The Role of Leo Tolstoy’s Legacy in the Development of Abkhaz Culture and Literature in Late 19th–20th Centuries

Abstract

The article examines the influence of Leo Tolstoy’s legacy on the development of Abkhaz fiction and the cultural life of Abkhazia. At the stage of the birth of national literature, Tolstoy was one of the most translated Russian writers. The recognition of Tolstoy’s works by Abkhaz readers, as shown, began with his pedagogical articles and short stories for children and the people. The author of the article presents lists of Tolstoy’s stories first translated into the Abkhaz language and most frequently translated. The research addresses the literary problem of translating the classics into the Abkhazian language. The article also contains a review of the works of Tolstoy and articles about Tolstoy published in the Abkhaz language in the 19th–20th centuries, including a significant amount of materials dedicated to Tolstoy and published in the newspaper “Soviet Abkhazia.” The author examines in detail various versions of Tolstoy’s meeting with N. Ladaria.

Keywords

• l. n. tolstoy
• n. ladaria
• abkhaz literature
• translations
• translators
• cultural heritage
• classics