Sasha, or Alexander, Stoletov began keeping a diary in 1848 at the age of nine. He did not explain what motivated him to record events in his life. It is possible that he imitated his father, who kept records of weather conditions, and wrote down his dreams and other events. The diaries provide insight into the world of a teenager from Vladimir, for whom familial relationships, communication with family and friends, emotional experiences, and perceptions of events were of utmost importance. Sasha’s entries reflect the tranquil, patriarchal world of the Stoletov household.
One could argue that maintaining a diary demonstrates the teenager’s inclination towards literature. Through his diaries, it can be seen that he spent a significant portion of his time reading books. Sasha enjoyed various genres, including books about animals, fairy tales, parables, short novels, and works from “The Reading Library” (Biblioteka Dlya Chteniya — a Russian monthly magazine). He also read the illustrated magazine “Pictorial Review” (Zhivopisnoe Obozrenie). “Varya and I visited Lyubov Mikhailovna — a new miracle! I saw seven books from ‘Pictorial Reviews’! Volumes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 — amazing! I am so happy…” the teenager wrote.
During his gymnasium years, Sasha started writing poetry and parodies. Later, along with his friends Ilyinsky and Gryaznov, they “published” a hand-written “Collection for 1853”, which was de facto an imitation of the so-called thick magazines — a popular type of literary magazines in the 19th century.
The diary for 1850 contains repeated mentions of a music teacher, who came to teach Sasha’s elder sister Varvara. The young boy listed the names of musical notes and compositions. This suggests that Sasha Stoletov had an interest in music.
In 1854, at the age of 15, Alexander Stoletov composed “My Memories”, which can be seen as an imitation of works by Gogol and travel essays. The chapters of the work are accompanied by quotes from Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, and Ostrovsky. During the second half of the 19th century, these diaries were donated to the Moscow State University archives by Nikolai Porfirievich Gubsky, a nephew of Alexander Grigoryevich Stoletov. They were later transferred to the Museum-Reserve in 1978, when they were displayed in the House-Museum of the Stoletovs.
