A statue of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy in Moscow.
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If Dostoevsky insists that one cannot shy away from horror and tragedy, Tolstoy would contend that people must act upon what they see.
Warren Clarke, Richard Harrington, Ruby Bentall, Aidan Turner, and Kyle Soller in Poldark.
Mammoth Screen
The next time you watch a duel on television or in a film, it might be worth recalling the history and meaning of this very serious rite of honour.
In Leo Tolstoy’s ‘Anna Karenina,’ each character approaches marriage with a different set of expectations – and many succumb to disappointment.
Internet Archive Book Images
In their coverage of Meghan and Harry, the media are focusing on all of the wrong things. Thankfully, Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy had sharp insights about marriage that still resonate today.
An illustration from a 1914 edition of Anna Karenina.
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Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is often acclaimed as the best novel ever written. The enthralling narrative explores love and family through intertwining plot lines, with Anna and her desire at the centre.
Vladimir and Vera Nabokov in 1969.
Giuseppe Pino, Wikimedia Commons
From Tolstoy to Mark Twain, the most famous writers owe many words of thanks to their long-suffering wives.
A Soviet-era stamp depicts a scene from Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace.’
Wikimedia Commons
Set during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, the epic novel is a case study in the grassroots strength of ordinary people.
BBC/Robert Viglasky
You don’t need to wade through the whole novel – we’ve done it for you.
BBC/Mitch Jenkins/Kaia Zak
Leo Tolstoy didn’t blush over racy themes.