Vladimir Chertkov

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Vladimir Chertkov bigraphy, stories - Religion

Vladimir Chertkov : biography

3 November 1854 – 9 November 1936

Vladimir Grigoryevich Chertkov ( also transliterated as Chertkoff, Tchertkoff or Tschertkow (22 October (3 November) 1854 – November 9, 1936) was the editor of the works of Leo Tolstoy, and one of the most prominent Tolstoyans. After the revolutions of 1917, Chertkov was instrumental in creating the United Council of Religious Communities and Groups, which eventually came to administer the Russian SFSR’s conscientious objection program.

Film

Actor Paul Giamatti portrayed Chertkov in the 2009 film The Last Station.

Life and career

Family and childhood

Chertkov was born in 1854 in St. Petersburg, Russia into a wealthy and aristocratic family. His mother (to whom he felt especially close), Elizaveta Ivanovna, born Countess Chernysheva-Kruglikova, was known among her circle in St. Petersburg society for her beauty, intellect, authoritativeness and tact. His father, Grigorii Ivanovich, was aide-de-camp under Nikolai I, Adjutant-General under Alexander II and Alexander III, known in military circles for his front-line service and military bearing. The couple enjoyed imperial favour so much that Alexander II and Alexander III visited their home.

Describing his parents in one of his diary entries, he wrote: “That’s how I grew up, assured of my own innate advantage over other people, proud of the dignity of my parents, their relatives and friends, entourage of servants, rising from their seats in the ante-room when I passed from my rooms into my parents’ part of the house, swimming in all kinds of luxury and almost not knowing rejection in satisfaction of my desires.”

The young Chertkov was considered very handsome – slender, tall, with big gray eyes under beaked brows – and had a talent for witty paradox.

Military service

Nineteen-year-old Chertkov voluntarily joined the Life Guards of the Cavalry. Yet while yielding to all the enjoyment that was offered by life in the circle of golden youth, unaware of either external or internal obstacles for the realization of his desires, Chertkov from time to time felt that there was something wrong in his life and strove to find some moral law that would subordinate his behavior. In order to understand these doubts, to look closer at other ways of life and remain alone with himself, he decided for a time to abandon his accustomed life, take a vacation for several months and go to England.

At the end of December 1879, Chertkov wrote his mother a letter from England:

"I can tell you a few fragments of my last thoughts:
  1. In order to be useful, a person must define his position in the world around him;
  2. He must therefore look at himself not subjectively but objectively; and
  3. He can only reach such a view when the strength of all his aspirations is concentrated not upon himself, but on some kind of high goal, located outside himself.”

And he wrote further that concentrating all his thought on Christian study could be useful to deal with the problems of his life.

Lizinovka

In 1880, he resigned from military service, left Petersburg, and settled in his family’s estate in Lizinovka, where he planned to help the peasants at whose expense he lived, although he had an unclear understanding of their needs.

[[Leo Tolstoy and Vladimir Chertkov]] Scrutinizing the work of the zemstvo and finding weaknesses, he conceived the idea of implementing on his parent’s estate some measures disregarded by the zemstvo. He organized a trade school for peasant children.

Influence of Tolstoy

In October 1883 his first meeting with Leo Tolstoy took place in Moscow, changing the entire course of his life. It would be said of him that he was more Tolstoy than Tolstoy himself.

Fulfilling the ideal of moral self-improvement, Chertkov gave all his heart and soul to educational activity. Following Tolstoy’s initiative, in 1885 Chertkov organized and financed a publishing house called Intermediary () which specialized in the release of art and moralizing literature for people. Intermediary succeeded in publishing works aimed at the education of the Russian people, despite the pressure of the Imperial censorship and the hostile attitude of the Orthodox Church. The new publishing house was supported by many of the most outstanding writers of the country: Tolstoy, Chekhov, Korolenko, Garshin, and Leskov all wrote for Intermediary.