The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy - Softcover

Porter, Cathy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061997412 ISBN 13: 9780061997419

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2010

Synopsis

The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy When Sofia Behrs married Count Leo Tolstoy, the author of "War and Peace", husband and wife regularly exchanged diaries covering the years from 1862 to 1910. Sofia's life was not an easy one: she idealized her husband, but was tormented by him. Even her many children were not an unmitigated blessing. Full description

About this title

Review:

"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

"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)

"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

"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

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"

From the Publisher:

Publication to coincide with the centenary of Tolstoy's death and the release of a major Hollywood film, The Last Station

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0061997412
• ISBN 13: 9780061997419
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 656