Skip to content

Last Steps
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Last Steps Paperback - 2009

by Leo Tolstoy; Introduction by Jay Parini; Jay Parini (Editor)

The year is 1910. Anna Karenina and War and Peacehave made Leo Tolstoy the world's most famous author. But famecomes at a price. In this fascinating look at a tortured genius on theeve of death, Jay Parini presents Tolstoy's autobiographical writingalongside letters from loved ones to paint a portrait of the greatauthor's final year. Desperate to find respite from his troubled marriage,Tolstoy ventures into the wilderness in search of isolation, onlyto find a battle for his soul and legacy that offers no peace. LastSteps puts a literary giant's life and work in perspective as it bearswitness to his struggle to reconcile the two.


Summary

The year is 1910. Anna Karenina and War and Peace have made Leo Tolstoy the world’s most famous author. But fame comes at a price. In this fascinating look at a tortured genius on the eve of death, Jay Parini presents Tolstoy’s autobiographical writing alongside letters from loved ones to paint a portrait of the great author’s final year. Desperate to find respite from his troubled marriage, Tolstoy ventures into the wilderness in search of isolation, only to find a battle for his soul and legacy that offers no peace. Last Steps puts a literary giant’s life and work in perspective as it bears witness to his struggle to reconcile the two.

From the publisher

1910: Anna Karenina and War and Peace have made Leo Tolstoy the world's most famous author. But fame comes at a price. In the tumultuous final year of his life, Tolstoy is desperate to find respite, so leaves his large family and the hounding press behind and heads into the wilderness. Too ill to venture beyond the tiny station of Astapovo, he believes his last days will pass in isolation. But as we learn through the journals of those closest to him, the battle for Tolstoy's soul will not be a peaceful one. Jay Parini introduces, translates and edits this collection of Tolstoy's autobiographical writing, diaries, and letters related to the last year of Tolstoy's life published to coincide with the 2009 film of Parini's novel The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoy's Final Year. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Details

  • Title Last Steps
  • Author Leo Tolstoy; Introduction by Jay Parini; Jay Parini (Editor)
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: repri
  • Pages 336
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Group, E Rutherford, New Jersey,
  • Date 2009-12-01
  • ISBN 9780141191195 / 0141191198
  • Weight 0.59 lbs (0.27 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.72 x 5.14 x 0.9 in (19.61 x 13.06 x 2.29 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

About the author

Count Leo Tolstoy was born on September 9, 1828, in Yasnaya Polyana, Russia. Orphaned at nine, he was brought up by an elderly aunt and educated by French tutors until he matriculated at Kazan University in 1844. In 1847, he gave up his studies and, after several aimless years, volunteered for military duty in the army, serving as a junior officer in the Crimean War before retiring in 1857. In 1862, Tolstoy married Sophie Behrs, a marriage that was to become, for him, bitterly unhappy. His diary, started in 1847, was used for self-study and self-criticism; it served as the source from which he drew much of the material that appeared not only in his great novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina(1877), but also in his shorter works. Seeking religious justification for his life, Tolstoy evolved a new Christianity based upon his own interpretation of the Gospels. Yasnaya Polyana became a mecca for his many converts. At the age of eighty-two, while away from home, the writer suffered a break down in his health in Astapovo, Riazan, and he died there on November 20, 1910. Jay Parini teaches English at Middlebury College and is the author of five novels, including The Last Station. He lives in Vermont.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy (Penguin Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy (Penguin Classics)

by Tolstoy, Leo

  • Used
Condition
UsedAcceptable
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141191195 / 0141191198
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Springdale, Arkansas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 10.68
SGD 5.50 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedAcceptable. There is some highlighting/handwriting in this book. Cover has some rubbing and/or light scratches. FAST shipping, FREE tracking, and GREAT customer service! We also offer EXPEDITED and TWO DAY shipping options on qualifying orders.
Item Price
SGD 10.68
SGD 5.50 shipping to USA
Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy (Penguin Classics)

Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy (Penguin Classics)

by Tolstoy, Leo

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141191195 / 0141191198
Quantity Available
1
Seller
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 13.78
SGD 14.78 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Paperback. Very Good.
Item Price
SGD 13.78
SGD 14.78 shipping to USA
Last Steps
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Last Steps

by Tolstoi, Leo

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141191195 / 0141191198
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 12.77
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
SGD 12.77
FREE shipping to USA
Last Steps : The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy

Last Steps : The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy

by Leo Tolstoy

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141191195 / 0141191198
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 14.34
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2009. Paperback. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
SGD 14.34
FREE shipping to USA
Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy

by Tolstoy, Leo

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141191195 / 0141191198
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 16.27
SGD 5.50 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics. Used - Very Good. May have light to moderate shelf wear and/or a remainder mark. Complete. Clean pages.
Item Price
SGD 16.27
SGD 5.50 shipping to USA
Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy

by Parini, Jay (Edited by)/ Tolstoy, Leo (Author)/ Parini, Jay (Introduction by)/ Parini, Jay (Translated by)

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141191195 / 0141191198
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 21.42
SGD 17.25 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, 2009. Paperback. New. 368 pages. 8.00x5.25x1.00 inches.
Item Price
SGD 21.42
SGD 17.25 shipping to USA
Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy

Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy

by Jay Parini

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141191195 / 0141191198
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 21.66
SGD 17.16 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Paperback / softback. New. A collection of Leo Tolstoy's autobiographical writing, diaries, and letters related to the last year of Tolstoy's life.
Item Price
SGD 21.66
SGD 17.16 shipping to USA
Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy

Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy

by Leo Tolstoy

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141191195 / 0141191198
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Uxbridge, Greater London, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 21.90
SGD 13.78 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Paperback / softback. New. New Book; Fast Shipping from UK; Not signed; Not First Edition; A collection of Leo Tolstoy's autobiographical writing, diaries, and letters related to the last year of Tolstoy's life.
Item Price
SGD 21.90
SGD 13.78 shipping to USA
Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Last Steps: The Late Writings of Leo Tolstoy

by Parini, Jay (Edited by)/ Tolstoy, Leo (Author)/ Parini, Jay (Introduction by)/ Parini, Jay (Translated by)

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141191195 / 0141191198
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 26.61
SGD 17.25 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, 2009. Paperback. New. 368 pages. 8.00x5.25x1.00 inches.
Item Price
SGD 26.61
SGD 17.25 shipping to USA