Sofia Tolstaya, the Author

Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya (1844-1919) was a fully-fledged author in her own right, a highly independent and cultured woman, who was ahead of her time. Sofia Tolstaya, the author: Her literary works in English translation traces her growth as a writer and reveals this long-neglected facet of her life. This volume compiles, for the first time, a complete collection of her major writings in English.

Her short stories, novellas, and selected poems are beautifully rendered into English by award-winning translators John Woodsworth and Arkadi Klioutchanski. Complementing the translation is the insightful and detailed critical analysis by Andrew Donskov, who also provides the context for her works. Importantly, this book not only traces Tolstaya's evolution as a writer but also offers an intimate portrait of her struggles and triumphs in her own voice.

An extensive chronology of Tolstaya's life and career and selected excerpts from her memoir My Life round out this latest volume in the Tolstoy series, which also includes Tolstoy and Tolstaya: A portrait of a life in letters.

"Andrew Donskov's invaluable work in editing and contextualizing Tolstaya's literary efforts has given us a fabulous opportunity to acquaint ourselves with the work of this surprising woman, Tolstoy's wife, mother to thirteen children, grandmother to twenty-five and-as is now entirely evident-gifted writer."

- Galina Alekseeva, Senior Researcher, Tolstoy Museum, Yasnaya Polyana