Zhizn’ Alekseya Tolstogo: “Krasny Graf”

Tolstogo: “Krasny Graf”
Original title (in Russian): Жизнь Алексея Толстого: «Красный Граф»
English title (translated): The Life of Aleksey Tolstoy: “The Red Count”
Publisher: Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow
This extensive Russian-language biography of Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy, written by Viktor Petelin, is part of the series Bessmertnye Imena (“Immortal Names”). The work offers a profound and detailed portrait of Tolstoy—novelist, playwright, and Soviet statesman—familiarly known as The Red Count. It explores his exile years, personal life, creative process, and interactions with figures like Gorky, Mayakovsky, and Stanislavsky.
Rich in archival materials and written in engaging prose, the book sheds light on the contradictions and complexities of a writer navigating both artistic freedom and ideological allegiance during a turbulent era in Russian history.