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The Last Station, a novel by Jay Parini ’70 about the last year in Leo Tolstoy’s life, has been made into a major film set for release next year. The cast includes Christopher Plummer as the Russian writer and philosopher and Helen Mirren as his wife, as well as James McAvoy and Paul Giamatti. Michael Hoffman (The Emperor’s Club, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) directed and wrote the screenplay. Parini played a significant advisory role, spending time on the set in Germany and assisting Hoffman with editing in London.
Published in 1990, Parini’s book explores Tolstoy’s troubled marriage, marked by the conflict between his desire to live a simple life and his wife’s insistence on luxury. It is being reissued in more than 30 languages.