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Alexandra Popoff

Goodreads Author

Born

Moscow, Russian Federation

Website

http://www.russianliteratureandbiography.com/

Twitter

@AlexandraPopoff

Genre

Biography, Nonfiction

Member Since

August 2010

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ALEXANDRA POPOFF is a former Moscow journalist and Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow. She is an expert on Russian cultural history and the author of five literary biographies, including the award-winning VASILY GROSSMAN (2019) and SOPHIA TOLSTOY (2010). Her book THE WIVES became a Wall Street Journal best non-fiction title for 2012. Popoff's latest book is a concise interpretive biography of AYN RAND ( Yale UP, Jewish Lives, 2024).

VASILY GROSSMAN AND THE SOVIET CENTURY won the 2019 Canadian Jewish Literary award for Biography, became a Finalist in the 2019 National Jewish Book Awards, Biography category, and was long-listed for the 2019 Cundill History Prize.

Popoff has written for The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, National Post, ...more

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Average rating: 4.12 · 631 ratings · 124 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography 4.16 avg rating — 199 ratings — published 2010 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wives: The Women Behind Russia's Literary Giants 3.92 avg rating — 201 ratings — published 2012 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vasily Grossman and the Soviet Century 4.33 avg rating — 181 ratings — published 2019 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tolstoy's False Disciple 4.15 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 2014 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ayn Rand: Writing a Gospel of Success 3.76 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2024 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	As esposas: As mulheres nos bastidores da vida e obra de prodígios da literatura russa 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Alexandra Popoff's Blog

My Response to Gary S. Morson's attack on Ayn Rand

This is my response to Gary Morson’s critique of my biography Ayn Rand: Writing a Gospel of Success. My letter appeared in the 2025 winter issue of Jewish Review of Books, under the title “Life and Capital”.

An amusing quote attributed to Reverend Sydney Smith and later appropriated by Oscar Wilde says: “I never read a book before reviewing it: it prejudices a man so.”

This fully applies to Gary Mor Read more of this blog post »

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Published on June 24, 2025 12:16 • Tags: alexandra-popoff, atlas-shrugged, ayn-rand, gary-morson, goddess-of-the-market, jennifer-burns, jewish, writing-a-gospel-of-success

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Alexandra is Currently Reading

Alexandra Popoff is currently reading

The First Man

by Albert Camus

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Oct 19, 2025 09:42AM

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Alexandra Popoff is currently reading The First Man by Albert Camus	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 19, 2025 09:42AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The First Man by Albert Camus. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The First Man by Albert Camus <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Alexandra Popoff rated a book it was amazing Letters by Saul Bellow	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Alexandra Popoff is currently reading The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine by Alexander S. Vindman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Alexandra Popoff rated a book it was amazing Jews and Power (Jewish Encounters Series) by Ruth R. Wisse	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Discovering Russi...: Anna Karenina - Part Six - Chapters 1 - 32 (May 15 to 22)	12	31	May 26, 2012 08:28AM
The Reading For P...: What's on Your Monthly TBR?-May 2019	54	53	Jun 03, 2019 01:36PM
Reading the 20th ...: What books are you reading now? (2017-19)	2003	235	Jun 10, 2019 08:43PM
Reading the 20th ...: Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman (June/July 2019)	150	71	Jul 30, 2019 04:31AM
The Reading For P...: Chrissie's 2019 Books, Ratings and Reviews	258	103	Dec 31, 2019 06:03AM
Non Fiction Book ...: Non-Fiction Book You Are Currently Reading or Just Finished ~ 2019	1191	349	Dec 31, 2019 01:47PM

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Alexandra’s Year In Books

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Alexandra Popoff

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