Boyhood

work by Tolstoy

Also known as: “Otrochestvo”

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June 22, 2026

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Boyhood is the second installment in Leo Tolstoy's autobiographical trilogy, following Childhood. Published in 1854, it continues the fictionalized and nostalgic account of Tolstoy's early years, focusing on his adolescence. The work delves into the protagonist's experiences and internal world during this formative period. It is part of a series that also includes Childhood and Youth, exploring themes of memory, self-discovery, and the complexities of growing up within an aristocratic Russian family.12

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Leo Tolstoy
First publications of Leo Tolstoy
… he soon added Otrochestvo (1854; Boyhood) and Yunost (1857; Youth). A number of stories center on a single semiautobiographical character, Dmitry Nekhlyudov, who later reappeared as the hero of Tolstoy’s novel Resurrection. In “Lyutsern” (1857; “Lucerne”), Tolstoy uses the diary form first to relate an incident, then to reflect on…
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… he soon added Otrochestvo (1854; Boyhood) and Yunost (1857; Youth). A number of stories center on a single semiautobiographical character, Dmitry Nekhlyudov, who later reappeared as the hero of Tolstoy’s novel Resurrection. In “Lyutsern” (1857; “Lucerne”), Tolstoy uses the diary form first to relate an incident, then to reflect on…
Read More