Nikolai Tolstoy is an English-Russian author and was Patrick O'Brian's step-son, their relationship spanned forty-five years during O'Brian's marriage to Mary Tolstoy, Nikolai's mother. He has written a number of books, including Patrick O'Brian - The Making of the Novelist, The Coming of the King and Victims of Yalta. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1979.
Praise for Nikolai Tolstoy: 'One of the most gripping literary biographies of recent years' Sunday Times Culture 'Admirers of O'Brian's work will regard it as required reading' Guardian 'Tolstoy writes with that passion to understand that characterises the best biographies' Spectator 'Reading Tolstoy is like reading a fine, detailed detective story ... To be treasured because it exposes and rebuts much falseness that has been written about O'Brian.' The Times