War and Peace
(Leo Tolstoy)

In War and Peace, Tolstoy writes about an actual war, the Patriotic War of 1812, which is not to be confused with the war between the US and Britain in the same year.

Here's the rundown of this war, which was between France and Russia. Napoleon marched into Russia in June, crossing the Neman River. After several smaller battles and fights, the French army ended up in Borodino, right outside of Moscow. This was the bloodiest battle in Napoleon's career. Even though France technically won the battle of Borodino, they lost so many men that, after they'd captured Moscow, they were unable to continue in Russia. The Russian army, on the other hand, grew in strength from new recruits, and proceeded to chase and slaughter any fragments of the French army.

Even though Tolstoy was not alive yet to see this war, which the Russians call the Patriotic War of 1812, he did have experience with warfare, having both served as a soldier and a war correspondent. As a journalist, he reported on horrific battlefield scenes, painting some of the world's first realistic word pictures of the tragedy of war.

So when we read War and Peace, we want to keep two things in mind. First, this was a real war, and much of the events are very accurate historically. Kutuzov, Alexander, and Napoleon were all real people. In fact, War and Peace was one of the first books to combine reality with fiction. Tolstoy portrayed historic figures alongside fictional characters of his novel, blending two genres to make something new. So when you read of the fighting and bloodshed, remember that all that really happened.

The Second thing to keep in mind about War and Peace is that many of the events (or kinds of events) in the book were taken from Tolstoy's personal experience. He did see horrific battles as both a soldier and journalist. He was very familiar with Russian aristocracy because he grew up in that kind of environment. The real human issues Tolstoy writes about are real for him, and that should make them even more real for us.

About the Author

Leo Nicolaevich Tolstoy was born in 1828, in an upper-class family. He attended the University of Kazan in 1844. As a young man, he had an active social life. In 1852, he joined the army and was posted along the border of Georgia, where he occasionally participated in expeditions against the Chechenians. He began to travel abroad in 1857, but by then he was a famous writer.

He was married to Sonya Andreyevna Bers, and she helped him manage his country estate and edit his books. During the years that his family was growing, he wrote War and Peace, as well as Anna Karenina.

While he was writing Anna Karenina, he suffered a major crisis, which lead to his conversion. Afterward, he became more and more obsessed with his quest for the ultimate truth of human existence. These philosophies divided him from his family, but they also often show up in his writing.