Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910), the author of War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877), was celebrated as a literary giant who portrayed all of life with particular detail and universal emotion. As Isaac Babel wrote, “If the world could write by itself, it would write like Tolstoy.” Tolstoy’s later work included the novella The Death of Ivan Ilych. After a singular spiritual crisis in his later life, Tolstoy disavowed his masterpieces and died at the Astapovo train station, days after gathering the courage to abandon his family and wealth.
Portrait by Ilya Efimovich Repin.
WORKS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN NARRATIVE:
- The Beauty of the Night, a novel excerpt, in Stories of the Week: 2021–2022
- The Death of Prince Andrei, a novel excerpt, in Stories of the Week: 2014–2015
- A Sleigh Ride, a short story, in Stories of the Week: 2015–2016
- How Much Land Does a Man Need?, a short story, in Stories of the Week: 2013–2014
- Frou-Frou, a novel excerpt, in Stories of the Week: 2012–2013
- Childhood, Boyhood, Youth, a review or criticism, in Spring 2006