Tolstoy in 90 Minutes

Great Writers in 90 Minutes

by Paul Strathern

Building on his enormously successful series of Philosophers in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern now applies his witty and incisive prose to brief biographical studies of the world's great writers. He brings their lives and ideas to life in entertaining and accessible fashion. Far from being a novelty, each book is a highly refined appraisal of the writer and his work, authoritative and clearly presented.

Applause for Paul Strathern's Philosophers in 90 Minutes

"Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character....I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization."―Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe

"Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them....I find them hard to stop reading."―Richard Bernstein, New York Times

"Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise."―Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal

Genres: History, Biography

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2006

About the author

Paul Strathern (born 1940) is a English writer and academic. He was born in London, and studied at Trinity College, Dublin, after which he served in the Merchant Navy over a period of two years. He then lived on a Greek island. In 1966 he travelled overland to India and the Himalayas. His novel A Season in Abyssinia won a Somerset Maugham Award in 1972.

Besides five novels, he has also written numerous books on science, philosophy, history, literature, medicine and economics.

Reviews

[Amir · Rating 2 out of 5]

کتاب کوتاه مختصری هست درباب تولستوی که ابتدا با زندگی نامه اش شروع می‌کنه شرح نوشته هاشو و چه موقعی اون هارو نوشت و چه باز خوردی گرفت میگه و خب ۳ تا از آثار بزرگ ترشو بیشتر توضیح میده مثل قزاق ها جنگ و صلح و آناکارنینا مقدمه ای درموردشون و بخشی از داستانشون میگه و بعدش درباب تاثیر تولستوی در جامعه و مرگش، آخر کتاب از کتاب هاش یه پارگراف میاره ولی خب درمورد مرگ ایوان ایلیچ چیزی در این کتاب نوشته نشد

[Alireza Sahafzadeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

یک نمونه زندگی نامه‌ی موجز و درست که به حاشیه نرفته و اصل ماجرا را تمام و کمال مطرح کرده است

[Malachi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm an overview type of guy. I like to see a whole picture and then how the parts fill in.
Helps me understand the subject.
This book and format are great for that.
I'll look for his other books.
I'd put it as a 4, but for an unexpected twist towards the end.
Not really a spoiler, but here we go:
It seemed to be a sincere and objective review of the Author (Tolstoy), his life, and his writings.
Then, towards the end, some oddly very subjective and personally opinionated commentary got dropped in, including sarcasm. It was witty and funny, very personally opinionated and subjective, not necessarily agreeable to everyone, but it also was a sharp turn from the rest of the book and served as a distraction from the rest of the book.
As mentioned, I would read his other books still. I liked the format, style, flow, and content.

[Timothy McNeil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strathern's brief overviw as Tolstoy as a writer does not allow him to build the context to make it meaningful to those not versed in Tolstoy (I have, to my knowledge only read one novella and one short story by Tolstoy), nor does he do an excellent job of establishing the outside world by himself. However, as I have been lucky (or diligent) enough to read about many of the outside figures Strathern mentions, I feel that the book did serve a positive purpose in covering the history. I would have preferred Strathern to lay off the amateur psychology and stick with the literary criticism (it would have allowed for about an extra five pages, which I believe would have been enough to give a better context for the passages he selected to address).
I am sure that if I knew more about Tolstoy or had read his major works, my level of appreciation would have been different -- either higher or lower. As it stands, I think it is a fine brief overview, but not a substitute for a critique of his works or style.