) — see Letter Nº 74, Note 116.

84 A letter regarding LNT’s renunciation of copyright on his post-1881 writings (see Letter Nº 152, Note 73).

85 Ivan Evlampievich Protas’ev (1867–1920) — co-owner of a writing-paper manufacturing business founded by his grandfather, Ivan Aleksandrovich Protas’ev (1802–1875), in 1858.

86 On 19 October 1891 Vladimir Sergeevich Solov’ëv (see Letter Nº 52, Note 333) read his paper “O prichinakh upadka srednevekovogo mirosozertsanija” [On the causes of the fall of the Middle Ages world-view] at a meeting of the Psychological Society.

88 Sergej Aleksandrovich Petrovskij (1846–1917) — journalist, editor of the paper Moskovskie vedomosti (1888–96).

90 Evgenij Ivanovich Popov (1864–1938) — a Tolstoyan characterised by LNT as “very pleasant, … kind and serious” in a letter to SAT dated 3 May 1889 (not included here; PSS 84: Letter 413).

91 Accompanying LNT were his daughters Tat’jana (Tanja) and Marija (Masha), his niece Vera Kuzminskaja, along with Marija Kirillovna Kuznetsova (1867–?) — a maid and seamstress to SAT and her household.

92 Èduard Èduardovich Kern (1855–1938) — botanist and forester, who had worked on the Zaseka preserve (see Letter Nº 80, Note 163).

94 Lev L’vovich (Lëva) and Evgenij Ivanovich Popov were on their way to Samara Gubernia to help with famine relief.

95 Aleksej Mitrofanovich Novikov (1865–1927) — the Raevskij family’s tutor; from 1889 to 1890 he lived at the Tolstoys’.

97 Ivan Nikolaevich Mordvinov (1854–1917) — husband to Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij’s daughter Margarita Ivanovna Raevskaja (1856–1912).

98 A reference to LNT’s article A frightful question [Strashnyj vopros], published in Russkie vedomosti, Nº 306, 6 November 1891.

99 Rafail Alekseevich Pisarev (1850–1906) — a Tula landowner and regional nobility representative for Epifan’ Uezd in Tula Gubernia.

100 A reference to the wife of Rafail Alekseevich Pisarev: Evgenija Pavlovna Pisareva (née Baranova; ?–1936).

101 Natal’ja Nikolaevna (Natasha) Filosofova (married name: Den; see Letter Nº 137, Note 584) took an active part in famine relief.

103 A reference to LNT’s article A frightful question [Strashnyj vopros] — see Letter Nº 155, Note 98.

105 SAT’s letter was published in Russkie vedomosti, Nº 303, 3 November 1891; it reads in part: “I have decided to appeal to anyone who can and wishes to help, to support my family’s efforts financially. All donations will go directly to the feeding of children and the elderly at the soup-kitchens set up by my husband and children.”

106 Ivan Petrovich Brashnin (1826–1898) — a Moscow merchant who shared LNT’s views.

107 Ekaterina Fëdorovna Junge (née Countess Tolstaja; 1843–1913); second cousin to LNT; daughter to artist Fëdor Petrovich Tolstoj (1783–1873), vice-president of the Imperial Academy of Arts.

108 A reference to the author’s honorarium for the staging of LNT’s play The fruits of enlightenment [Plody prosveshchenija].

109 A reference to LNT’s article On the famine [O golode] that he wrote for the journal Voprosy filosofii i psikhologii.

111 Nikolaj Mikhajlovich Nagornov and his wife Varvara Valer’janovna Nagornova (LNT’s niece).

112 Vikula Eliseevich Morozov (1829–1894) — a member of the famed Morozov family of entrepreneurs. In a letter dated 19 November 1891 (not included here), LNT wrote to his wife: “The contributions you have collected are very good. The 1,500 arshins of fabric are amazing. […] Today I saw a widow with her children positively naked. Only one boy can go out [of their house]. Never before have I seen such poverty” (PSS 84: 101).

113 Ivan Nikolaevich Durnovo (1834–1904) — Minister of Internal Affairs (1889–95).

114 A reference to the editorial “Count L. Tolstoy’s plan” (Moskovskie vedomosti, Nº 310, 9 November 1891); also the articles “A word to social mischief-makers” and “Caught on the spot” (Moskovskie vedomosti, Nº 312, 11 November 1891) in response to LNT’s article A frightful question.

115 Lev Aleksandrovich Tikhomirov (1852–1923) — writer and philosopher; Jurij Nikolaevich Govorukha-Otrok (pseudonym: Jurij Nikolaev; 1854–1895) — writer and literary critic. Both were former members of the revolutionary “People’s Will” [Narodnaja volja] party but later went over to a conservative viewpoint.

116 A letter from daughter Tanja with a postscript by LNT, dated 11 November 1891 (for LNT’s postscipt see PSS 84 :97).

118 Ivan Aleksandrovich Berger (1867–1916) — nephew to Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij; manager at Yasnaya Polyana in the early 1890s.

119 Margarita Ivanovna Mordvinova (née Raevskaja; 1856–1912) — sister to Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij — and her husband Ivan Nikolaevich Mordvinov (1859–1912).

120 Ioann Kronshtadtskij (secular name: Ioann Il’ich Sergiev; 1829–1908) — archpriest of St-Andrew’s Cathedral at Kronstadt; a staunch opponent of LNT’s views. See: P. V. Basinskij: Svjatoj protiv L’va. Ioann Kronshtadtskij i Lev Tolstoj: istorija odnoj vrazhdy [A Saint versus a Lion. Ioann Kronshtadskij and Lev Tolstoy: the story of a feud].

121 Aleksej Alekseevich Bibikov (foreman for the Tolstoys’ Samara farmstead). Lëva’s message spoke of the dire conditions and panic being experienced by the population in that area as a result of the famine.

122 Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij (see Letter Nº 69, Note 76) passed away on 26 November 1891.

123 Rafail Alekseevich Pisarev (see Letter Nº 155, Note 99) and his sister Lidija Alekseevna Dolgorukova (née Pisareva; 1851–1916).

124 Ekaterina Pavlovna Davydova (née Evreinova; 1845–1913) — sister to Ivan Ivanovich’s wife Elena Pavlovna Ra-evskaja (née Evreinova; 1840–1907); married to Nikolaj Vasil’evich Davydov (see Letter Nº 90, Note 212), who was the first chairman of the Tolstoy Society.

125 Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij Jr (1871–1931) — son of Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij (Sr).

127 Tat’jana Andreevna Kuzminskaja and her daughter Vera Aleksandrovna Kuzminskaja.

128 Matvej Nikolaevich Chistjakov (1854–1920) — sent by Vladimir Grigor’evich Chertkov to assist LNT in famine relief.

129 LNT’s article On the means of aiding famine victims [O sredstvakh pomoshchi naseleniju, postradavshemu ot neurozhaja], published in the collection “Help for the hungry” as an insert in Russkie vedomosti.

130 Pavel Aleksandrovich Gajdeburov (1841–1893) — editor of the newspaper Nedelja (as of 1876).

131 LNT’s obituary of Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij was published only after LNT’s death, in the magazine Ogonëk (Nº 17 (56), 1924).

132 The Tolstoys’ daughter Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja) Tolstaya and SAT’s niece Vera Aleksandrovna Kuzminskaja.

133 Pavel Ivanovich (Posha) Birjukov (see Letter Nº 120, Note 453) and artist Il’ja Efimovich Repin (see Letter Nº 59, Note 11).

134 In an editorial in the paper Moskovskie vedomosti (Nº 22, 22 January 1892) there was condemnation of LNT’s “Letters on the famine” which he had sent to the journal Voprosy filosofii i psikhologii. Having become acquainted with the piece in English translation (it was banned in Russia), the paper accused the writer of inciting peasants to protest against the authorities.

136 Natal’ja Nikolaevna (Natasha) Den (née Filosofova) — see Letter Nº 137, Note 584.

137 to Uspenskoe — i.e. to the home of Vasilij Nikolaevich Bibikov (see Letter Nº 6, Note 45).

138 Grand Prince Sergej Aleksandrovich, by now Governor-General of Moscow — see Letter Nº 123, Note 485. On 10 February 1892 SAT described her visit to the Grand Prince in a letter (not included here) in part as follows: “I asked that he order my refutation [to the articles in Moskovskie vedomosti] in the papers. He was very much interested in the case, but he is unable to help me in any way. Apparently, as he told me, they are waiting for a refutation from you, Lëvochka, in Pravitel’stvennyj vestnik, over your signature; other papers are prohibited from accepting it…” (Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 492).

139 See LNT’s letter to the editor of Pravitel’stvennyj vestnik of 12 February 1892 (PSS 66:160–62).

140 In her letter to LNT of 10 February 1892 (not included here), SAT wrote about two St. Petersburg students who had written to LNT expressing their bewilderment over the Moskovskie vedomosti articles.

141 In a different letter dated 12 February 1892 (other than Letter Nº 161 above), LNT claims that the excerpts from his ‘letters’ on the famine quoted in Moskovskie vedomosti were inaccurate by virtue of being translated back into Russian from a published English translation (see PSS 66 :161–62).

142 Konstantin Konstantinovich Sluchevskij (1837–1904) — poet, editor-in-chief of Pravitel’stvennyj vestnik (as of 1891) wrote to SAT on 11 February 1892: “Articles of a polemic nature are not permitted in Pravitel’stvennyj vestnik, and your refutation of the article in Issue Nº 22 of Moskovskie vedomosti, cannot be printed [in our paper]” (cited in S. A. Tolstaja, Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 502).

144 Elena Grigor’evna Sheremeteva (née Stroganova; 1861–1908) — daughter to Grand Duchess Marija Nikolaevna and granddaughter to Nicholas I.

146 Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Nikolaevich Durnovo. His letter to SAT dated 13 February 1892 reads in part as follows: “Even though we might wish to fulfil your request, I hesitate to allow the publication of the refutation you sent me on the grounds that, since by its very nature it will raise quite legitimate protestations, and will undoubtedly provoke further controversy, which is by no means desirable in the interests of maintaining civil order” (cited in S. A. Tolstaya, Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 492).

147 Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fëdorovna (1864–1918) — wife to Grand Prince Sergej Aleksandrovich.

148 Anna Mikhajlovna Olsuf’eva, née Obol’janinova — see Letter Nº 109, Note 364.

149 Marija Nikolaevna Ermolova (1853-1928) — prominent Russian stage actress with Moscow’s Maly Theatre.

150 A reference to SAT’s telegrams to LNT concerning his sending a refutation to Pravitel’stvennyj vestnik.

151 Marija L’vovna [Masha] Tolstaja was attracted to Ivan Ivanovich’s son Pëtr Ivanovich (Petja) Raevskij (1873–1920). LNT was doubtful it was anything serious, and had the impression whatever there was would soon fade.

152 Pavel Ivanovich [Posha] Birjukov and Masha also had romantic feelings for each other and even considered marriage plans, but it didn’t work out. Instead, Masha would marry Nikolaj Leonidovich (Kolja) Obolenskij in 1897.

153 Lev L’vovich (Lëva) enrolled in Moscow University’s Faculty of Medicine in September 1889. A year later he transferred to the Faculty of Philology. On 12 October 1892 he quit university for good and voluntarily joined the Guard.

154 Ekaterina Ivanovna Boratynskaja (née Timirjazeva; 1859–1921) — a translator who helped with the Posrednik publishing house; first wife to Moscow Deputy Governor Lev Andreevich Boratynskij (1848–1907).

155 Ivan Aleksandrovich Stebut (1833–1923) — professor at the Petrovskaja Agricultural Academy; author of a series of articles “On the famine of 1891” published in Russkie vedomosti (1891, Nº 335, and 1892, Nº 13 & Nº 17).

156 Nikolaj Alekseevich Zinov’ev (1839–1917) — Governor of Tula (1887–93).

157 Vladimir Petrovich Glebov (1850–1926) — a Tula landowner; regional nobility representative for Epifan Uezd.

158 Sof’ja Alekseevna Filosofova (née Pisareva) — see Letter Nº 139, Note 618.

160 Natal’ja Nikolaevna (Natasha) Filosofova — see Letter Nº 137, Note 584.

161 Ionas Stadling (1847–1935) — Swedish writer, author of a series of books and articles on Russia and on Tolstoy, including “With Tolstoy in the Russian famine” (published in New York in 1893).

162 Kapiton Alekseevich Vysotskij — farmstead owner, who (like others mentioned below) assisted LNT in famine relief.

164 Mitrofan Vasil’evich Alëkhin (1857–1935) and Aleksej Vasil’evich Alëkhin (1859–1934) — along with their elder brother Arkadij Vasil’evich Alëkhin (1854–1918) — all shared LNT’s views.

165 Vladimir Ivanovich Skorokhodov (1861–1924) and Evgenij Andreevich Sukachëv (?–1905) — two other Tolstoyans.

167 A reference to the Tolstoys’ daughter Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja) Tolstaja.

169 In a letter to her husband dated 22 February 1892 (not included here), SAT cited reports that some disorderly young people who had doubts about LNT had torn up his portrait (Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 506).

170 The whereabouts of Ivan Aleksandrovich Berger’s letter to Lev L’vovich Tolstoj are unknown.

171 On 21 February 1892 little Vanechka (Ivan L’vovich Tolstoj, now almost four years old) wrote his father a letter.

172 Pavel Ivanovich (Posha) Birjukov stopped over at Yasnaya Polyana to see LNT, on his way from Begichevka to Moscow.

174 Anatolij Stepanovich Butkevich (1859–1942) — beekeeper and scholar, who shared LNT’s views.

177 Mikhail Vasil’evich Bulygin (a Tolstoyan) — see Letter Nº 139, Note 608.

179 Margarita Ivanovna Mordvinova (sister to Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij) — see Letter Nº 158, Note 119.

180 Sof’ja Èmmanuilovna (Sonja) Dmitrieva-Mamonova and her brother Aleksandr Èmmanuilovich [Alik] Dmitriev-Mamonov — see Letter Nº 145, Note 8.

181 In a letter dated 8 November 1892 (not included here) SAT wrote her husband: “I feel bad that our girls’ lives are absorbed by their obligations [to others]. Will they never be able to live their own personal lives? … See, Tanja’s gone, and Masha is dying to dash over to Begichevka — apparently there’s something unbearable for them [at home]” (Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 548).

183 Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881) — Swiss moral philosopher; professor of æsthetics and moral philosophy at the University of Geneva. The Yasnaya Polyana library contains his two-volume Fragments d’un journal intime (1877), which LNT read, making copious marginal notes. In 1893 LNT wrote a foreword to the Russian edition.

184 A reference to the estate of the Dmitriev-Mamonovs, whom Tanja was visiting near Dmitrievka (Kaluga Gubernia).

185 Lev L’vovich (Lëva) Tolstoj’s account of the distribution of funds collected for famine relief, published in Russkie vedomosti.

186 Anna Pankrat’evna Popova (née Novakovich; 1844–1914) — mother to Evgenij Ivanovich Popov.

187 Prince Leonid Dmitrievich Obolenskij — husband to LNT’s niece Elizaveta Valer’janovna Obolenskaja (née Tolstaja).

188 Letters dated 30 & 31 January 1893 (not included here) — see Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 554.

190 Vladimir Sergeevich Solov’ëv (philosopher) — see Letter Nº 52, Note 333.

191 Aleksandr Arkad’evich Stolypin (1863–1925) — son of LNT’s wartime chum Arkadij Dmitrievich Stolypin — see Letter Nº 42, Note 269.

192 Mikhail Sergeevich Sukhotin (1850–1914) — Tula landowner, son of LNT’s old-time acquaintances; in 1899 he would marry the Tolstoys’ daughter Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja) Tolstaja.

193 Nikolaj Alekseevich Kasatkin (1859–1931) — artist of the Itinerant school.

195 In 1893 SAT was working on preparing the ninth edition of LNT’s collected works.

196 Ivan Vasil’evich Tulubl’ev (1838–?) — a Tula landowner and head of the local zemstvo (administrative council).

197 Prince Georgij Evgen’evich L’vov (1861–1925) — politician, who served as Chairman of the Provisional Goverment following the February 1917 revolution.

198 Nikolaj Vasil’evich Davydov (Tula District Prosecutor) — see Letter Nº 90, Note 212.

199 On 18 November 1891 a “Special Committee of the Heir, Czarevich Nikolaj Aleksandrovich” (i.e. the future Tsar Nicholas II) was struck to appeal to the Russian public to assist in famine relief, either personally or financially.

200 A reference to Marija L’vovna’s (Masha’s) Russian translation of Henri-Frédéric Amiel’s Fragments d’un journal intime — see Letter Nº 165, Note 183.

202 In January 1893 Lev L’vovich (Lëva) Tolstoj left his military service on account of illness and came to Moscow, and later proceeded to Yasnaya Polyana. LNT informed his wife of Lëva’s arrival in a letter also dated 25 February 1893 (not included here), mentioning that Lëva was still experiencing ill health (PSS 84: 188).

203 Sof’ja Èmmanuilovna (Sonja) Dmitrieva-Mamonova — see Letter Nº 145, Note 8.

204 Viktor Nikolaevich Martynov (1858–1915) and Sof’ja Mikhajlovna Martynova (née Katenina; 1858–1908), whose children were friends with the Tolstoys’ children.

206 On 14 September 1893 LNT just added a one-sentence postscript to a letter from his daughter Tanja to SAT.

207 Dr. Aleksandr Matveevich Rudnev (hospital physician) — see Letter Nº 149, Note 41.

208 Anna Maksimovna Bulygina (née Ignat’eva; previous married name: Slavinovskaja; 1862–1909) — wife of Mikhail Vasil’evich Bulygin (a Tolstoyan) — see Letter Nº 139, Note 608.

209 Nikolaj Avgustovich Zander (1868–?) — violin teacher for the Tolstoys’ sons; later a physician.

210 In a letter of 3 August 1893 LNT declined Zander’s proposal of marriage to his daughter Marija L’vovna (Masha).

211 A reference to SAT’s letter to LNT dated 12 September 1893 (not included here) — Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 571.

212 Natal’ja Vladimirovna Limont-Ivanova and Andrej Ivanovich Limont-Ivanov with their four sons. Natal’ja Vladimirovna — sister to Il’ja L’vovich’s friend Vladimir Vladimirovich Treskin — see Letter Nº 116, Note 417.

213 Aleksandr Afanas’evich Uspenskij (?–1900) — manager of Sergej L’vovich’s Nikol’skoe estate.

215 Dr. Vladimir Nikitich Gorbachëv, who accompanied Lev L’vovich on his trip abroad.

216 Il’ja L’vovich went abroad with Vladimir Nikolaevich Filosofov (1874–1938), brother to Sof’ja Nikolaevna (Sonja) Tolstaja (née Filosofova; see Letter Nº 139, Note 616). The letters have not been preserved.

217 Count Vladimir Alekseevich (Dimer) Bobrinskij (1867–1927) — a Tula landowner.

218 Charles Salomon (1862–1936) — translator, professor of Russian in Paris.

219 A reference to the novel La Vie de Michel Tessier by French novelist Édouard Rod (1857–1910).

222 Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904), “Chërnyj monakh” [The black monk], published in the journal Artist (1894, Nº 33).

223 Lidija Ivanovna Mikulich-Veselitskaja (1857–1936), “Zarnitsa” [Summer lightning], published in Severnyj vestnik (1894, NºNº 1–4).

224 Ignatij Nikolaevich Potapenko (1856–1929), “Zhizn’” [Life], a drama.

225 Ivan Aleksandrovich Berger (Yasnaya Polyana manager) — see Letter Nº 158, Note 118.

226 LNT’s niece Elena Sergeevna (Lenochka) Denisenko (see Letter Nº 24, Note 160) and her newlywed husband Ivan Vasil’evich Denisenko (1851–1910).

228 Marija Leonidovna (Masha) Maklakova (née Princess Obolenskaja; 1874–1949) — Elizaveta Valer’janovna’s daughter, married to Nikolaj Alekseevich Maklakov (1871–1918), later Minister of Internal Affairs (1912–15).

230 the Tolstojs’ — in this case to visit LNT’s sister Marija Nikolaevna Tolstaja and her family.

231 Mademoiselle Detraz — French governess to the Tolstoys’ younger children.

232 LNT wrote the following postscript (to his daughter Tanja’s letter) upon his arrival at Yasnaya Polyana from his son Il’ja’s Grinëvka estate: “I received your letter here yesterday, saying that everything’s fine except for your sleepless nights. Hugs and kisses” (PSS 84: 209).

233 Sof’ja Nikolaevna (Sonja) Filosofova, Il’ja’s wife. Her two children up to this point were Anna Il’inichna Tolstaja (1888–1954) and Mikhail Il’ich Tolstoj (1893–1919).

235 This term is given in English. The reference is to articles by clerical representatives of the Church of England.

236 These appeared in the February 1894 issue of The New Review — an issue devoted to LNT’s teachings.

237 A letter by E. G. Ribblewhite, editor of The Weekly Times in London, dated 10 February (N. S.) 1894.

238 Toulon — A reference to LNT’s future article Christianity and patriotism [Khristianstvo i patriotizm].

239 Pëtr Galaktionovich Khokhlov (1864–1896) — a Tolstoyan; a student at the Moscow Imperial Technical Institute.

240 Lev L’vovich’s (Lëva’s) letter from Paris is dated 26 January (or 7 February N. S.) 1894. See Lev L’vovich Tolstoj, Opyt moej zhizhi, pp. 284–85.

241 LNT’s letter to his son Lev L’vovich is dated 28 January (or 9 January N. S.) 1894. See ibid., pp. 285–86.

242 Pavel Petrovich Kandidov (1867–?) — tutor to the Tolstoys’ sons Andrej and Mikhail; for a time he also served as SAT’s secretary for publishing affairs.

245 Aleksandr Nikiforovich Dunaev (LNT’s close friend) — see Letter Nº 141, Note 631.

247 Ernest Howard Crosby (1856–1907) — American social activist, writer and reformer. His books were published through Posrednik.

250 Lev L’vovich Tolstoj, “Letters from Paris” — published in Severnyj vestnik, 1894, Nº 5.

251 Andrej L’vovich (Andrjusha) Tolstoj transferred from Polivanov’s gymnasium to Katkov’s lycée, but did not graduate, and in 1895 joined the Russian army voluntarily. Cf. a similar move on the part of his brother Lev L’vovich (Lëva) in 1892 (Letter Nº 162, Note 153).

252 Count Adam Vasil’evich Olsuf’ev (see Letter Nº 81, Note 172) and Anna Mikhajlovna Olsuf’eva (see Letter Nº 109, Note 364).

254 Mikhail Adamovich (Misha) Olsuf’ev (1860–1918) and his brother Dmitrij Adamovich (Mitja) Olsuf’ev (1862–1927) — sons to Adam Vasil’evich Olsuf’ev and Anna Mikhajlovna Olsuf’eva.

255 Marija Nikolaevna Zubova (1868–1939) — future wife of Sergej L’vovich Tolstoj — and her sister Ol’ga Nikolaevna Zubova (1870–1930), who in June 1894 was to marry the Tolstoys’ Moscow neighbour Dmitrij Vasil’evich Olsuf’ev (1871–1915). These were daughters to Count Nikolaj Nikolaevich Zubov (1832–1898), nobility representative for Kovno Gubernia, and Aleksandra Vasil’evna Zubova (née Olsuf’eva; 1838–1913).

256 Elizaveta Nikolaevna Gejden (née Countess Zubova; 1833–1894) — sister to Count Nikolaj Nikolaevich Zubov; wife to Count Fëdor Logginovich Gejden (1821–1900).

257 Baron Fëdor Egorovich Mejendorf (1842–1911) and Countess Marija Vasil’evna Mejendorf (née Countess Olsuf’eva), sister to Count Adam Vasil’evich Olsuf’ev — with their family.

259 Natal’ja Nikolaevna (Natasha) Den (née Filosofova) — see Letter Nº 137, Note 584.

261 Grigorij Ivanovich (Grisha) Raevskij (1875–1905) — brother to Ivan (Jr) and Pëtr.

262 Dr. Fëdor Grigor’evich Flërov (1838–1910) — a doctor who treated the Tolstoy family.

263 From 1887 to 1904 LNT’s manuscripts were held in the Rumjantsev Museum (see Letter Nº 32, Note 192) at SAT’s request.

264 At the time LNT was working on a Foreword to a Russian edition of Guy de Maupassant’s writings, published by Posrednik.

267 In her letter to her husband of 9 May 1894 (not included here), SAT had written: “I’m very sorry that my stay at Yasnaya seemed to leave you with something unpleasant and difficult; now this unpleasantness has gone together with me, and I hope the bad impression will wear off before my return” (Manuscript Division, State L. N. Tolstoy Museum).

270 Ivan Ivanovich Gorbunov-Posadov (1864–1940) — an associate of Posrednik, who headed the publishing house as of 1897.

272 On 6 September 1894 LNT wrote in his diary: “This morning in bed after a rotten night I thought up a lively short story about a master and his servant” (PSS 52: 137). This is the first mention of his story Master and Man [Khozjain i rabotnik] (1894–95).

274 Marija Konstantinovna Rachinskaja (Sergej L’vovich’s wife as of July 1895) — see Letter Nº 137, Note 579.

275 Aleksej Alekseevich Maklakov (1872–1918) — oculist, later professor at Moscow University and director of the University’s eye clinic; a Tolstoy family friend; brother to Nikolaj Alekseevich Maklakov (see Letter Nº 170, Note 9) and Vasilij Alekseevich (Vasja) Maklakov (1869–1957), a lawyer.

276 Marija Mikhajlovna Kholevinskaja (council doctor) — see Letter Nº 104, Note 310.

278 François Édouard Joachim Coppée (1842–1908) — French poet and novelist.

279 Dr. Dushan Petrovich Makovitskij (1866–1921) — a Tolstoyan who served as LNT’s personal physician (1904–10). He first visited Yasnaya Polyana in 1894.

281 Lev Ivanovich Polivanov, headmaster of Polivanov’s gymnasium (see Letter Nº 82, Note 176) and Vladimir Andreevich Gringmut (1851–1907), headmaster of the Katkov lycée.

283 Miss Anna Welsh (known in Russia as Anna Lukinichna Vel’sh) — proprietor of a small music school in Moscow, who spent her summers at Yasnaya Polyana tutoring the Tolstoys’ daughter Aleksandra L’vovna (Sasha).

284 the nanny — Anna Stepanovna Sukolenova (1828–1917), a peasant from the village of Sudakovo.

285 Evdokija (or Avdot’ja) Nikolaevna (Dunjasha) Bannikova (maid) — see Letter Nº 5, Note 37.

288 A reference to A catechesis [Katekhezis], later to be called Christian teachings [Khristianskoe uchenie].

289 Sergej Semënovich Urusov (LNT’s wartime chum) — see Letter Nº 40, Note 258.

290 In a letter to his father dated 14 September 1894, Lev L’vovich (Lëva) describes his mental state and his ongoing efforts for self-improvement, including better relations with his family, in the face of challenging circumstances. See L. L. Tolstoj, Opyt moej zhizni, p. 306.

291 Vera Petrovna Severtseva (married name: Istomina; 1870–1900) — daughter to SAT’s first cousin Ol’ga Vja-che-sla-vov-na Severtseva (see Letter Nº 30, Note 181).

292 LNT’s niece Varvara Valer’janovna (Varin’ka) Nagornova — see Letter Nº 6, Note 43.

293 Natal’ja Vladimirovna Limont-Ivanvova (sister to Il’ja’s friend Vladimir Vladimirovich Treskin) — see Letter Nº 169, Note 212.

295 the artel worker — Matvej Nikitich Rumjantsev, who maintained a warehouse of LNT’s books for SAT in a section of the carriage-house at the Tolstoys’ Moscow home.

298 Ivan Fëdorovich Klejn (1837–1922) — professor of pathology at Moscow University.

300 Marija Aleksandrovna Shmidt (kindred thinker to LNT) — see Letter Nº 138, Note 595.

301 In a letter dated 25 October 1894 (not included here) LNT wrote to his wife: “My statement of faith I shall put aside for now. I really want to start again and differently” (PSS 84: 229). This is in reference to his treatise Christian teachings [Khristianskoe uchenie] on which he worked from 1894 to 1896 (see Letter Nº 175, Note 288).

302 Anna Petrovna (Annushka) Deeva (1869–?) — the Tolstoys’ cook (as of 1891); wife to Nikita Evdokimovich Deev.

303 From the families of Mikhail Sergeevich Sukhotin, Aleksandr Andreevich Behrs, Nikolaj Apollonovich Kolokol’tsov and Dmitrij Alekseevich D’jakov.

304 Anna Grigor’evna Dostoevskaja (née Snitkina; 1846–1918) —an early Russian stenographer and one of the first philatelists in Russia; second wife to writer Fëdor Mikhajlovich Dostoevsky (1821–1881 — by this time his widow). She also edited and published her husband’s works and was a freqent correspondent of SAT’s.

305 Ljubov’ Fëdorovna Dostoevskaja (1869–1926) — daughter to Anna Grigor’evna Dostoevskaja.

306 Rossa Aleksandrovna Del’vig (married name: Levitskaja; 1859–1922) — niece to Anton Antonovich Del’vig (see Letter Nº 23, Note 155).

307 The Historical Museum is situated between the Kremlin walls and the Iversky [Iberian] Gate which Alexander III’s funeral cortège was to pass through.

309 pirozhki — small bun-sized pastries with meat, vegetable or other kind of filling.

310 Emperor Nicholas II (1868–1918). The coronation would take place 14 May 1896.

311 A reference to Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, a cousin to Nicholas II, who would serve as King Edward VII of Great Britain from 1901 to 1910.

313 The Tsarina — i.e. Alexander III’s widow, Empress Marija Fëdorovna (see Letter Nº 30, Note 178).

314 Victoria Alisa Elena Luiza Beatrisa, Princess of Hessen-Darmstadt (1872–1918) married Nicholas II on 14 November 1894.

316 kissel [Russian: kisel’] — a popular Russian dessert made of thickened sweet juice or milk, to which fruits may be added.

318 Lives of saints [Russian: Zhitija svjatykh] — biographies of Christian saints and others canonised by the Christian church, beginning with the early Christian martyrs in the Roman Empire, and including a number of Slavic saints canonised by the Russian and other Eastern Orthodox churches.

319 SAT was evidently mistaken here, as St-Isidore would not correspond to the Orthodox calendar for this particular day.

320 Leopol’d Antonovich (Suller) Sulerzhitskij (also spelt: Sullerzhitskij; 1872–1916) — theatre director who assisted Konstantin Sergeevich Stanislavsky (1863-1938) at the Moscow Art Theatre, and was a good friend to LNT, Chekhov and Gorky. In 1899, at LNT’s behest, he escorted two boatloads of Doukhobors on their journey from the Caucasus to Canada (see Donskov 1998). At this time, however, he was a pupil at the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where the headmaster was Aleksej Evgen’evich L’vov (1850–1937).

321 Mikhail Sergeevich Sukhotin (future husband of the Tolstoys’ daughter Tat’jana L’vovna) — see Letter Nº 166, Note 192.

322 Ekaterina Ivanovna Boratynskaja (translator) — see Letter Nº 162, Note 154.

324 On 24 April 1895 SAT left with her daughter Marija L’vovna (Masha) for Kiev, to pay a visit to her sister Tat’jana Andreevna (Tanja) Kuzminskaja. The journey took them through Orël. The visit was intended to take SAT’s mind off the recent death of her youngest and dearest child Ivan L’vovich (Vanechka), who passed on with scarlet fever on 23 February.

325 At the end of March Andrjusha injured his teeth against a cast-iron fence while playing in the yard. See My Life, VI.113.

326 Marija Konstantinovna (Manja) Rachinskaja (Sergej L’vovich’s wife 1895–1900) — see Letter Nº 137, Note 579.

328 Nikolaj Leonidovich (Kolja) Obolenskij (LNT’s grand nephew) — see Letter Nº 143, Note 653.

329 Aleksandr Nikiforovich Dunaev (close friend of LNT’s) — see Letter Nº 141, Note 631.

332 A reference to LNT’s brother Sergej Nikolaevich (Serëzha) Tolstoj and his family.

333 Dmitrij Aleksandrovich (Mitja) Kuzminskij (1888–1937) — son to Tat’jana Andreevna Kuzminskaja and Aleksandr Mikhajlovich Kuzminskij, born in the same year as SAT’s beloved Vanechka.

334 A reference to the Kievo-Pecherskaja Lavra, a major monastery situated on the banks of the Dnieper River.

336 Marija Konstantinovna (Manja) Rachinskaja and Vera Petrovna Severtseva (see Letter Nº 176, Note 291).

337 Lev L’vovich (Lëva) was at this time taking treatment at a sanatorium near Moscow from neuropathologist Dr. Mikhail Petrovich Ogranovich (1848–1904), an acquaintance of LNT’s.

338 Tat’jana L’vovna’s (Tanja’s) letter to her mother (not included here) was dated 1 October 1895 and is to be found in the Manuscript Division of the State L. N. Tolstoy Museum in Moscow.

339 The Tolstoys’ son Andrej L’vovich (Andrjusha) was doing his military service in Tver’. SAT had gone to visit him there. See My Life, VI.122.

340 Sof’ja Nikolaevna Tolstaja (née Filosofova), wife to Il’ja L’vovich Tolstoj.

341 Andrej Il’ich Tolstoj (1894–1920) — son to Il’ja L’vovich and Sof’ja Nikolaevna.

342 Dr. Aleksandr Matveevich Rudnev (physician) — see Letter Nº 149, Note 41.

343 Fais ce que doit, advienne que pourra [Do what must be done, come what may] — LNT’s favourite saying, which he wrote in his diary just before his death.

344 A reference to a diary entry LNT made under 6 October 1895. At his wife’s request he crossed out (with a thick pen) seventeen lines (PSS 53: 59). On 13 October 1895 he wrote in his diary concerning SAT’s letter of 12 October 1895 (Letter Nº 181): “All these past days I’ve noticed that something was troubling Sonja. I found her poring over a letter. She said she would tell me later. This morning the explanation came out. She read me malicious words about her written [by me] in the heat of the moment. I had got irritated somehow, wrote that down right off and forgot about it. In the depths of my soul I had the lingering feeling that I had done something wrong. And so she read it. And, poor thing, she suffered horribly and, precious woman that she is, instead of getting angry she wrote me this letter. Never before have I felt so guilty and humbled. Oh, if only this could bring us even closer together! If only she could free herself from faith in trifles and had faith in her soul, her mind. Looking over my diary, I found the place — there were several — where I renounce those malicious words I wrote about her…. I have often become irritated with her for her quick, thoughtless temper but, as Fet said, every man has that wife which is needful to him. I can already see that she is the one needful for me….” (PSS 53: 61).

346 LNT’s play The power of darkness [Vlast’ t’my] was written in 1886 but prohibited by the censors from being performed on stage until 1895, when it had its first authorised performance in Moscow at a private theatre owned by Fëdor Adamovich Korsh (1852–1923).

347 SAT attended the performance of The power of darkness at the Alexandrine Theatre in St. Petersburg on 18 October 1895.

348 Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Stakhovich (equerry) — see Letter Nº 120, Note 441. His wife was Ol’ga Pavlovna Stakhovich (née Ushakova; 1827–1902). His daughter was Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Ogarëva (née Sta-kho-vich; 1854–1919), married to Major-General Aleksandr Nikolaevich Ogarëv (1839–?).

350 In his letter of 28 October, LNT wrote: “Today, the 28th, I did some good thinking, some writing, and finally abandoned the narrative I started. A wretched piece” (PSS 84: 243). The work in question was an early draft of Resurrection [Voskresenie], which LNT laid aside temporarily.

352 Kamolov — a peasant, former valet to SAT’s grandfather Andrej Evstaf’evich Behrs.

353 Nikolaj Mikhajlovich Nagornov (husband to LNT’s niece) — see Letter Nº 54, Note 348.

354 Vera Sergeevna Tolstaja (daughter to LNT’s brother) — see Letter Nº 102, Note 297.

355 In his diaries of 1888–89 LNT crossed out or cut out thirty-three excerpts; in the ones for 1890–95 — twelve excerpts (see S. A. Tolstaya: Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 627).

356 LNT’s telegram dated the same day reads: “LET THEM COME I’M WRITING” (PSS 84: 243). This is in regard to granting the request of Moscow’s Maly Theatre company to come to Yasnaya Polyana to hear LNT read his drama The power of darkness [Vlast’ t’my].

357 In her letter of 31 October 1895 (not included here) SAT complained of ill health and mentioned having to turn away visitors, that the constant stream of visitors was proving too much for her nerves. She also confessed her concern that their son Andrej was having a bad influence on his younger brother Mikhail. (Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, pp. 628–29).

359 LNT was working on his drama And the light shines in darkness [I svet vo t’me svetit].

361 A reference to Adam Vasil’evich Olsuf’ev and Anna Mikhajlovna Olsuf’eva, owners of the Nikol’skoe-Obol’janovo estate, where LNT was a guest — see Letter Nº 109, Note 364.

362 Matil’da Pavlovna Mollas (1857–1921) — a teacher of French for women’s higher-education courses in Moscow and a family friend of the Tolstoys’; a close friend to Elizaveta Adamovna (Liza) Olsuf’eva (see Letter Nº 112, Note 386).

363 A reference to LNT’s letter to governess P. K. Novitskaja (a native of Bessarabia; 1874–?) dated 11 December 1894, which was published in the journal Voprosy filosofii i psikhologii (1894, Nº 32) under the editorship of Nikolaj Jakovlevich Grot (see Letter Nº 137, Note 582). LNT’s request for the word change was honoured in publication. The letter touched upon LNT’s views on the meaning of life.

364 A reference to one of a number of articles published in the journal Kolos’ja between 1887 and 1879.

365 Jean Aicard (1848–1921) — French novelist, poet and playwright; his novel Notre-Dame d’Amour was published in 1896.

366 On 9 July 1895 the Tolstoys’ eldest son, Sergej L’vovich (Serëzha) Tolstoj, married Marija Konstantinovna (Manja) Rachinskaja (see Letter Nº 137, Note 579).

368 Church of the Sign of the Blessed Virgin at Devich’e pole [Maidens’ Field] in Moscow.

369 Snegirëv Clinic — a clinic established in 1889 by an early pioneer in Russian gynæcology, Vladimir Fëdorovich Snegirëv (1847–1916).

370 Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Krjukov (1849–1908) — an oculist, Deputy Chair of the Moscow Oculists’ Society, with whom SAT took treatment for her eyes.

371 In January of 1896 SAT went to Tver’ for a visit with the Tolstoys’ son Andrej, who was engaged in his military service there at the time.

372 LNT had a ‘telephonogramme’ connection with Moscow from Nikol’skoe-Obol’janovo.

373 Ekaterina Fëdorovna Junge (LNT’s second cousin) — see Letter Nº 157, Note 107.

374 On 26 February 1896 (9 March N. S.) Lev L’vovich (Lëva) Tolstoy, in Sweden for medical treatment, became engaged to Dora Westerlund (1878–1933), daughter to his physician, Dr. Ernst Westerlund (1859–1924). Their wedding would take place in May 1896.

376 A letter dated 1 March 1896 (not included here; Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, pp. 643–44).

377 In a letter of 27 February 1896 (not included here), LNT wrote: “Your letter [Nº 185 of 26 February] is not comforting. The main thing is [your] restraint and, it seems, not so much discontent, but sadness. Please write nicely, with a nice, bright disposition” (PSS 84: 252).

378 Lëva’s letter to his sister Tanja of 26 February 1896 (describing his marital relations with his young wife Dora) had been forwarded to LNT.

379 Countess Ol’ga Dmitrievna Miljutina (1846–1926) — daughter to war minister Dmitrij Alekseevich Miljutin (1816–1912).

380 Nikolaj Mikhajlovich Nagornov (husband to LNT’s niece Varvara Valer’janovna Tolstaja; see Letter Nº 6, Note 43) passed away on 23 January 1896. Two days later LNT wrote in his diary: “The main event these past couple of days has been Nagornov’s death, ever new and meaningful — death. I thought: death is portrayed on stage at the theatre. Does it produce even one ten-thousandth of the impression produced by the closeness of a real death?” (PSS 53: 78).

381 Marija Konstantinovna Tolstaja (née Rachinskaja), Sergej L’vovich’s wife, was reading a draft of LNT’s Resurrection.

382 Vasilij Alekseevich (Vasja) Maklakov (family friend) — see Letter Nº 174, Note 275.

383 The wedding of Lev L’vovich (Lëva) Tolstoj and Dora Westerlund (see Letter Nº 185, Note 374) took place in Sweden on 15 May 1896 (this was actually 27 May N. S.; SAT was evidently mistaken about the N. S. date).

385 Vladimir Vasil’evich Stasov (librarian; see Letter Nº 61, Note 26) had just visited LNT at Yasnaya Polyana before coming to see SAT in Moscow. He brought SAT a letter from LNT dated 7 September 1896 (not included here) in which he said of Stasov: “In him there’s a lot of kindness and genuine love and understanding of art” (PSS 84: 255, there dated 9 September 1896).

386 Johannes Kœnraad van der Veer (1869–1928) — a Dutch Tolstoyan and Christian anarchist. For his refusal to do military service he was sentenced to three months of solitary confinement.

387 LNT’s Letter to the liberals (like his letter to Van der Veer, eventually published in England in Chertkov’s bulletin Svobodnoe slovo in 1898) was in response to a letter he received from writer and pedagogue Aleksandra Mikhajlovna Kalmykova (née Chernova; 1849–1926) concerning the closure (in November 1895) of the St. Petersburg Literacy Committee, created in 1861 to facilitate public education, and its merging with the Free Economic Society.

389 A letter dated 24 September 1896 (not included here; see S. A. Tolstaja, Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 653).

390 SAT wrote a comment on his letter (PSS 84: 260), saying “The whole time I kept missing my deceased Vanechka and there was no way I could fill the emptiness left in my life by his death.”

391 The Tolstoys’ daughter Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja) had paid a visit to her friends the Stakhoviches on their Pal’na estate in Orël Gubernia.

392 LNT’s nephew Nikolaj Leonidovich (Kolasha) Obolenskij (see Letter Nº 143, Note 653).

393 Intiro Tokutomi (pseudonym: Sokho; 1863–1957) — Japanese journalist, historian and social activist, who ran the Japanese magazine Kukumin-Shimbun [Friend of the people]; he was accompanied by an assistant named Fukaj.

395 A letter to their daughter Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja) dated 28 October 1896 (Manuscript Division, Tolstoy Museum).

396 Vladimir Grigor’evich Chertkov (kindred thinker) — see Letter Nº 97, Note 257.

397 Ivan Mikhajlovich Tregubov (1858–1931) — a Tolstoyan closely involved (like Chertkov) in the emigration of the Doukhobors to Canada in 1899.

398 The appeal, entitled “Pomogite!” [Help!] called upon the public to help the persecuted Doukhobors emigrate abroad; it was signed by Chertkov, Tregubov and Pavel Ivanovich Birjukov, with an Afterword added by LNT.

399 Princess Elena Petrovna Nakashidze (1868–1943) — sister to one of LNT’s kindred thinkers, a Georgian political commentator and social activist named Il’ja Petrovich Nakashidze (1863–1923).

400 A letter to Lt-Colonel Morgunov of the Ekaterinodar Disciplinary Battalion, asking him to show mercy on the Doukhobors in his battalion who refused military service.

401 Dora was still suffering from complications arising from an earlier miscarriage and was waiting for her doctor’s prognosis. The couple went on to bear nine children between 1898 and 1914.

402 A letter dated 9 November 1896 (not included here; Manuscript Division, Tolstoy Museum).

403 Nikolaj Leonidovich (Kolja) Obolenskij (LNT’s nephew and future son-in-law) and Marija Aleksandrovna Dubenskaja (née Tsurikova; 1854–1924), an acquaintance of the Tolstoys’.

404 A reference in particular to LNT’s letter of 11 November 1896 to Demetrio Zanini (1868–1922), a stamp- and autograph-collector in Barcelona.

405 Richard Richardovich Gil’ — owner of a colliery and brick factory in Moscow.

406 In November 1896 these would have included: Christian teachings [Khristianskoe uchenie], What is art? [Chto takoe iskusstvo?] and O vojne [On war].

407 By this time the Tolstoys’ son Mikhail L’vovich (Misha) had abandoned the gymnasium and entered the Tsarevich Nicholas Lycée (a Moscow boarding school).

409 A letter from Lev L’vovich (Lëva) and one from Marija L’vovna (Masha) — both dated 11 November 1896 (Manuscript Division, Tolstoy Museum)

410 LNT’s nieces Elizaveta Valer’janovna (Liza, Lizan’ka) Obolenskaja and Varvara Valer’janovna (Varja, Varichka) Nagornova.

411 Aleksandr Borisovich Gol’denvejzer (a.k.a. Alexander Goldenweiser; 1875–1961) — pianist and composer; professor at the Moscow Conservatory. A close friend of LNT’s, he published a number of reminiscences on the writer.

412 Marija Dmitrievna (Masha) Kolokol’tsova (D’jakov’s daughter) — see Letter Nº 51, Note 328.

413 Marija Leonidovna Maklakova (Masha) and her husband Nikolaj Alekseevich Maklakov — see Letter Nº 170, Note 228.

414 Marija Sergeevna (Masha) Tolstaja (married name: Bibikova; 1872–1954) — daughter to LNT’s brother Sergej Nikolaevich Tolstoj.

416 Jurij Nikolaevich (Jusha) Pomerantsev (1878–1933) — a pupil of Sergej Ivanovich Taneev’s (later a composer and conductor), who had been living with the Tolstoys in Moscow.

417 Sergej Ivanovich Taneev (also spelt: Taneyev; 1856–1915) — prominent Russian pianist and composer, professor (and later Director) of the Moscow Conservatory. He was also one of the first Esperanto users in Russia, writing several romances in Esperanto. For his relationship to SAT, see My Life, VI.117.

418 An article entitled “Nravstvennaja organizatsija chelovechestva” [The moral organisation of mankind] by philosopher Vladimir Sergeevich Solov’ëv (see Letter Nº 52, Note 333).

419 A reference to the family of SAT’s aunt, Vera Aleksandrovna Shidlovskaja (née Islavina).

420 Vera Petrovna (Verochka) Severtsova (married name: Istomina; 1870–1900) — SAT’s first cousin, once removed.

422 Konstantin Nikolaevich Igumnov (1873–1948) — pianist, professor of the Moscow Conservatory.

423 A reference to the birthday of the Empress-Mother Marija Fëdorovna (14 November 1847) as well as the wedding of Emperor Nicholas II to Aleksandra Fëdorovna (14 November 1894).

426 A reference to the rehearsal for a St. Petersburg concert featuring Sergej Ivanovich Taneev. SAT attended the concert itself on 8 February 1897. She and LNT arrived in St. Petersburg the day before to bid farewell to Vladimir Grigor’evich Chertkov and Pavel Ivanovich Birjukov, who were both being exiled abroad.

427 A veiled reference to Sergej Ivanovich Taneev, with whom SAT had a platonic relationship; her attraction to Taneev and his music helped alleviate the feeling of depression she experienced following the death of her dear son Vanechka (see Editor’s Introduction, “Music and Sergej Ivanovich Taneev”).

428 The conversation in question concerned Taneev. On 16 February 1897 LNT wrote in his diary: “Sonja [= SAT] left today after a conversation which upset her. Women do not hold themselves responsible and are unable to act according to the demands of reason. For them this sail is not set. They proceed using oars with no rudder” (PSS 53: 137).

430 In 1897 SAT was working on the tenth edition of LNT’s collected works (in 14 volumes).

431 A reference to the marriage of Tat’jana Nikolaevna (Tanja) Nagornova (daughter to LNT’s niece Varvara Valer’janovna Nagornova; 1879–?) to Grigorij Èmmanuilovich Vol’kenshtejn (1875–?).

432 SAT was exaggerating here; their son Andrej L’vovich (Andrjusha), doing his military service at Tver’, was actually describing a very mild punishment, which did not seem to bother him very much.

433 In his letter of the day before (16 February 1897, not included here), LNT expressed his regret that their conversation was so heated, assuring her that he had nothing but loving feelings for her and that his resentment toward her had passed.

434 Marija L’vovna (Masha) Tolstaja; Aleksandra L’vovna (Sasha) Tolstaja (the Tolstoys’ daughters).

435 Sof’’ja Nikolaevna (Sonja) Kolokol’tsova (also spelt: Kolokol’tseva; married name: Perfil’eva).

436 Vera Sergeevna (Verochka) Ljapunova (née Arbuzova; 1882–1975) — daughter to the Tolstoys’ servant Sergej Petrovich Arbuzov (see Letter Nº 4, Note 15).

437 Kamolovs — the family of Andrej Evstaf’evich Behrs’ (SAT’s father’s) valet.

438 Princess Evgenija Fëdorovna Shakhovskaja-Glebova-Streshneva (1846–1924) — owner of the Pokrovskoe-Streshnevo estate.

439 Mikhail L’vovich (Misha) Tolstoj was taking piano lessons from pianist Sergej Ivanovich Taneev.

440 In a letter dated 3 May (not included here) LNT had written: “Please, please, do not get carried away with work, i.e. don’t sit up nights. That’s terribly bad for you. Take a trip out of town, walk around the garden”.

441 Marija Vasil’evna Sjas’kova — a copyist for the Posrednik publishing house; a tutor to the Tolstoys’ children.

442 A reference to Mar’ja Mikhajlovna Sukhotina (née Bode) first wife of Mikhail Sergeevich Sukhotin (see Letter Nº 166, Note 192); she would pass on the following month. In November 1899 Sukhotin married the Tolstoys’ eldest daughter Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja).

443 On 10 May 1897 LNT wrote several letters in defence of the Molokans (a Christian sect similar in beliefs to the Doukhobors, but who accepted literacy and the reading of the Bible). For more on the Molokans, see: A. Donskov, Leo Tolstoy and Russian peasant sectarian writers, pp. 44-59. One of LNT’s letters was addressed to Emperor Nicholas II, another to his childhood tutor, Englishman Charles Heath (1826–1900).

444 Pavel Aleksandrovich Bulanzhe (a.k.a. Paul Boulanger; 1864–1925) — an Orientalist who espoused LNT’s views; his works on Oriental religions were published by Posrednik. While he did help facilitate the Doukhobors’ emigration to Canada, this particular article was not published in Russkie vedomosti.

446 Anna Ivanovna Maslova (1844–1925) — She and her family were good friends of Sergej Ivanovich Taneev’s, who often spent his summers on their Selishche estate in Orël Gubernia, occasionally inviting SAT to visit him there.

447 Jurij Nikolaevich Pomerantsev (Taneev’s pupil) — see Letter Nº 192, Note 416.

448 Nikolaj Avgustovich Zander (violin teacher) — see Letter Nº 168, Note 209.

449 Evgenij Ivanovich Popov (a Tolstoyan) — see Letter Nº 155, Note 90. LNT was opposed to Tanja’s brief relationship with Popov, whom he considered simply a womaniser.

451 Ljubov’ Jakovlevna Gurevich (1866–1940). SAT was disturbed that LNT had given his story Master and man [Khozjain i rabotnik] to Gurevich for publication in the journal which she co-edited, Severnyj vestnik.

453 A reference to LNT’s letter of 18 May 1897 (PSS 84: 284). The whereabouts of the second letter are unknown.

454 LNT was leaving to visit his brother Sergej Nikolaevich at the latter’s Pirogovo estate; this letter was not delivered to SAT.

455 This letter arose out of Sergej Ivanovich Taneev’s visit to Yasnaya Polyana at the beginning of July 1897, which provoked heightened arguments between LNT and his wife. As the situation eventually ended with a reconciliation, LNT did not give the letter to SAT at the time. He kept it under the seat of his chair in his study. It was given to SAT only after the writer’s death in 1910.

456 A probable reference to LNT’s letter of 17 (or 18) November 1897 (not included here), in which he excuses himself for not coming to see her, hoping she will understand his need for “quiet solitude”.

457 Taneev had given SAT Ludwig Nohl’s biography of Beethoven, Beethovens Leben, originally published between 1864 and 1877. The three-volume Russian translation, Betkhoven, ego zhizn’ i tvorenija [Beethoven, his life and works] was published in 1892.

458 Andrej Il’ich Tolstoj (1895–1920) — son to Il’ja L’vovich Tolstoj and his first wife Sof’ja Nikolaevna (née Filosofova).

459 A reference to Tat’jana L’vovna’s obsession with Mikhail Sergeevich Sukhotin, whom she later married.

460 Dora Westerlund, married to the Tolstoys’ son Lev L’vovich (Lëva). The whereabouts of SAT’s letter to Dora are unknown.

463 On 12 November 1897 LNT wrote in his diary: “Lëva has found some iron ore and finds it quite natural that people will stay underground where their lives are in danger, while he makes a profit” (PSS 53: 160).

464 Aylmer Maude (1858–1938) and his wife Louise Maude (née Shanks; 1855–1939) — LNT’s principal English translators during his lifetime. Louise Maude was born in Moscow, and she and her husband were friends of the Tolstoy family. They also assisted in the 1899 Doukhobor emigration to Canada.

466 A reference to the daughters of the artist Fëdor L’vovich Sollogub (see Letter Nº 96, Note 253): Elena Fëdorovna Sollogub (1874–1933) and Vera Fëdorovna Lëvshina (née Sollogub; 1875–?).

467 A reference to the sisters of philosophy professor Prince Sergej Nikolaevich Trubetskoj (1862–1905): Elizaveta Sergeevna Osorgina (née Trubetskaja; 1865–1935) and Varvara Sergeevna Lermontova (née Trubetskaja; 1870–1933).

468 Aleksandr Nikiforovich Dunaev (close family friend) — see Letter Nº 141, Note 631.

469 Ivan Petrovich Brashnin (1826–1898) — a Tolstoyan; a Moscow merchant, friend of Dunaev’s.

471 A reference to Cornelius Newton Bliss (1833–1911), who served as the U. S. Secretary of the Interior from March 1897 to February 1899.

472 Prince Èsper Èsperovich Ukhtomskij (1861–1921) — diplomat, poet, translator and specialist in Oriental studies, editor of the paper Sankt-Peterburgskie vedomosti, who supported LNT’s move to help the Doukhobors emigrate to Canada. However, LNT at first accepted but then later rejected his initial suggestion that the Doukhobors be relocated to Mongolia (see Donskov 2005: 22). In the next sentence LNT asks whether Ukhtomskij will decide to publish his (LNT’s) letter appealing for aid to the Doukhobors. The letter was not published in Ukhtomskij’s paper.

473 LNT and SAT were visiting their son Il’ja L’vovich and his wife Sof’ja Nikolaevna on their Grinëvka estate. Towards the end of April 1898 SAT left for Yasnaya Polyana while LNT stayed on at Grinëvka.

474 The Tolstoys’ neighbour Vladimir Aleksandrovich Bibikov (see Letter Nº 68, Note 73) wanted to take back some land they had purchased from his father and launched a lawsuit, which he subsequently lost (according to an annotation by SAT, Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 684).

476 A reference to Sergej L’vovich [Serëzha] Tolstoj’s Nikol’skoe-Vjazemskoe estate.

477 LNT’s niece Varvara Valer’janovna (Varen’ka) Nagornova, whose estate was located about 9 versts from Grinëvka.

478 Tat’jana Nikolaevna (Tanja) Vol’kenshtejn (Varvara Valer’janovna’s daughter) and Tat’jana’s husband Grigorij Èmmanuilovich Vol’kenshtejn — see Letter Nº 194, Note 431.

480 Aleksandr Nikolaevich Trubnikov (1853–1922) — governor of Orël Gubernia (1894–1901).

482 Sof’ja Nikolaevna (Sonja) Tolstaja (née Filosofova; wife to the Tolstoys’ son Il’ja L’vovich Tolstoj).

483 A reference to Spasskoe-Lutovinovo, Turgenev’s estate (see Letter Nº 24, Note 160).

484 Arnol’d L’vovich Ziserman (1824–1897) — a book LNT needed for his work on the story Hadji-Murat [Khadzhi-Murat].

485 Ivan Ivanovich Gorbunov-Posadov (Posrednik publisher) — see Letter Nº 174, Note 270.

486 Vasilij Filippovich Krasnov (1878–?) — peasant writer who served as a photographic retouch artist.

489 On 20 October 1898 LNT wrote to Chertkov: “I received a letter from a Mr. Marlsden [sic!] from Petersburg, saying he was an agent [facilitating] relocation to the Hawaiian Islands and that he had come to Russia specifically to talk with me about the relocation of 3000 (he knows only about the 3000 that have been granted [the right to] relocation).… I considered it my duty, despite the fact that negotiations with Canada had already progressed quite far, to invite him. He came yesterday and I was impressed by the comparative advantage of the terms of relocation to the Hawaiian Islands” (PSS 88: 137). This meeting was also described by SAT in My Life (VII.50), although there researchers identified the visitor in question (from external sources) as Nicholas Russel (a.k.a. Nikolaj Konstantinovich Sudzilovskij; 1850–1930). No further information is known concerning a “Mr. Marlsden”, whose name LNT gives in this English spelling.

492 Anna Aleksandrovna (Anet) Behrs, wife to SAT’s brother Aleksandr Andreevich (Sasha) Behrs.

493 Herbert Archer — a young Englishman; an associate of Chertkov’s English “Svobodnoe Slovo” publishing house. He subsequently spent several years in Canada with the Doukhobors.

495 Natal’ja Aleksandrovna Ienken (Dutch name: Jenken; 1863–1927) — an artist of Dutch descent who shared LNT’s views.

496 Leopol’d Antonovich Sullerzhitskij (actor who escorted Doukhobors to Canada) — see Letter Nº 177, Note 320.

497 A reference to LNT’s unfinished story Mother (Notes of a mother) [Mat’ (Zapiski materi)], which he began in 1891.

498 Vasilij Stepanovich (Vasen’ka) Perfil’ev served as Governor of Moscow (1878–87); he was married to LNT’s second cousin Praskov’ja Fëdorovna Tolstaja (see Letter Nº 16, Note 94). LNT used him as one of the prototypes for Stiva Oblonskij in Anna Karenina.

499 Princess Elizaveta Andreevna Tserteleva (née Lavrovskaja; 1845–1919) — opera singer and singing teacher.

500 Marija Alekseevna (Marusja) Maklakova (1877–?) with her brother Vasilij Alekseevich Maklakov (see Letter Nº 174, Note 7).

502 On 2 June 1897 the Tolstoys’ daughter Marija L’vovna (Masha) Tolstaja married her second cousin, once removed, LNT’s grand nephew Prince Nikolaj Leonidovich Obolenskij (see Letter Nº 70, Note 893), who was penniless and jobless. She had just had a stillbirth.

503 SAT went to Kiev to visit her sister Tat’jana Andreevna (Tanja) Kuzminskaja, who was seriously ill with pneumonia.

504 Dr. Vasilij Vasil’evich Chirkov (1846–1907) — Kiev University professor, whom the Tolstoys had got acquainted with in Moscow as assistant to Dr. Grigorij Antonovich Zakhar’in (see Letter Nº 34, Note 210).

505 Marija Aleksandrovna (Masha) Èrdeli (née Kuzminskaja; second daughter to SAT’s sister Tanja) — see Letter Nº 151, Note 64.

506 The Kuzminskijs’ four boys: Mikhail (1875–1938), Aleksandr (1880–ca1930), Vasilij (1882–1933), Dmitrij (1888–1937).

507 Vera Aleksandrovna Kuzminskaja (third daughter to SAT’s sister Tanja) — see Letter Nº 43, Note 281.

508 Anastasija Vasil’evna (Nastja) Safonova (1883–1898) — daughter to pianist and conductor Vasilij Il’ich Safonov (1852–1918), who was a Moscow acquaintance of the Tolstoys’.

509 SAT saw her son Lev L’vovich (Lëva) at Yasnaya Polyana, where she stopped en route.

510 The whereabouts of this letter, as well as of the telegram mentioned, are unknown.

513 Lev Aleksandrovich Georgievskij (1860–after 1917) — future Headmaster of the Katkov Lycée (1906–08).

514 Dr. Aleksej Il’ich Bakunin (1874–1945) — surgeon; nephew to anarchist Mikhail Aleksandrovich Bakunin (1814–1876); deputy representing Tver’ Gubernia in the Second State Duma. He accompanied the first boatload of Doukhobors to Canada, along with actor Leopol’d Antonovich Sullerzhitskij.

515 Sergej L’vovich (Serëzha) Tolstoj accompanied the second boatload of Doukhobors a few weeks later, leaving Batoum on 23 December 1898 and arriving at Halifax on 15 January (27 January N. S.) 1899 (see Donskov 1998: 278–81).

516 Ernest Howard Crosby (American social activist) — see Letter Nº 172, Note 247. For LNT’s letter to him, see PSS 90: 308–09.

517 LNT’s account of the distribution of funds collected for the Doukhobors (as of 15 February 1899) was published in Russkie vedomosti (1899, Nº 62, 4 March 1899).

518 23 September 1862 was the Tolstoys’ wedding day; they were married in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in the Moscow Kremlin. SAT always tried to take a picture of herself with LNT on their wedding anniversary.

520 Elena Pavlovna Raevskaja (née Evreinova; wife to Ivan Ivanovich Raevskij) and her sister Ekaterina Pavlovna Davydova (née Evreinova; wife to Nikolaj Vasil’evich Davydov) — see Letter Nº 159, Note 124. Their other sister, Aleksandra Pavlovna Samarina (née Evreinova; 1836–1905) was married to Pëtr Fëdorovich Samarin (1830–1901), the nobility representative for Tula Gubernia in the latter half of the 1870s and an old acquaintance of LNT’s.

521 Dr. Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Krjukov (oculist) — see Letter Nº 185, Note 370.

522 SAT was planning to go with Marija Alekseevna (Marusja) Maklakova (see Letter Nº 206, Note 500) to the Rachinskijs’ Petrovskoe-Razumovskoe estate (owned by Sergej L’vovich’s in-laws) to see her grandson Sergej Sergeevich Tolstoj (1897–1974).

525 Dr. Ernst Westerlund, father of Lev L’vovich’s (Lëva’s) wife Dora (see Letter Nº 185, Note 374), who was coming from Sweden (through Moscow) to Yasnaya Polyana to comfort his daughter and Lëva after the death of her two-year-old firstborn son Lëvushka (1898–1900); this was a devastating blow for the young couple.

526 The Tolstoys’ daughter Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja) experienced a stillbirth. Her sick husband Mikhail Sergeevich Sukhotin was taking medical treatment abroad, and so SAT went to comfort her daughter at the Sukhotin’s Kochety estate.

527 On 30 December 1899 the Tolstoys’ daughter Aleksandra L’vovna (Sasha) visited Viktor Nikolaevich Martynov and his wife Sof’ja Mikhajlovna Martynova (see Letter Nº 167, Note 204).

528 Vladimir Petrovich Glebov (1850–1926) — member of the State Council (as of 1906), and his wife Sof’ja Nikolaevna Glebova (née Princess Trubetskaja; 1853–1936) — both Tolstoy family acquaintances; major landowners in Tula and Moscow. Their daughter Aleksandra Vladimirovna (Lina) Glebova (1880–1967) married the Tolstoys’ son Mikhail L’vovich (Misha) Tolstoj on 31 January 1901. She wrote a book of memoirs of LNT.

529 In early October 1901 the Tolstoys left Yasnaya Polyana for the Crimea, where they had been invited to spend the winter at the Gaspra estate of Countess Sof’ja Vladimirovna Panina (1871–1957), a family friend. During their stay there SAT made one trip back to Moscow and Yasnaya Polyana (in April 1902, through Sevastopol’) with an unidentified companion.

531 LNT was working on his novel Hadji-Murat [Khadzhi-Murat] between 1896 and 1904.

532 LNT’s diary for 1903 contains many notes on the “definition of life” (see PSS 54).

533 Julija Ivanovna Igumnova (1871–1940) — an art student, who often stayed with the Tolstoys at Yasnaya Polyana.

534 Dr. Dmitrij Vasil’evich Nikitin (1874–1960) — LNT’s personal physician (1902–04).

535 Aleksandra Nikolaevna Naryshkina (née Chicherina; 1839–1919) — lady-in-waiting.

536 Boris Nikolaevich Chicherin (1828–1904) — philosopher, historian; a long-time acquaintance of LNT’s; brother to Aleksandra Nikolaevna Naryshkina.

537 Khrisanf Nikolaevich Abrikosov (1877–1957) — a kindred thinker and assistant to LNT. In 1905 he married LNT’s grandniece Natal’ja Leonidovna Obolenskaja (1881–1955) — sister to Nikolaj Leonidovich Obolenskij (see Letter Nº 206, Note 502).

539 Ol’ga Konstantinovna Tolstaja (née Diterikhs; 1872–1951) — first wife to Andrej L’vovich Tolstoj; sister to Anna Konstantinovna Chertkova (née Diterikhs; see Letter Nº 133, Note 537).

540 Varvara Ivanovna Maslova (see Letter Nº 143, Note 651) and her brother Fëdor Ivanovich Maslov (1840–1915) — jurist, friend to composers Tchaikovsky and Taneev.

541 This performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy in Russian featured the celebrated actor Konstantin Stanislavsky as Brutus.

542 Aleksandra Nikolaevna Strekalova (née Princess Kasatkina-Rostovskaja; 1821–1904) — prominent Moscow philanthropist. Her granddaughter was Princess Aleksandra Andreevna Liven (1862–1914).

543 Vera Aleksandrovna Shidlovskaja (née Islavina) — see Letter Nº 123, Note 487.

544 SAT and family were probably staying at the Maslovs’ while their own house was being renovated.

545 Julija Sergeevna Mjasoedova — distant cousin to LNT. Several of her letters to LNT have been preserved, containing requests to help her find work in an almshouse or widows’ home.

546 Anna Il’inichna (Annochka) Tolstaja (1888–1954) — daughter to Il’ja L’vovich Tolstoj and his wife Sof’ja Nikolaevna.

547 Feodor Chaliapin (Russian: Fëdor Ivanovich Shaljapin; 1873–1938) — prominent Russian bass opera singer, who was featured in a special concert together with the Moscow Conservatory Orchestra on 10 January 1904, under the auspices of the Russian Musical Society.

548 The three of us — i.e. SAT, her daughter Aleksandra (Sasha) and her granddaughter Annochka.

551 Prince Nikolaj Sergeevich Shcherbatov (1853–1929) — director of the Historical Museum in Moscow, to which SAT decided to transfer LNT’s manuscripts from the Rumjantsev Museum, where they had been stored for safekeeping.

552 Ivan Vladimirovich Tsvetaev (1847–1913) — philologist and archæologist, professor at Moscow University and Director of the Rumjantsev Museum (1901–10). In her diary (Dnevniki II: 99) SAT expressed her disgust at Tsvetaev’s apparent disregard for the importance of LNT’s manuscripts.

553 Princess Sof’ja Aleksandrovna Shcherbatova (née Apraksina; 1852-1919) and her daughter, Princess Marija Nikolaevna Shcherbatova (married name as of 1911: Countess Chernyshëva-Bezobrazova; 1886–1975), lady-in-waiting.

554 Ivan Egorovich Zabelin (1820–1908) — historian, assistant to the Chairman of the Historical Museum (since 1879).

555 Nikolaj Fëdorovich Fëdorov (1828–1903) — philosopher; librarian at the Rumjantsev Museum.

556 ‘bodyguards’ — SAT is jokingly referring to Julija Ivanovna Igumnova (see Letter Nº 212, Note 533) and Dr. Grigorij Moiseevich Berkengejm (1872–1919) — the Tolstoys’ family physician at the time.

558 A reference to Margarita Mikhajlovna Naryshkina (1881–1920) — later married to Vladimir Afanas’evich Afanas’ev (1851–?). Il’ja depicted his relationship with Naryshkina in his story “Pozdno” [Late], published in Vestnik Evropy (April 1914).

559 Wagner concert — a reference to excerpts from Wagner’s opera Die Meistersinger von Nürenberg performed by guest artists from abroad under the direction of Dutch conductor and violinist Willem Kes (1856–1934)

560 Aleksej Ivanovich Stankevich (1856–1922) — historian, bibliographer, translator; senior librarian at the Historical Museum.

561 Pavel Aleksandrovich Bulanzhe (Orientalist) — see Letter Nº 197, Note 444.

563 Carlo Robecchi — Italian bronze master, proprietor of a bronze foundry in Moscow.

564 Pavel Petrovich (Paolo) Trubetskoj (also transliterated: Troubetzkoy; 1866–1938) — sculptor who executed a bust of LNT in 1898.

565 Charles Salomon (1863–1936) — a translator of LNT’s writings into French.

566 Mikhail Aleksandrovich (Misha) Stakhovich (1861–1923; poet, political activist) — see Letter Nº 97, Note 258.

567 The Russo-Japanese war began 27 January 1904 (9 February N. S.) and lasted until 23 August 1905 (5 September N. S.).

568 On 11 August 1904 LNT went to the Pirogovo estate to see his brother, Sergej Nikolaevich Tolstoj (1826–1904), who was dying of cancer.

569 Marija Mikhajlovna (Masha) Tolstaja (née Shishkina; wife to Sergej Nikolaevich Tolstoj) — see Letter Nº 15, Note 86.

571 LNT had written a foreword to Chertkov’s article “Nasil’stvennaja revoljutsija ili khristianskoe osvobozhdenie?” [Violent revolution or Christian liberation?].

572 This was also known as A cycle of readings [Krug chtenija], defined as “thoughts of many writers about the truth of life and [about] behaviour, selected, compiled and arranged for every day by Lev Tolstoy”, published by Posrednik (1906–07).

573 The First Russian Revolution took place from January 1905 to June 1907, set off by the mass demonstrations of “Bloody Sunday” (9 January 1905; 22 January N. S.) when Imperial troops opened fire on hundreds of protesting workers led by priest and union organiser Georgij Apollonovich Gapon (1870–1906). SAT was in Moscow at the time, while her son Lev L’vovich (Lëva) was in St. Petersburg. In his autobiographical memoirs (Opyt moej zhizni, p. 64) he lamented the absence of any real leader “capable of leading Russia onto the bright path of order and renewal”. And later he added, from the point of view of an eye-witness (ibid., p. 85): “In [just] one fine morning the priest Gapon managed to raise a whole Petersburg crowd and set it marching on the [Tsar’s] Winter Palace.”

574 Aleksej Aleksandrovih Bakhrushin (1865–1929) — head of a leather and fabric manufacturing concern, announced a two-week closure of his factory, during which time his workers would still receive their wages.

575 Morozov — one of the members of the wealthiest and most prominent industrial family dynasties of the period.

577 Dr. Dushan Petrovich Makovitskij (LNT’s personal physician) — see Letter Nº 174, Note 279.

578 Il’ja Vasil’evich Sidorkov — the Tolstoys’ servant, who had recently fallen ill.

579 Ivan Fëdorovich Nazhivin (1874–1940) — writer, with his wife Anna Efimovna Nazhivina (née Zusman).

581 Iosif Konstantinovich (Zhozja) Diterikhs (1868–1932) — brother to Ol’ga Konstantinovna Tolstaja (see Letter Nº 213, Note 539) and Anna Konstantinovna Chertkova (see Letter Nº 133, Note 537).

582 SAT’s niece Vera Aleksandrovna Kuzminskaja — see Letter Nº 43, Note 281.

583 Nadezhda Pavlovna (Nadechka) Ivanova (?–1926) — a merchant’s daughter; a friend to Aleksandra L’vovna (Sasha) Tolstaja.

585 Georges Bourdon (1868–1938) — a French journalist who, after visiting Yasnaya Polyana in 1904, published a book in Paris entitled En écoutant Tolstoï, with flattering descriptions of SAT. In a letter of 9 January 1905 (22 January N. S.), Bourdon asked permission to visit Yasnaya Polyana once more.

586 Michael Davitt (1846–1906) — Irish Labour MP, journalist, founder of the Irish National Land League.

587 On Friday 21 January 1905 Chaliapin performed the title role in Mussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre.

588 These were held every three years to elect representatives and officials of the nobility at various administrative levels, including the gubernia and the uezd.

589 Aleksandr Dmitrievich Samarin (1866–1932) — Collegiate Councillor (from 1905), State Council member (from 1912).

590 Sergej Nikolaevich Trubetskoj (1862–1905) — a liberal-inclined philosopher.

592 Marija Mikhajlovna (Marusja) Naryshkina (married name: Bel’skaja; 1881–?).

593 Elizaveta Valer’janovna (Lizan’ka) Tolstaja, Natal’ja Leonidovna (Natasha) Obolenskaja, Khrisanf Nikolaevich Abrikosov.

594 Marija Alekseevna (Marusja) Maklakova, Katerina (Ekaterina) Fëdorovna Junge (née Tolstaja; see Letter Nº 157, Note 107) with her son Aleksandr (or Fëdor) Èduardovich Junge.

595 Anna Aleksandrovna Gorjainova (née Princess Golitsyna-Prozorovskaja; 1851–1921) — great-granddaughter to friends of LNT’s grandfather’s (Nikolaj Sergeevich Volkonskij): Sergej Fëdorovich Golitsyn and Varvara Vasil’evna Golitsyna.

596 Aleksandr Borisovich Gol’denvejzer (pianist; see Letter Nº 192, Note 411) with his wife Anna Alekseevna Gol’denvejzer (née Sofiano; 1881–1929).

597 Avdot’ja (Evdokija) Nikolaevna (Dunjasha) Bannikova — see Letter Nº 5, Note 37.

598 Two of the Tolstoys’ sons — Aleksej (Alësha; 1881–1886) and Ivan (Vanechka; 1888–1895) were buried at the Nikolo-Arkhangel’sk Cemetery near Moscow. In 1932 their remains were transferred to the Tolstoy family plot at Kochaki.

600 Fëdor Vasil’evich Dubasov (1845–1912) — admiral, adjutant-general, Governor-General of Moscow (1905–06), in charge of repressing the December 1905 uprising in Moscow.

601 Fidling [sic] — Ivan Ivanovich Fidler (1864–1934) — headmaster of the Fidler (non-classical) secondary school in Moscow, who made his premises available for revolutionary gatherings. He was arrested and served several months in the Butyrka Prison. In 1906 he emigrated to Switzerland, and later moved to France.

602 Dmitrij Fëdorovich Trepov (1855–1906) — Governor-General of St. Petersburg (as of January 1905). In May 1905 he was appointed to the post of Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs in charge of the police, as well as commanding a separate branch of the gendarmerie.

603 A reference to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) and to the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05).

604 Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev (1843–1882) — infantry general, a hero of the Russo-Turkish War.

605 Konstantin Aleksandrovich Rachinskij (1838–ca1909) — Director of the Moscow Agricultural Institute; father to Marija Konstantinovna Tolstaja (née Rachinskaja; wife of Sergej L’vovich (Serëzha) Tolstoj).

606 Miss Genzh (transliterated from the Russian variant; English spelling unknown) — possibly governess to grandson Serëzha.

607 Baroness Sof’ja Arturovna Taube (née Countess Këller; 1855–1936), wife of Senator Nikolaj Èrnestovich Taube (1847–1920); her eldest son was Georgij Nikolaevich Taube (1877–1948) — later a rear admiral.

608 Zinovij Petrovich Rozhdestvenskij (1848–1909) — vice-admiral commanding the Second Squadron of the Pacific Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War; he was routed at Tsushima, seriously wounded, and was taken captive along with his Fleet.

609 Vera Aleksandrovna Shidlovskaja (SAT’s aunt) — see Letter Nº 123, Note 487.

610 The Tolstoys’ son Andrej L’vovich (Andrjusha) Tolstoj, who was then serving as a special commissioner in the Tula Governor’s office.

611 On 19 February 1907 LNT’s doctor Dushan Petrovich Makovitskij noted in his Jasnopoljanskie zapiski [Notes from Yasnaya Polyana]: “A few days ago two trains collided between Yasenki and Zhitovo. The freight wagons were left for several days unguarded, and people began dragging out of them [sacks of] flour, grain, oranges, copper [coins]. A few days later gendarmes showed up; they started shooting and killed two people” (cited from PSS 84: 377).

612 A reference to Aleksandra L’vovna’s (Sasha’s) letter from Yalta dated 3 April 1907.

613 In the evenings LNT would give lessons to the children of Yasnaya Polyana peasants.

614 On 10 April 1907 LNT received a donation of $5,000 from the Doukhobors in Canada (see PSS 56: 441–42).

615 A reference to Sergej L’vovich (Serëzha) Tolstoj and his second wife Marija Nikolaevna Tolstaja (née Zubova; 1867–1939), whom he married in 1906.

616 In his letter to Senator Anatolij Fëdorovich Koni (a judge; see Letter Nº 147, Note 37) of 15 May 1908, LNT petitioned on behalf of one of his followers, Vladimir Ajfalovich Molochnikov (1871–1936), a locksmith from Novgorod, who had been sentenced to a year of incarceration for distributing banned LNT articles. He also requested Koni to help find a position for his son. On second thought, however, he judged the latter request to be inappropriate and so asked SAT to withhold the letter. Still, she did not tear it up but decided to preserve it for posterity (see PSS 78: 141).

618 Koni’s “Otryvki iz vospominanij” [“Reminiscences” (excerpts)] was published in Vestnik Evropy (1908, Nº 5).

619 Aleksej Feofilaktovich Pisemskij (1821–1881) — Russian writer and dramatist, personally acquainted with LNT since 1856.

620 Beginning in 1908 Lev L’vovich (Lëva) became interested in sculpture. The following year he went to Paris to study with French sculptor Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) and even took lessons with the famous Auguste Rodin (1840–1917).

621 After receiving the Tolstoys’ Khamovniki Lane house in Moscow as his inheritance in 1891, Lev L’vovich sold it to his mother (SAT) and bought a house in St. Petersburg, which he let out as flats.

622 Varvara Mikhajlovna Feokritova (1875–1950) — a companion to Aleksandra L’vovna (Sasha) Tolstaja.

623 SAT was a guest at the Kochety estate of her daughter Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja) Sukhotina and son-in-law Mikhail Sergeevich Sukhotin, whose own daughter Tat’jana Mikhajlovna (Tanjusha) Sukhotina was born in 1905.

624 Vsevolod Savvich Mamontov (1870–1951) — son of fabric manufacturer and philanthropist Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (1841–1918).

625 SAT’s letter to her daughter Tanja is dated 22 June 1909 (Manuscript Division, Tolstoy Museum).

626 Vladimir Grigor’evich Chertkov’s letter to LNT is dated 19 June 1909 (see PSS 89:123–24). In his enclosed letter to SAT he replies to her request regarding the date LNT wrote The devil [D’javol]. (The novella was written in 1889, supplied with an alternative ending in 1909, but not published until the year after LNT’s death.)

627 A reference to an anthology marking the 50th anniversary of the Society for Aid to Needy Literators and Scholars. But The devil was not offered to this anthology.

628 Mikhail Mikhajlovich [Misha] Sukhotin (1884–1921) — stepson to the Tolstoys’ daughter Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja) Sukhotina.

629 At the time LNT was working on an article entitled The one commandment [Edinaja zapoved’].

630 Natal’ja Leonidovna (Natasha) Abrikosova (née Obolenskaja) — daughter to LNT’s niece Elizaveta Valer’janovna Obolenskaja and her husband Leonid Dmitrievich Obolenskij (see Letter Nº 213, Note 537).

631 A reference to SAT’s letter of 22 June 1909 (not included here; Manuscript Division, Tolstoy Museum).

633 In 1907 Chertkov bought a plot of land at Teljatinki, not far from Yasnaya Polyana, on which he built a house. He wanted to live closer to LNT.

634 Vladimir Vladimirovich (Dima) Chertkov (1889–1964) — son to Vladimir Grigor’evich Chertkov.

635 Pëtr Arkad’evich Stolypin (see Letter Nº 42, Note 269) was (as of 1906) Minister of Internal Affairs and Chairman of the Council of Ministers (in effect, Prime Minister).

637 A reference to a memorial concert in honour of the centenary of the composer Haydn’s passing (31 May 1809 N. S.), held at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, under the baton of Sergej Nikiforovich Vasilenko (1872–1956).

638 Wanda Aleksandra Landowska (1879–1959) — Polish-French harpsichordist, who became a naturalised French citizen in 1938, although with the onset of World War II she went to America. In 1933 she became the first musician to record Bach’s Goldberg variations on the harpsichord. She was a friend of the Tolstoys’ and visited Yasnaya Polyana in 1908.

639 A reference to The skeleton-dolls and other stories [Kukolki-skelettsy i drugie rasskazy], which was about to be published.

640 Nikolaj Stepanovich Behrs (1889–?) — SAT’s nephew, son to her brother Stepan Andreevich (Stëpa) Behrs.

641 Vladimir Vladimirovich (Dimochka) Chertkov — son to Vladimir Grigor’evich Chertkov, who at the time was living on his Otradnoe estate in Podol’skij Uezd, Moscow Gubernia. The son took the letter to SAT.

643 zemstvo — a system of local government instituted by Tsar Alexander II during a period of liberal reforms in the latter half of the nineteenth-century.

644 At the time LNT was correcting the Preface to For every day [Na kazhdyj den’] and working on The path of life [Put’ zhizni] — see PSS 45.

645 Now no later than is underlined twice by SAT in both ink and red pencil; the previous sentence and a half are similarly marked with red pencil, which she used to note in the margin, in an apparent fit of hysteria: “It’s all a lie, and I am dying alone at home, 22 June 1910”.

647 SAT added the following comment on this letter: “Lev Nikolaevich’s letter, written to me at the time of my illness brought on by my despair over Chertkov stealing all [LNT’s] diaries since 1900, which he hid from both me and Lev Nikolaevich. This drove me to desperation, and I was ready to kill myself if Chertkov did not return the diaries and [if] my husband’s love [for me] did not return.” SAT was greatly troubled by the question of LNT’s diaries. She had given his diaries from 1847 to 1900 to the Rumjantsev Museum for safekeeping, while pianist Aleksandr Gol’denvejzer (see Letter Nº 192, Note 411) was keeping his later diaries in a Moscow bank safe. SAT wanted to preserve his diaries for all these years to use at her own discretion.

648 SAT added a comment on this letter as follows: “The letter was delivered in person. After Lev Nikolaevich’s stay with Chertkov his [attitude] towards me greatly changed. He threatened to leave and upset my bodily system, taxed as it was with difficult work, even more.… This letter was written as a result of Chertkov’s unpleasantness and rudeness towards me, and my eyes were opened to [the fact] that Lev Nikolaevich, under his despotic influence, subjected himself to him, and completely lost his head over his love to this person, casting me aside and abandoning his love for me without cause.”

649 On 7 July 1910 Chertkov wrote to SAT: “I indicated to you that to date I have never abused my close acquaintanceship with the intimate side of your family life, that I have never made any indiscrétions in this direction and I shall not do so in the future, despite [emphasis: Chertkov] the fact that I already have sufficient data to harm you here if I wanted to” (Sofia Tolstaya Archives).

651 This letter was written before SAT left Yasnaya Polyana on 25 July. She describes her departure in her diary: “In the morning I decided to leave home, at least for a time. Firstly, to avoid seeing Chertkov and avoid getting upset at his presence, his secret conspiracies and his whole underhandedness, and then suffering as a result. Secondly, simply to have a rest and give Lev Nikolaevich a rest from my presence and my suffering soul. — I haven’t decided yet where I shall live.… At the railway terminal [in Tula] I ran into [Andrjusha = Andrej L’vovich Tolstoj], and thought, after accompanying him tо Yasnaya, to travel to Moscow that evening. But Andrjusha, realising the condition I was in, stayed with me, resolved not to let me alone even for a moment. What could I do? I agreed and returned with him to Yasnaya.… Travelling to and fro, and the excitement — all that quite tired me out, and no sooner had I climbed the stairs than I lay down, fearful of meeting my husband with his jeering comments. But, something quite different happened — something unexpected and quite joyful. He came to me with a kind and touching attitude. Through tears he started thanking me for coming back.… And he embraced me, kissed me, pressed me to his frail chest, and I cried, too, and told him how I loved him as fervently and forcefully as though I were a young woman again, and what happiness I felt in snuggling up to him.” (Dnevniki, II.157–58).

652 LNT’s doctor Dushan Petrovich Makovitskij wrote on this day, 25 July: “Sofia Andreevna left at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. She bade us farewell as though she were leaving for good and had no intention to return. In one pocket she carried a pistol, and had some opium with her. She made the sign of the cross over her daughter [and] Ol’ga Konstantinovna [wife to Andrej L’vovich Tolstoj]. She asked me to forgive her if she was to blame for anything…” (quoted by SAT in Dnevniki II.158).

653 Aleksandra L’vovna (Sasha) Tolstaja nearly always took her father’s side in family conflicts.

654 In his Diary only for myself [Dnevnik dlja odnogo sebja] LNT commented on his letter to SAT of 1 September 1910 as follows: “I wrote a letter to Sonja which [simply] flowed forth from my heart” (PSS 3: 135).

656 Varvara Dmitrievna Matveeva — a landowner and neighbour to the Sukhotins, married to the nobility representative for Mtsensk Uezd.

657 James Mavor (1854–1925) — a professor of political economy at the University of Toronto, who served as a Canadian intermediary for the resettlement of the Doukhobors to Canada. It was Mavor who, at the request of a Russian anarchist then living in Canada — Prince Pëtr Alekseevich Kropotkin (1842–1911) — had contacted the Canadian government in support of the Douhkobors’ immigration and later helped make arrangements for their settlement on the Canadian prairies. Mavor had previously visited Yasnaya Polyana in August 1899 at the invitation of Sergej L’vovich Tolstoj, who had met him while escorting the Doukhobors to their new home in Canada earlier that year. See his two-volume work My windows on the street of the world (Mavor 1923).

658 LNT had a good reading command of English, but not much practice in speaking it.

659 The Tolstoy couple were staying with their daughter Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja) Sukhotina, who lived with her husband Mikhail Sergeevich Sukhotin (see Letter Nº 166, Note 192) on their Kochety estate. She left Kochety on 11 September, leaving this letter with Sukhotin to give to LNT.

660 On 22 July 1910 LNT signed a secret will giving over the whole of his literary legacy to the public domain. His youngest daughter Aleksandra L’vovna (Sasha) Tolstaja was appointed executrix. An explanatory note regarding the will expressed LNT’s desire that all “compositions, literary works and writings of any kind published anywhere, as well as those still unpublished, after his death should not become anyone’s private property, but could be published or republished by anyone who wished to do so”. SAT guessed that he had made such a will, and this greatly disturbed her. In his Diary just for myself LNT wrote (under 2 August 1910): “I am very, very cognisant of my mistake. I should have called all my heirs together and declared my intention, and not in secret.”

662 Tat’jana L’vovna (Tanja) Sukhotina relinquished her rights to an inheritance from her husband in favour of his children by his first marriage.

663 This letter was written on the day of LNT’s secret departure from Yasnaya Polyana. He left the house at dawn in the company of his physician Dushan Petrovich Makovitskij, having informed only his youngest daughter Aleksandra of his plans. LNT first went to see his sister Marija Nikolaevna at the Shamordino convent. He planned to take a small house in the country and live in peace. Along the way he stopped by the Optina-Pustyn’ monastery and spent the night in its guest house. He walked over to the priory where his sister’s spiritual confessor, Father Iosif, lived, but decided not to go in to see him.

664 Upon learning of her husband’s departure, SAT threw herself in the pond, but was rescued by LNT’s alert secretary, Valentin Fëdorovich Bulgakov (1886–1966), along with several servants, who rushed to the scene.

665 SAT commented on this sentence with the following explanation: “The gesture was this: in the night, while taking my letter and proof sheets to the post bag, I went into Lev Nikolaevich’s study to close the door on the new dog which was chasing me. I did not rummage through any papers (there weren’t any to begin with). The only thing I touched was a diary locked in a briefcase, just to make sure it hadn’t been taken by Chertkov” (cited in S. A. Tolstaja, Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 802).

668 Semën Nikolaevich Rumjantsev (1867–1932) — son of Nikolaj Mikhajlovich Rumjantsev (see Letter Nº 5, Note 27).

669 Marija Aleksandrovna Shmidt (family friend) — see Letter Nº 138, Note 595.

671 A large masonry stove (which could also be termed an oven or furnace) was a central feature of Russian peasant homes. Not only did it serve for heating the house and cooking, but provided a warm place to sleep on cold winter nights.

673 This is LNT’s last letter to his wife. Aleksandra (Sasha) Tolstaja arrived at Shamordino from Yasnaya Polyana and reported to LNT that her mother had a guess as to where he was, and might come. It was decided that he should move on, but with no firm plan as to where. LNT caught cold on the train, fell ill, and was obliged to get off the train at the Astapovo station on the Rjazan’-Ural railway line. He was put to bed in the quarters of the stationmaster, Ivan Ivanovich Ozolin (1872–1939?), where he passed away at 6:05 a.m. on 7 November 1910.

674 Letter Nº 237 of 30–31 October 1910. At the end of the letter we find this comment by SAT: “The following letter (Nº 239) of 2 November did not reach Lev Nikolaevich; it is also unfinished. At 7:30 a.m. we received a telegram from [the paper] Russkoe slovo, saying that Lev Nikolaevich had fallen ill at the Astapovo station with a temperature of +40º [i.e. 3 degrees above normal]. At Tula we boarded a special train and headed there. On 7 November 1910 Lev Nikolaevich passed away” (cited from S. A. Tolstaya, Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 803).

675 Again, SAT commented: “I did not manage to finish this letter, and it was not sent. I am copying it to show what kind of mood I was in at the time” (cited from S. A. Tolstaya, Letters to L. N. Tolstoy, p. 805).

676 On 29 October 1910 LNT wrote to his daughter Aleksandra L’vovna (Sasha) from the Optina Pustyn’ monastery: “I am very much counting on a good influence on the part of Tanja and Serëzha. The main thing is that they understand me and try to make her [i.e. SAT] realize that with all this spying, eavesdropping, endless reproaches, treating me according to her whim, her endless controlling, her contrived hatred to the person closest and most needful to me, with this obvious hatred towards me and her pretensions of love — such a life is not [just] unpleasant for me, but downright impossible, and if anyone is drowning [as a result], it’s by no means her, it’s me. I just desire one thing — to be free of her, of this lie, pretension and malice which have infused her whole being. Naturally, they cannot make her realize this, but they can make her see that all her behaviour towards me does not only not express love, but seems to indicate a clear goal of killing me, which she will achieve, since I hope that with this third heart attack that is threatening me I shall rescue her and myself from this terrible situation in which we have been living and to which I do not want to return” (PSS 82: 218).