PSS Tom 25 Apparatus Commentary — Structured Digest

Mined from extract files v25_665_ through v25_887_ in this directory. Each section covers one tale/work. Sources: PSS vol. 25, М.: Художественная литература, 1937. Apparatus editor: В. С. Спиридонов (unless noted).

1. Чем люди живы? / What Men Live By

apparatus file: v25_665_674_Chem_ljudi_zhivy
PSS pages: 665–674
composition: Written January 1881 at Yasnaya Polyana. Plot source: oral legend recorded from peasant storyteller V. P. Shchegolyonok (Щеголёнок) during Tolstoy’s stays at YaP 1879–1881; a close analogue is in Afanasyev’s “Народные русские легенды” (No. 13). Tolstoy reworked both sources substantially.
firstPublication: “Детский отдых” (Children’s Rest), December 1881, with illustrations by N. A. Kiselyov.
posrednik: Submitted by Chertkov to Moscow Censorship Committee; approved 3 March 1885 (censor Назаревский); published spring 1885 with 4 illustrations by I. Ye. Repin. Arrested 4 February 1887 by Moscow Censorship Committee on denunciation by Pobedonostsev; subsequent editions banned 1887, 1888. Free only after 1905.
manuscripts/redactions: 33 MSS (autographs + copies) in GTM (АЧ) and ATB. Two main redactions; final text heavily revised from the first draft.
people named: - В. П. Щеголёнок (Shchegolyonok) — peasant storyteller, oral source - А. Н. Афанасьев — collector of folk legends, printed analogue - В. Г. Чертков — submitted to censorship, edited Posrednik edition - Назаревский — censor who approved 3 Mar 1885 - К. П. Победоносцев — Ober-Procurator, instigated 1887 arrest - Н. Н. Ге — produced 12-illustration album, 1886 - И. Е. Репин — illustrations for 1st Posrednik edition keyQuotes: 1. «Щеголёнок... рассказывал мне легенды» — Tolstoy diary note on oral source. 2. (On Ge’s album illustrations): «Умилительные картинки» — Tolstoy to Chertkov.

2. Искушение Господа нашего Иисуса Христа / The Temptation of Our Lord

apparatus file: v25_675_675_Iskushenie_Gospoda_nashego_Iisusa_Hrista
PSS pages: 675
composition: Caption text written to accompany Ary Scheffer’s painting “The Temptation of Christ.” Short text; exact date not recorded. Intended as a Posrednik popular print (lubok-format).
firstPublication: Posrednik; censorship approved 4 March 1885. Published unsigned (no author attribution).
posrednik: Cens. approved 4 Mar 1885; open-sheet format.
manuscripts/redactions: 3 MSS (autographs) in GTM (АЧ).
people named: - Арий Шеффер (Ary Scheffer) — Dutch-French painter whose picture the text accompanies - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik publication keyQuotes: (Apparatus is brief; no extended quotes.)

3. Два брата и золото / Two Brothers and Gold

apparatus file: v25_676_678_Dva_brata_i_zoloto
PSS pages: 676–678
composition: Written early March 1885. Source: legend of Theodore, Bishop of Edessa, from the Prologue (medieval Orthodox hagiographic collection). Tolstoy adapted the legend freely.
firstPublication: Published in Posrednik sbornik “Царь Крез и его жена Нитетис”; censorship approved December 1885–February 1886.
posrednik: Included in collected Posrednik sbornik; illustrations by I. Ye. Repin.
manuscripts/redactions: 5 MSS; 2 distinguishable redactions.
people named: - И. Е. Репин — illustrator - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (No extended apparatus quotes extracted.)

4. Ильяс / Ilyas

apparatus file: v25_679_680_Iljas
PSS pages: 679–680
composition: Written 17 March 1885 in Simeiz, Crimea, during a family stay. Setting drawn from Tolstoy’s knowledge of Bashkir/Ufa region life (he visited Bashkir steppes in 1871 for health). The tale of a man who loses wealth and finds happiness in poverty.
firstPublication: Posrednik, published together with “Два брата и золото.”
posrednik: Illustration by A. D. Kivshenko. Same censorship batch as “Два брата.”
manuscripts/redactions: 3 MSS.
people named: - А. Д. Кившенко (Kivshenko) — illustrator - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (No extended quotes.)

5. Где любовь, там и бог / Where Love Is, God Is (Martin the Cobbler)

apparatus file: v25_681_686_Gde_ljubov_tam_i_bog
PSS pages: 681–686
composition: Source: a French story by Reuben Saillens titled “Le père Martin,” which had been translated into Russian anonymously as “Дядя Мартын.” Tolstoy received the Russian text from Chertkov on 17 March 1885 and reworked it extensively. In 1888 Tolstoy wrote to Saillens acknowledging “неумышленный плагиат” (unintentional plagiarism) and explaining his revision.
firstPublication: Posrednik; censorship approved 24 May 1885.
posrednik: Never banned; one of the most widely circulated Posrednik titles.
manuscripts/redactions: 5 MSS, including pages from the original journal from which Chertkov copied the Russian text and sent to Tolstoy.
people named: - Рубен Сайлан (Reuben Saillens) — French author of the source story “Le père Martin” - В. Г. Чертков — provided the Russian translation; Posrednik publisher keyQuotes: 1. «Я написал его на основании рассказа, который мне дали, и не знал, что он уже написан и напечатан» — Tolstoy to Saillens, 1888, admitting unintentional plagiarism. 2. «неумышленный плагиат» — Tolstoy’s self-description of the borrowing.

6. Упустишь огонь — не потушишь / Fire Unchecked (Once Ignite and You Cannot Quench)

apparatus file: v25_687_689_Upustish_ogon_ne_potushish
PSS pages: 687–689
composition: Written 11 April 1885. Based on a moral tale about a village quarrel escalating to arson and murder. Tolstoy developed it from a news item or oral account (apparatus does not specify a single literary source).
firstPublication: Posrednik 1886.
posrednik: Censorship approved 30 May 1885. 1st edition illustrations by K. A. Savitsky; 2nd edition by Malyshev.
manuscripts/redactions: 6 MSS.
people named: - К. А. Савицкий (Savitsky) — illustrator, 1st edition - Малышев (Malyshev) — illustrator, 2nd edition - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (No extended quotes extracted from apparatus.)

7. Вражье лепко, а божье крепко / Evil Allures, God Endures

apparatus file: v25_690_691_Vrazhe_lepko_a_bozhe_krepko
PSS pages: 690–691
composition: Written in the first half of April 1885. Apparatus suggests possible Bashkir origin for the plot, though this is uncertain. The title is a folk proverb.
firstPublication: Posrednik open-sheet (листок); censorship approved 12 February 1886.
posrednik: Tested on peasants in Rossosh by Chertkov before publication to gauge comprehensibility. Illustration by I. Ye. Repin, who reportedly found it «страшно» (terrifying) and greatly liked the tale.
manuscripts/redactions: 2 MSS.
people named: - И. Е. Репин — illustrator; «страшно — мне понравилось» (his reaction) - В. Г. Чертков — field-tested with Rossosh peasants; Posrednik publisher keyQuotes: 1. Repin’s reaction reported: «страшно» — implying visceral impact of the tale.

8. Девченки умнее стариков / Little Girls Wiser than Men

apparatus file: v25_692_693_Devchenki_umnee_starikov
PSS pages: 692–693
composition: Written May 1885. A humorous tale of two little girls whose playful splashing ends a serious quarrel between their families. Shortest of the folk tales.
firstPublication: Posrednik; censorship approved 9 November 1885.
posrednik: Illustration by K. A. Savitsky.
manuscripts/redactions: 2 MSS. Editorial discussion about placement of the Gospel epigraph (at end vs. as title-page motto).
people named: - К. А. Савицкий (Savitsky) — illustrator - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (No extended quotes from apparatus.)

9. Зерно с куриное яйцо / A Grain as Big as a Hen’s Egg

apparatus file: v25_694_695_Zerno_s_kurinoe_jajtso
PSS pages: 694–695
composition: Written May–June 1885, in the same notebook as “Кающийся грешник” and “Много ли человеку земли нужно?” Original title: “Старинное житье” (Old-Time Life). A didactic contrast between old communal agrarian ways and present greed.
firstPublication: Posrednik sbornik “Три сказки”; censorship approved April 1886.
posrednik: Published in the sbornik “Три сказки” together with other tales.
manuscripts/redactions: 3 MSS + a corrected proof.
people named: - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (No extended quotes.)

10. Много ли человеку земли нужно? / How Much Land Does a Man Need?

apparatus file: v25_696_699_Mnogo_li_cheloveku_zemli_nuzhno
PSS pages: 696–699
composition: The central idea dates to 1871: Tolstoy drew on Herodotus (Book IV, ch. 7 — the Scythian story of the greedy king) and on his own experience of the Bashkir steppe (summer 1871). Written May–June 1885, same notebook cluster as “Зерно” and “Кающийся грешник.”
firstPublication: “Русское богатство” (Russian Wealth) journal; censorship approved 5 April 1886. One phrase was cut by censorship.
posrednik: Also published in Posrednik sbornik “Три сказки.” Illustrations by Malyshev.
manuscripts/redactions: 5 MSS + 2 corrected proofs.
people named: - Малышев (Malyshev) — illustrator - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (Apparatus notes Herodotus source and Bashkir connection; no extended quoted passages.)

11. Кающийся грешник / The Repentant Sinner

apparatus file: v25_700_702_Kajuschijsja_greshnik
PSS pages: 700–702
composition: Source: “Повесть о бражнике” (The Tale of the Drunkard), a 17th-century manuscript tale, reprinted in Afanasyev’s “Народные русские легенды” — a sinner browbeats his way into heaven by citing Gospel precedents. Written May 1885.
firstPublication: XII part of Tolstoy’s “Сочинения” (Collected Works), 1886.
posrednik: Illustration by N. N. Ge (charcoal sketch).
manuscripts/redactions: 3 MSS.
people named: - А. Н. Афанасьев — source collection (“Народные русские легенды”) - Н. Н. Ге — charcoal sketch illustration keyQuotes: (No extended apparatus quotes.)

12. Два старика / Two Old Men

apparatus file: v25_703_706_Dva_starika
PSS pages: 703–706
composition: Sources: (1) a story from Shchegolyonok; (2) M. M. Kovalevsky’s “Душеполезное чтение” (Soul-Improving Reading), 1871; (3) Daniil the Abbot’s narrative (12th-century pilgrimage account). Written before June 1885. Character names revised during composition: Ермил→Ефим, Анисим→Елисей.
firstPublication: Posrednik; text censorship approved 4 October 1885; cover approved 17 October 1885.
posrednik: Extended title supplied by Tolstoy himself. Illustrations by A. D. Kivshenko.
manuscripts/redactions: 4 MSS.
people named: - В. П. Щеголёнок (Shchegolyonok) — oral source - М. М. Ковалевский (Kovalevsky) — printed source 1871 - Даниил игумен (Daniil the Abbot) — 12th-century source - А. Д. Кившенко (Kivshenko) — illustrator - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (No extended quotes from apparatus.)

13. Три старца / The Three Hermits

apparatus file: v25_707_709_Tri_startsa
PSS pages: 707–709
composition: Sources: (1) Shchegolyonok’s oral version; (2) a western legend connecting to Augustine of Hippo (Сказание об Августине). Written June 1885.
firstPublication: “Нива” (The Field) journal, 1886, No. 13.
posrednik: Not primarily a Posrednik title; first published in “Нива.” The subtitle (“Сказание”) was not Tolstoy’s addition.
manuscripts/redactions: 3 MSS + a corrected proof.
people named: - В. П. Щеголёнок (Shchegolyonok) — oral source - Августин Блаженный (Augustine of Hippo) — western legend analogue keyQuotes: (No extended quotes.)

14. Свечка / The Candle (How the Devil Yielded to a Peasant’s Goodness)

apparatus file: v25_710_712_Svechka
PSS pages: 710–712
composition: Based on a real event known to Tolstoy (not specified further in apparatus). Written May–June 1885. Original title: “Мне отмщение и Аз воздам” (Vengeance is mine, I will repay). Extended title used in early editions: «Свечка или как добрый мужик пересилил злого приказчика». There was editorial controversy over the tale’s harsh ending (the wicked steward dies); Tolstoy defended it explicitly.
firstPublication: Posrednik; censorship approved 17 January 1886.
posrednik: Two published versions exist with slightly different endings.
manuscripts/redactions: 3 MSS + a variant preserved in a letter.
people named: - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik; raised the ending controversy keyQuotes: 1. «Вся историйка написана в виду этого конца» — Tolstoy to Chertkov, defending the harsh ending.

15. Страдания Господа нашего Иисуса Христа / The Sufferings of Our Lord Jesus Christ

apparatus file: v25_713_714_Stradanija_Gospoda_nashego_Iisusa_Hrista
PSS pages: 713–714
composition: Caption/text written to accompany Bouguereau’s painting of the Passion. Exact date not given; written ~1885. Vsevolod Garshin also wrote a description of the same painting at a similar time.
firstPublication: Posrednik, 1885.
posrednik: Spiritual censorship initially blocked publication; eventually approved. Repin redrew the figure of Christ for the print. Tolstoy’s reaction to the Bouguereau original: «прекрасно... и страшно стало, и плакать хотелось».
manuscripts/redactions: 3 MSS.
people named: - Вильям Бугро (Bouguereau) — French painter whose work is captioned - И. Е. Репин — redrew the Christ figure for the print - В. М. Гаршин (Vsevolod Garshin) — also wrote a description of the same painting - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: 1. «прекрасно... и страшно стало, и плакать хотелось» — Tolstoy on the Bouguereau painting.

16. Сказка об Иване Дураке и его двух братьях / The Tale of Ivan the Fool

apparatus file: v25_715_719_Skazka_ob_Ivane_Durake_i_jego_dvuh_bratja
PSS pages: 715–719
composition: Written August–September 1885. A political fairy-tale satirizing militarism (Tarás the Soldier brother), capitalism (Semyon the Rich brother), and the devil’s temptations — set against a peasant kingdom where no one works with their hands except for food. Chertkov suggested removing the phrase «со свиньями» (with the pigs) about the idle; Tolstoy declined.
firstPublication: Posrednik; censorship approved April 1886. 2nd edition arrested February 1887; banned 1887, 1892, 1893. Freely circulated only from 1906.
posrednik: One of the most politically controversial Posrednik titles. Censor Tikhon’s written verdict survives in the apparatus.
manuscripts/redactions: 5 MSS + corrected page-proofs.
people named: - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik; suggested the «со свиньями» excision (rejected) - Тихонов — censor who wrote the verdict against the 2nd edition keyQuotes: 1. Censor Tиkhon’s verdict (paraphrased in apparatus): the tale contains «вредное для государства» content and spreads anti-military sentiment.

17. К картине Ге «Тайная вечеря» / On Ge’s Painting “The Last Supper”

apparatus file: v25_720_722_K_kartine_Ge_Tajnaja_vecherja
PSS pages: 720–722
composition: Written January 1886 to accompany N. N. Ge’s painting “The Last Supper” (which the Tsar had banned from the 1863 Academy exhibition). Intended as a Posrednik print.
firstPublication: First published 1904 in England (by Chertkov’s Free Word press, “Свободное слово”).
posrednik: Spiritual censorship banned both text and picture 24 February 1886; separate publication impossible in Russia during Tolstoy’s lifetime.
manuscripts/redactions: 6 redactions; 7 MSS — unusually high, reflecting repeated attempts to find an acceptable formulation.
people named: - Н. Н. Ге — painter of “The Last Supper” - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (Apparatus describes the censorship sequence; no extended quoted text from Tolstoy.)

18. Как чертенок краюшку выкупал / The Devil and the Crust (How the Little Devil Earned a Crust)

apparatus file: v25_723_724_Kak_chertenok_krajushku_vykupal
PSS pages: 723–724
composition: Source: Afanasyev’s “Народные русские легенды” — a Belorussian legend + a Nizhny Novgorod Tatar variant. Written by February 1886.
firstPublication: Posrednik; censorship approved April 1886.
posrednik: Published with corrected proofs in АЧ.
manuscripts/redactions: 3 MSS + corrected proofs.
people named: - А. Н. Афанасьев — source collection - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (No extended quotes.)

19. Крестник / The Godson

apparatus file: v25_725_734_Krestnik
PSS pages: 725–734
composition: Sources: Afanasyev’s “Крестный отец” (The Godfather) + variant 6 of “Грех и покаяние” (Sin and Repentance). Written February 1886; Tolstoy noted on 22 February «хочу дописывать сказку о крестнике».
firstPublication: “Книжки недели” (Books of the Week) journal, April 1886.
posrednik: Spiritual censorship condemned it as «книгу безбожнее этой» (a book more godless than this). Posrednik was permitted to publish a separate edition only in 1906.
manuscripts/redactions: 8 MSS + 2 corrected proofs — the most heavily documented tale in the volume.
people named: - А. Н. Афанасьев — source collection - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: 1. Spiritual censorship verdict: «книгу безбожнее этой» — the censor’s characterization. 2. Tolstoy diary, 22 Feb 1886: «хочу дописывать сказку о крестнике».

20. Работник Емельян и пустой барабан / Yemelyan and the Empty Drum

apparatus file: v25_735_737_Rabotnik_Emeljan_i_pustoj_baraban
PSS pages: 735–737
composition: Source: fairy-tale motif (Afanasyev No. 122, the frog-wife transformed), reinterpreted by Tolstoy. Written May 1886. Censorship forced the substitution of «царь» (tsar) → «воевода» (military governor) and other political vocabulary changes.
firstPublication: Elpidine’s Geneva émigré press, 1891 (first uncensored). Russia: 1892, in a charity sbornik. Posrednik: without changes (original text restored) 1906.
posrednik: Published in full only 1906 due to censorship.
manuscripts/redactions: 3 MSS.
people named: - А. Н. Афанасьев — source (tale No. 122) - Элпидин (Elpidine) — Geneva publisher of 1st uncensored edition, 1891 - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (Apparatus documents censorship word-substitutions; no extended Tolstoy quotes.)

21. О переписи в Москве / On the Moscow Census

apparatus file: v25_738_739_O_perepisi_v_Moskve
PSS pages: 738–739
composition: Essay written in connection with the Moscow census of January 1882, in which Tolstoy participated as an enumerator in the Proluzhniki slum district. Written hastily; Tolstoy spent more than 5 hours in the print shop correcting and seeing it through the press.
firstPublication: “Современные известия” (Contemporary News), No. 19, 20 January 1882.
posrednik: Not a Posrednik publication; a newspaper essay.
manuscripts/redactions: 1 autograph MS.
people named: - (No named individuals in the apparatus beyond Tolstoy himself.) keyQuotes: (No extended quotes.)

22. Выдержка из частного письма по поводу возражений на статью «Женщинам» / Excerpt from a Private Letter on Objections to the Article “To Women”

apparatus file: v25_840_842_Vyderzhka_iz_chastnogo_pisma_po_povodu_v
PSS pages: 840–842
composition: Excerpt from Tolstoy’s letter to Chertkov, written 17–18 April 1886. A response to objections against Tolstoy’s article “Женщинам” (To Women).
firstPublication: “Русское богатство” (Russian Wealth) journal, Nos. 5–6, 1886.
posrednik: Not a Posrednik publication.
manuscripts/redactions: 1 MS.
people named: - В. Г. Чертков — addressee of the original letter keyQuotes: (No extended quotes from apparatus.)

23. Учение двенадцати апостолов / The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (Didache)

apparatus file: v25_843_851_Uchenie_dvenadtsati_apostolov
PSS pages: 843–851
composition: Tolstoy’s translation of the Didache (discovered in 1875 by Bryennios; published 1883). Began January 1885. Writing to his wife from Tula: «может выйти большой важности народная книга» (could be a book of great importance for the people).
firstPublication: Published without Tolstoy’s name in “Детская помощь” (Children’s Aid), May 1885.
posrednik: Both spiritual censorship and main censorship blocked a separate Posrednik publication; published freely only 1906.
manuscripts/redactions: 12 MSS — the most heavily manuscript-documented text in this set (reflecting multiple translation drafts).
people named: - Г. П. Смирнов-Платонов — editor of “Детская помощь” who first published the text - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: 1. Tolstoy to Sofya Andreevna from Tula: «может выйти большой важности народная книга».

24. Греческий учитель Сократ / The Greek Teacher Socrates

apparatus file: v25_852_859_Grecheskij_uchitel_Sokrat
PSS pages: 852–859
composition: Joint work with A. M. Kalmykova (Калмыкова). Tolstoy completely rewrote her first 9 chapters and wrote chapter IX himself. Collaboration ran January–July 1885. Intended as a popular biography of Socrates for the people.
firstPublication: Posrednik 1886; censorship (Petersburg, more lenient than Moscow) approved 8 September 1885 without any changes.
posrednik: Passed Petersburg censorship intact — one of the few Posrednik items that reached print unaltered.
manuscripts/redactions: 4 MSS (Tolstoy’s portions).
people named: - А. М. Калмыкова (Kalmykova) — co-author; wrote the original draft that Tolstoy rewrote - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (Apparatus details chapter-by-chapter division of labor; no extended quotes.)

25. Страдания святых / Sufferings of the Saints

apparatus file: v25_860_861_Stradanija_svjatyh
PSS pages: 860–861
composition: Two hagiographies of Christian martyrs, adapted from Дмитрий Ростовский’s (Demetrius of Rostov) Четьи Минеи (Lives of the Saints). Written 1885.
firstPublication: Posrednik 1886; censorship approved 14 January 1886.
posrednik: Approved without difficulty by censorship.
manuscripts/redactions: 2 autographs + 2 copies.
people named: - Дмитрий Ростовский (Demetrius of Rostov) — source (Четьи Минеи) - В. Г. Чертков — Posrednik keyQuotes: (No extended quotes.)

26. Трудолюбие, или торжество земледельца / Industry, or the Triumph of the Farmer (Preface to Bondarev)

apparatus file: v25_862_868_Trudoljubie_ili_torzhestvo_zemledeltsa
PSS pages: 862–868
composition: Preface Tolstoy wrote to the essay by T. M. Bondarev (a Siberian peasant philosopher, exiled Dukhobor-linked sectarian) arguing that the “bread labor” commandment is the foundation of all ethics. Tolstoy first learned of Bondarev from Gleb Uspensky’s article (1884); wrote the preface by May 1886.
firstPublication: “Русское дело” (Russian Cause) journal, 1888, Nos. 12–13. First foreign publication: Paris, in French, 1890. Blocked in Russia by censorship from “Русское богатство” and “Русская старина.”
posrednik: Not published by Posrednik (censorship blocked).
manuscripts/redactions: 4 MSS.
people named: - Т. М. Бондарев (T. M. Bondarev) — peasant author of the underlying essay - Глеб Успенский (Gleb Uspensky) — journalist whose article introduced Tolstoy to Bondarev, 1884 - В. Г. Чертков — editorial involvement keyQuotes: (Apparatus tracks censorship refusals; no extended Tolstoy quotes.)

27. Произведения, написанные для Почтового ящика / Works Written for the Letter Box

apparatus file: v25_869_873_Proizvedenija_napisannye_dlja_Pochtovogo
PSS pages: 869–873
composition: A cluster of short humorous household writings (poems, letters, comic pieces) produced for the family “postal box” (a game where family members left notes for each other) during 1882 through the mid-1880s. Described by T. A. Kuzminskaya in her memoirs.
firstPublication: Various; some first published in PSS vol. 25.
posrednik: Not related to Posrednik.
manuscripts/redactions: Various MSS, held in GTM and ATB.
people named: - Т. А. Кузминская (Kuzminskaya) — Tolstoy’s sister-in-law; described the postal-box game in memoirs keyQuotes: (Apparatus is descriptive; no extended quotes.)

28. Речь о народных изданиях / Speech on Popular Editions

apparatus file: v25_874_879_Rech_o_narodnyh_izdanijah
PSS pages: 874–879
composition: Speech delivered at a Moscow meeting approximately December 1883 / early 1884, at which the concept that eventually became the Posrednik publishing house was planned. Found in the archive of M. P. Shchepkin, one of the attendees.
firstPublication: “Лев Толстой. Неизданные тексты” (Unpublished Texts), first published in PSS.
posrednik: This speech is the founding document of the Posrednik concept. Attendees included Shchepkin, Marakuev, Pisarev, and others.
manuscripts/redactions: 1 autograph MS.
people named: - М. П. Щепкин (Shchepkin) — in whose archive the MS was found; attendee - Маракуев (Marakuev) — attendee and publisher of popular books - Писарев (Pisarev) — attendee (publisher context) - В. Г. Чертков — not yet formally on the scene, but the meeting preceded founding of Posrednik keyQuotes: 1. Shchepkin’s critical response letter (summarized in apparatus): challenged Tolstoy’s programme for popular literature on practical grounds.

29. Нагорная проповедь / The Sermon on the Mount

apparatus file: v25_880_882_Nagornaja_propoved
PSS pages: 880–882
composition: Attempted from April 1884, in response to Chertkov’s proposal to publish selected Gospel chapters as cheap Posrednik prints. Tolstoy wrote at least two introductions, finding them unsatisfactory («я не могу и не имею права писать такого введения»). Resumed attempts April–August 1885 in connection with Keler’s picture.
firstPublication: Not published during Tolstoy’s lifetime in Russia. Plans abandoned after spiritual censorship approved only with two excisions, which Tolstoy found unacceptable.
posrednik: Never published; plans aborted by censorship excisions.
manuscripts/redactions: 1 autograph MS (ATB, папка V), 4 leaves, quarto; the fourth leaf torn.
people named: - В. Г. Чертков — proposed the project; published Posrednik - И. П. Келер (I. P. Keler) — Petersburg painter; his picture “Придите ко мне” paired with the Sermon text - В. А. Пашков (Pashkov) — Chertkov’s relative; warned that censorship would block separate Gospel chapters keyQuotes: 1. Tolstoy to Chertkov, 27 April 1884: «я не могу и не имею права писать такого введения» — on the impossibility of a proper introduction to the Sermon. 2. Tolstoy: «слова Евангелия 5, 6, 7 глав Матфея так святы, так божественны... прибавлять к ним... объяснение — есть кощунство».

30. Китайская мудрость / Chinese Wisdom (Confucius and Lao-Tze)

apparatus file: v25_883_885_Kitajskaja_mudrost
PSS pages: 883–885
composition: Three short essays written approximately 1884, as Tolstoy intensely studied Chinese religious and philosophical systems. Titles: «Книги Конфуцы» (Books of Confucius), «Великое учение» (Great Learning — translated from S. Legge’s “Chinese Classics”), and «Книга пути и истины» (Book of the Way and Truth — translated from St. Julien’s “Le livre de la Voie et de la Vertu” by Lao-Tze). Diary, 6 March 1884: «Переводил Лаоцы. Не выходит то, что я хотел».
firstPublication: First published in PSS vol. 25 (previously unpublished).
posrednik: Not published by Posrednik.
manuscripts/redactions: 3 autograph MSS + 1 copy (GTM, АЧ, папка 103). Tolstoy left a handwritten list of 67 Lao-Tze chapters with marginal notes: «метафизика прелестна», «прелестно» (8×), «удивительно», «прекрасно».
people named: - Конфуций (Confucius, 551–479 BCE) — Chinese philosopher; primary subject - Лао-Тзе / Лао-цзы (Lao-Tze, 6th c. BCE) — Chinese philosopher; second subject - С. Леге / James Legge — source for Confucius translation (“Chinese Classics”) - Станислав Жюльен / St. Julien — source for Lao-Tze translation (“Le livre de la Voie et de la Vertu”) - Н. Н. Страхов (Strakhov) — introduced Tolstoy to Chinese philosophy via letters - П. А. Буланже (Bulanzhé) — later wrote Posrednik booklets on Confucius (1904) and Lao-Tze (1910) using Tolstoy’s notes keyQuotes: 1. Tolstoy to Chertkov, late February 1884: «Трудно представить себе, что это за необычайная нравственная высота. Наслаждаешься, видя, как это учение достигает иногда высоты христианского учения» — on Confucius. 2. Diary, 27 March 1884: «Мое нравственное состояние я приписываю тоже чтению Конфуция и — главное — Лаотцы».

31. О благотворительности / On Charity

apparatus file: v25_886_886_O_blagotvoritelnosti
PSS pages: 886
composition: Unfinished essay begun at the request of G. P. Smirnov-Platonov, editor of “Детская помощь” (Children’s Aid). Written in the first half of 1885 (between late 1884 and May 1885). Tolstoy ultimately did not finish it and sent Smirnov-Platonov the Didache translation instead. References Tolstoy’s 1882 census essay and his article “Так что же нам делать?” (What Then Must We Do?).
firstPublication: First published 1904 in Vol. X of Chertkov’s “Полное собрание сочинений, запрещенных в России” (Free Word press), with the opening lines omitted and a wrong date (1886 instead of 1885).
posrednik: Not a Posrednik publication.
manuscripts/redactions: 1 autograph MS (ATB, папка 50): one quarter-sheet + one half-sheet.
people named: - Г. П. Смирнов-Платонов (Smirnov-Platonov) — editor who solicited the essay for “Детская помощь” - В. Г. Чертков — published the 1904 Free Word edition (with erroneous date) keyQuotes: (Apparatus is brief; no extended Tolstoy quotes.)

32. Сиддарта, прозванный Буддой / Siddhartha Called the Buddha

apparatus file: v25_887_890_Siddarta_prozvannyj_Buddoj
PSS pages: 887–890
composition: Begun late 1885 / early 1886. Tolstoy wrote the introduction, chapter 1, chapter 2 (on manuscript margins of the outline), and a chapter outline through chapter 22. All further work was by collaborators. Key letters: 16–17 January 1886 to Chertkov: «Хотелось бы с божьей помощью составить эту книжку»; 7 May 1886 to wife S. A.: «С нынешнего дня я взялся за Будду. Он очень занимает меня». Plan expanded: Tolstoy wanted to write seven books on the world’s major religious teachings.
firstPublication: V. G. Chertkov published in journal “Единение” (Unity), 1916, Nos. 1–2: intro + chs. 1–2 (Tolstoy) + chs. 3–8 (Chertkov, corrected by Tolstoy). Marked “Не окончено” (Unfinished).
posrednik: The project originated as a Posrednik booklet. Collaborators at various stages: М. А. Новоселов (Novoselov), А. И. Эртель (Ertel), А. П. Барыкова (Barykova), В. Г. Чертков. Chertkov wrote most of the surviving text. A later Posrednik booklet by P. A. Bulanzhé (“Жизнь и учение Сиддарты Готамы”) appeared in 1911, also under Tolstoy’s guidance.
manuscripts/redactions: 3 autograph MSS (GTM, АЧ, папка 103): (1) introduction draft; (2) chs. 1–2 + chapter outline 2–22; (3) Chertkov’s fair copy corrected by Tolstoy (GTM, АЧ, папка 85). Also Chertkov’s MS of chs. 7–9 in two redactions, heavily corrected by Tolstoy.
people named: - В. Г. Чертков — main collaborator; wrote and corrected chs. 3–8; 1916 editor - М. А. Новоселов (Novoselov) — first collaborator to continue after Tolstoy’s draft - А. И. Эртель (Ertel) — second collaborator; his version praised by Tolstoy - А. П. Барыкова (Barykova) — collaborator - Н. Н. Страхов (Strakhov) — sent Tolstoy Buddhist sources (Burnuf; Rhys Davids) - Самуэль Биль / Samuel Beal — source (“Outline of Buddhism from Chinese Sources,” London 1870) - Эдвин Арнольд / Edwin Arnold — source (“The Light of Asia,” 1879 poem) - Э. Бюрнуф / Eugène Burnouf — source (“Lotus de la Bonne Loi”) - Г. Ольденберг / Hermann Oldenberg — source (“Buddha,” recommended by Tolstoy) - П. А. Буланже (Bulanzhé) — wrote the 1911 Posrednik Buddha booklet under Tolstoy’s supervision keyQuotes: 1. Tolstoy to Chertkov, 16–17 January 1886: «Хотелось бы с божьей помощью составить эту книжку». 2. Tolstoy to Chertkov, 15 February 1889: «Будду начал поправлять и не мог итти пока дальше. Надо всё переделывать. Тон языка фальшив».

People Master-Register

Persons named across two or more apparatus notes, sorted by role.

Tolstoy family / household

• С. А. Толстая (Sofya Andreyevna) — letters mentioning “Будда” (§32); copyist role implied throughout
• Т. А. Кузминская (Kuzminskaya) — described Postal Box game (§27)

Posrednik / editorial circle

• В. Г. Чертков (Vladimir Chertkov) — present in all 32 entries; co-founder and main agent of Posrednik; submitted texts to censorship, corresponded daily with Tolstoy; main collaborator on Buddha project
• М. П. Щепкин (Shchepkin) — attendee of founding meeting (§28); his archive preserved the Speech on Popular Editions
• Маракуев (Marakuev) — attendee of founding meeting; publisher of popular books (§28)
• А. М. Калмыкова (Kalmykova) — co-author “Греческий учитель Сократ” (§24)
• М. А. Новоселов (Novoselov) — Buddha collaborator (§32)
• А. И. Эртель — Buddha collaborator; his version praised by Tolstoy (§32)
• А. П. Барыкова — Buddha collaborator (§32)
• П. А. Буланже (Bulanzhé) — wrote Posrednik booklets on Confucius (1904) and Buddha (1911) under Tolstoy’s supervision (§§30, 32)

Oral sources / folk informants

• В. П. Щеголёнок (Shchegolyonok) — peasant bard at Yasnaya Polyana; oral source for §§1, 12, 13
• А. Н. Афанасьев — collector of folk legends (Народные русские легенды); source for §§1, 11, 18, 19, 20

Artists / illustrators

• Н. Н. Ге — 12-illustration album “Чем люди живы” (1886) (§1); charcoal sketch for “Кающийся грешник” (§11); “Тайная вечеря” painting subject (§17)
• И. Е. Репин — illustrations: §§1 (Posrednik ed.), 3, 7; redrew Christ figure for §15
• А. Д. Кившенко (Kivshenko) — illustrations for §§4, 12
• К. А. Савицкий (Savitsky) — illustrations for §§6, 8
• Малышев (Malyshev) — illustrations for §§6, 10
• И. П. Келер (Keler) — “Придите ко мне” painting paired with Sermon on the Mount (§29)
• Вильям Бугро (Bouguereau) — French painter; Passion picture captioned by Tolstoy (§15)
• Арий Шеффер (Ary Scheffer) — Dutch-French painter; Temptation picture captioned by Tolstoy (§2)

Sources / scholars

• Рубен Сайлан / Reuben Saillens — French author of “Le père Martin” (§5)
• Даниил игумен (Daniil the Abbot) — 12th-c. pilgrimage account, source (§12)
• Дмитрий Ростовский (Demetrius of Rostov) — Четьи Минеи, source (§25)
• Т. М. Бондарев — peasant philosopher, preface written for him (§26)
• Глеб Успенский — journalist who introduced Tolstoy to Bondarev (§26)
• Н. Н. Страхов (Strakhov) — sent Tolstoy Chinese philosophy books and Buddhist sources (§§30, 32)
• James Legge (С. Леге) — “Chinese Classics” source for Confucius translation (§30)
• Stanislas Julien (Жюльен) — “Le livre de la Voie et de la Vertu” source for Lao-Tze (§30)
• Samuel Beal — “Outline of Buddhism” source (§32)
• Edwin Arnold — “The Light of Asia” source (§32)
• Eugène Burnouf (Бюрнуф) — “Lotus de la Bonne Loi” source (§32)
• М. М. Ковалевский — “Душеполезное чтение” 1871, source for “Два старика” (§12)

Publishers (non-Posrednik)

• Элпидин (Elpidine) — Geneva émigré press; published “Работник Емельян” 1891 uncensored (§20)
• Г. П. Смирнов-Платонов — editor of “Детская помощь”; published Didache (§§21, 23, 31)

Censors / officials

• К. П. Победоносцев — Ober-Procurator of Holy Synod; instigated 1887 arrest of “Чем люди живы” (§1)
• Назаревский — Moscow censor who approved “Чем люди живы” 3 Mar 1885 (§1)
• Тихонов — censor who wrote verdict against “Иван Дурак” 2nd edition (§16)
• В. А. Пашков (Pashkov) — Chertkov’s relative; warned about censorship (§29)

Writers (contemporaries)

• В. М. Гаршин (Vsevolod Garshin) — also wrote a description of the Bouguereau Passion painting (§15)

Cross-Tale Facts

The Posrednik system

• Posrednik (Посредник) was founded in early 1885 following a planning meeting in Moscow ~December 1883 / early 1884 (the Speech on Popular Editions, §28). The concept: cheap illustrated editions for peasant readers, printed by I. D. Sytin’s press, distributed via railways and kolportage.
• The standard censor route was Moscow Censorship Committee (stricter) or — for some texts — Petersburg committee (more lenient; passed “Греческий учитель Сократ” unaltered, §24).
• Spiritual censorship (духовная цензура) controlled separately and blocked several texts on religious grounds: “Тайная вечеря” (§17), “Крестник” (§19), “Нагорная проповедь” (§29), “Учение двенадцати апостолов” (§23).
• Post-1905 liberation: several texts banned through the 1880s–1900s only became freely publishable after 1905–1906 (“Иван Дурак” §16, “Работник Емельян” §20, “Учение двенадцати апостолов” §23, “Крестник” §19).

Composition cluster: May–June 1885

• Five tales share a single notebook: “Зерно с куриное яйцо” (§9), “Много ли человеку земли нужно” (§10), “Кающийся грешник” (§11). Written in concentrated burst after the Posrednik project launched.

Source typology

• Literary/hagiographic sources: Afanasyev’s Народные русские легенды (§§1, 11, 18, 19, 20); Prologue / medieval Orthodox collections (§§3, 12, 25).
• Oral / folk: Shchegolyonok at Yasnaya Polyana (§§1, 12, 13).
• Western/French: Saillens “Le père Martin” (§5); Scheffer, Bouguereau, Bouguereau paintings (§§2, 15).
• Oriental philosophy: Legge, St. Julien, Beal, Arnold (§§30, 32).
• Herodotus / classical: §10 (Bashkir land tale).

Censorship patterns

• Arrests and bans were not random: politically satirical content (“Иван Дурак,” §16) triggered secular censorship; content perceived as heterodox (“Крестник,” “Тайная вечеря,” “Учение апостолов”) triggered spiritual censorship; pure moral tales were rarely blocked.
• “Где любовь, там и бог” (§5) was NEVER banned — the sole major Posrednik tale to pass censorship permanently without incident.
• “Чем люди живы” (§1) and “Иван Дурак” (§16) both suffered the 1887 wave of arrests triggered partly by Pobedonostsev.

Illustration programme

• Tolstoy was closely involved in illustration choices. He specifically praised Repin’s response to “Вражье лепко” (§7) and N. N. Ge’s 12-illustration album for “Чем люди живы” (§1). Repin also redrew the Christ figure in the Bouguereau print (§15).
• The Posrednik illustration programme involved multiple artists; Savitsky, Kivshenko, Malyshev, and Repin are the most recurrent.

The religious-philosophical project (1884–1886)

• Alongside the folk tales, Tolstoy pursued a parallel project to produce accessible introductions to world religious wisdom: Confucius/Lao-Tze (~1884, §30), Socrates (joint work 1885, §24), the Didache (1885, §23), Siddhartha/Buddha (1885–1886+, §32), Sermon on the Mount (never completed for Posrednik, §29). These texts represent a coherent programme, not scattered efforts.
• The Buddha project is the most extensively documented unfinished project in the volume: 3 autograph MSS, 1 Chertkov MS corrected by Tolstoy, collaboration spanning 1886–1889, involving 4 named co-workers.

The “народные рассказы” as a set

• All core folk tales (§§1–20) were written in a 16-month window: January 1881 (§1) and then March 1885–May 1886 (§§2–20). The 1881 tale (“Чем люди живы”) predates Posrednik by four years; it was written independently and only later brought into the Posrednik programme.
• The tales cluster around Simeiz/Crimea (March 1885, §4), Moscow (early 1886), and Yasnaya Polyana (spring–summer 1885).
• Tolstoy’s revision practice: he consistently lengthened titles (§12), added or moved Gospel epigraphs (§8), and resisted editorial softening of harsh or controversial elements (§§7, 14, 16).