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Song Without Words: The Photographs & Diaries of Countess Sophia Tolstoy

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It would be a vast understatement to say that Sophia (Sonya) Tolstoy was a remarkable woman.

Not only did she bear 13 children, lead her financially inept husband back from the brink of ruin, copy and recopy Tolstoy's literary works, defend the interests of the large family in the face of Tolstoy's continual impassioned desires to renounce his worldly wealth... Sonya was also an astoundingly artistic and proficient photographer. Between 1887 and her death in 1919, Sonya Tolstoy took over 1000 photographs (using 13 x 18 cm glass plates), developing many herself, including portraits, vignettes of family life, the Yasnaya Polyana estate and surrounding countryside. This new volume unites some 180 of these pictures with fascinating biographic notes and extracts from Sonya's, Lev's and their children's diaries to present a rich and invaluable portrait of this woman's and this family's life.

A large preponderance of the photos are portraits of her husband, and in few of them does Lev offer more than a sage pose with furrowed brow and hand wedged behind his belt. But look closer and there are plenty of satisfying glimpses of spontaneity: a child's bored glare, a room in disarray, a subject caught chatting with a neighbor, a nurse caught in the corner of the frame. This is an important contribution to our understanding of the life and times of one of Russia's greatest writers. And of his remarkable, multifaceted wife. (Reviewed in Russian Life)

This is A MUST for the following people: Who've read Tolstoy's two historical books; a photographer; those who love diaries and their insight to the person; Russaphiles; and last, but certainly not least, anyone who is interested in the development of a woman and the feminist inclinations. Truly an invaluable contribution to the 19th Century, for all these perspectives. She was an incredible woman!

Saw a preview for this book and was not disappointed when I received it. The photos are amazing - I am in awe that she was able to create such thoughtful, creative images with the limits of photography and where she was living!

The book combines her photos, her handwriting and wonderful writing by the author. The writing is mindful and clean - not esoteric and flowery but interesting and insightful!

Bought one for me and one for a friend! Not just for photographers but history buffs and artists of all kind!

I am buying this book for all of my friends. I was only sorry that the book ended. Man or woman - it doesn't matter - this is a wonderful book that puts you in touch with their world and presents life's questions in a very contemporary way. It seems like she's sitting with you in conversation today. Very compelling. Now my task is to find more on her as well as read Tolstoy - slowly, very slowly and fully. What a wonderful road ahead.

Though I've read Leo Tolstoy's works and loved his writing, I've not really read much about his wife Sophia. Then I happened to be browsing here and came across this title. The positive reviews persuaded me to read it and I must say I am truly impressed by this amazing woman who went about determinedly filling her life with artistic creativity and purpose, whilst fulfilling her domestic responsibilities.

Countess Sophia Tolstoy not only bore her husband Lev (Leo) Tolstoy 13 children (in itself a remarkable feat -she would go on to have 31 grandchildren), but was also an accomplished photographer, using her Kodak camera and 13 by 18 cm. glass plates to take hundreds upon hundreds of photographs which reveal a unique talent and creative artistry. This was indeed a remarkable woman who tried her best to care for her large family, kept the family out of financial ruin, and even preserved the family estate, Yasnaya Polyana (which was later preserved as a museum). Countess Sophia painstakingly copied Tolstoy's manuscripts, and as time-consuming as this project was, she found time to pursue other passions - music, painting, philosophy, and her own writing. What a life, what an inspiration - I can relate to this remarkable woman as I myself struggle to balance my roles as wife, mother, grad student,and writer. Sophia is an inspiration to women everywhere, compelling us to pursue our passions despite the obstacles that stand in our way.

The book is divided into chapters:
Sonya's Themes - reveals the themes that were close to Sonya's heart, i.e. Leo and her family (of which there are many photographs),landscapes,i.e. the village of Yasnaya Polyana and its surroundings.
Self-Portraits
Music and Poetry
Lev Tolstoy
The Family
Estate Life
Servants and Peasants
Artists
Illness
Marriage
Technique
A chronology of the lives and times of Lev and Sophia Tolstoy

Interspersed throughout the book are Sophia's own diary entries and the author's commentaries which reveal Sophia's complexity of character as well as the richness of her life and pursuits. This is a beautiful and moving portrait of a woman who lived life to the fullest - recommended for those who are keen on photography, fans of Russian history (the Tolstoys in particular) and biographies (this is a sort of photo essay/ biography).

The most difficult task for Leah Bendavid Val, would have been choosing which photographs and what words to exclude in this stunning glimpse into the life of Sophia Tolstory and her remarkable photographic talent.
SONG WITHOUT WORDS is a beautiful volume about a remarkable and talented woman who loved her husband, Lev Tolstory inspite of all of his faults as a father, provider, and husband.
She was her own best subject and I suspect may have rendered her image to remind herself not to disappear into the image of her famous husband. The words in her diaries reveal a woman concerned with her family, aching for a romantic relationship with her husband, and determined that her family would survive. Her work in promotion Lev Tolstory writings allowed the family to have food on the table and remain solvent in their own home.
An outsanding volume.
Nash Black, author of SANDPRINTS OF DEATH.