The Countess with a Pen
Countess Tolstoya
Historically, the vilification of women is often used as a tool to control and silence them, particularly when they challenge patriarchal norms and power structures, to delegitimize their voices and experiences. Sophia Tolstaya was no exception to this defamation. Her husband had a legion of followers, and one member of his inner circle, Vladimir Chertkov, did everything he could to malign her, viewing her lavish lifestyle, strong-willed personality, and assertive nature as antithetical to the principles of simplicity and self-denial espoused by Tolstoyanism, which emphasized asceticism, pacifism, and communal living. He went as far as spreading malicious rumors about her character, questioning her loyalty to Tolstoy, and attempting to discredit her in the eyes of Tolstoy's followers, which led to her being criticized and her contributions being overlooked. However, the depiction of this remarkable woman diverges significantly from the narrative presented by this man.
Sophia Tolstoya was born Sophia Bers, to an aristocratic family, the daughter of a doctor in Moscow and lived a largely sheltered life. Educated in languages, music, and the arts, she possessed a keen intellect and a passion for literature from an early age. She first met Leo Tolstoy in 1862, when she was just 18 years old. Tolstoy, who was 34 at the time, was already a celebrated writer, known for his novel “The Cossack”." Despite their age difference and disparate backgrounds, Sophia and Leo were drawn to each other by a shared passion for literature and intellectual pursuits. They were married in 1862, marking the beginning of a lifelong partnership that would profoundly influence both of their lives.
As Leo Tolstoy's wife, Sophia played a multifaceted role in his life and work. She served as his muse, confidante, editor, and collaborator, providing invaluable feedback and support throughout his writing process. She copied his almost ineligible manuscripts by hand. Sophia's keen intellect and discerning eye for detail helped shape some of Tolstoy's most famous works. The final draft of “War and Peace” was nearly 3000 pages long, and it was rewritten by her seven times, mostly by candlelight after her children had been put to bed, while correcting spelling and grammar. She was also instrumental in managing Tolstoy's affairs, handling his correspondence, taking care of his thirteen children, and overseeing the publication of his manuscripts.
During a period of stagnation in Leo Tolstoy's career, during which he ceased writing and generating income, his wife Sophia undertook the initiative of securing a loan from her mother to establish her own publishing venture, to publish editions of Tolstoy's literary works. To gain insight into the publishing process, Sophia traveled to St. Petersburg to seek guidance from Anna Dostoyevsky, another incredible lady who had extensive experience overseeing the publication of her husband's literary works over 14 years. She learned from her the meticulous planning of editions, proofreading, advertising in newspapers, and navigating the complexities of official censorship protocols.
Despite her significant contributions to her husband's work, Sophia's own talents and ambitions were often overshadowed by Tolstoy's fame. In a patriarchal society that relegated women to the domestic sphere, Sophia's role as a supportive wife and mother was expected and celebrated, but her intellectual pursuits and creative aspirations were often overlooked. She would often serve as a midwife and nurse to everyone in the estate when a doctor was unavailable. As a countess, she would also participate in fundraising, famine relief and charity work. She was a photographer, and has captured several images which have served as incredible windows to the lives of people from different social classes before the Russian revolution.
Sophia maintained diaries throughout her life. Her diraries chronicle their life and her thoughts. A lot of her entries showcase her sadness at not being able to express her own literary ambitions. She also expresses frustration in her entries that the readers were interpreting her husband’s stories to be a reflection of their marital life . In a remarkable and captivating turn of events, Sonya ventured into the realm of fiction writing herself. She crafted two "counterstories," her own literary response to The Kreutzer Sonata. These texts, “Whose Fault?” and “Song without Words” which remained in manuscript form, were concealed within her archive until recent years.
In Sophia’s second literary composition, "Song Without Words", the young heroine Sasha, grieving the loss of her mother, finds solace in music and becomes enamored with a musician who was both a composer and a performer. Despite her persistent advances, the musician rejects her, leading Sasha to manifest peculiar symptoms and descend into madness, ultimately culminating in her resolution to admit herself to a "University Clinic for Nervous Diseases." Sofia Tolstaya's narrative demonstrates a profound comprehension of women's psychology, portraying themes of depression, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and suicidal ideation.
The later years of Sophia's life were marked by financial struggles, family conflicts, and personal turmoil. As Tolstoy grappled with existential questions and embarked on a spiritual and philosophical journey, Sophia found herself torn between her loyalty to her husband and her own desires for stability and security. Despite these challenges, she remained steadfast in her devotion to Tolstoy and their children, sacrificing her own needs and desires for the sake of their family's well-being.
Throughout this period, Leo formed a close bond with Vladimir Chertkov, who assumed the role of his assistant and fervent disciple. Chertkov played a significant role in shaping the narrative surrounding Sophia's legacy, utilizing his memoirs and other writings to portray her unfavorably and suppress and criticize her diaries and memoirs. Consequently, Sophia was unjustly remembered for decades after her death as a materialistic and superficial woman who purportedly brought ruin to Tolstoy's life. Chertkov orchestrated the infamous event in which an 82-year-old Tolstoy departed from Sophia, subsequently succumbing to pneumonia shortly thereafter. His false accounts of Sophia led to her achievements and contributions being dismissed. Indeed, throughout the majority of the twentieth century, the publication of crucial documents that contested Chertkov's narrative regarding Tolstoy's departure and his marital relationship, often depicted as martyrdom, was virtually impossible.
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of Sophia Tolstoy's significance in her own right. Biographers and historians have sought to uncover the complexities of her life and character, shedding light on her intellectual contributions, her struggles, and her resilience in the face of adversity. Through their efforts, Sophia's story is being rediscovered and reevaluated, offering new insights into the life of this remarkable woman and her enduring impact on literary history. Her life is a testament to the strength, resilience, and devotion of women throughout history, whose contributions have often been overlooked or marginalized. Her story reminds us of the importance of recognizing and celebrating the achievements of women, whose voices and talents enrich the fabric of our society and shape the course of our collective history.
Sophia’s story, however, is not a standalone, it is the story of many wives or sister of famous authors, including Wordsworth, F. Scott Fitzgerald and D.H. Lawrence. The stark contrast between the extensive and often unacknowledged contributions of women, spanning decades of unpaid labor in tasks such as proofreading, copying, publishing, safeguarding from censorship, refining, developing, and promoting their husbands' literary pursuits, stands in juxtaposition with the actions of men. These men openly appropriate ideas and even entire sentences from their wives' written works. This inequality is exacerbated by the imposition of childbirth upon women against their will, often resulting in the rearing of numerous children without support or involvement from their husbands.
I will end this piece with one of the most poignant quotes from Sophia’s diary :
“I have served a genius for almost forty years. Hundreds of times I have felt my intellectual energy stir within me and all sorts of desires - a longing for education, a love of music and the arts… And time and again I have crushed and smothered these longings… Everyone asks, “But why should a worthless woman like you need an intellectual or artistic life?” To this question I can only reply: “I don’t know, but eternally suppressing it to serve a genius is a great misfortune.”
References:
Katz, M. R. (2013). "Though this be madness": Sofia Tolstaya's second response to Kreutzer Sonata. Tolstoy Studies Journal, 25, 67+. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.lapl.org/apps/doc/A368678788/LitRC?u=lapl&sid=googleScholar&xid=f6d1f115
Popoff, A. (2010). Sophia Tolstoy. Simon and Schuster.
