Tolstoy: A Biography - Softcover

Wilson, A. N.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393321223 ISBN 13: 9780393321227

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2001

Synopsis

"Must surely rank among the most impressively intelligent biographies ever written."―Zena Sutherland, The Economist

In this landmark biography of Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, A. N. Wilson narrates the complex drama of the writer’s life: his childhood of aristocratic privilege but emotional deprivation, his discovery of his literary genius after aimless years of gambling and womanizing, and his increasingly disastrous marriage. Wilson sweeps away the long-held belief that Tolstoy’s works were the exact mirror of his life, and instead traces the roots of Tolstoy’s art to his relationship with God, with women, and with Russia. He also breaks new ground in recreating the world that shaped the great novelist’s life and art―the turmoil of ideas and politics in nineteenth-century Russia and the incredible literary renaissance that made Tolstoy’s work possible. "Admirable. . . . Absorbing. . . . Superb."―Anthony Burgess "Stands as a model of the biographer’s art: intelligent and opinionated, yet judicious―and, what’s more, deliciously readable."―Michiko Kakutani, New York Times 24 pages of black and white illustrations

About this title

About the Author

A. N. Wilson is the author of the acclaimed biographies Tolstoy, C. S. Lewis, Jesus, and Paul; God's Funeral, and several celebrated novels. He lives in London.

Review

Admirable. . . . Absorbing. . . . Superb. -- Anthony Burgess

Must surely rank among the most impressively intelligent biographies ever written. -- Zena Sutherland, The Economist

Stands as a model of the biographer's art: intelligent and opinionated, yet judicious--and, what's more, deliciously readable. -- Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0393321223
• ISBN 13: 9780393321227
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 626