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Abstract:

The monograph is devoted to the analytical study, description and comprehension of L.N. Tolstoy’s interaction with writers and literary figures in the 1850–1860s based on the study of the correspondence of Tolstoy’s colleagues. For the first time in literary criticism, the stories of the correspondence between Tolstoy and a number of literary figures of the mid- 19th century are considered in a comprehensive and holistic manner. The lines of development of relations between Tolstoy and the editors of literary magazines, Tolstoy and the writers who were members to the “obligatory agreement” with “Sovremennik”, Tolstoy and the members of the “aesthetic triumvirate”, etc. are traced. The book analyzes the intellectual, psychological, spiritual and moral features of Tolstoy’s and his correspondents’ letters, while much attention is paid to the key points of these letters, their style, and composition. For the first time, important aspects and details of the messages that were ignored in works on Tolstoy are noted. The study pays attention to forgotten articles and fiction by Tolstoy’s contemporaries. Many reasons for conflicts and clashes between Tolstoy and contemporary writers are reconsidered, and the two-way process of interaction between the correspondents is examined. The peculiarity of the book is that different chapters containing stories of correspondence complement each other, allowing us to see how Tolstoy’s circle was formed in the first two decades of his literary career, and how the harmonious polylogue of writers was built.

Keywords: L.N. Tolstoy, Russian writers, literary process, correspondence, correspondents, creative evolution, literary magazines, social position, history of relationships, culture, people’s life.