War and Peace, a historical novel

War and peace

War and Peace, the historical novel Leo Tolstoy, was first published as Voyna i Mir in 1865–69. This panoramic study of Early 19th-century Russian society, known for its mastery of the details of reality and various psychoanalysis, is often considered a masterpiece of Russian literature and one of the greatest novels in the world.

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War and Peace began in the Russian city of St. Petersburg in 1805, when fears began to be made about Napoleon's ongoing war. Most of the characters were introduced at parties, including Pierre Bezukhov Andrei Borkonsky and the Kulagin and Rostov families. Much of the novel focuses on the interaction between the Bezukhov couple, Borkunsky and Rostov. After their introduction, Andrei Borkunsky and Nikolai Rostov, led by General Kutuzov, went to the Austrian front, a fictional representative of Mikhail Kutuzov, engaged Napoleon's army. Andre was then wounded in the Battle of Austerlitz and presumed dead until he returned to the home of his wife, Liz, who died in childbirth shortly afterwards. Meanwhile, Pierre marries Helena Kulagina. She was unfaithful to him, and Pierre dueled with another man, nearly killing him. He soon felt overwhelmed by his marriage and left Helen. He joined Freemasonry, which greatly affected his personal and business destiny. At the same time, Nikolai had accumulated a large amount of gambling debts, which caused the Rostov family to lose most of its wealth. Despite promising to marry his cousin Sonia, he was encouraged to marry a wealthy heiress. Nicholas eventually witnessed peace between Tsar Alexander I and Napoleon (Treaty of Tirset, signed in 1807). Andrei soon became involved with Natasha Rostov, but his father told him he would have to wait a year before he could marry her. Some time later, Andre discovers that Natasha is unfaithful. He rejected her, and Pierre comforted her and eventually fell in love with her.

Open the book with a red apple

In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia, forcing Alexander to declare war. André returned to service, and Pierre was forced to believe that he had to assassinate Napoleon himself. As the French advanced, André's sister Mary was forced to leave her home. Nikolai found her in the street, and the two reconnected. Pierre, still insane about his imaginary duties, was arrested by the French army and witnessed many executions, which had a profound effect on him. While in prison, he became acquainted with platon Karatev, a clever farmer. He was later liberated from the French and soon fell ill. After his recovery, he married Natasha and had four children. Nikolai marries Mary and the two live happily married lives.

Historical background

War and Peace is known for its realism, an achievement of Tolstoy through in-depth research. He visited the battlefields, read the history books of the Napoleonic Wars, and used real historical events to create a living historical novel. Tolstoy originally intended to write a film based on the Decembrists, who in 1825 the young people against the Tsar's revolution attempted to end the autocratic rule of Russia. However, the Decembrists failed, and those who survived were sent to Siberia. Tolstoy wanted to portray a Decembrist, now old, returning from exile. However, as Tolstoy wrote and revised, the novel evolved into what is now widely known as War and Peace—a novel that took place more than a decade before the Decembrists. The main historical setting of the novel is the French invasion of Russia before 1812, which was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars and a period of patriotic significance for Russia. Some historians believe that the invasion was an event that evolved into the Decembrists movement a few years later.

Many of the surnames used in War and Peace are minor alterations to real names that Tolstoy encountered in his life — a deliberate strategy designed to make Russians reading it feel familiar. Bolkonsky, for example, is a tampered version of Tolstoy's mother's surname, Volkonsky. Tolstoy also took into account his own family members in creating most of his characters. For example, his sister-in-law Tanya was the inspiration behind Natasha. Tolstoy's first-hand knowledge of war also influenced War and Peace. When he was 26 years old, he fought in the Crimean War, and he also wrote about his experiences under the Siege of Sevastopol in three sketches (published in 1855-56).

Write about war and peace

Tolstoy spent six years writing War and Peace. The novel was originally serialized in 1805 by the Russian periodical Russkiy Vestnik from 1865 onwards, but his somewhat indifferent acceptance and Tolstoy's impulse to revise prompted him and his wife Sofia to decide to stop serialization and instead focus on publishing novels in volumes. Tolstoy continued to write, and he hired the famous artist Mikhail Bashilov to illustrate the novel. By 1868, three volumes had been released and were rapidly selling well. Tolstoy completed three more volumes between 1868 and 1869. Sophia copied several drafts, all by hand. All told, War and Peace occupied more than 1,200 pages when it was first published.