DAILY NEWS ONLINE


OTHER EDITIONS

Budusarana On-line Edition

Silumina  on-line Edition

Sunday Observer


OTHER LINKS

Marriage Proposals

Classified Ads

Government - Gazette

Tsunami Focus Point - Tsunami information at One Point

Mihintalava - The Birthplace of Sri Lankan Buddhist Civilization
 

Last days of Leo Tolstoy

A number of books have appeared in the Sinhala literary scene over the years on the life of Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). One was the autobiography and the other two were about the writer Tolstoy as seen from the point of view of others.

The latest addition, a publication that comes as a translation and a few additional notes on the part of a journalist Ubeysekera Hennayaka titled as Tolstoige Antima Davas (Sarasavi, 2005) the original is a Russian source of a writer Vladmir Chertkov lesser known by Sinhala readers and perhaps a secretary who had been closer to Tolstoy for a long time who had been his secretary.

As such these notes that come from a Russian source looks more intimate and sensitive capturing the so far unrecorded genuine facts and events with photographs copiously illustrating aspects from the life of the great writer.

This book looks like a series of bright snapshots from the life of writer Tolstoy with two main subdivisions, the first part of which is a collection of notes running to 13 short chapters revolving round the background details about Tolstoy, the man and his various careers that groomed him to be a writer, his family life and his likes and dislikes with friends and well wishers especially the intimate relations with his life long friendship with the well-known writer Ivan Turgenev, the various misgivings he had with him the journeys made to places like London and other parts of the world meeting people which eventually resulted in the writer becoming an educationist.

Panoramic vision

His experiences with great personalities like Matthew Arnold, during his visit to England paved the way for him to know more about the schools in the country and build his own type of educational method for children with his own type of writings for them. And others are portrayed elucidating a panoramic vision of a full life spent, which culminated in becoming a saint like personality.

The second part, which is predominantly the translation of Chertkov centres round the last days which is more a series of melancholic notes where the great writer is being looked after sometimes by his wife and sometimes by other well wishers, inclusive of medical personalities, and family members like his daughter, who had taken much care on him.

Their intimacies, reflections and brief dialogues that ensued with the writer are recorded in the best possible manner reflecting the various attitudes he had during the last phase of his life.

This area is closely linked with such aspects as reflections on religious notes kept from time to time, giving vent to insights into such aspects as life, love, happiness, travels, concentration, death, pain, God and the desire for a better existence, and unfulfilled wishes interconnected.

The two writers the original Russian and the interpreter Hennayaka give the reader journey round the life Tolstoy as a narrative written in the most simple manner possible giving more emphasis on such aspects as helping the country folk when he settled down in his vast estate called Yasyana Polyana.

Lucid accounts of the creative process and spirit pertaining to his novels like War and Peace [1862-69], Anna Karenina [1875-77] and Cossaks [a novel written in order to pay debts] are also included. The fact that Tolstoy’s spiritual awakening and his obvious sincerity won him numerous followers is also emphasized.

Although Tsarist censorship barred his works, he was not disturbed or molested for he had an international fame as a great writer.

The portrait of Tolstoy is depicted as an epitome of sensitive and realistic vision full of creative power, who had experienced the army life as well during the Crimean war which resulted in one of the important works titled as Sketches of Sevastopol, which with an earlier volume, Childhood [1852] earned a reputation at home and abroad. He however, had little liking for the writers he met in Russian literary circles.

Vegetarianism

A trip to Western Europe confirmed his distrust of western materialism and the reform of Russian traditions and social structure via that method was not in his favour. As a result Tolstoy is said to have resided in his own country home working with the country people and teaching them.

The primer, graded reader, and arithmetic, which he wrote, had an enormous circulation. He had a penetrative vision to history and sciences which he tried to blend as far as possible.

At times he is shown as disinterested in literature and taking himself to vegetarianism and spiritualism giving up hunting which he did as a pastime with Turgenev. He spoke out on religion, social problems and art and detested the decadence of the rich class of people with self centred views.

In this book it is recorded how Tolstoy had shown the decadence and ineffectuality of the nobility and intellectuals, their mad pursuit of brutality towards the peasants which he thought is an attitude that should be stopped and perhaps prohibited, a factor which angered the ruling class of nobility.

In his work Confession [1879] he described these attitudes culminating in his own ‘transformation’ a kind of mystic fervour combined with humanism.

He is also shown as a preacher of this dogma to small groups who gathered to see him. He emphasized that the most important factor is that men should love one another.

In his work what is to be done? [1884], he had attacked the evils of money and demanded that the leisured and professionally bent classes to ‘get off the necks of the people’ In ‘what is art? [1897] he denounced art for art’s sake, and insisted on a social purpose pinpointing the need for a new structure of humanism.

The last few pages of this book is quite moving where the original writer is seen as an observer of the great writer Tolstoy in his retirement from life in order to mix himself in an ultimatum, an inner realisation of his spiritualism reaching the climax.

As a reader I preferred to have seen more of this area lurking in his own conflict which he revealed to the nearest of his friends like the original author Chertkov. At a time when the Sinhala reader is in need of more cross cultural profiles this book basically serves the required need.

[email protected]

..................................

<< Artscope Main Page

FEEDBACK | PRINT

 

| News | Editorial | Business | Features | Political | Security | Sports | World | Letters | Obituaries |

 

Produced by Lake House Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.

Comments and suggestions to : Web Manager