The Other Tolstoy

For people born into the Russian aristocracy in the nineteenth century, life was full of interesting opportunities—unless they were female. At the time, women generally did not have careers, 1 who were expected, instead, to focus fully on marrying and raising families. Sophia Behrs was one such young woman. The man she 2 married Leo Tolstoy was one of the world’s greatest writers. When Sophia married Tolstoy, he was already a well-known author. Both members of the couple were literary in 3 its interests: Sophia had been a gifted student and, even at a very young age, was a voracious and sensitive reader. 4  

[1] Sophia’s marriage to Leo gave her the opportunity to put her abilities as a good reader to use, often advising him on his work throughout the writing process. [2] She served as her husband’s copyist (since this was before the advent of the typewriter), writing out multiple copies of his novels by hand. [3] She made suggestions for and edits to his work, many of which were 5 inculcated into the final product. [4] In addition, she served as his manager, publicist, and agent, keeping track of the financial and legal sides of her husband’s writing career. [5] She juggled these many roles with grace and skill. [6] If Sophia were alive today, she might have found her calling at a publishing house or literary agency. 6  

  7 She wrote her own Russian-language grammar textbook and translated texts from German and English. She also 8 wrote fiction. Including a revision of Leo’s novella The Kreutzer Sonata. In that story, a man recounts the dramatic breakdown of his marriage; Sophia retold the narrative from his wife’s point of view. The famous writer was himself impressed by his wife’s literary talents. “What force of truth and simplicity!” he wrote in his diary upon reading one of her stories.

9 Furthermore, Sophia never sought publication for her own work. Writing was not a pursuit that she took   10 seriously, rather, she regarded the whole enterprise with “a certain contempt and irony.” 11 Sophia was limited by personal modesty, her domestic duties, and the expectations for women in her lifetime. She probably never even considered seeking fame on her own account. Yet Tolstoy would never have been able to produce the work he did without Sophia’s vital contributions.