1) I'll be buried where I die. The cemetery is the cheapest. If you die in the city, use the cheapest coffin, just like burying the poor. No flowers, no wreaths, no speeches. If possible, don't even ask a priest, and don't say requiem prayers. ...
2) Don't publish the news of death and don't write an obituary.
3)……
4) The copyright of my previous works (10 anthology and those literacy textbooks), I asked my heirs to give it to the society, that is, to give up the author's right ... In the end, 10, my works were sold, which was the most painful thing in my life.
5)……
After successively completing War and Peace, Anna karenin and other works, Tolstoy's spiritual world has become more profound and broad. The conflict between his thoughts and real life is becoming more and more fierce. He broke away from the traditional concept of his own class and stood on the side of farmers under the patriarchal clan system. Facing the hunger, cold and humiliation of the lower peasants, Tolstoy was ashamed of his aristocratic life, and even more uneasy that his works were paid huge remuneration to support this aristocratic life.
In order to make up for this, Tolstoy not only tried his best to participate in manual labor, but also devoted himself to education twice-no income, full obligation; It took several years to compile the "Enlightenment Reader" for the children of ordinary people and the poor. Now, he even wants to give up the copyright of his works, hoping to repay the society and realize his popular ideal in this way. But this was strongly opposed by his wife Sophia. Because Tolstoy's copyright was almost the only "financial resource" for the whole family at that time. Therefore, in this will, Tolstoy pointed out that "the work was betrayed, which was the most painful thing in my life."
This informal will was copied by his youngest daughter Sasha, but Tolstoy didn't sign it until July 190 1.
More than ten years later, in August of 1908, 80-year-old Tolstoy drew up a will in the form of a diary. At that time, he was in pain: "heavy, painful. I have been having a fever for the last few days, and the situation is very bad. This is unbearable, and I may die. " The body affects the spirit: "but I have to spend my life in such an absurd and luxurious environment." This kind of life is beyond my endurance. "
In this will, Tolstoy once again mentioned the copyright of his works: "I will be very happy if my heirs dedicate all my works to the public." If this cannot be done, then the parts that belong to the people must be presented, such as literacy textbooks and reading gardens. "
In addition, he also pointed out the place where he was buried after his death: "People should never hold a ceremony when they bury me underground. As long as there is a person who is willing to carry the coffin to the designated place opposite the canyon, he carries a wooden coffin, which is where a small green stick is buried ... "The" small green stick "is a story told by Tolstoy's brother, saying that there is a small green stick that makes everyone happy and is buried next to the Zakkas Canyon in the forest. Tolstoy, a young man, searched repeatedly here.
A year later, on 1909, Sophia and Tolstoy clashed because of the will they had drafted before. Sophia asked Tolstoy to write something stating that he would give her all his copyrights, but Tolstoy refused. In a rage, Tolstoy asked a friend to help him make a formal will, stating that he would give up all the rights of his work:
"I declare that I hope all my works, written works and anything I write, whether published or unpublished; I wrote or published it for the first time since 188 1 1; Everything I wrote before this deadline but haven't published should not belong to anyone's private property after my death. Moreover, if people need these things, they can let everyone publish them for free. "
This will, copied by his youngest daughter Sasha and signed by Tolstoy and three other witnesses, proves that Tolstoy is "mentally healthy and has a clear memory."
The original of this will was taken to Moscow by his little daughter, and Muraviev's lawyer was consulted to see if it met the requirements of the will. Lawyers believe that it is actually impossible to give the work to "everyone". Because "everyone" is impossible, such a will has no legal effect.
Lawyer Muraviev promised to help draft a proper will. This is Tolstoy's fourth will. The will clearly points out the copyright ownership of the work:
"I give the following orders for my use after death: all my literary works are written at any time according to the marked time, and anything I may have written before my death, whether published, unpublished, artistic or other, completed or unfinished, dramatic and any form of manuscripts, translations, rewrites, diaries, personal letters, drafts, etc. Anyway, everything I wrote before I died, without exception, no matter where I put it, who kept it, whether it was a manuscript or not, what I published, the copyright of all my works, including my handwritten manuscript and all the manuscripts left after my death, was bequeathed to my daughter Alexandra Levov Tolstoya. "
1 909165438+1October1year-old Tolstoy signed the will. Two referees around me also signed their names at the back.
19 10 years, Tolstoy's family was uneasy. Cserto Cove, who worships Tolstoy's thought and considers himself one of Tolstoy's followers, insisted that the old man carry out his thought (Tolstoy also received a letter from a college student in February of that year). The letter unilaterally accused Tolstoy that his theory and life were contradictory, hoping that he would escape from the manor where he had lived all his life, and asked Tolstoy to put his diary and other things back, which made Sophia very angry. Her excitement broke out constantly, which made Tolstoy extremely painful. Tolstoy wrote a letter to Sophia during this period. In addition to promising to retrieve the diary from Cserto Cove, he also analyzed the differences between the husband and wife: "That is, our understanding of the meaning and purpose of life is completely opposite ... I think property is a sin, and you think it is a necessary living condition ..."
Such a spiritual conflict made Tolstoy feel that he could not leave the copyright to Sophia. Therefore, Tolstoy made a document called The Last Will. This will is roughly the same as the fourth one. However, during this period, Sasha, the youngest daughter, is seriously ill, and it is hard to say whether she can bear the responsibility of keeping her will. Therefore, Tolstoy added a special sentence in his will: "Just in case, if my daughter Alexandra Levov Tolstoya dies before me, all the above will be entrusted to my daughter tatiana Levov Surkina."
This will was signed in secret. It was in a forest a few miles away from Tolstoy's house. Three witnesses stood by and watched Tolstoy copy the document on July 22nd, 19 10. This "secret" way, of course, is to avoid his wife Sophia, but it also makes Tolstoy very painful.
A few days later, on July 3 1 day, Tolstoy signed a "will statement" which was obviously drafted by Cserto Cove. The focus of this "explanation" is "to prevent it (that is, copyright) from becoming someone's private property after his death." This "explanation" reiterated that all his works ... were not privately owned by anyone after his death. Anyone can publish or republish it if they want.
Not only that, the Interpretation also requires "all manuscripts and documents (including diaries, drafts and letters, etc.). It should be handed over to vogel Cserto, who will sort them out after the death of Lev Nick Rajvik (Tolstoy) and publish what he (Cserto) wants to publish. " This virtually made a fundamental change to the previous will, and turned these manuscripts and documents into things that only Cserto Cove had the right to deal with.
Even in terms of property, it became Cserto-Kov who acted according to the principle of Tolstoy's published works before his death. In other words, the publishing revenue should also be handled by Cserto Cove. At the end of the "explanation", Tolstoy signed the words "This certificate written according to my requirements accurately expressed my wishes and fully agreed with its contents".
Because the last will was signed in secret, Tolstoy was also uneasy. Soon, my old friend Biriucov visited and Tolstoy told him about it. Biriucov thinks this is inappropriate and should be known to the whole family before making a will. Tolstoy felt that Biriucov was right, but he was afraid that the specific operation would not work, so things dragged down.
This delay will not continue. More than two months later, on February 28th, 65438, Sophia went to Tolstoy's study to look for a will, which completely angered Tolstoy. After he left a letter, it was like what he had always thought-"running away".
A few days later, Tolstoy died in a small railway station. His works, later compiled and published by many people in Russia, still have a wide influence all over the world, which makes people who are worried about copyright worry too much, and a copyright storm dissipates with time. However, one of the previous wills was faithfully carried out, that is, Tolstoy was buried on the edge of a magical canyon not far from the manor, between birch trees and beech trees, where he searched for the magical "green stick" with the secret of "happiness" written as a child. There is no epitaph, no cross, and no Tolstoy image of Park Su-ru in his later years, but it has become a place that almost all artists and readers will never forget. Because it contains a great soul of thinking, pursuit, pain and happiness, as high as the sky and as wide as the earth. ...