
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy, the literary titan of Russia, traded his aristocratic lifestyle for a life of simplicity, much to the dismay of his privileged peers. He wrote epic novels like War and Peace and Anna Karenina, proving that love triangles and existential crises are timeless themes—especially when paired with a side of 19th-century Russian politics. Ultimately, Tolstoy became a walking contradiction: a pacifist who wrote about war and a man who sought peace while continually debating his own decisions about whether to wear pants or embrace the art of asceticism.
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War and Peace is Leo Tolstoy’s epic that weaves the lives of aristocrats and soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars, showing that chaos, love, and existential musings can fit into a hefty 1,200-page novel. With more characters than most soap operas and plot twists that rival dramatic reality TV, Tolstoy explores themes of fate, free will, and the awkwardness of dinner parties. Ultimately, it’s a grand reminder that life is a battlefield, where everyone navigates love and loss while dodging cannon fire—preferably with a side of philosophical reflection.

Anna Karenina is Leo Tolstoy’s sweeping tragedy of love and betrayal, where the titular character’s affair with the dashing Count Vronsky leads to social scandal, heartbreak, and one seriously dramatic train station scene. Tolstoy contrasts Anna’s doomed romance with a subplot of philosophical musing on love and happiness, making the novel both a soap opera and a meditation on life’s big questions. In short, it’s a tale that proves love can be a trainwreck—sometimes literally.