Published in a literary journal during the 1850s, ‘Boyhood’ is the second in Leo Tolstoy’s trilogy of three autobiographical novels, including ‘Childhood’ and ‘Youth.’
‘Boyhood’ is a vibrant account of a young person’s emerging awareness of the world, himself, and the people around him, as described through the eyes of Nikolenka. Themes of shyness, self-image and self-improvement permeate the book, yet we are also exposed to a young Tolstoy’s wider descriptions of nature, art and the workings of the world.