SPOKEN ENGLISH FOR BEGINNERS
SESSION 2
STORY - IN REMEMBRANCE OF LEO TOLSTOY
Leo Tolstoy alias Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who is
considered one of the greatest authors. He was born on September 9, 1828 at
Yasnaya Polyana in Russian Empire. Born to an aristocratic Russian family, he is
known worldwide for the novels ‘War and Peace’ (1869) and ‘Anna Karenina’
(1877).
When he was about 20 years old, he first achieved literary acclaim with his semi-
autobiographical trilogy, ‘Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth’ (1852-1856), and
Sevastopol Sketches (1855), based upon his experiences in the Crimean War. He
also wrote plays and numerous Philosophical essays.
Tolstoy served as a young artillery officer during the Crimean War. He was
recognized for his courage and promoted as a Lieutenant. He was frightened at the
number of deaths involved in warfare, and left the army after the end of the
Crimean War.
In the 1870s, Tolstoy experienced a profound moral crisis which he disclosed in
his non-fiction work ‘A Confession’ (1882). Tolstoy’s ideas on nonviolent
resistance, expressed in The Kingdom of God is within you (1894), had a profound
impact on pivotal 20th century figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther
King Jr.
He received multiple nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year from
1902 to 1906 and nominations for Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902 and 1910 but
he never won. It is a major Nobel Prize controversy.
WORD MEANINGS:
• Considered – माना जाता
• Authors – लेखकों
• Aristocratic – कुलीन
• Acclaim – प्रशंसा
SESSION 2
STORY - IN REMEMBRANCE OF LEO TOLSTOY
Leo Tolstoy alias Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who is
considered one of the greatest authors. He was born on September 9, 1828 at
Yasnaya Polyana in Russian Empire. Born to an aristocratic Russian family, he is
known worldwide for the novels ‘War and Peace’ (1869) and ‘Anna Karenina’
(1877).
When he was about 20 years old, he first achieved literary acclaim with his semi-
autobiographical trilogy, ‘Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth’ (1852-1856), and
Sevastopol Sketches (1855), based upon his experiences in the Crimean War. He
also wrote plays and numerous Philosophical essays.
Tolstoy served as a young artillery officer during the Crimean War. He was
recognized for his courage and promoted as a Lieutenant. He was frightened at the
number of deaths involved in warfare, and left the army after the end of the
Crimean War.
In the 1870s, Tolstoy experienced a profound moral crisis which he disclosed in
his non-fiction work ‘A Confession’ (1882). Tolstoy’s ideas on nonviolent
resistance, expressed in The Kingdom of God is within you (1894), had a profound
impact on pivotal 20th century figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther
King Jr.
He received multiple nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year from
1902 to 1906 and nominations for Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902 and 1910 but
he never won. It is a major Nobel Prize controversy.
WORD MEANINGS:
• Considered – माना जाता
• Authors – लेखकों
• Aristocratic – कुलीन
• Acclaim – प्रशंसा
