Leo Tolstoy Biography and Works.

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (September 9, 1828 – November 20, 1910) was a Russian writer. He primarily wrote novels and short stories.

Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. Two of his most famous works – the novels, War and Peace and Anna Karenina – are acknowledged as a pinnacle of realistic fiction.

Leo Tolstoy studied languages and law at the Kazan University for three years. Being dissatisfied with the school, he left Kazan without a degree, returned to his estate and educated himself independently.

Considered to be one of the world’s greatest novelists, Tolstoy is equally known for his complicated persona and for his extreme moralistic views, which he adopted after a moral crisis and spiritual awakening in the 1870s. After this period, he also became noted as a moral thinker and social reformer.

His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus caused him, in later life, to become a fervent Christian anarchist. His ideas on non-violent resistance are expressed in works, such as The Kingdom of God Is Within You. They had a profound impact on pivotal twentieth-century figures, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

He died of pneumonia at the age of 82.

Trivia

He was probably the first writer to have groupies. Towards the end of his life, there were nearly one hundred fans living in and around his home so that they could his greatness firsthand.

Quote

“Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source.”