A master of words, a literary genius and a philosopher, Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is known by many as the greatest writer of all time. Even in 2020, 110 years after his death, his two greatest masterpieces, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, continue to be widely read, appreciated and highly influential.
"If the world could write by itself, it would write like Tolstoy," the Russian author Isaak Babel once said. Tolstoy's realistic fiction is famous for its powers of observation and ability to mine the depths of human consciousness, such as the psychological exploration of a married woman in Anna Karenina. In War and Peace, Tolstoy also describes Russia's national soul and expresses public unity through his many characters. His characters feel alive; they grow, they change and they stick in the minds of readers long after the final page is turned.
Tolstoy's influence on literature is without comparison. Authors regularly mention his novels as their highest ambition, works that they could only dream of writing themselves. American writer Francis Scott called Tolstoy the "greatest of all novelists" in his essay. He wrote, "from his first words, we can be sure of one thing at any rate – here is a man who sees what we see, who proceeds, too, as we are accustomed to proceeding, not from the outside inwards but from the inside outwards."
"He defends fundamental values such as love, friendship and family relations. He gives positive answers to the questions mankind is asking. In this sense he gives more hope," Tolstoy's great-great grandson, Vladimir Ilyich Tolstoy, said.
Tolstoy's message of peace has even had an effect on the real world. He inspired the leader of India's independence movement, Mahatma Ghandi, and his philosophy of non-violence over the course of a year in which they wrote letters to each other.