Internet and Culture: The Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate prepared online project “Childhood. Boyhood. Youth”

The novel “Childhood” became the starting point of Leo Tolstoy’s career, when it was published in The Contemporary journal 170 years ago. The novel has come out under the title “The History of My Chidlhood” which was disliked by the author: the title didn’t match his ideas.

Tolstoy actually describes a lot of details and episodes from his life in the trilogy. It wouldn’t be right to see the novels as strictly autobiographical though, as they don’t have memoir sternness. The author explores the human nature by diving into the depths of his “I”.

The Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate tells in its new online project about the similarities between Leo Tolstoy and Nikolen’ka Irtenyev, and the way the events from the writer’s life have been transferred into the pages of his famous trilogy “Childhood. Boyhood. Youth”. Every episode is supported by the quote from the literary text and the memories of Tolstoy or his contemporaries. However, the attentive readers will be able to find many other autobiographical similarities in the trilogy. The special project concludes with a test on the knowledge of the Leo Tolstoy’s trilogy.

The project is illustrated with pictures from the collections of the Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate. Special project “Childhood. Boyhood. Youth” is available through the link: http://detstvo-otrochestvo-unost.tilda.ws.