Leo Tolstoy

The story of the life and death at the age of forty-five, of a high court prosecutor in 19th-century Russia, it is an intense and moving examination of loss and the possibilities of redemption, in which Tolstoy explores the dichotomy between the artificial and the authentic life.

Written over a period of more than half a century, these stories reflect every aspect of Tolstoy's art and personality. They cover his experiences as a solder in the Caucasus, his married life, his passionate interest in the peasantry, his cult of truth and simplicity, and, above all, his growing preoccupation with religion. Ranging in scope from mini-novels like The Kreutzer Sonata and Hadji Murad to tiny folktales a few pages long, they provide...

In Tolstoy's timeless epic of love and loss, a circle of aristocrats finds their glittering world crumbling as war threatens imperial Russia. Set during the years of Napoleon's invasion of Russia, War and Peace follows the changing fortunes of brooding hero Prince Andrej, his bookish friend Pierre, and the spirited but naive Natasha. As Napoleon's armies menace their privileged lives, the horrors of the battlefield reach into the elegant ballrooms...