Primary sourceNewspaper article28 August 1908

Satirikon Special Issue on Tolstoy

28 August 1908

A 1908 issue of the Russian satirical magazine Satirikon devoted entirely to Count Leo Tolstoy, published during his lifetime.

This satirical magazine issue was devoted entirely to Tolstoy, showing how his public image was mocked and discussed in his own lifetime.

Ask Leo Tolstoy about this source View the original

Front cover of the Satirikon magazine, 1908, No. 21, dated 28 August 1908, with a special issue heading about Count Leo Tolstoy. The cartoon shows an old bearded man with a grey beard and tousled hair, hunched and clasping his hands, with a bare foot and a scythe-like tool on a grey ground beside him. Russian text is printed on the cover. — Satirikon, No. 21, special issue on Count Leo Tolstoy, 28 August 1908.

About this source

What it is

This is the cover of issue No. 21 of the satirical magazine Satirikon, published on 28 August 1908. The issue was a special number dedicated to Count Leo Tolstoy, produced under publisher M. G. Kornfeld and editor A. T. Averchenko.

Why it matters

By 1908 Tolstoy was one of the most famous living Russians, and this magazine shows how popular culture responded to him with humour and visual commentary rather than only solemn praise. The cartoon on the cover uses satire to comment on Tolstoy, likely tied to his age and views near the end of his life.

Look closer

What does the choice of a scythe-like tool suggest the cartoonist wanted viewers to think about Tolstoy?
Why might a satirical magazine dedicate a whole issue to one living author?
How does humour change the way we see a historical figure compared to a formal portrait?

This newspaper article is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Leo Tolstoy on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.