A few brief facts about the man:
The highly esteemed novelist was born Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy on September 9, 1828 in Yasnaya Polyana, in the Russian Empire.
He was both a pacifist and a Christian anarchist.
He influenced Martin Luther.
He was admired by William Faulkner.
I recently learned that three of my favorite characters of all time were in many ways depictions of himself: Pierre Bezukhov, Prince Andrei (both from War and Peace), and Konstantin "Kostya"
Dmitrievich Levin (from Anna Karenina).
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| Tolstoy photographed at his Yasnaya Polyana estate in May 1908 by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky. |
“A Frenchman's self-assurance stems from his belief that he is mentally and physically irresistibly fascinating to both men and women. An Englishman's self-assurance is founded on his being a citizen of the best organized state in the world and on the fact that, as an Englishman, he always knows what to do, and that whatever he does as an Englishman is unquestionably correct. An Italian is self-assured because he is excitable and easily forgets. A Russian is self-assured simply because he knows nothing and does not want to know anything, since he does not believe in the possibility of knowing anything fully.”
There are a lot of experts out there who have perhaps exhausted all there is to say about Leo Tolstoy. I don’t intend to add anything new to that conversation, and I certainly don’t have time to reiterate everything that’s worth noting. However, when one reads an author and truly connects with the characters, empathizes with their humanity, mourns over their bad decisions, and weeps with joy over their success...you’ve allowed yourself to be transformed by that author’s work in a way that is perhaps irreversible and is even unadulterated by mere textbook-and-lecture familiarity.
On that topic, now that I’ve come to know Tolstoy through War and Peace and Anna Karenina, I’d certainly love to not only explore his other, lesser-known works, but I’d love to learn more about him, as well. Preferably, I'd like to do so while sipping from that coffee mug.
Below is a favorite excerpt of mine from my all-time favorite novel, War and Peace:
Whatever Petya might have seen now, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise. He was in a land of pure magic, where anything was possible.
He glanced up at the sky. That too was as magical as the earth. It was beginning to clear, and the clouds scudded across the tree-tops as if they wanted to uncover the stars. For a moment it seemed as if the heavens were clearing to open up a pure black sky. Then these black patches began to look like stormclouds. Then the sky seemed to soar away higher and higher; then it was falling back, falling down, and you could almost reach out and touch it.
Petya’s eyes were closing and he was beginning to nod. Raindrops dripped. Low voices murmured. The horses neighed and shook themselves. Somebody snored.
In conclusion, every self-respecting individual needs one good pair of Tolstoy boots to get through the winter season. I suggest something like the boot pictured here. However, whatever you choose, the pair should have straps/buckles, be tall enough to walk through the wilderness comfortably, be of high quality but cost-effective, and be suitable for horseback-riding. These are all things to consider even as we prepare to transition into the Autumn season.
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In other news, we are in the final stages of tweaking the paperback of Wolves and Men so that it is of the absolute highest quality. This is a tedious process, and not my favorite part of writing or publishing. However, I am looking forward to announcing the release date very soon, and appreciate your continued support. Thank you for reading!
Below is the latest customer/reader review on Amazon.com:
What a wonderful read .Very well written. with an easy to follow story line. I couldn't put it down as it's one of those books that you stay up all night to read.
Thank you, Judy for reading and sharing!
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What is your favorite Tolstoy quote?
Which is your favorite novel/work by Leo Tolstoy?
How are you enjoying the ebook of Wolves and Men so far?
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