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War and Peace

1869 novel by Leo Tolstoy

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"War and Peace" is a monumental 1869 novel by Russian author Leo Tolstoy that weaves together the personal lives of aristocratic families with the historical events of the Napoleonic Wars. The book matters because it is widely considered one of the greatest novels ever written, offering a profound exploration of how individuals navigate love, ambition, and mortality against the backdrop of massive historical forces.

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Book · Open Library

Author: Лев Толстой
First published: 1864
Editions: 643
Subjects: Classic, History, Russian Empire, Fiction, Russia, Russia (federation), fiction, Fiction, historical, Classic Literature

via Open Library

Article

War and Peace (Russian: Война и мир, romanized: Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: Война и миръ; IPA: [vɐjˈna i ˈmʲir]) is an epic novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An early version was published serially beginning in 1865, after which the entire book was rewritten and published in 1869. The novel has claims to be the greatest novel written. It is regarded, with Anna Karenina, as Tolstoy's finest literary achievement, and it remains an internationally praised classic of world literature.

The book chronicles the French invasion of Russia and its aftermath during the Napoleonic era. It uses five interlocking narratives following different Russian aristocratic families to illustrate Napoleon's impact on Tsarist society. Portions of an earlier version, titled The Year 1805, were serialized in The Russian Messenger from 1865 to 1867 before the novel was published in its entirety in 1869.