Description

“[A] testament to a great spirit, a woman who lived in terrifying proximity to one of the greatest writers of all time, and who understood exactly the high price she would have to pay for this privilege.”
—Jay Parini, author of The Last Station

Translated by Cathy Porter and with an introduction by Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing, The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy chronicles in extraordinary detail the diarist’s remarkable marriage to the legendary man of letters, Count Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Set against the backdrop of Russia’s turbulent history at the turn of the 20th century, The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy offers a fascinating look at a remarkable era, a complicated artist, and the extraordinary woman who stood at his side.

About the Author

Cathy Porter has published biographies of the Russianwomen revolutionaries Alexandra Kollontai and Larissa Reisner, as well as books about women terrorists of the 1860s, Russia’s 1905 revolution, and the Battle of Moscow. She has translated more than thirty books and works for the stage, including plays by Gorky and the Czech Karel Capek. She lives in Oxford.

Praise For…

“Beautifully translated and edited…. Provides a harrowing portrait of a marriage…. [The] diaries, so rich in acute psychological awareness and observation, should be read for themselves, not just as a social document or biographical resource. They are infuriating, heartbreaking, unputdownable.” — Michael Dirda, Washington Post

“The hundreds of pages offered by Porter in this selection are testament to a great spirit, a woman who lived in terrifying proximity to one of the greatest writers of all time, and who understood exactly the high price she would have to pay for this privilege.” — Jay Parini

“Hauntingly revealing and gorgeously sad, these entries reveal a wife’s desperate love and estrangement from her brilliant but complex and troubled husband.” — Kirkus Reviews

“How she remained married to the beyond difficult Tolstoy for close on half a century remains one of life’s great mysteries, and Sofia’s diaries provide rich, at times peevish, but invariably vivid insights to the Russia of her lifetime.” — Irish Times (Best Non-fiction Citation)

“It is simplistic to see Sofia as the victim of her husband’s genius. Her diaries show that she was a formidable storyteller in her own right.” — London Times