# Leo, Tolstoy

## Biography

Leo, graf Tolstoy, born Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy in 1828, was a celebrated Russian author and moral philosopher, scion of an aristocratic family. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by relatives at the family estate, Yasnaya Polyana. He briefly studied at Kazan University before leaving without a degree, embarking on a period of indulgence. Tolstoy later joined the army, serving in the Crimean War, an experience that deeply influenced his views and early writings like Sevastopol Sketches.

He achieved international acclaim for his monumental novels, War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877), considered masterpieces of realistic fiction. After these successes, Tolstoy underwent a profound spiritual crisis, leading him to a radical form of Christian anarchism. He championed a simple, moral lifestyle, advocating nonviolence and social reform, often conflicting with the Russian Orthodox Church and the state. He dedicated his later life to philosophical and religious writings. Tolstoy died in 1910, at the age of 82.

## Books

- [The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories](https://samolit.com/books/96743)
- [What Men Live By, and Other Tales](https://samolit.com/books/96215)
- [Anna Karenina](https://samolit.com/books/95868)
- [War and Peace](https://samolit.com/books/95804)