Description:

Leo Tolstoy
n.p., March 1, 1910
L. Tolstoy Bold Signature Dated 8 Months Before His Death
Signed card

A card signed and inscribed in English by Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), as "Leo Tolstoy / 1 March 1910." Measuring 3.75" x 2.25" (sight). The card is displayed beneath an engraving of the bearded author dressed in a peasant's tunic, after T. Johnson. Exhibits light age toning, with negligible spot staining throughout. Else near fine. Matted and framed to an overall size of 10.5" x 15.5" x 1."

Tolstoy, in failing health, surreptitiously left his home on October 28, 1910 to embark on an end-of-life journey by train. As he expressed it in his farewell note, he wanted to "spend the last days of my life in solitude and quiet." Tolstoy died of pneumonia at the remote Astapovo railway station in western Russia on November 7, 1910, just eight months after signing this autograph.

Leo Tolstoy is considered one of Russia's preeminent literary figures, as well as one of the best-recognized writers of all time, having been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature no fewer than five times. Tolstoy's remarkable ability to engross his readers was not limited by language, characterization, time period, scope, or theme. His most famous novels, "War and Peace" (1869) and "Anna Karenina" (1878), for example, are radically different and both are praised. While the first novel is an epic family saga about the Napoleonic Wars, the second novel is about a woman whose unfortunate personal choices compel her to commit suicide. Tolstoy's realist approach to writing, as well as his personal philosophies of love, equality, and pacificism, made him a cult hero.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: Frame: 10.5" x 15.5"
  • Medium: Signed card

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