Lev Nikolàevič Tolstoj

The Profile

Russian author and central figure of realist literature, Tolstoy wrote major novels including War and Peace and Anna Karenina. His later period focused on moral and spiritual questions, influencing thinkers such as Mahatma Gandhi.

Russian novelist and essayist; leading realist; author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina; wrote The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Resurrection; later religious and philosophical writings; corresponded with Mahatma Gandhi.

Three reviews tackle Tolstoy’s big themes with gusto: love and social stigma in Anna Karenina, mortality and hypocrisy in The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and moral reckoning in Resurrection. Readers praise Tolstoy’s psychological acuity, social critique, and late spiritual concerns. Expect keen analysis, strong opinions, and choice quotations.