Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (commonly Leo Tolstoy) was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. He was born on 9 September 1828 at Yasnaya Polyana, a huge family estate, a hundred miles south of Moscow. It was to be his home, on and off, for the rest of his life.
Born to an aristocratic Russian family, he was the fourth of five children of Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy and Princess Mariya Tolstaya. His mother died when he was two and his father when he was nine. Tolstoy and his siblings were brought up by relatives.
In 1844, at age 16, he began studying law and languages at university, but was apparently a very poor student, one lecturer describing him as being “unable and unwilling to learn.” He soon left to return to a life of leisure.
In September 1862, when he was in his thirties, Tolstoy married Sophia Andreevna Behrs, (known as Sonya) who was sixteen years his junior and the daughter of a court physician. They had 13 children, eight of whom survived childhood. In the beginning they were happy, but the marriage become difficult with much bitterness. It has been described as one of the unhappiest marriages in literary history. As Tolstoy’s relationship with his wife deteriorated, he grew a very long beard, became a fitness fanatic and spent most of his time in his study.
For the most part, Tolstoy wrote in the realist style, attempting to accurately detail the lives of the Russians he knew and observed. His first great novel, War and Peace was published in 1869 when he was 41, and Anna Karenina was first published in book form in 1878.
There is no doubting Tolstoy’s stature in the world of literature – by anyone’s standards War and Peace and Anna Karenina are two of the greatest books ever written. I also loved his novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Many readers are daunted by the Russian names which can be confusing, but you should not be put off. His works are so vast in scope and philosophy, his characters are so real – you grieve with Anna as she loses her son and when her relationship with Vronsky begins to collapse. There are some great BBC TV adaptations of both novels – well worth watching. For many people, Tolstoy’s works are books you keep meaning to read and then never get around to.
Equally known for his complicated and paradoxical persona and for his extreme moralistic views, many consider Tolstoy to have been one of the world’s greatest novelists.