Description
Book SynopsisContains a new translation of Leo Tolstoy's controversial novella, The Kreutzer Sonata, which was initially banned by Russian censors. This title provides a revealing case study of the powerful disputes concerning sexuality and gender roles that erupted within the cultural context of late nineteenth-century Russian, as well as European, society.
Trade Review“Fictive words with the bite of reality to them were weapons of choice not only for Tolstoy, but for his wife and children. In this fascinating assemblage of stories and counterstories against one of the late great tales, Michael Katz shows us the family fighting back.”—Caryl Emerson, A. Watson Armour III University Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Princeton University
-- Caryl Emerson
“Over a hundred years after it was written
The Kreutzer Sonata retains its ability to shock and disturb. Michael Katz’s superb introduction to the firestorm provoked by Tolstoy’s late novella includes a wealth of materials that were heretofore unavailable to English readers.”— William Mills Todd III, Harry Tuchman Levin Professor of Literature, Harvard University -- William Mills Todd III
“For anyone interested in Tolstoy or the modern understanding of marriage and sexuality, this volume will be indispensable. Containing fiction and commentary by Tolstoy, his wife and son that has never before been translated and only recently become known, it changes our understanding of one of Tolstoy’s most important works. This volume is an event in the understanding of Russian literature.” —Gary Morson, Frances Hooper Professor of the Arts and Humanities , Northwestern University
-- Gary Saul Morson
"Congratulations to Michael Katz with his excellent work as a translator, editor, and compiler! It is really important for all interested in Tolstoy's work and life to have
Kreutzer Sonata and S.A. Tolstaya's constellation of stories under one cover. It's a great accomplishment!"—Galina Alekseeva, Yasnaya Polyana -- Galina Alekseeva
“
The Kreutzer Sonata Variations has been assembled as a kind of dossier. Mr. Katz provides a new translation of Tolstoy’s story and surrounds it with material that sheds light on the furor that it touched off . . . The book adds momentum to a revisionist view of Sophia [Tolstoy] that has gathered speed recently.”—William Grimes,
New York Times -- William Grimes * New York Times *
“
The Kreutzer Sonata Variations . . . pairs Tolstoy’s controversial novella with the stories his wife and son wrote in pointed response, adding further shadings to the Russian author’s final chapter.”—Megan O’Grady,
Vogue -- Megan O’Grady * Vogue *
“Sofiya Tolstoy can write! . . . [She] pulls off a remarkable structural feat in mirroring Kreutzer’s wife-murder plot from the point of view of the murdered wife. . . . Graceful, emotionally intuitive, and heartbreaking . . . a deeply affecting defense of love . . . Sofiya lives on in [her] astonishingly skillful novella.”—Ron Rosenbaum,
Slate -- Ron Rosenbaum * Slate *
