# Leo Tolstoy

By [Karma444](https://paragraph.com/@karma444) · 2023-02-01

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[Count](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count) **Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy**[\[note 1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-2) ([/ˈtoʊlstɔɪ, ˈtɒl-/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English);[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-3) Russian: Лев Николаевич Толстой,[\[note 2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-4) IPA: [\[ˈlʲef nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tɐlˈstoj\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Russian) ([listen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Ru-Lev_Nikolayevich_Tolstoy.ogg)); 9 September \[[O.S.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates) 28 August\] 1828 – 20 November \[[O.S.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates) 7 November\] 1910), usually referred to in English as **Leo Tolstoy**, was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-Britannica-5) He received nominations for the [Nobel Prize in Literature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_in_Literature) every year from 1902 to 1906 and for the [Nobel Peace Prize](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize) in 1901, 1902, and 1909; the fact that he never won is a major [controversy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_controversies#Literature).[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-6)[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-7)[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-8)[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-9)

Born to an aristocratic Russian family in 1828,[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-Britannica-5) Tolstoy's notable works include the novels [_War and Peace_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_and_Peace) (1869) and [_Anna Karenina_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Karenina) (1878),[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-10) often cited as pinnacles of [realist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_realism) fiction.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-Britannica-5) He first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-autobiographical trilogy, [_Childhood_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_\(Tolstoy_novel\)), [_Boyhood_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyhood_\(novel\)), and [_Youth_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_\(Leo_Tolstoy_novel\)) (1852–1856), and [_Sevastopol Sketches_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sevastopol_Sketches) (1855), based upon his experiences in the [Crimean War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War). His fiction includes dozens of short stories such as "[After the Ball](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_the_Ball_\(short_story\))" (1911), and several [novellas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novella) such as [_The Death of Ivan Ilyich_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Ivan_Ilyich) (1886), [_Family Happiness_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Happiness) (1859) and [_Hadji Murad_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadji_Murat_\(novel\)) (1912). He also wrote [plays](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_\(theater\)) and philosophical essays.

In the 1870s, Tolstoy experienced a profound moral crisis, followed by what he regarded as an equally profound spiritual awakening, as outlined in his non-fiction work [_A Confession_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession) (1882). His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the [Sermon on the Mount](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sermon_on_the_Mount), caused him to become a fervent [Christian anarchist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_anarchism) and [pacifist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-pacifist).[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-Britannica-5) His ideas on [nonviolent resistance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_resistance), expressed in such works as [_The Kingdom of God Is Within You_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_You) (1894), had a profound impact on such pivotal 20th-century figures as [Mahatma Gandhi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi)[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-ResistNotEvil-11) and [Martin Luther King Jr.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.)[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy#cite_note-12) He also became a dedicated advocate of [Georgism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgism), the economic philosophy of [Henry George](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_George), which he incorporated into his writing, particularly [_Resurrection_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_\(Tolstoy_novel\)) (1899).

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