Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography
“I am a dead man without you.” The words Tolstoy writes to his wife, Sophia, while researching War and Peace will astonish many of the great novelist’s readers. Their minds poisoned against Sophia by Tolstoy’s biographers, readers have long regarded her as an unfortunate obstacle in the great writer’s career. But as Popoff unfolds the stunning truth, readers realize how much Tolstoy relies on his devoted wife. Grounded in previously unavailable sources, the narrative illuminates Sophia’s role not only in managing her husband’s household but also in enlarging his legacy through her work as editor, archivist, and publisher. The tragic irony that readers confront, however, is that when Tolstoy abandons his literary career to preach ideals of universal benevolence, he entangles himself in real-world contradictions that expose his own spouse to singular distress. Readers will recognize the injustice in the way Tolstoy’s acolytes protect the reputation of their saintly master by blaming Sophia for every inconsistency in his conduct. As a powerful corrective to that injustice, this book deserves a large readership—and is likely to get it with the timely release of the film The Last Station. --Bryce Christensen