The Posthumous Papers of the Hermit, Fedor Kusmich (Tolstoy)
Short summary
Siberia, 1836-1863. A mysterious hermit named Fedor Kusmich appeared in various places, living for twenty-seven years. After his death, rumors spread that he was actually Emperor Alexander I, who had supposedly died in 1825.
The hermit's discovered diary revealed his true story. In 1825, while in Taganrog, Alexander witnessed a soldier named Strumensky being flogged to death. This soldier was his exact double in appearance. Overwhelmed by guilt for his crimes, Alexander decided to escape his position.
I am the greatest of all criminals. I murdered my own father; I caused the death of hundreds of thousands of men in wars of my making. I am a base libertine, a mean wretch.
With a bribed doctor's help, Alexander faked his death by placing Strumensky's body in his place and fled. The diary also recounted his childhood under his grandmother Catherine the Great's control, his strained relationship with his parents, and the court intrigues that shaped him. He described how his grandmother intended him to replace his father on the throne. As a hermit, the seventy-two-year-old finally found peace through suffering and service to God, though he believed his penance insufficient for his enormous crimes.
Detailed summary by sections
Section titles are editorial.
The mystery of the hermit Fedor Kusmich and discovery of his true identity
Strange tales surrounded the old hermit Fedor Kusmich, who appeared in Siberia in 1836 and lived there for twenty-seven years. Even before his death, rumors circulated that he concealed his true identity and was actually Emperor Alexander I. After his death, these tales spread and gained credibility not only among common people but also in the highest circles, including the royal family during Alexander III's lifetime.
The mystery was finally solved when the hermit's diary was discovered, revealing the truth behind these extraordinary claims.
Section 1. The beginning of the diary; escape from imperial life
The diary began with the hermit expressing gratitude for his peaceful retreat and his intention to relate his entire life story as a warning to others.
For forty-seven years I lived amidst the most terrible temptations, and not only made no attempt to resist them, but abandoned myself to them—I sinned and made others sin.
The hermit confessed to being the greatest of criminals, claiming he had murdered his own father and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands in wars of his making. He described himself as a base libertine who believed in others' flatteries and considered himself the saviour of Europe.
At last the Lord had mercy on me. The loathsomeness of my life was revealed to me in all its horrors, and He delivered me from evil; if not wholly, at any rate from active participation in it.
He explained how he escaped his position by leaving in his place the corpse of a soldier who had been tortured to death. In Vaganrog, he continued his life of dissipation until a pivotal moment changed everything. One morning, unable to sleep after receiving disturbing news, he went out in civilian clothes and witnessed a punishment in the town square.
There he saw a tall man being flogged, walking between two rows of soldiers armed with sticks. The sight shocked him because the man was his exact double.
This man was the image of myself—my double! The same height, stooping shoulders, bald head, the same kind of whiskers without a moustache, the same cheekbones, mouth, and blue eyes.
This encounter with Strumensky triggered a spiritual crisis. The emperor realized that his whole life had been wrong and felt compelled to abandon everything and disappear. He visited the dying soldier in the hospital and formulated his escape plan. When he fell ill with fever, he bribed a doctor's assistant and arranged for Strumensky's body to be placed in his bed after the soldier died. On November 7th, he became a free man while Strumensky's body was buried with imperial honors.
Section 2. The Story of My Life
Writing from near Krasnorechinsk, Siberia, on his seventy-second birthday, December 12, 1849, the hermit reflected on his spiritual condition and began recounting his life from the beginning. He was born in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg on December 10, 1777, named Alexander by his grandmother's wish, in hope that he would become as great as Alexander of Macedonia and as holy as Alexander Nevsky.
The only thing a wise man could wish for was death. Not death for its own sake, but for that stream of life leading from it... It would free the spiritual nature from all passions.
He described his christening ceremony where he was carried on a brocade pillow by the Duchess of Courland, with the Empress as his godmother and the Emperor of Austria and King of Prussia as godfathers. His nursery was arranged according to his grandmother's specifications, with a canopy-covered iron bedstead and strict rules about his physical training.
His early caregivers included his wet nurse Avdotia Petrova, whom he later encountered as an adult and found living in simple happiness with her family.
His relationship with his parents was strained and unnatural. His mother appeared to him as a supernaturally beautiful but distant figure who would caress him and then cry.
His father showed even greater displeasure when seeing him, displaying restrained anger and fear that Alexander would usurp his throne.
The young Alexander was raised entirely by his grandmother, who intended to place him on the throne instead of his father, whom she hated. This created an atmosphere of conspiracy and rivalry that the child sensed but could not understand.
Section 3. Childhood memories and court life
Alexander's grandmother, Empress Catherine II, was kind to him despite her repellent physical characteristics - her unpleasant odour, yellowish wrinkled hands with long nails, and languid, lustreless eyes.
Among the court figures he remembered were the terrifying Potemkin, a huge, greasy, one-eyed monster who was never afraid of the Empress, and Lanskoy, Catherine's companion who was always with her, distinguished by his curly hair, shapely legs, and happy demeanor covered in diamonds and jewels.
A significant event in his childhood was the death of his head nurse, Sophia Ivanovna Benkendorf, which confronted the five-year-old with questions about death and the meaning of life. After her death, he and his brother Constantine were placed under the care of their tutor.
Alexander's younger brother Constantine was a lively, fun-loving child whom their grandmother called 'un petit Bacchus.' He was good at mimicking people and kept everyone amused with his antics.
The royal upbringing distorted their view of people and their relationship with others. Instead of learning dependence on elders natural to children, they were taught to believe they were superior beings whose every wish must be gratified.
Instead of being instilled with a sense of dependence on our elders natural to children, we were made to believe that we were some kind of superior beings whose every wish must be gratified.
Alexander recalled memorable scenes from his childhood, including a Christmas Eve when he and Constantine played together in bed, only to be scolded by their tutor, and a quarrel between court officials in their grandmother's presence.
Section 4. Early years with grandmother Catherine; the incomplete manuscript
The hermit reflected on the nature of memory, comparing his life to a plain enveloped in thick fog with occasional clearings where people and objects could be distinguished. These clear moments became more frequent as he aged, but many periods of his life left no trace in his memory.
He described various childhood memories that stood out clearly: the death of Sophia Benkendorf, the parting scene with his parents, his lively brother Constantine, and other significant events. One particular memory involved a Christmas Eve when he was seven and Constantine was five - they played together in bed, slapping each other's naked bodies and laughing until their tutor discovered them and threatened punishment.
Another vivid memory was of a quarrel between Alexei Gregorievich Orlov and Potemkin in his grandmother's room. The scene took place before their departure for the Crimea and first visit to Moscow. Alexander remembered the details of his grandmother's dressing room, with its carved ceiling, golden dressing-table, and the various courtiers present, including the scarred General Orlov and the ever-present Lanskoy.
If I refrained from telling the truth about myself in confession, I should astonish all in heaven; if I disclosed who I was, I should astonish all on earth.
The manuscript ended abruptly as the hermit was describing a scene with his grandmother's jester, Matriona Denisovna, leaving the full story of his transformation from emperor to hermit incomplete.