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TOLSTOY SERIES / VOLUME III
The
Tolstoys' Correspondence with N. N. Strakhov
|
Introduction and Summaries in
English
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Edited and
with an Introduction by
Andrew
Donskov
Correspondence
compiled by
L. D.
Gromova
and
T. G.
Nikiforova
xii + 308 pp.
Published
by the
Slavic
Research Group
at the
University of Ottawa
and the
State
L. N. Tolstoy Museum
Moscow
2000
ISBN 0-88927-282-4
HERE PUBLISHED FOR THE FIRST TIME is the correspondence between the Tolstoys (Leo and his wife Sofia) and their editorial assistant -- philosopher and literary critic Nikolaj Strakhov. These 125 letters (38 between Strakhov and Leo Tolstoy, 1894-96, as well as 87 between Strakhov and Sofia Tolstoy, 1872-95) offer new insights not only into the publication and republication during his lifetime of a number of Leo Tolstoy's writings, but also into the Tolstoys' personal lives, their thoughts on their family and their acquaintances which they willingly shared with one of their closest friends.
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Please address enquiries to: Penumbra Press P.O. Box 940 Manotick (Ont.) K4M 1A8 Telephone: (613) 692-5590 Fax: (613) 692-5589 e-mail:
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From the Editor's Introduction: One immediately recognisable benefit of this volume is the elimination of the numerous mistakes, omissions and incorrect readings, along with considerable misinformation that crept into the Jubilee Edition, as all Tolstoy's letters to Strakhov included here have been carefully checked against his original manuscripts and corrections made.
The broader significance of the publication, however, lies in the opportunity it offers to study the actual process of publishing a number of Tolstoy's works -- to study it at close range, so to speak, through the eyes of two people (in addition to Tolstoy himself) intimately involved in that process, and to more thoroughly evaluate the significant role therein played by the lesser-known of the two -- namely, Nikolaj Strakhov. This opportunity is greatly enhanced by the meticulous preparation of the manuscripts, including extensive annotations furnishing important information on the historical and literary context of the letters by two outstanding Tolstoy scholars -- Lidia Dmitrievna Gromova, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and her colleague Tat'jana Grigor'evna Nikiforova, Senior Researcher at the State L. N. Tolstoy Museum in Moscow.
From the summaries:
LT>NS, 14 February 1895, Moscow. ¥LT [Leo Tolstoy] thanks NS [Nikolaj Strakhov] for the proofreading; he has now sent the manuscript to the publishers. ¥Praise (not just polite) for NSÕs own manuscript; LT has read the article on Claude Bernard and half the article on Hegel, with considerable interest. [Note on separate sheet, which LT asks NS to burn:] Sofia Andreevna [ST] very angry and jealous that LT gave the manuscript to Severnyj Vestnik editor LjubovÕ Gurevich free of charge; at one point ST was on the verge of suicideÉ
NS>LT, 29 October 1894, St-Petersburg. ¥ Appreciation for kindness shown by LTÕs daughters at Yasnaya Polyana. ¥ Danger of personal love detracting from universal love; the requirement of holiness (to choose constantly between paradise and hell) is all too rarely met in real life. ¥ LT is asking too much in requiring people to measure up to his standard; few are ready to forsake all thought of the surrounding worldÉ
ST>NS, 1 December 1892, Moscow. É¥ST describes her visit to [A.A.] Fet on the day before his death, and relays an account of his final moments. ¥Fet had managed to conceal most of his suffering from his wife. ¥Fet was greatly touched by LTÕs works, esp. SmertÕ Ivana IlÕicha [Death of Ivan IlÕich], and was ready to worship at LTÕs feet. o Reference to the dying Prince Andrej in War and peace. ¥ST accompa- nied FetÕs coffin to the train in a snowstorm. ¥Praise for NSÕs poetry, esp. "Kometa" [The Comet] [re-produced in full in an endnote]É
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Note: The Russian words on this page appear in a photo image in place of electronic text.
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Click on the links below to see other volumes in the Tolstoy Series
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