TOLSTOY LEO: (1828-1910)

TOLSTOY LEO: (1828-1910)

‘The cause is in the infirmities of my old age and some work, the necessity of which my vanity makes me believe.’

 

TOLSTOY LEO: (1828-1910) Russian writer, regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. A lengthy and very interesting L.S., `Leon Tolstoy´, with the concluding five lines of text in his hand (the main body of the letter in the hand of his youngest daughter, Alexandra, employed as her father’s secretary from 1901), two pages, over two sheets, large 4to, n.p., 9th November 1908, to a colleague, in French. Tolstoy initiates his letter stating `Je vous suis très reconnaissant pour votre bonne lettre plaine d´appréciations que je sens ne pas avoir mérité´ (“I am very grateful to you for your good letter full of appreciations which I feel not deserving”) Tolstoy further sends his deepest condolences to his correspondent who has recently suffered the death of his son, and referring to death expresses his own thoughts, saying `… à mon âge la mort, sans parler de la mienne, me paraît n´être qu´une des conditions de notre existence tellement naturelle que quand même elle est prématurée, ell n´agit point sur moi comme elle agissait jadis: comme quelque chose d´exceptionnel et de terrible. Notre vie entre deux éternités dure t-elle 100 ou 8 ans, n´est, ni plus ni moins grande, et ses résultats pour celui qui meurt, comme pour ceux qui restent, sont les mêmes´ (“… death at my age, not to mention my own one, seems to me being only one of the conditions of our existence, so natural that even when it is premature, it does not affect me as it did in the past: like something exceptional and a terrible thing. Our life between two eternities does it last 100 or 8 years, is neither greater nor less, and its results for those who die, as for those who remain, are the same”) Further again, Tolstoy refers to his health and his work `La cause e nest dans les infirmités de ma vieillesse et quelques travaux, à la nécéssité desquels ma vanité me fait croire…´ (“he cause is in the infirmities of my old age and some work, the necessity of which my vanity makes me believe...”) A very interesting content letter, with statements related to death in his late years. Paper with a Waterton Tub-Sized Linen watermark. Small overall minor creasing, one very small tear to the fold edge and clipped corner, otherwise G