Alexei Tolstoy - the famous Russian writer, a subtle psychologist and dusheved, the author of the socio-psychological, fiction and historical novels.His famous trilogy "The Road to Calvary" describes the fate of the Russian intelligentsia in the dying, decaying Russia: in novels depicted events that took place from 1914 to 1941.In his work "Peter I» writer also describes the historical realities, but turns its gaze to the past, in the Petrine era.In the story "The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin" adventurous utopia Tolstoy offers readers his version of the future, in which young aspiring scammer using the latest laser weapons captures an island in the Pacific Ocean and approves its dictatorship.Another tale is undoubtedly of interest to a wide range of readers - "The Count of Cagliostro."
Editions
Tolstoy himself many times included this work in the collections, but not immediately identified with the title: for example, in 1921 the story was published under the title "Moonlight dampness", later published as "The happiness of love", but later became known as"Count Cagliostro."
Content
«Count Cagliostro" can be attributed to several species of the genre: the product is clearly traced in mysterious lines, there is a picaresque adventure-element;At the same time, the author is not alien to some moralizing.The plot story is plain: the manor lost in the wilderness of Smolensk, accidentally gets a Count Cagliostro, as he calls himself, magician, able to create the most real miracles.At the time, he had done a lot of noise at the court, flipping through his extraordinary talent on its head the entire capital.As it turns out, he finds himself in the estate can be very useful: the young master long and hopelessly in love with a girl, imprinted on an old portrait, and categorically refuses to pay attention to animate the fair sex.Who will help the unfortunate young man, if not a mysterious stranger who does magic?
Persons
you believe that the character "Count Cagliostro" Tolstoy simply invented?This is not true.In fact, the mysterious Count considered real person: his real name - Joseph Balsamo.He was born in 1743 in Palermo and became famous as the famous adventurer and mystic.His life was rich in adventures: Cagliostro studied alchemy, traveled to the East, trying to learn the ancient secrets of the universe, was engaged in healing.In Europe, there were rumors that he is able to resurrect the dead, to turn base metals into gold and to read minds.Cagliostro managed to get even in Tsarist Russia - where he "drove out the devil" from Basil Zhelugina, saved the life of the son of Count Stroganov, and tripled the wealth of Prince Potemkin.It ended the life of the great magician is very sad: During the French Revolution he was charged in chernoknizhnichestve (ie, in collusion with the evil) and fraud.The trial lasted for several years, after which the count was sentenced to life imprisonment.After four years spent in the castle of San Leo, he died.
screen adaptation of the way, "Count Cagliostro" - a book, without which the golden fund of Soviet cinema proved to be incomplete, because it is based on it was filmed the famous movie "Formula of Love".
