Sophia Tolstaya never got a lot of fame or credit for all her accomplishments, in fact, she is generally reviled as famous Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy's b*tchy wife, but she was a brilliant talent and bright businesswoman herself. In fact, without her, Leo's work likely would never have been circulated so widely and successfully, nor would Leo have even been able to write such brilliant books - his characters draw inspiration from her, and her feedback deeply shaped the books and the mind of the man holding the pen.
In this episode we look behind those historic rumors to find a dirty smear campaign waged against Sophia towards the end of Leo's life, after his passing, and even beyond her death for another century. This episode is a fascinating (and heartbreaking) look at the building of a genius, and the destruction left behind in his wake at the expense of the woman who made him who he was.
—
A Broad is a woman who lives by her own rules. Broads You Should Know is the podcast about the Broads who helped shape our world!
BroadsYouShouldKnow.com
YT/IG/FB @BroadsYouShouldKnow & TW @BYSKpodcast
—
3 Ways you can help support the podcast:
—
Broads You Should Know is hosted by Sara Gorsky.
IG: @SaraGorsky
Web master / site design: www.BroadsYouShouldKnow.com
—
Broads You Should Know is produced by Sara Gorsky & edited by Chloe Skye
Yoko Ono — Avant-Garde Artist & Activist for Peace Who Definitively Did Not Break Up the Beatles [Sam Eggers]
Dr. Marian Croak — "Black Engineer of the Year" Who Invented VOIP Technology & Expanded the Internet [Sara Gorsky]
Indestructible Women — Joy Andrew, Margery McCall, & Richmodis von Aducht [Chloe Skye]
Broadly Speaking #2: Introducing Co-Host Chloe Skye!, Coming Out as Transgender, TV Recommendations, & more!
Frida Kahlo — Mexican Painter & Revolutionary Best Known for Her Work Exploring the Concepts of Identity, Pain, and Mexican Heritage [Sara Gorsky]
Annie Edson Taylor — Went Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel [Sam Eggers]
Ella Jo Baker — Grassroots Civil Rights Organizer Against the Deification of Male Leaders (MLK, etc) [Sara Gorsky]
Dr. Jane Cook Wright — Revolutionized Cancer Research [Sam Eggers]
Melina Abdullah — Academic & Civic Leader; Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles [Chloe Skye]
Shirley Chisholm — First African American Woman to Run for President of the United States [Sara Gorsky]
Jacinda Ardern — PM of New Zealand [Chloe Skye]
Bessie Coleman — First African-American & Native American Woman to Earn Pilot's License [Sam Eggers]
Caroline Herschel — Astronomer & Creator of “New General Catalogue” of Stellar Objects; First Woman to be Paid a Salary as a Scientist [Chloe Skye]
Mother Teresa — The Controversial Nun who Lived Intentionally in Poverty & Became a Saint [Sam Eggers]
Ida B. Wells — First Reporter to Break Story About Southern Lynchings [Sara Gorsky]
Coronavirus Sheroes Pt. 2 — Journalism, Immunology, & Indigenous Healthcare [Sara Gorsky]
Jennifer Nelson — Responsible for Bringing "Happy Birthday" Into Public Domain [Chloe Skye]
Ida Tarbell — The Mother of Modern Journalism Ethics Who Took Down Standard Oil [Sam Eggers]
Wangari Muta Maathai — First African Woman to Win a Nobel Prize & Founder of the Green Belt Movement (Responsible for Planting 20M Trees Worldwide)
Mary Edwards Walker — First female U.S. war surgeon, POW, & only woman to receive the Medal of Honor
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra