Who, What Am I? by Irina Paperno

Who, What Am I? by Irina Paperno

A deeply-informed account of Tolstoy's lifelong attempt to find adequate ways to represent the self, to probe its limits and, ultimately, to arrive at an identity not based on the bodily self and its accumulated life experience.

Offers a rare exploration into the internal world of Tolstoy by examining his nonfictional, first-person writings, including diaries, letters, reminiscences, autobiographical and confessional statements, and essays... Paperno makes an invaluable contribution to Tolstoy scholarship.

-- R. A. Erb * CHOICE *

Paperno deftly shows how Tolstoi's attempt to write an autobiography failed, but his perceived failure at capturing the moral, philosophical, and technical issues accurately becomes a testament to his literary honesty (102). "Who, What Am I?" is highly important for any Tolstoi researcher, as it brings together the whole of his writings dealing with the exploration of the self.

-- Radha Balasubramanian * Slavic Review *

This is a relatively short book, yet it is rich in content, taking on some of the most important and challenging problems Tolstoy faced as a writer and thinker. [Irina Paperno] draws on a full range of Tolstoy's nonfiction writings from the 1850s until his death in 1910: diaries, letters, reminiscences, autobiographical and confessional statements, essays, and religious tracts. In addition, her book is informed by vast reading in other sources, primary and secondary.

-- Randall A. Poole * The Russian Review *

Paperno reads all his [Tolstoy’s] writings in relation to the central project of his life: the transformation of his life into a book that would teach others how to live.... ‘Who, What Am I?’ is an important book that will become a standard source for students, general readers and scholars alike.

* SLAVONIC AND EAST EUROPEAN REVIEW *

Irina Paperno teaches Russian literature and intellectual history at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of Stories of the Soviet Experience: Memoirs, Diaries, Dreams and Suicide as a Cultural Institution in Dostoevsky's Russia.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780801453342
ISBN 10	0801453348
Title	Who, What Am I?
Author	Irina Paperno
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Cornell University Press
Year published	2014-11-20
Number of pages	240
Prizes	Winner of Winner, Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Studie.
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.