The Last Days of Tolstoy

Vladimir Chertkov chronicles Leo Tolstoy's final period through direct observations and firsthand accounts. The book captures the last stage of Tolstoy's life at Yasnaya Polyana and the events leading up to his departure. The narrative focuses on Tolstoy's relationships with family members and followers during this critical time. Chertkov, as Tolstoy's friend and secretary, provides documentation of conversations, letters, and daily life in the Tolstoy household. The account draws heavily from Chertkov's personal diary entries and correspondence with Tolstoy himself. The perspective combines the roles of close confidant and careful observer. The book reveals the tensions between personal conviction and family obligation, while examining questions of legacy and spiritual fulfillment. Tolstoy's final chapter emerges as a reflection on the distance between public ideals and private struggles.

There appear to be very few reader reviews available online for The Last Days of Tolstoy by V.G. Chertkov. The book has no ratings or reviews on Goodreads or Amazon. This obscure title is out of print and primarily referenced in academic works about Tolstoy rather than discussed by general readers. The few scholarly reviews that exist focus on Chertkov's unique position as Tolstoy's friend and associate during the author's final days. Some note that Chertkov's account provides intimate details about Tolstoy's death and the family conflicts surrounding it, though his close relationship with Tolstoy may have influenced his perspective. Without a significant number of reader reviews across platforms, it's not possible to provide a comprehensive summary of how most people view this book or identify common points of praise or criticism from readers. Note: If you have access to reader reviews for this book, please share them so this summary can be updated.

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🔹 V.G. Chertkov was Tolstoy's closest friend and literary executor, making him uniquely positioned to document the writer's final days. He even lived in exile in England for several years to protect Tolstoy's manuscripts from censorship. 🔹 The book reveals intimate details about the conflict between Sofia Tolstaya (Tolstoy's wife) and Tolstoy's disciples, which ultimately contributed to the author's dramatic final departure from his home at age 82. 🔹 Chertkov's account describes how Tolstoy secretly left his estate Yasnaya Polyana in the middle of the night on October 28, 1910, accompanied only by his daughter Alexandra and his physician. 🔹 The original manuscript of this work was written in Russian and published in 1922, at a time when the new Soviet government was working to reshape Tolstoy's image as a revolutionary thinker rather than a religious philosopher. 🔹 The book contains previously unpublished excerpts from Tolstoy's personal diary entries during his last days, including his thoughts while staying at Astapovo station, where he would ultimately pass away from pneumonia.