TOLSTOY AS I KNEW HIM

A familiar, intimate and detailed account of the family life of Leo Tolstoy during the decade of 1860 to 1870, by Tatyana Kuzminskaya whose sister, Sonya, was Tolstoy's wife. This book begins with detailed genealogical background of her family; of her childhood; the gaiety of high society in Russia in the '60's; of Tolstoy's courtship of his much younger wife; their early life on his country estate and his close friendship with Tatyana, apparently a gay and brilliant girl. Many letters from Tolstoy are introduced in the text, which also amplifies on the sources of characterization in many of his books. Authentic, gossipy, but charming in spite of its length, this book is a society memoir, devoid of critical comment. It is also the first volume to appear in the so-called ""Russian Translation Project"" sponsored by the American Council of Learned Societies, a project which proposes to translate and publish on various aspects of Russian life a series of books which are accepted and ""standard"" in the U.S.S.R.