We are all readers.Each of us at least one book, but read. And it is beautiful. Because writing is one amazing quality - it is not just a collection of information and information about historical realities or about human relationships, it is something more. Reading, we find ourselves in that time, we understand and justify many things, we remember the relationships between people.
The work touches our inner world, oursoul. And how often do we understand what is written? For what purpose? What did the author want to say by describing these events? But there are people who raise these sharp, often painful, questions: are the evaluations of creativity fair, is one deserving cultural figure deservedly forgotten or ascended. Literary historians such as Tolstoy Ivan Nikitich help us answer all the questions.
January 21, 1958 Tolstoy was born in LeningradIvan Nikitich. The family in which he was born is known to all. Ivan Nikitich is the grandson of the famous writer A. N. Tolstoy on the paternal side. From the mother’s side, Lozinskaya Natalya Mikhailovna, the grandson of the poet Lozinsky M. L. The father is a Soviet physicist, professor Tolstoy N. A. Brother Michael is also a physicist, sisters Natalia and Tatyana are writers.
In 1975 he graduated from school and enrolled inmedical institute. He studied there for three years, during which he was expelled twice from him. As Ivan Nikitich says, when he was expelled for the first time and reinstated, he understood that this would happen again, since he did not want to study there. Looks like "grandfather's" genes affected, he was not interested in medicine. Once his wife told him that if you like philology, you have to be a philologist. So he entered the philological department of the Leningrad University.
Учился заочно, потому что работал экскурсоводом в Pushkin Hills. Even then he was worried about the topic of emigration. And somehow, having seen the volume of Nabokov's “Commentary to the novel“ Eugene Onegin ”” forbidden to issue in Pushkin's office, he persuaded the authorities to give these books to him. They were in English, and in return, Ivan Nikitich Tolstoy promised to translate it into Russian for employees.
Nabokov's comment was translated for a long time, justit's time to defend a diploma. He told the teacher that he would like to prepare this topic for a diploma. To which he replied that the name of Nabokov should not be pronounced in a Soviet university, we must look for another topic. I had to postpone thesis for a short time. After graduation, he taught Russian language and literature in high school.
All this time I studied archives, accessible literature.and wrote articles. I really wanted to be printed at 21, recalls Ivan Tolstoy. But knowing about his fascination with emigre literature, not a single edition ventured to publish his materials. And in 25 years he was completely banned from typing. I reassured myself that this is not forever. And so it happened. In 1986, the ban was lifted, and the attitude towards Nabokov in the country gradually warmed. And in 1987, Ivan Nikitich appeared first publication.
At the same time, he teaches in Polygraphic andHumanities institutions. In 1994, he conducted special courses on Nabokov at the university. He worked as editor of the magazine "Star", proofreader in the magazine "Russian thought." He specializes in émigré literature and history, in literature of the Cold War period.
In 1992, Ivan Nikitich Tolstoy - Chiefeditor of the publisher Tobias Grzhebina. It publishes books by authors who are forced to emigrate, as well as works devoted to emigrants and their lives abroad. Since 1994, he has been the editor-in-chief of the journal Experiences. Published more than 500 of its reviews, articles and reviews. Author of the books "Italic era", "Zhivago's washed-up novel."
Since 1988, Ivan Tolstoy has been working as a journalist.(freelancer) on Radio Liberty. In late 1994, the company invites him to the state. Since 1995, he lives and works in Prague. According to Ivan Nikitich, it works great there. No one imposes anything, does not force to cover any topics and does not determine what programs to do. Themes he chooses. They are fully prompted by life, says Ivan Tolstoy, whose biography may itself serve as the topic of an interesting and fascinating program about the famous family of graphs Tolstoy.
Ivan Nikitich is not only a master wonderfultelling stories - vividly, figuratively, vividly. But the great master to find them. He works a lot with the archives, in his words, it is very exciting, sometimes unexpected things emerge that explain a lot of the life of the emigration. If you know and imagine the context, a surprisingly interesting picture emerges against the historical background. This is exactly what the historian should do. Ivan Tolstoy is studying the materials of yesterday, which inevitably leads to today.
Ivan Nikitich never invents anything.All his stories are based only on facts. Just the facts it is important to skillfully combine into one - in the story. Compare these facts. When comparing and it turns out an interesting story. The only task, says Ivan Tolstoy, is to make the historical story so fascinating that it can not only be listened to. But everyone could understand why this happened, what is the connection between this or that event.
A unique researcher, he finds amazinginteresting stories for their readers and listeners. Ivan Nikitich - presenter of programs, including Myths and Reputations. Author of the radio program “Radio Liberty. Half a century on the air. Author and presenter of the programs “The Historical Journeys of Ivan Tolstoy” and “The Keepers of the Succession” on the Kultura TV Channel
In his programs open completelyunexpected stories about people, works, events. A connoisseur of Russian culture, a brilliant storyteller and an incredibly erudite person. He simply fascinates with his travels - in literature, in time.
