Memoire Photo of Tolstoy's Residence

Tolstoy called himself “an ugly Leo”. 

But I think that he must be handsome. Either in his youth or in his aging days, Leo Tolstoy seemed to be particularly handsome in my appreciation. 

I mainly attribute the reason of his handsome impression to his broad wisdom and his benevolent heart. 

In Moscow, there lies a street nearby the downtown, which is named Tolstoy Street. Certainly, it is because Tolstoy’s former residence is located in this small path. 

This house was bought by Tolstoy in the fall of 1882. Then in winter, he gave up the title of count. 17 years later, he completed the most important novel Resurrection in his old age. 

I walked along Tolstoy Street and stopped at the gate of his former residence. Like a pilgrim, I entered this old house through its gate. 

This residence consists of two two-storey wooden buildings and a big garden. An affiliated building is to the left of the main building, and some flat houses are to the right. One is the painting studio for Tolstoy’s daughter and another is a kitchen. The reason why Tolstoy chose this yard lies in this favorite garden which is filled with roses, apple trees and pear trees. The high slope at the end of the garden is the very place for Tolstoy’s writing. In this spacious garden, he would ride horses or bicycles for leisurely fun. In such a residence of a riding fan, stable still exists. With frequent friends gathering, this garden often became an open-air salon for cultural and art elites at that time. 

Glimpse of Tolstoy's Residence

Glimpse of Tolstoy's Residence

The day we came, the residence was under renovation. With scaffold around the main building, the display inside had been transferred into the affiliated building. To our delight, thanks to the guiding of a middle-aged Russian lady who was expert at Tolstoy’s life and creation, I was lucky to witness many precious relics such as his study, simple writing desk, and the wooden shelf for writing in his old age. Next to the wardrobe stood a small glass cabinet inside which the leather boots and the tools for manufacture by Tolstoy are kept. Next to this cabinet stood a bicycle which Tolstoy learnt to ride at his age of 70. 

His manuscript was displayed in his study. Though the paper turned yellow, I could still recognize his elegant handwriting. The original illustrations of Resurrection by Ilya Repin were preserved in glass frames on the wall. Tolstoy liked playing chess and the used chess board and pieces were placed on a small table. His kids’ photos were hung on the walls of his study. Tolstoy and his wife gave birth to 13 children, all of whom scattered to Russia, Switzerland, Italy, USA and so on after Tolstoy’s pass away. Altogether over 100 descendents of Tolstoy lived all over the world. I also saw many photos along the corridor and stairs between the ground floor and the first floor. They were frequent guests in this house, namely Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Feodor Chaliapin. 

When I savored those masterpieces of Tolstoy I had read for years, I could realize the significant contribution made by this elderly to the world literature. I admire him for his loving heart in which he considered mankind to be his brothers. This is just what we call great man.