Vladimir Chertkov
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Grigoryevich Chertkov ( – November 9, 1936) was a Russia
n writer
and secretary of Leo Tolstoy
, and one of the most prominent Tolstoyan
s.
into a wealthy and aristocratic family. His mother (to whom he felt especially close), Elizaveta Ivanovna, born Countess Chernysheva-Kruglikova, was known among her circle in St. Petersburg society for her beauty, intellect, authoritativeness and tact. His father, Grigorii Ivanovich, was aide-de-camp under Nikolai I
, Adjutant-General under Alexander II
and Alexander III
, known in military circles for his front-line service and military bearing. The couple enjoyed imperial favor so much that Alexander II and Alexander III visited their home.
Describing his parents in one of his diary entries, he wrote: “That's how I grew up, assured of my own innate advantage over other people, proud of the dignity of my parents, their relatives and friends, entourage of servants, rising from their seats in the ante-room when I passed from my rooms into my parents’ part of the house, swimming in all kinds of luxury and almost not knowing rejection in satisfaction of my desires.”
The young Chertkov was considered very handsome – slender, tall, with big gray eyes under beaked brows – and had a talent for witty paradox.
of the Cavalry. Yet while yielding to all the enjoyment that was offered by life in the circle of golden youth, unaware of either external or internal obstacles for the realization of his desires, Chertkov from time to time felt that there was something wrong in his life and strove to find some moral law that would subordinate his behavior. In order to understand these doubts, to look closer at other ways of life and remain alone with himself, he decided for a time to abandon his accustomed life, take a vacation for several months and go to England.
At the end of December 1879, Chertkov wrote his mother a letter from England:
And he wrote further that concentrating all his thought on Christian study could be useful to deal with the problems of his life.
Scrutinizing the work of the zemstvo
and finding weaknesses, he conceived the idea of implementing on his parent’s estate some measures disregarded by the zemstvo. He organized a trade school for peasant children.
, changing the entire course of his life. It would be said of him that he was more Tolstoy than Tolstoy himself.
Fulfilling the ideal of moral self-improvement, Chertkov gave all his heart and soul to educational activity. Following Tolstoy’s initiative, in 1885 Chertkov organized and financed a publishing house called Intermediary which specialized in the release of art and moralizing literature for people. Intermediary succeeded in publishing works aimed at the education of the Russian people, despite the pressure of the Imperial censorship and the hostile attitude of the Orthodox Church. The new publishing house was supported by many of the most outstanding writers of the country: Tolstoy, Chekhov
, Korolenko
, Garshin, and Leskov all wrote for Intermediary.
Books were sold unusually cheaply. Reasonable prices and good publicity, in which Repin
, Surikov, Kivshenko and other Russian artists were engaged, helped distribution.
. Tolstoy's final flight, for example, is described as having been greatly influenced by Chertkov. Sophia was especially troubled by what she felt was his hypocritical philosophy: he decried wealth, but had his own fancy estate. His associates lay about her house and ate free and paid no rent and criticized her materialism, while she raised several children and ran the entire business side of Tolstoy's writing (at Tolstoy's wish), which provided a major source of income for Yasnaya Polyana and enabled their lifestyle.
Additionally, Chertkov convinced Tolstoy to sign a secret will and give control of his works to Chertkov instead of Sophia. He then used this control to publish versions of Tolstoy's collected works as he wanted. He also criticized Sophia, discredited her diaries and her own writing, and played up his own relationship with the Count. Chertkov also fostered a positive relationship with the newly formed Soviet state, which he used to suppress Sophia's version of Tolstoy's life story and his relationship with her.
, located in the Ostrogozhsk
District. Rossosh had a manor house on top of a hill, as well as an extensive courtyard and subsidiary buildings; at the base of this mountain were three ponds in succession, and behind them 20 desyatina of forest. Soon the small village of Rossosh turned into a large publishing center. From here Chertkov conducted extensive correspondence on the affairs of Intermediary with Russian writers and artists. Tolstoy came to visit his friend here in the spring of 1894.
, on the Dorset coast, Chertkov and his wife Anna Konstantinovna, née Dietrichs (1859–1927), started a new publishing enterprise called Free Age Press . The Chertkovs frequently reminisced about their lovely Voronezh farm while sitting on the banks of the Thames.
Chertkov returned to Russia in 1908. After Tolstoy’s death, Chertkov supervised and was editor-in-chief of the Russian-language complete works of Lev Tolstoy. He died in Moscow in 1936 and is buried in Vvedenskoye Cemetery.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and secretary of Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
, and one of the most prominent Tolstoyan
Tolstoyan
The Tolstoyan movement is a social movement based on the philosophical and religious views of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy . Tolstoy's views were formed by rigorous study of the ministry of Jesus, particularly the Sermon on the Mount....
s.
Family and childhood
Chertkov was born in 1854 in St. Petersburg, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
into a wealthy and aristocratic family. His mother (to whom he felt especially close), Elizaveta Ivanovna, born Countess Chernysheva-Kruglikova, was known among her circle in St. Petersburg society for her beauty, intellect, authoritativeness and tact. His father, Grigorii Ivanovich, was aide-de-camp under Nikolai I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
, Adjutant-General under Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
and Alexander III
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
, known in military circles for his front-line service and military bearing. The couple enjoyed imperial favor so much that Alexander II and Alexander III visited their home.
Describing his parents in one of his diary entries, he wrote: “That's how I grew up, assured of my own innate advantage over other people, proud of the dignity of my parents, their relatives and friends, entourage of servants, rising from their seats in the ante-room when I passed from my rooms into my parents’ part of the house, swimming in all kinds of luxury and almost not knowing rejection in satisfaction of my desires.”
The young Chertkov was considered very handsome – slender, tall, with big gray eyes under beaked brows – and had a talent for witty paradox.
Military service
Nineteen-year-old Chertkov voluntarily joined the Life GuardsRussian Guards
Guards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
of the Cavalry. Yet while yielding to all the enjoyment that was offered by life in the circle of golden youth, unaware of either external or internal obstacles for the realization of his desires, Chertkov from time to time felt that there was something wrong in his life and strove to find some moral law that would subordinate his behavior. In order to understand these doubts, to look closer at other ways of life and remain alone with himself, he decided for a time to abandon his accustomed life, take a vacation for several months and go to England.
At the end of December 1879, Chertkov wrote his mother a letter from England:
- "I can tell you a few fragments of my last thoughts:
- In order to be useful, a person must define his position in the world around him;
- He must therefore look at himself not subjectively but objectively; and
- He can only reach such a view when the strength of all his aspirations is concentrated not upon himself, but on some kind of high goal, located outside himself.”
And he wrote further that concentrating all his thought on Christian study could be useful to deal with the problems of his life.
Lizinovka
In 1880, he resigned from military service, left Petersburg, and settled in his family’s estate in Lizinovka, where he planned to help the peasants at whose expense he lived, although he had an unclear understanding of their needs.Zemstvo
Zemstvo was a form of local government that was instituted during the great liberal reforms performed in Imperial Russia by Alexander II of Russia. The idea of the zemstvo was elaborated by Nikolay Milyutin, and the first zemstvo laws were put into effect in 1864...
and finding weaknesses, he conceived the idea of implementing on his parent’s estate some measures disregarded by the zemstvo. He organized a trade school for peasant children.
Influence of Tolstoy
In October 1883 his first meeting with Leo Tolstoy took place in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, changing the entire course of his life. It would be said of him that he was more Tolstoy than Tolstoy himself.
Fulfilling the ideal of moral self-improvement, Chertkov gave all his heart and soul to educational activity. Following Tolstoy’s initiative, in 1885 Chertkov organized and financed a publishing house called Intermediary which specialized in the release of art and moralizing literature for people. Intermediary succeeded in publishing works aimed at the education of the Russian people, despite the pressure of the Imperial censorship and the hostile attitude of the Orthodox Church. The new publishing house was supported by many of the most outstanding writers of the country: Tolstoy, Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, Korolenko
Vladimir Korolenko
Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko was a Ukrainian-Russian short story writer, journalist, human rights activist and humanitarian. His short stories were known for their harsh description of nature based on his experience of exile in Siberia...
, Garshin, and Leskov all wrote for Intermediary.
Books were sold unusually cheaply. Reasonable prices and good publicity, in which Repin
Ilya Yefimovich Repin
Ilya Yefimovich Repin |realist]]ic works often expressed great psychological depth and exposed the tensions within the existing social order. Beginning in the late 1920s, detailed works on him were published in the Soviet Union, where a Repin cult developed about a decade later...
, Surikov, Kivshenko and other Russian artists were engaged, helped distribution.
Conflict with Tolstoy family
Chertkov had a troubled relationship with most of the Tolstoy family, and tried actively to destroy the relationship between Tolstoy and his wife SophiaSophia Tolstoy
Countess Sophia Andreyevna Tolstaya , was the wife of Russian novelist and thinker Leo Tolstoy.-Biography:Sophia was one of 3 daughters of the physician Andrey Evstafievich Behrs , and his wife Liubov Alexandrovna Behrs, née Islavinoy . She was first introduced to Leo Tolstoy in 1862, when she...
. Tolstoy's final flight, for example, is described as having been greatly influenced by Chertkov. Sophia was especially troubled by what she felt was his hypocritical philosophy: he decried wealth, but had his own fancy estate. His associates lay about her house and ate free and paid no rent and criticized her materialism, while she raised several children and ran the entire business side of Tolstoy's writing (at Tolstoy's wish), which provided a major source of income for Yasnaya Polyana and enabled their lifestyle.
Additionally, Chertkov convinced Tolstoy to sign a secret will and give control of his works to Chertkov instead of Sophia. He then used this control to publish versions of Tolstoy's collected works as he wanted. He also criticized Sophia, discredited her diaries and her own writing, and played up his own relationship with the Count. Chertkov also fostered a positive relationship with the newly formed Soviet state, which he used to suppress Sophia's version of Tolstoy's life story and his relationship with her.
Rossosh
Chertkov’s closest employees were often engaged in editing and drawing up his plans on his farmstead in RossoshRossosh
Rossosh is a town and the administrative center of Rossoshansky District of Voronezh Oblast, Russia. Population:...
, located in the Ostrogozhsk
Ostrogozhsk
Ostrogozhsk is a town and the administrative center of Ostrogozhsky District in Voronezh Oblast, Russia, located on the Tikhaya Sosna River south of Voronezh. Population: It was established in 1652 and granted town status in 1765....
District. Rossosh had a manor house on top of a hill, as well as an extensive courtyard and subsidiary buildings; at the base of this mountain were three ponds in succession, and behind them 20 desyatina of forest. Soon the small village of Rossosh turned into a large publishing center. From here Chertkov conducted extensive correspondence on the affairs of Intermediary with Russian writers and artists. Tolstoy came to visit his friend here in the spring of 1894.
Life in exile
Since the autocracy considered Tolstoyism an enemy, Chertkov left for England in 1897. He was an incurable Anglophile like his mother, who spent most of the year in England. At Iford Waterworks, SouthbourneSouthbourne, Dorset
Southbourne is a suburb of Bournemouth. It is the most easterly part of the borough, between Boscombe and Christchurch, Dorset. The area was previously known as Stourfield....
, on the Dorset coast, Chertkov and his wife Anna Konstantinovna, née Dietrichs (1859–1927), started a new publishing enterprise called Free Age Press . The Chertkovs frequently reminisced about their lovely Voronezh farm while sitting on the banks of the Thames.
Chertkov returned to Russia in 1908. After Tolstoy’s death, Chertkov supervised and was editor-in-chief of the Russian-language complete works of Lev Tolstoy. He died in Moscow in 1936 and is buried in Vvedenskoye Cemetery.
See also
- Leo TolstoyLeo TolstoyLev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
- TolstoyanTolstoyanThe Tolstoyan movement is a social movement based on the philosophical and religious views of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy . Tolstoy's views were formed by rigorous study of the ministry of Jesus, particularly the Sermon on the Mount....
- NonresistanceNonresistanceNonresistance is generally defined as "the practice or principle of not resisting authority, even when it is unjustly exercised". At its core is discouragement of, even opposition to, physical resistance to an enemy...
- Christian pacifismChristian pacifismChristian pacifism is the theological and ethical position that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Christian pacifists state that Jesus himself was a pacifist who taught and practiced pacifism, and that his followers must do likewise.There have been various notable...
- Christian anarchismChristian anarchismChristian anarchism is a movement in political theology that combines anarchism and Christianity. It is the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable, the authority of God as embodied in the teachings of Jesus...
- Christian vegetarianismChristian vegetarianismChristian vegetarianism is a minority Christian belief based on effecting the compassionate teachings of Jesus, the twelve apostles and the early church to all living beings through vegetarianism or, ideally, veganism...