In the 1850s Tolstoy also began his literary career with an autobiographical trilogy: Childhood (1852), Boyhood (1854), and Youth (1857). His first publications tell of a rich landowner's son and his slow realization of the differences between him and his peasant playmates. Although in later life Tolstoy rejected these books as sentimental, a great deal of his own life is revealed, and the books still have relevance for their telling of the universal story of growing up.