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Leo Tolstoy's first novel is a semi-autobiographical account of a young boy's journey to youth and young adulthood. Told in meditative, bittersweet prose,
Childhood is the first in a trilogy published while Tolstoy was in his early twenties. Precocious, intelligent, and inexperienced, Nikolenka tries his best to adjust to the demands of aristocratic life.
Über den Autor / die Autorin
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian author of novels, short stories, novellas, plays, and philosophical essays. He was born into an aristocratic family and served as an officer in the Russian military during the Crimean War before embarking on a career as a writer and activist. Tolstoy's experience in war, combined with his interpretation of the teachings of Jesus, led him to devote his life and work to the cause of pacifism. In addition to such fictional works as
War and Peace (1869),
Anna Karenina (1877), and
The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886), Tolstoy wrote
The Kingdom of God is Within You (1893), a philosophical treatise on nonviolent resistance which had a profound impact on Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. He is regarded today not only as one of the greatest writers of all time, but as a gifted and passionate political figure and public intellectual whose work transcends Russian history and literature alike.
