Tolstoy's False Disciple
The Untold Story of Leo Tolstoy and Vladimir Chertkov
Published on 1. January 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-1-60598-914-3 (ISBN)
Description
On the snowy morning of February 8, 1897, the Saint Petersburg secret police were following Tolstoy's every move, and he was always in the company of a man named Chertkov. Tolstoy was recognizable enough, with his peasant garb and beard, but who was the man who towered over Tolstoy, twenty years younger, with a cold, impenetrable look on his face?
This man, Chertkov, was a relative to the Tsars and nephew to the chief of the secret police and represented the very things Tolstoy had renounced. He would become the writer's closest confidant, reading even his diary, and at the end of Tolstoy's life, Chertkov had him in his complete control, preventing him from even seeing his own wife on his deathbed.
This man, Chertkov, was a relative to the Tsars and nephew to the chief of the secret police and represented the very things Tolstoy had renounced. He would become the writer's closest confidant, reading even his diary, and at the end of Tolstoy's life, Chertkov had him in his complete control, preventing him from even seeing his own wife on his deathbed.
Reviews / Votes
"The strange tangled story of the friendship - perhaps love is a better word - between Tolstoy and Vladimir Chertkov has engaged, tantalized, and befuddled biographers and lovers of Tolstoy for a century or more. It's a riveting tale of discipleship and betrayal, with many sides to every point. The mysteries have, to a wonderful degree, been explored in detail with a great deal of fresh evidence by Alexandra Popoff, a brilliant biographer and Russian scholar. I admire her work here immensely." -- Jay Parini, author of "The Last Station" "Popoff's writing flows with narrative ease, smoothly integrating historical data including information from memoirs written by friends, along with brief summaries of Tolstoy's original writings alongside Chertkov's alterations. Thanks to scholars and researchers like Popoff, much of Tolstoy's original works can now be restored." -- Author Link "Popoff's extensive research provides insight into the dynamic, albeit complex, relationships between these devoted women and the authors. Through their ingenuity, self-sacrifice and courage, their husbands' works were able to see the light of day, and the world was enriched by their publication." -- The Washington Post "Deepens our view of the case of Sophia Tolstoy and her exceedingly complicated marriage." -- The New York Times Book ReviewMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
8 pages B&W photographs
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-60598-914-3 (9781605989143)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Alexandra Popoff
Tolstoy's False Disciple
Book
11/2014
Pegasus Books
€47.28
No shipping information available
Person
Alexandra Popoff is the author of the award-winning biography Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography and The Wives: The Women Behind Russia's Literary Giants, a Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year. She lives in Canada.