Tatyana Tolstaya

Author profile

born

May 03, 1951 in St. Petersburg, Russia, Russian Federation

gender

female

genre

Literature & Fiction

About this author

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Tatyana Tolstaya was born in Leningrad, U.S.S.R. As the great-grandniece of the Russian author Leo Tolstoy and the granddaughter of Alexei Tolstoy, Tolstaya comes from a distinguished literary family; but, according to Marta Mestrovic's interview in Publishers Weekly with the author, she hates ‘‘being discussed as a relative of someone.’’

Still, Tolstaya's background is undeniably one of culture and education. Her father was a physics professor who taught her two languages, and her maternal grandfather was a well-known translator.

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Books by Tatyana Tolstaya

Average rating: 3.91 · 1,229 ratings · 125 reviews · 17 distinct works

	The Slynx by Tatyana Tolstaya, Jamey Gambrell (Translator) 3.77 avg rating — 520 ratings — published 2000 — 14 editions	My rating:
	White Walls: Collected Stories by Tatyana Tolstaya, Jamey Gambrell (Translator) 3.91 avg rating — 116 ratings — published 2007	My rating:
	Sleepwalker in a Fog 4.23 avg rating — 73 ratings — published 1992 — 4 editions	My rating:
	On The Golden Porch 3.91 avg rating — 79 ratings — 5 editions	My rating:
	Pushkin's Children: Writing on Russia and Russians by Tatyana Tolstaya (Translator), Jamey Gambrell (Translator), Alma Guillermoprieto (Introduction) 4.05 avg rating — 40 ratings — 2 editions	My rating:
	Ночь by Tatyana Tolstaya, Татьяна Толстая 3.90 avg rating — 31 ratings — published 2001 — 2 editions	My rating:
	День by Tatyana Tolstaya, Татьяна Толстая 3.61 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2003	My rating:
	Река by Tatyana Tolstaya, Татьяна Толстая 3.88 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2007 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Не кысь by Tatyana Tolstaya, Татьяна Толстая 4.00 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2006 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Reka Okkervil' by Tatyana Tolstaya, Татьяна Толстая 4.29 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 1999 — 2 editions	My rating:

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Quotes by Tatyana Tolstaya

“...a book is a delicate friend, a white bird, an exquisite being, afraid of water.

Darling things! Afraid of water, of fire, They shiver in the wind. Clumsy, crude human fingers leave bruises on them that'll never fade! Never!

Some people touch books without washing their hands!

Some underline things in ink!

Some even tear pages out! ”
― Tatyana Tolstaya, The Slynx

5 people liked it

“Golbuchiks? Golbuchiks are ashes, entrails, dung, stove smoke, clay, and they’ll all return to clay. They’re full of dirt, candle oil, droppings, dust.
You, O Book, my pure, shining precious, my golden singing promise, my dream, a distant call—
O tender specter, happy chance,
Again I heed the ancient lore,
Again with beauty rare in stance,
You beckon from the distant shore!”
― Tatyana Tolstaya, The Slynx

1 person liked it

“Пробовали карабкаться, пробовали меняться, клеили объявления, до кружевных дыр резали и потрошили обменные бюллетени, униженно звонили по телефону: «У нас тут лес… чудный воздух… ребенку очень хорошо, и дачи не нужно… сама такая! От психа слышу!..» Заполняли тетради торопливыми пометками: «Зинаида Самойловна подумает…», «Ксана перезвонит…», «Петру Иванычу только с балконом…» Юра чудом нашел какую-то старуху, сидела одна в трехкомнатной квартире в бельэтаже на Патриарших прудах, капризничала. Пятнадцать семей завертелись в обменной цепи, каждая со своими претензиями, инфарктами, сумасшедшими соседками, разбитыми сердцами, утерянными метриками. Капризную старуху возили на такси туда-сюда, доставали ей дорогие лекарства, теплую обувь, ветчину, сулили деньги. Вот-вот-вот уже все должно было свершиться, тридцать восемь человек дрожали и огрызались, рушились свадьбы, лопались летние отпуска, где-то в цепи пал некто Симаков, прободение язвы, – неважно, прочь! – ряды сомкнулись, еще усилие, старуха юлит, сопротивляется, под страшным нажимом подписывает документы, и в тот момент, когда где-то там, в заоблачных сферах, розовый ангел воздушным пером уже заполнял ордера, – трах! она передумала. Вот так – взяла и передумала. И отстаньте все от нее.”
― Tatyana Tolstaya, Ночь

1 person liked it

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Polls

What contemporary Russian book would you like to read? (October / November)

Sleepwalker in a Fog by Tatyana Tolstaya

9 votes, 60.0%

Buddha's Little Fingerby Victor Pelevin

4 votes, 26.7%

Headcrusher by Alexander Garros

2 votes, 13.3%

15 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Discovering Russi...: Russian Literature - Female Identity	9	25	Sep 10, 2011 01:04am
Discovering Russi...: Group Reading Nominations! (October / November) closed! Vote!	29	86	Sep 15, 2011 06:33pm
Around the World ...: Russia	7	37	Oct 05, 2011 02:53pm
Bookish: * SF11 - Completed Tasks	304	78	Oct 31, 2011 09:03pm
Bookish: * The Possibilities	3	59	Nov 10, 2011 01:20am
Challenge: 50 Books: Question 80: Giving a Hand	4	27	Dec 01, 2011 06:24pm
Discovering Russi...: Official Discussion: Sleepwalker in a Fog (The Collection as a whole)	5	19	Dec 11, 2011 03:46am
Bookish: For 2011, I Hope to Read	592	147	Dec 11, 2011 01:56pm

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