And the truth was the count of Tolstoy

Nikita Alekseevich Tolstoy (02/27/1917 - 10/19/1994) - doct. physical. sciences, professor. In 1939 he graduated from the Faculty of Physics of LSU, doctoral officer S.I. Vavilov in Fian, professor of the physical faculty of LSU.

In the 1940s, N. A. Tolstoy together with prof. The State Optical Institute P.P. Feofilov (member of the USSR Academy of Sciences since 1964) has developed a methodology and the corresponding device for measuring fast relaxation processes in the range from 10–5-10–3 to 10–1 s in appropriate electroopathic phenomena in colloidal systems, luminescence, photo effect, dielectric polarization and gas discharge 1 . This work was awarded the Stalin Prize of the III degree (1949). We immediately note that the word "Stalin" should not cause a modern reader of thoughts about some particularly close cooperation of the son of the writer Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy with the "regime". Everything is simple: in the natural sciences of the prize, under such a typical name, in the vast majority of cases were awarded for real achievements.

1 Tolstoy N. A., Theophilov P.P. A new method of studying relaxation processes and its application to the study of some physical phenomena // Success of physical sciences, 1950, t. XLI, issue. 1, ss. 44–107.

Sunny September morning 1963. We, yesterday’s abyt, and today Freshmen of the Physics and Enterprise, are going to the first lecture at the entrance to the building of the Research Physical Institute, in the courtyard of the main building of the Leningrad State University. It is already known that our first lecturer is Professor Nikita Alekseevich Tolstoy, a graduate of our Faculty, a student of the president of the Academy of Sciences Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov, the son of the Red Count Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy, the author of “Childhood of Nikita”.

A few minutes before the start of the lecture, the white “Volga” drives up to the entrance (yes, white, reader!-Well, it’s like a modern Lamborghini Diablo with some kind of turbocharged, if anyone did not understand), from which N. A. imposently crawls out, fully corresponding to our vague youthful ideas about how the luminaries should be, its non-alters. A thoroughbred nobleman-intelligent in glasses with a thin metal frame, a bow tie, a corporate fiber velvet jacket. On the chest - the golden icon of the laureate of the Stalin Prize. Then the branded lighter "Ronson" was noticed.

N. A., limping a little, relies on a powerful wooden stick with a pen. With this pen, he dexterously raised and lowered the moving demonstration boards painted with formulas. It was rumored that light lameness and forced walking with this stick was the result of an unsuccessful turn on the motorcycle. Yes, it was cool in our eyes - a graph on a motorcycle!

In those years, the authorities looked through the students at the public smoking of lecturers through the fingers. N.A., standing under the sign “Do not smoke!”, Slowly lit a cigarette, released smoke rings from his mouth and cleverly swallowed them back. Over the years, workers and peasants "North" and "Krasnopresnensky" gave way to the pipe with the Dutch tobacco of the premium.

A lecture begins - but no, this is not just a lecture, but a genuine feast of a teacher’s communication with students, a modern Platonic Academy. In the material presented by N. A., every thesis, every formula, each comma are carefully thought out. At first - an oral presentation (magnificent Russian literary speech, which N. A., the narrator from God, owned a masterly), then a dictation of explained provisions. Each page of his lecture is placed in a transparent envelope (file), everything is numbered, links to paragraphs. An outstanding example of pedagogical skill!

Among older students there was a tradition of coming to the first lecture by N. A., to listen to his crown introductory phrase: “You, colleagues, the future of our Soviet Union, have chosen a noble profession for themselves ...”, after which with the consciousness of the fulfillment to go to the academic dining room to drink the people's “Zhigulevskoye”, biting with free canteens and cabbage. There is no longer this academician - now there is a pathos, as it is customary to say, the Old Customs restaurant with an inconsistent price list.

And at the end of the lecture, the author’s dish N. A. - answers to questions of neophytes. From a meeting to a meeting with N. A. We are more and more bold. Our notes quickly go beyond the lecture material, and physicists in general. Already, graduates of special schools are scribbled by their messages in European languages. But N. A., fundamentally not missing a single question, as always, dominates, at ease, offering us to continue the conversation in English, German or French.

No, on such a feat as free communication with N. A. in a foreign language, we do not pull, which does not prevent us from raising further and, we can say, even impudent in some ways. Here is an example. Who does not know our university hostel on the Utninskaya embankment (the everyday name of “Mytnia”), no, doesn’t, God forbid, but the concentration, as it were, to put it more likely, the most diverse properties of the most diverse properties of the life of former furnished rooms! At that time, student life in the hostel (N. A. was more than once at the invitation of the Physicsfak Aborigines) spread in a tape recorder - a kind of predecessor of modern audiobooks - an erotic story “Retribution” about the times of the First World War about the Russian officer and a German spy. The authorship of the story has long been attributed to A. N. Tolstoy. Of course, we were eager to ask, but is it true that it was your father ...

As I remember well, only with this issue N. A. lost his temper and began to very emotionally prove that this story was not close to the true work of Alexei Nikolaevich in artistic merits. This is just someone's alteration of his own story “The Beautiful Lady”, where the main character was, by the way, Nikita Alekseevich.

But among first-year physicists, experts in Russian prose were found. They began to refer to the fact that the outstanding Soviet writer loved the mystification and, together with the historian, a member of the Extraordinary Investigative Commission of the Provisional Government Pavel Shchegolev, concocted the intimate feast of Anna Vyrubova, the maid of honor of the empress. The fake was such a workshop that Freilina who came to the USSR in all seriousness proved that, they say, Anya did not sleep with Grishka Rasputin or Nikolai Alexandrovich.

Here N. A. only spread his hands - yes, there was such a joint literary work, but what a high class of work!

N. A. As a physicist, by education, objected to his father, insisting on the need to replace the term “hyperboloid” with “Paraboloid” in the name of the novel “Hyperboloid Engineer Garin”, but the exact science retreated to a beautiful literary fiction.

N. A. did not shy to invite students who were particularly distinguished in his eyes to pass exams to his home on the embankment of the Karpovka River. These lucky ones were very lucky-the obligatory part of the meeting quickly replaced with a free conversation to various scientific and cultural-historical topics.

N. A. did not create such canonical monographs by which generations of physicists could study, in contrast, say, from Sergei Eduardovich Frisch, who, in collaboration with his wife, Alexandra Vasilyevna Timoreva, created a three -volume classic - “Course of General Physics”. Apparently, N. A. indisputable giftedness was not in writing, but in speaking, discussion, lecture presentation of the material. Here he, the genius of the conversation, perhaps there were no equal.

... Our university years, the best years, have gone the past. There is no longer only an academician, but also the legendary mock (now there is now a remake-elite apartments are not for simple ones), and the golden time of a large physical science in the country (the time of a-bombs and a nuclear missile shield), I do not want to believe it, but, apparently, also in the past.

However, there was forever the intellectual and moral example of our N. A. For many Physicsfall people of the rospers of the 1960s-it is as an internal gyrocomas, not exposed to foreign forces. In life, many of us, having gone through a lot, have achieved a lot. You can wander in business between Brussels and London, as N. A., being the official representative of UNESCO, can live in the luxury apartments on the Utninskaya embankment, go with personal security on your own Lamboghini Diablo to the Old Customs to late lunch. But no milions that appeared overnight, neither cars, nor Londons with Brussels will etch out of your consciousness a simple thought that a person lived nearby, in terms of culture, intelligence, education, and the horizons are obviously higher than you. How to be? There is only one answer - to become like the "English lawn", which must be watered and cultivated for many years in a row. And then and only then your children, or, most likely, grandchildren will grow, if you are lucky, to the height of that life bar, which N. A.

After graduating from the university, the author of these lines often saw N. A. at all kinds of city events, in particular, in the World Club of Petersburgers, the first president of which he was. Everywhere he was the soul of society, as they say, central. N. A. himself repeatedly said that most of all he likes to be in a society of pleasant, intelligent people and conduct conversations with them about everything.

Surrounded by N. A. recall what an unrivaled master of the story of jokes he was. Here, the other young reader of my notes will immediately say in the purest "Albanian" language: “Afftar! Or drive the facts, or drink yada! " - And there will be, of course, right. At least one example will have to be given.

N.A. told how the once outstanding Russian and Soviet vestist scientist, academician Nikolai Yakovlevich Marr could not bargain with a cab about the price of the passage for a long time. Finally, the patience of the Georgian Academician burst, and he erupted with such a three-story obscenity (here N. A. brought an exact quote without bills) that the amazed “Vanka” was only able to utter: “Well, master, you are a mastic! How many years I have been working, but I hear this for the first time. We must remember, ” - after which he drove in delight without even taking the money.

It was delight not only the pre -revolutionary cab, but also the numerous modern intelligent ladies who listened to the joke performed by N. A. at a meeting of the World Club of Petersburgers. He only modestly added: “The mat is an integral part of Russian speech, should be used dosed to the place. For example, when accidentally hit a finger on a finger. ”

I remember very well how N. A. indignantly responded to the statement that came from the television screen that became the famous statement that, they say, in our country “there is no sex”.

- How not? - The father of the seven (!) Children was amazed. - We have it, and it has always been! I myself, with my beloved Natasha, are constantly engaged in this charitable business (Natalia Mikhailovna - wife N. A, daughter of the famous translator M. L. Lozinsky, also a student of the physical man, with her, N. A. lived 55 years old).

N. A. For three years, since the 1990s, was a deputy of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR (elected with the support of the Demazborov-90 Bloc). I myself attended one of the meetings to nominate candidates for deputies. His loser rival was Mikhail Vladislavovich Malevich, the future vice-governor of St. Petersburg. I remember that with his charm, the ability to keep the audience under control and stress, brilliant instant answers to any questions from the hall N. A. literally flooded his charm, as he called, “young colleague”, the personality is also largely extraordinary.

During the years of perestroika, there was a fashion for various clubs and associations of the noble-monarchist. Clear business, lawyers and initiating came to N. A. as the count and the son of the count with a proposal to become the leader of the noble assembly. N. A. without hesitation immediately refused: for me there is only one aristocracy - the aristocracy of the spirit, the king in the head and conscience in the soul.

Thank you for everything, Nikita Alekseevich, an eternal memory to you - you opened the door to the scientific world to us and showed a personal example what (and should!) There is a real Russian intellectual and patriot of your people.

Kirill Moshkov,
cand. Biol. sciences, doct. chem. Sciences, Academic Lyceum "Physics and Technical School" SPbau RAS