How to Write Like Tolstoy

A Journey into the Minds of Our Greatest Writers

By: Richard Cohen

Narrated by: Richard Cohen

Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Behind every acclaimed work of literature is a trove of heartfelt decisions. The best authors put painstaking - sometimes obsessive - effort into each element of their stories, from plot and character development to dialogue and point of view. 

Veteran editor and teacher Richard Cohen draws on his vast reservoir of a lifetime's reading and his insight into what makes good prose soar. Here are Gabriel Garcia Márquez's thoughts on how to start a novel ("In the first paragraph you solve most of the problems with your book"); Virginia Woolf offering her definition of style ("It is all rhythm. Once you get that, you can't use the wrong words"); and Vladimir Nabokov on the nature of fiction ("All great novels are great fairy tales"). 

Cohen has researched the published works and private utterances of our greatest authors to discover the elements that made their prose memorable. The result is a unique exploration of the act and art of writing that enriches our experience of reading both the classics and the best modern fiction. Evoking the marvelous, the famous, and the irreverent, he reveals the challenges that even the greatest writers faced - and shows us how they surmounted them.

©2016 Narrative Tension, Inc. (P)2020 Tantor

Excellent content

Richard Cohen’s book is magnificent. His reading however leaves a lot to be desired, and the actual quality of the recording is uneven. Recommended heartily.

Excellent analysis of the tools of writing

A broad panorama of what makes effective literature work. Richard Cohen is the best. His commentary is on target.

Great book on writing, but the title is misleading

And I had issues with the narrator. First off, as a book on writing, this is informative. All the principles are covered and various examples from scores of writers are provided. So, I'm a bit confused by the tittle. We learn a bit more about Tolstoy and more examples of his work are provided compared to the other writers, but this is hardly a book about how to write like him. I assumed we'd get in depth analysis of his major works -- how he came up with the idea, how he developed the characters, etc. -- but we don't get that at all. Doubt your knowledge of Tolstoy will increase in any meaningful way. That said, if you're looking for a book on writing, this does the job. Before you think of buying it, definitely listen to the audio sample. To me, this is yet another example of why it's almost always better to go with a professional actor instead of the author. It's hard to describe, but Cohen's sad, singsong voice just wasn't to my liking. Felt like he'd be great voicing Eyeore in the Pooh stories, but other than that, I'd prefer to hear another narrator.