Let's Get Reading: Newsletter 78

“A writer needs three things, experience, observation, and imagination - any two of which, at times any one of which— can supply the lack of the others.” – William Faulkner

Tolstoy’s Unwelcome Wedding Gift

Weddings can be tricky beasts. Lots of logistics to sort out, lots of things to organise, guest lists to manage, that sort of thing. And if you’re Leo Tolstoy, there might be a couple of other things you need to consider.

In the autumn of 1862, the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was preparing to marry Sofia Behrs, an intelligent and musically gifted young woman sixteen years his junior. He was 34; she was 18 – not ideal by today’s standards. The courtship was swift, clocking in at only a few months, as was the time between proposal and ceremony. They became engaged in September and were set to marry within weeks. Speaking as someone who recently planned a wedding, I happen to know that that’s a very tight turnaround.