Count Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817-1875)
His literary confession. 1874
Autograph letter signed ('Alexis Tolstoy') to [Count Angelo] de Gubernatis, Villa du Parc Tranquille, Menton, 4 March 1874.

In French. 15 pages, 270 x 215mm, on bifolia, with some light corrections and editorial marks.

The literary confession of A.K. Tolstoy: a comprehensive survey of his life and career. Tolstoy begins the letter by complaining of the asthma and neuralgic headaches which were to poison his last years, and complimenting De Gubernatis on his Romolo, in spite of his general dislike of Symbolism in poetry. De Gubernatis had written to Tolstoy's wife asking for biographical details on his literary career: 'She has written to you about it, but I, for my own part, intend to make you a confession as complete as possible'. Tolstoy accordingly narrates his life, begin from his birth and his upbringing in 'Little Russia' (modern Ukraine) under the care of his uncle Aleksey Perovsky (a published writer under the pseudonym Antony Pogorelsky): 'My childhood was very happy & left me only happy memories. Being an only child, having no play-companions, & blessed with a very lively imagination, I early grew accustomed to reveries which soon developed into a decided penchant for poetry. The nature of the country where I lived contributed a good deal; the air and the view of our great forests, which I loved passionately, left deep impressions which have influenced my character and my life'. He continues with his return to St Petersburg, his presentation to the future Alexander II, his first visit to Germany, together with his mother and uncle who introduced him to Goethe, his education at the University of Moscow, the death of his uncle and his first diplomatic posting at the Russian embassy in Frankfurt. After returning to Russia and joining the Imperial Chancellery, he volunteers for the army during the Crimean War, but his regiment goes no further than Odessa, 'where we lost more than a thousand men to typhus which I also caught'. The story of Tolstoy's 'external life' concludes with his nomination as aide-de-camp to Alexander II at his coronation, and his subsequent resignation.

Tolstoy then begins on 'the life ... of my soul' – i.e. as a writer – tracing back his earliest inspiration to a collection of poetry which he read at the age of six, which he soon learnt by heart and which became the foundation of his poetic technique: 'As absurd as my first attempts necessarily were, I must say that they were irreproachable in their relation to metre'. His first publication in 1842 was of some short stories, followed in 1855 by his first published poetry. As for his 'moral character', Tolstoy cites his 'irresistible attraction for art in general, in all its manifestations', something that was vividly stimulated by his first visit to Italy at the age of 13, which seemed after his return a 'lost paradise'. His second and contrasting passion was for hunting, into which he plunged himself from the age of 20 without restraint, even if 'it clashed no less with my artistic instincts than with my official existence; it was not without influence on the colour of my poems. I think that I owe to it the circumstance that they are almost all written in a major key, whilst my fellow-countrymen have for the most part sung in a minor key'. As for the 'moral direction of my writing', Tolstoy notes his horror of the arbitrary, and of 'false liberalism', and also his allegiance to the concept of 'art for art's sake', which places him in opposition to many of the Russian literary journals. Tolstoy's survey of his life and career concludes with an overview of his principal works, including the historical novel Prince Serebrenni, the dramatic trilogy Boris Godunov, of which he describes the second play, Tsar Fyodor, as 'the best thing I have done of all that I have written in verse or in prose'. Finally, he notes his verse-drama, Don Juan, as well as 'The Legend' (i.e. 'Bylinu': 'the best of my ballads') and his satirical poem 'Potok the paladin' (, and remarks 'with a certain pleasure' on his peculiar position in Russian life, in which 'I am the bête noire of our social-democrats & the favourite of the common people whose protectors they claim to be. What's more ... whilst our newspapers attack me with the name of a reactionary, the administrative authorities consider me a revolutionary'. He notes ironically that 'I have spared you my affairs of the heart, which ... have not played the last role in my life & must have left their mark on my writing'.

Published in the Works (Moscow, 1964), vol. 4 no. 274. The 'literary confession' is one of Tolstoy's most signficant and best-known autobiographical texts. The recipient, Angelo de Gubernatis (1840-1913) was an Italian journalist and author.

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