Publisher's Synopsis
Childhood is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1852. The book is the first part of Tolstoy's trilogy, which also includes Boyhood and Youth. The novel is set in the 1830s and follows the childhood of a young boy named Nikolai Irtenev, who grows up in a wealthy family in rural Russia. The book is divided into three parts, each focusing on a different stage of Nikolai's childhood. In the first part, Nikolai is a young boy who is deeply connected to nature and enjoys spending time outdoors. He is close to his mother and his aunts, but has a strained relationship with his father. In the second part, Nikolai is sent away to school in Moscow, where he struggles to fit in and adapt to the new environment. In the third part, Nikolai returns home for the summer and experiences a series of emotional and psychological struggles as he tries to come to terms with his identity and his place in the world. Throughout the novel, Tolstoy explores themes of family, identity, and the nature of childhood. He also provides a vivid portrayal of life in rural Russia during the 19th century, depicting the customs, traditions, and social norms of the time. Childhood is widely regarded as a masterpiece of Russian literature, and is considered one of Tolstoy's finest works.Karl Ivanitch was in a bad temper, This was clear from his contracted brows, and from the way in which he flung his frockcoat into a drawer, angrily donned his old dressing-gown again, and made deep dints with his nails to mark the place in the book of dialogues to which we were to learn by heart. Woloda began working diligently, but I was too distracted to do anything at all.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.