Tolstoy, L: War and Peace

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This volume is a new translation of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, for the American reader, by Daniel H. Shubin. For War and Peace to have the recognition of the greatest historical-fiction novel ever composed is an understatement, as it does not include its aspect of the philosophy of history provided by Tolstoy in regard to the conflicts and wars between France and Russia, and Napoleon's invasion of Russia and retreat. It is equally entertaining as it delves into Russian traditions, home life, adventure, love, ambition romantic manipulation, and the responsibility of parents and landlords. the aristocracy and the peasantry. In addition is the incorporation of Tolstoy's Christian humanist philosophy by using several characters of the novel as his mouthpiece. Individual agonies of the difficulty of dealing with life's issues in so many aspects is included in almost each chapter. Likewise there is hardly an event or scenario that does not deal with some facet of personal success or happiness, and death and its impact on others, the failure of relationships, and hope that provides perseverance for the future. Especially noticeable is Tolstoy's ability to allow some random event to affect lives and situations.

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Notă biografică

Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (9 September [O.S. 28 August] 1828 - 20 November [O.S. 7 November] 1910), usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time.[3] He received multiple nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year from 1902 to 1906 and nominations for Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902 and 1910 and the fact that he never won is a major Nobel prize controversy. Born to an aristocratic Russian family in 1828,[3] he is best known for the novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877),[8] often cited as pinnacles of realist fiction.[3] He first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-autobiographical trilogy, Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth (1852-1856), and Sevastopol Sketches (1855), based upon his experiences in the Crimean War. Tolstoy's fiction includes dozens of short stories and several novellas such as The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886), Family Happiness (1859), and Hadji Murad (1912). He also wrote plays and numerous philosophical essays. In the 1870s Tolstoy experienced a profound moral crisis, followed by what he regarded as an equally profound spiritual awakening, as outlined in his non-fiction work A Confession (1882). His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him to become a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist.[3] Tolstoy's ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You (1894), had a profound impact on such pivotal 20th-century figures as Mahatma Gandhi[9] and Martin Luther King Jr.[10] Tolstoy also became a dedicated advocate of Georgism, the economic philosophy of Henry George, which he incorporated into his writing, particularly Resurrection (1899).