Abstract: It is the first edition where all of the known epistolary dialogues between Leo Tolstoy and other Russian writers from 1838 to 1859 are collected. During these years, Tolstoy became acquainted and formed creative and friendly relations with prominent writers, primarily those close to Sovremennik magazine, which published early Leo Tolstoy’s works. For the first time, the circle of Tolstoy’s literary correspondents is complemented by the names of Tolstoy’s close relatives — his brother N.N. Tolstoy, whose literary talent was highly appreciated by I.S. Turgenev, N.A. Nekrasov, A.A. Fet and other contemporaries, as well as his second aunt and friend, who wrote novels in French for abroad, Russian stories for the Herald of Europe, but became famous for her memoirs about Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy, rereading this correspondence in his old age, called it his best biography. With a number of Russian writers who became his friends Tolstoy corresponded intermittently for many years. Among them are I.S. Turgenev, N.A. Nekrasov, A.A. Fet, A.V. Druzhinin, N.N. Strakhov and others. Letters addressed to Tolstoy by A.D. Bludova, V.M. Anichkov, and F.Ch. Mayer are published here for the first time, as well as postscripts and notes by various persons, including A.A. Fet. Circa 20 French letters, previously published only in Russian translation, are now presented in their original language. Tolstoy’s epistolary legacy remains relevant today. Correspondence of famous writers and humble men of letters continues to be one of the main sources of creative biography of writers, expanding the historical and artistic context of Russian literature.
Keywords: epistolary legacy of Leo Tolstoy, I.S. Turgenev, N.A. Nekrasov, A.A. Fet, A V. Druzhinin, N.N. Strakhov, Sovremennik magazine, creative biography of writers, academic publication, textual criticism, academic commentary
