War and Peace (Illustrated with TOC and Original Commentary)

by Leo Tolstoy, Charles River Editors (Introduction)

Overview

Leo Tolstoy (September 9, 1828 – November 20, 1910) was a Russian writer who earned fame and global renown for his novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Writing during the late 19th century, Tolstoy lived during a literary period in which Realism flourished, and today his two novels are considered the apex of realist fiction. Tolstoy is also known for his complex and somewhat paradoxical persona, holding both moralistic and ascetic views during the final decades of his life.

War and Peace is an unquestioned masterpiece, depicting in vivid and graphic detail the events of the Napoleonic Era leading up to Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, and the impact these events had on Tsarist Russia’s society. The narrative tells the tale through the eyes of 5 Russian aristocratic families. The novel was first published in its entirety in 1869, and in 2009 the magazine Newsweek ranked it the best book ever written.

This edition of War and Peace is specially formatted with a Table of Contents, an original introduction, and over a dozen images of Tolstoy and important historical characters and battles depicted in the novel.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940012945679
Publisher:	Charles River Editors
Publication date:	06/10/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

A Russian author of novels, short stories, plays, and philosophical essays, Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was born into an aristocratic family and is best known for the epic books War and Peace and Anna Karenina, regarded as two of the greatest works of Russian literature. After serving in the Crimean War, Tolstoy retired to his estate and devoted himself to writing, farming, and raising his large family. His novels and outspoken social polemics brought him world-wide fame.

Date of Birth:

September 9, 1828

Date of Death:

November 20, 1910

Place of Birth:

Tula Province, Russia

Place of Death:

Astapovo, Russia

Education:

Privately educated by French and German tutors; attended the University of Kazan, 1844-47