Nikitas barndom

by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy

A lyrical story, originally published in 1922, with autobiographical elements of a childhood in a Russian village, Nikita's Childhood is considered one of Tolstoi's major works

Genres: Russia, Fiction, Russian Literature, Classic Literature, Classics, Novels

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

(Russian: Алексей Николаевич Толстой)

Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy, nicknamed the Comrade Count, was a Russian writer who wrote in many genres but specialized in science fiction and historical novels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksey_...

Reviews

[Animesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a Bengali translation, so I cannot vouch for the English rendering of the Russian original. Reading the book in one unbearably sultry afternoon sitting in my grandfather's library, I was transported to the white, cold, and bleak Russian winter's snow, the sledge drawn over the mud, snowballs, and horse's snort, to the dark evergreen strands on the horizon behind the nestle of huts in Nikita's village. It was like a dream.

I waited some twenty years for my first real snow. It was as if I knew it all along...

[ดินสอ สีไม้ · Rating 3 out of 5]

เรื่องดำเนินไปเรื่อยๆ บางทีก็น่าเบื่อ บางทีก็สนุก
เด็กชายนิกิตาเป็นตัวดำเนินเรื่อง
มีวิธีเล่าคล้ายๆ วรรณกรรมชุดบ้านเล็กอยู่เหมือนกัน
คือบันทึกวิถีชีวิตและการเปลี่ยนผันของฤดูกาลในช่วงเวลาหนึ่ง
แต่เปลี่ยนจากอเมริกาเป็นรัสเซีย
หม่นหมองน้อยกว่า และไม่มีการย้ายบ้าน!

[Jahnavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never meet a more relatable character than Nikita. His thoughts, his emotions and his feelings towards the countryside life around him was so lovely to read. I read a translated version of this novel and the essence of the story was beautifully portrayed by the translator. Russian countryside life is beautifully pictured by this novel. I especially liked the way the changing seasons and the nature's tiny marvels were vividly described in the story. Every character had something to add to the story and their distinct characters were such a beauty to read. Nikita's mother and his tutor are among some my most favourite characters from the story.

This book is about Nikita and his memorable childhood days spend in a Russian countryside. We see his story starting from a very ordinary winter day and blossoming into one of most wonderfully stories of all time. We see him making friends, contemplating over the small things in nature and escaping to his enchanting imagination. This book talks about some of the most ordinary things in life, those things that we miss during our busy schedules and that makes it such an extraordinary story for me. We encounter in Nikita's story the simple thoughts we must have had once as a child and the innocence that describes childhood. That make it even more enchanting and magical to read.

I loved this beautiful story so much and I recommend it to young as well as old readers all around the globe. Readers of all ages will love Nikita's story. This novel is one of the most well written books of all time.


Happy reading

J

[Sherin Punnilath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a kid & it is one among the earliest books I can still remember reading. It might be a testimonial for this book that I remember the story still pretty vividly.

It was a translation in Malayalam & I was trying to track the original for a while. Somehow it took me a long while to locate it& I’m really happy that I was finally able to (Thanks to Goodreads) :)

I totally loved this book& now planning to get a copy of my own for a reread. Still remember having a heavy heart when Nikita's family moved out of their village. I always wanted to visit Russia after reading this book... :)

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikita's Childhood (Paperback) by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy- I have read the Hindi language translation of this book. The protagonist of this Russian novel is Nikita. His thoughts, his emotions and his feelings towards the countryside life around him was so lovely to read. The novel portrays the rural Russian countryside life is beautifully pictured by this novel. It describes all the seasons of rural life. Winter is specially described. Here Nikita drives a wooden carriage in the snow. Nikita is the son of a rich landlord. A teacher stays in this large house to teach Nikita subjects like Mathematics, Russian language and poetry. Every character -Nikita’s parents, servants, tutor have something to add to the story and their distinct characters were such a beauty to read. Nikita's mother and his tutor shape the story. This book is about Nikita and his memorable childhood days spend in a Russian countryside. We see his story starting from a very ordinary winter day and blossoming into one of most wonderfully stories of all time. We see him making friends, contemplating over the small things in nature and escaping to his enchanting imagination. This book talks about some of the most ordinary things in life, those things that we miss during our busy schedules and that makes it such an extraordinary story for me. We encounter in Nikita's story the simple thoughts we must have had once as a child and the innocence that describes childhood. That make it even more enchanting and magical to read. I loved this beautiful story so much and I recommend it to young as well as old readers all around the globe. Readers of all ages will love Nikita's story. This novel is one of the most well written books of all time.

[Tommie Haag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boooooring.

[Petrus Forsgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikita's Childhood (1921) by Alexei Tolstoy is about Nikita growing up in the Russian countryside. The story begins just before Christmas and moves with the seasons and Nikita's 10th birthday. He lives with his mother and his teacher Arkady. His father is a landowner who is out on business at the beginning of the book. The book follows Nikita's adventures and social interactions with his friends (for example, Victor, participating in snowball fights or going sledding) and love interest Lilya (first kiss with her and he receives a letter later in the story). Characters are vivid, such as the coachman Artem who fails to charm any woman despite trying. As well as his way of evading taxes and being caught by the police - then Nikita's father Alexei has to pay him off. Even farmers or religious leaders are described in an innocent way from a first-hand perspective. In addition to characters and environments, there is also Nikita's imagination. For example, he reads books by James Fenimore Cooper and has dreams about cats. Or his grandfather Afrikanych who was bewitched by a dangerous woman. The book I read was the first in the Swedish book collection “Russian Classics” by Tiden. The author was an emigrant after opposing the Russian Revolution. But he later returned to the Soviet Union and became famous there for his social realist books. Also for science fiction and history. He was a distant relative of Leo Tolstoy, hence his surname.

[Antoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

Entranyable coming of age d'en Nikita a la seva llar. Es llegeix molt fàcil i dóna una interessant perspectiva de l'àmbit rural de l'època. Anys enrere, quan estava encisat pels escriptors russos, m'hauria encantat, però ara l'he trobat agradable i prou. És d'aquelles lectures que t'escalfen el cor mentre les llegeixes, però que després pots oblidar fàcilment.

Sense cap dubte l'edició és de 10 i la lectura és molt plaent. Una lectura recomanable si t'agraden els clàssics russos o si es busca una narració des del punt de vista d'un nen.

[Julie Boudreau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toujours lire les petits caractères! a.k.a Tolstoy n'est pas Tolstoy! J'ai cru être tombé sur un mignon petit roman attendrissant du même auteur que Guerre et Paix. Mais non! Alexei est un autre Tolstoy. (Je trouvais aussi qu'une motocyclette, ça ne marchait pas avec l'époque!) Tout de même, ce fut un ravissement. Y'a quelque chose avec les auteurs Russes. Et celui-là sait nous bouleverser aussi bien que l'autre. Je le ferais lire à des enfants de 10 ou 11 ans.

[Leonid Varpahovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Прекрасная книга, написанная блестящим, местами почти поэтическим языком. Я как раз искал что-то отличное от шаблонно-одноклеточных современных книг для детей, чтобы почитать вместе со своим девятилетним сыном Никитой. Должен признаться, что идея оказалась не самой удачной. Очень много специальной лексики быта русской провинции столетней давности - ребенку тяжело втянуться, если он не понимает каждое второе слово. Книга хорошая, но точно не для современных детей.

[Dmytro Chasovskyi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Книга - описание жизни мальчика в возрасте около 10 лет, его быт и переживания.

Основываюсь на указанном выше, следует, что книга предназначена для мальчиков и возможно девочек в возрасте от 8-12 лет. Любой другой возрастной категории книга скорее всего не подойдет.

[Joey Brock]

Книга Толстого. Мне очень понравилась. Конечно, она детская. Но написана такой рукой, что я уверен, с интересом прочтет и взрослый человек. Мне понравилась больше чем его автобиография Детство - как-то не так психологически написана, что ли

[Rojin · Rating 3 out of 5]

یه بچهٔ اشراف‌زاده ی روس داره با نگاهی شاعرانه به دنیا نگاه می‌کنه و ما باید باهاش همراه شیم.
هی منتظر بودم یه اتفاق مهم بیفته، ولی نه… فقط نور آفتاب بود و فکرهای پراکندهٔ کودکانه .

⭐️ امتیاز: 3/5 — چون هم قشنگ بود، هم نفهمیدم چرا باید می‌خوندمش .

[Samia khaled · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية جم��لة جداً وآسرة ..
ستحب نيكيتا رغماً عنك

[Filip Pettersson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and etertaining what is there more to say.

[Bailey Kinsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written with great details of his childhood memories that I very much can relate to in thinking of my own childhood out in the country.

[Cristian · Rating 2 out of 5]

En simples palabras: me aburrió mucho .

[Jyothis Chandran · Rating 5 out of 5]

My childhood favorite!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nikita's Childhood is a quaint telling of Nikita's adventures from winter to spring told through short, short chapters. While there's no overarching story line, Tolstoy weaves together the novel trough the characters that he portrays. Arkady, Nikita's teacher, struggles with heartbreak and a divorce while Nikita's mother struggles with the separation from her husband working in the cities. Tolstoy's depiction of the village Nikita lives in and its colourful inhabitants creates the skeleton for the story in which he captures the force of the Russian nature, the richness of countryside life, and the innocence of young love.

[Yaroslava Yakovenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

В общем, Алексей Толстой написал отличную предпраздничную историю, пропитанную детским восторгом от всего на свете, но «зимняя (предновогодняя)» читается по-особенному легко, с главным героем просто дышать и мечтать. Для взрослого читателя эта повесть представляет собой возможность вернуться в детство. И, если вдруг в душе наступит застой и меланхолия, озорной и непослушный мальчишка Никита станет отличным лекарством от игры в греческую трагедию. Наверное, права была Беатрис Поттер, считавшая, что истинное блаженство в том, дабы сохранить детскую непосредственность, дополнив ее знаниями.

[Dinesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still have a copy of this book, translated in Malayalam.
Read this in the 80,s.
Used to feel the Russian winter while reading this.
Now planning to read in English soon.

[Nithin Vargheese · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my childhood favorites. Still feels the chill.

[Katrin Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raamat viis ajast tagasi 50ndatesse, Nikita lapsepõlve oma maakodus. Mõnus jutustus 9-10 aastase lapse tegudest, mõtetest ja unistustest. Nagu oleks ka ise seal olnud.

[Kaveh · Rating 5 out of 5]

An innocent, somewhat lyrical, prose about childhood.