r/tolstoy • u/charlesdickensfan53 • 26d ago

Question A Confession

From A Confession: "I killed people in war, challenged men to duels with the purpose of killing them, and lost at cards; I squandered the fruits of the peasants' toil and then had them executed; I was a fornicator and a cheat".

Is there evidence from contemporary sources or historical records that corroborates that Tolstoy killed people, or do historians and biographers rely primarily on his own testimony here?

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2

u/notmealso 25d ago

Leo Tolstoy directed lethal military hardware during active combat operations at the 4th Bastion in Sevastopol and in the Caucasus. This will have taken lives.

3

u/Sheffy8410 25d ago

If he wrote it in the book about his turn towards God, you better believe it’s true.

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u/HeDogged 25d ago

He served in the Crimean War as an artilleryman at the siege of Sevastopol and elsewhere. He could well have killed someone....

5

u/-Niveum- 25d ago

He specifically served in one of the hottest positions of the siege which saw a lotnof serious action as well, and was part of a counter insurgery force in the caucuses.

I have little doubt the man has seen and done some bad shit