09/09/2025
Sofia Tolstaya, wife of Russian author Leo Tolstoy, suffered an unhappy marriage and many years of unrecognised work and talent. Married at 18 to the 34-year-old Tolstoy, she became his closest collaborator and copied "War and Peace" by hand seven times, editing as she transcribed.
She was a mother to 8 children, all while supporting her husband’s literary empire. Her diaries reveal the constant tension of family duties, creative labour, and feeling overlooked.
Many of her own works, including memoirs, were left unpublished for nearly a century to avoid tarnishing Tolstoy's reputation. Only in recent years has Sofia Tolstaya been recognised as a writer, editor, and intellectual partner in her own right.
Today, scholars and readers are finally exploring her voice through newly published diaries, novellas, and critical editions that restore her place in Russian literary history.
Want to learn more? Start with these:
– "Sofia Tolstaya, the Author: Her Literary Works in English Translation" by Andrew Donskov
– "Tolstoy and Tolstaya: A Portrait of a Life in Letters" edited by Andrew Donskov
– "My Life" by Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya
