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Abstract:

The article analyzes a little-known story by Sofia Tolstoy Song Without Words, written in 1895–1900 and published in 2010. At the beginning of the paper the biographical context is reproduced: the death of the younger son of Tolstoys, the discord in family relations, the jealousy of the spouses, Sofia Tolstoy’s friendship with the composer Sergei Taneyev. The ego-documents of Leo and Sofia Tolstoy, as well as of Taneev, are examined and compared in order to get the complete picture of the events. The images of the main heroine and her caring husband, as well as the heroine’s attitude towards him and the motives of her actions are considered. The main female character appears as ambiguous. The same holds true for the figure of the composer who gains power over the woman, while he cannot have a relationship with her because of his homosexual orientation. The article aims to identify the author’s intents and worldviews by comparing the artistic works of Sofia Tolstoy and Leo Tolstoy. At the end, it is concluded that Song without Words holds artistic reflection of the writer, reflecting her personal experiences and thoughts on existentially important themes, as well as her discussion with the late views of Leo Tolstoy.