9 September: Count Leo Tolstoy

Count Leo Tolstoy, the Russian novelist who wrote War and Peace was born on this date in 1828. Here are some things you might not know about him.

1. He was born into a noble family who could trace their lineage back to 1353. He was born on the family estate near Tula in Russia. His mother died when he was two and his father when he was nine, so he was mostly brought up by relatives.
2. He went to university to study law and oriental languages but his trachers there described him as "both unable and unwilling to learn", so he dropped out and lived a life of leisure, spending most of his time writing. His first novel, the semi-autobiographical Childhood was published in 1852.
3. Despite the opinion of his university teachers, he was fluent in English, French and German and could read in many more languages including Greek, Latin and Bulgarian. There were about 23,000 books in 39 different languages in his library. Probably no Shakespeare, though - he actually hated Shakespeare.
4. When he got into debt, he joined the army and served as an artillery officer in the Crimean War. While he was recognised for bravery and reached the rank of lieutenant, he hated the killing and death involved in warfare and left the army after the war.
5. He met Victor Hugo during a tour of Europe and was most impressed with his latest book, Les Miserables. The battle scenes in War and Peace show that Hugo was a significant influence on his writing.
6. When he was 34, he married Sophia Behrs, who was 18. The night before their wedding, he made her read his diary, which described all his previous sexual relationships. She copied out his manuscript of War and Peace - deciphering his appalling handwriting so it could be submitted for publication. However, he was constantly revising what he'd written. She re-wrote the whole thing eight times, some sections of it 30 times, in between managing the couple's business affairs. If you think Tolstoy wanted a secretary rather than a wife, well, she also bore him 13 children.
7. He never won a Nobel prize, but he didn't actually want one. He used his influence to make sure his name wasn't on the nominee list. He did that to save himself the trouble of having to decline the prize is he was awarded it.
8. He was excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1901. He'd attacked organised religion, because he believed it was corrupt and went against the teachings of Jesus. He advocated living morally and ascetically, and became a vegetarian at the age of 50. He gained some spiritual follwers who agreed with his ideas. Some went so far as to move onto his estate to be near him. Others formed communes, not only in Russia, but around the world, some of which still exist today. One of the people he influences was Mahatma Gandhi - the two men corresponded and Gandhi named a community after him.
9. His wife wasn't so enamoured with his new lifestyle and was afraid he would bankrupt the family. She demanded that he sign over control of his publishing royalties to her. Eventually, the marriage broke down to the extent that he left home in the middle of the night with one of his daughters, intending to set up a new home on his sister's land. This caused a media sensation at the time.
10. Running away from home in the middle of the night in winter was the cause of his death at the age of 82. He became ill on the train and was taken to a stationmaster's house where doctors tried to treat him, but he died of pneumonia.

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Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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