15 Facts About Vladimir Chertkov

Vladimir Chertkov was born in 1854 in St Petersburg, Russia into a wealthy and aristocratic family.

Vladimir Chertkov's mother, Elizaveta Ivanovna, born Countess Chernysheva-Kruglikova, was known among her circle in St Petersburg society for her beauty, intellect, authoritativeness and tact.

Nineteen-year-old Vladimir Chertkov voluntarily joined the Life Guards of the Cavalry.

Vladimir Chertkov had a troubled relationship with most of the Tolstoy family, and tried actively to destroy the relationship between Tolstoy and his wife Sophia.

Vladimir Chertkov's associates lay about her house and ate free and paid no rent and criticized her materialism, while she raised several children and ran the entire business side of Tolstoy's writing, which provided a major source of income for Yasnaya Polyana and enabled their lifestyle.

Additionally, Vladimir Chertkov convinced Tolstoy to sign a secret will and give control of his works to Vladimir Chertkov instead of Sophia.

Vladimir Chertkov then used this control to publish versions of Tolstoy's collected works as he wanted.

Vladimir Chertkov criticized Sophia, discredited her diaries and her own writing, and played up his own relationship with the Count.

Vladimir Chertkov fostered a positive relationship with the newly formed Soviet state, which he used to suppress Sophia's version of Tolstoy's life story and his relationship with her.

From here Vladimir Chertkov conducted extensive correspondence on the affairs of Intermediary with Russian writers and artists.

Since the autocracy considered Tolstoyism an enemy, Vladimir Chertkov left for England in 1897.

Vladimir Chertkov was an avid Anglophile like his mother, admired the English tradition of free speech, and was already corresponding with a small collective based at Purleigh in Essex, who were looking to put Tolstoy's ideas into practice.

Vladimir Chertkov's wife, Anna Konstantinovna, born Dieterichs, was trustee of the Free Word Press and produced several texts for both arms of the business.

The Purleigh group began to split up towards the end of 1900, at which point Vladimir Chertkov moved with his family and followers to Tuckton House, at Tuckton in Bournemouth, purchased for him by his mother.

Vladimir Chertkov remained in Russia where, as Tolstoy's literary executor, he was editor-in-chief of one last project: a complete edition of Tolstoy's works in Russian, which ultimately extended to ninety volumes, and was still in motion when Vladimir Chertkov died in Moscow, after a series of strokes, in 1936.