Novelist · 1828 – 1910
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
Wrote War and Peace and Anna Karenina, masterpieces of realist fiction, and developed a radical Christian philosophy of nonviolent resistance that shaped twentieth-century movements for social change.
Greatest Achievements
- Wrote War and Peace, an epic interweaving private lives with the sweep of history.
- Wrote Anna Karenina, a profound study of love, society, and moral choice.
- Articulated a doctrine of nonviolent resistance that shaped later reformers.
Major Accomplishments
- Wrote War and Peace, an epic interweaving private lives with the sweep of history.
- Wrote Anna Karenina, a profound study of love, society, and moral choice.
- Articulated a doctrine of nonviolent resistance that shaped later reformers.
Major Works
- War and Peace
- Anna Karenina
- The Death of Ivan Ilyich
- Resurrection
Impact Analysis
Tolstoy's psychological realism reshaped the novel, while his philosophy of nonviolence passed through Gandhi to Martin Luther King Jr. and the great nonviolent movements of the twentieth century.
Historical influence score: 92/100