LiteratureBook · 1869
War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy
Five aristocratic families live through Napoleon's invasion of Russia, from the drawing rooms of Petersburg to Austerlitz, Borodino and the burning of Moscow. Tolstoy first serialised part of it as The Year 1805 between 1865 and 1867, then rewrote it into the complete novel published in 1869.
Why you should read this
This sprawling novel follows several aristocratic Russian families across the Napoleonic Wars, alternating intimate domestic scenes with long philosophical digressions on history, chance and free will. Best for readers prepared for a genuinely long, slow read rather than a tightly plotted historical epic.
- Field
- Literature
- Form
- Fiction
- Published
- 1869
- Themes
- Russian LiteratureLiterature
