Contents
Leo Tolstoy
Writing War and Peace and Anna Karenina.
Russian literature · Nonviolence
- Born
- 9 September 1828
- Birthplace
- Yasnaya Polyana, Russia
- Died
- 20 November 1910
More people
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy was a Russian novelist who joined close observation of individual lives with questions about history, morality and society. His later religious and ethical writing advocated nonviolence and a radical simplification of life.
Early life
Estate childhood
Born into an aristocratic family and orphaned while young.
Unfinished studies
Attended Kazan University before returning to estate life without a degree.
Career
- 1850s
Soldier and writer
Served in the Caucasus and Crimea while publishing early fiction.
- 1860s–1870s
Major novels
Developed the large-scale novels that established his international standing.
- 1880s onwards
Ethical writing
Turned increasingly to religion, social criticism and shorter fiction.
Selected work
War and Peace
Follows families and armies through the Napoleonic invasion of Russia.
Anna Karenina
Interweaves an adulterous relationship with competing visions of family and meaningful work.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich
A dying official re-examines the life he considered successful.
Beyond work
Family collaboration
His wife Sophia copied manuscripts and managed substantial household responsibilities.
Education and nonviolence
Ran a school on his estate and later corresponded with Mahatma Gandhi.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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