Sofia Tolstaya, the Author: Her Literary Works in English Translation

About the Book

Dealing with the most topical questions of the time, Sofia Tolstaya’s artistic works—from parables to short stories, novellas, and memoirs—show deep insights into the social context of nineteenth-century Russia.

In his lengthy review of My Life (along with other Tolstaya publications) in Canadian Slavonic Papers, the eminent Tolstoy scholar Hugh McLean (2011) laments the fact that it has taken so long (almost a century after her death) to focus academic attention on Sofia Tolstaya, and that there has been no unified publication of her works, scattered as they are among dated journals or not published at all.

This book aims to help fill this lacuna by offering a critical introduction to her literary output as a writer in her own right, and presenting, for the first time, an anthology of her main artistic works, some in fresh English translation, and others never translated before.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements from the First edition
Preface to the Second edition
Explanatory note Selected genealogy
PART I Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya: a literary life 
1. Introduction 2. Sofia Andreevna: a literary life in context 3. Autobiographical works 4. Tolstaya’s works of fiction 4.1 First story: Natasha 4.2 Contributions to Tolstoy’s A new primer [Novaja azbuka] 4.3 Story collection: The skeleton-dolls [Kukolki-skelettsy] 4.4 Novella: Who is to blame? [Ch’ja vina?] 4.5 Narrative: Song without words [Pesnja bez slov] 4.6 Poem in prose: Groanings [Stony] Concluding remarks Selected chronology  Bibliography 
PART II Literary works of Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya (in English translation)  1. Natasha 2. A new primer (Stories) [Novaja azbuka (Rasskazy)] 3. The skeleton-dolls and other stories [Kukolki-skelettsy i drugie rasskazy] 3a. The skeleton-dolls (a Christmas story) [Kukolki-skelettsy (Svjatochnyj rasskaz)]   3b. Grandmother’s treasure-trove (a fable) [Babushkin klad (predanie)]   3c. The story of a grivennik (a fairy tale) [Istorija grivennika (skazka)] 3d. Vanechka (a true story from his life) [Vanechka (istinnoe proisshestvie iz ego zhizni)] 3e. The rescued dachshund (Vanechka’s story) [Spasënnyj taks (rasskaz Vanechki)] 4. Who is to blame? (novella) [Ch’ja vina? (novella)]   5. Song without words (narrative) [Pesnja bez slov (povest’)] 6. Groanings (poem in prose) [Stony (stikhotvorenie v proze)] 7. My life (excerpts) [Moja zhizn’ (fragmenty)] 8. Poems by Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya published in My life [Stikhotvorenija Sofii Andreevny Tolstoj, opublikovannye v ee memuarakh «Moja zhizn’»] 9. Other poems by Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya [Inye stikhotvorenija S.A. Tolstoj]
 Index of names

About the Author :

Andrew Donskov, member of the Royal Society of Canada, is Distinguished Professor at the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures of the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on the nineteenth century Russian literature, peasant literature, the Doukhobors, and the literary career of Leo Tolstoy.

He received the Tolstoy Medal for Distinguished Contributions to Tolstoy Studies, awarded by the L.N. Tolstoy Museum in Moscow, in 2015.

Review :
"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."