When he arrived in Moscow in 1851, a young Leo Tolstoy set himself three immediate aims: to gamble, to marry, and to obtain a post. At that time he managed only the first. The writer's momentous life would be full of forced breaks and abrupt departures, from the death of his beloved parents and tortuous courtship to a deep spiritual crisis and an abandonment of the social class into which he had been born. He also made several attempts to break up with literature, but each time he returned to writing. In this original and comprehensive biography, Andrei Zorin skillfully pieces together the life of one of the greatest novelists of all time. He offers both an innovative account of Tolstoy's deepest feelings, emotions, and motives, as reflected in his personal diaries and letters, and a brilliant interpretation of his major works, including his celebrated novels on contemporary Russian society, *War and Peace* and *Anna Karenina*.
Leo Tolstoy
Titles in the series Critical Lives present the work of leading cultural figures of the modern period. Each book explores the life of the artist, writer, philosopher or architect in question and relates it to their major works.
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Stendhal
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Leo Tolstoy
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Andrei Zorin
REAKTION BOOKS
Published by Reaktion Books Ltd
Unit 32, Waterside
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London N1 7UX, UK
First published 2020
Copyright © Andrei Zorin 2020
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers
Page References in the Photo Acknowledgements Match the Printed Edition of this Book.
Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt. Ltd
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
eISBN: 978 1 78914 256 3
