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Tolstoy

By: A. N. Wilson
Narrated by: John Telfer
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Publisher's Summary

In this biography of Count Lev Nikolaevich 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 re-creates the world that shaped the great novelist's life and art - the turmoil of ideas and politics in 19th-century Russia and the literary renaissance that made Tolstoy's work possible.

©1988 A.N. Wilson (P)2014 Audible, Ltd.

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Perfectly pitched biography

I knew nothing about Tolstoy so this fascinated me. A complex character as you would expect from a creative genius. This biography treats his life and his philosophies with honesty, respect and good humour without pulling any punches on his bouts of nonsense! The historical context helps make sense of the revolution to come after his death - misnamed Tolstoyian. The narrator was also pitch perfect and I was sad when the book came to an end.

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