26082-1 (Essay: Lev Tolstoy and England), страница 4

Hanna often sent letters to the Tolstoys. They did not notice any change in her way of describing her life and events. But in spring of 1874 they got a letter from Hanna’s sister Jenny informing the Tolstoys that Hanna was going to get married. Her fiance was Georgian Prince Matchuladze. The Tolstoys were greatly amazed. They had never thought about such probability. The children did not know weather to cry with joy or to sob and pity themselves. They sent Hanna their letters and Hanna replied and described them her engagement and invited the Tolstoys to visit her in Kutais. The Tolstoys also invited her and her husband to come to Jasnaya Polyana.

As the Tolstoys found out later Hanna was not happy in her married life at first. Her mother-in-law and her father-in-law were angry with their son that he had married the poor foreigner. The young Prince did not obey his parents and got married without their permission.

The old prince and princess stopped to give money to their son and the young couple had nothing to live on and was rather poor after their marriage. Besides Hanna grieved that she had parted her husband with his parents. But then Hanna gave birth to a child and the stern parents were happy to have a grandson and forgave their son and daughter-in-law. They made certain that Hanna was a good and modest young woman. The old prince and princess invited the young couple to their house and asked to stay and live with them. The old man and woman had their own business, it was production of sheep cheese. Hanna took an active part in the business and it was a success so her father- and mother-in law passed her all their business.

There in the Kutais estate Hanna spent the rest of her life. She sent the photo of her daughter to the Tolstoys. Hanna and her daughter were very much alike. After some years they got and sent letters more seldom but they never stopped their correspondence. Hanna wrote that she hoped to see “dear old Jasnaya” again and bring her daughter with her too.

Her dreams did not come true. Nobody from the Tolstoys except Sergey saw her again. When Sergey was already an old man he went to the Caucasus on business and came to see their old governess. Tanya envied him and was still hoping to see Hanna some day.

Then the Tolstoys got a message informing them that Hanna was seriously ill. Soon after that they came to know that she had died. She was not an old woman when she died, about 50 years old.

7. L.N.Tolstoy’s descendants in England nowadays.

There are many Tolstoy’s descendants abroad nowadays. They live in the USA, France, Sweden, Italy, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and England. Great Britain is not rich in Tolstoy’s descendants but still two girls – Lev Tolstoy’s great-great-great-granddaughters live there. Their names are Anastasia Vladimirovna Tolstaya and her sister Yekaterina Vladimirovna Tolstaya. Anastasia was born in Moscow on 1 February, 1984. Yekaterina was born in Moscow on 11 November, 1987. Their father Vladimir Tolstoy is the director of the estate-museum Yasnaya Polyana now. Their parents are divorced. The girls have been living with their mother in London for nearly 5 years. But they often visit their father in Yasnaya Polyana when they are on summer holidays. Their hobby is riding horses.

L.N.TOLSTOY’S DESCENDANTS IN ENGLAND ( 2000 )

Lev Tolstoy

Son Ilya Lvovoch

Grandson Vladimir Ilyich

Great grandson Ilya Vladimirovich

Great-great grandson Vladimir Ilyich

Great-great-great granddaughters Anastasia Yekaterina

.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.Victor Shklovsky. LEV TOLSTOY. Progress Publishers Moscow, 1978 (in English)

2.Nikolai Puzin. THE LEV TOLSTOY HOUSE-MUSEUM IN YASNAYA POLYANA. Yasnaya Polyana Publishing House, 1998 (in English).

3.Т.Л.Сухотина-Толстая. ВОСПОМИНАНИЯ. Москва, «Художественная литература», 1981.

4.Илья Толстой. СВЕТ ЯСНОЙ ПОЛЯНЫ. Москва, «Молодая гвардия», 1986.

5.И.Грызлова, В.Лебедева. Литературный музей Толстого в Ясной Поляне. Очерк-путеводитель. Приокское книжное издательство. Тула, 1974.

6. Е.Кассина, Г.Расторгуева, В.Янкова. ЛЕВ ТОЛСТОЙ И ЯСНАЯ ПОЛЯНА. Издательство «Прогресс». Москва, 1980.

7.Интервью научного сотрудника Дома-музея Л.Н.Толстого Ясная Поляна Никериной Ирины Викторовны.