Alexander Goldenweiser and Leo Tolstoy were bound by 15 years of friendship, so the Tolstoy theme is ever present in Goldenweiser’s life. Communication with the writer had a great influence on the formation of the musician’s moral character. After the death of Leo Tolstoy, Goldenweiser kept a few documents, a large photo archive, and memorial things that could shed light on the spiritual connection between the two talented people.

The last days of Leo Tolstoy’s life were very hard for not only his relatives, but also for Goldenweiser, who arrived at the Astapovo station as soon as he learned that Tolstoy was ill. Goldenweiser shared his impressions of his last meetings with the writer with his wife Anna Alekseyevna in letters, 

It was very important for Tolstoy to know that his closest friend was next to him at such a difficult time and even canceled his concert.

When Leo Tolstoy died, it was Goldenweiser who announced this sad news to everyone. He helped the writer’s family with the funeral, and then returned to Moscow.

The writer’s belongings were not just objects for the musician — they helped him create the effect of Tolstoy’s presence with the power of artistic imagination. In 1955, when a museum of the history of piano art was created in the apartment of Alexander Goldenweiser, an important place was given to the so-called Tolstoy Corner, where some of the writer’s personal belongings, that had been donated by the writer’s family after the funeral, were put on display.

Each item had its own interesting story. For example, the writer took the leather belt, the stick of cherry wood and the pen with a steel nib on his last trip, and after Tolstoy’s death they were presented to Alexander Borisovich as a keepsake. All these items witnessed those happy days that were spent in the Tolstoy family estate of Yasnaya Polyana. The belongings were carefully kept by Goldenweiser and his family.