HAPPY BIRTHDAY – Leo Tolstoy, born 9 September 1828
“If you want to be happy, be.”
Leo Tolstoy 1897
When 125 famous authors were asked to choose what they thought was the greatest novel of the 19th C, they selected Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.
There is no doubting Tolstoy’s stature in the world of literature – by anyone’s standards his 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.
Make this year the year you start to read Tolstoy!
Have you read any of his work? Tell me in the comment area below.
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Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
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