Lev Nikolajevič Tolstoj

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a leading representative of world realism, a Russian writer, playwright, essayist, and philosopher whose timeless work fundamentally shapes world culture and the theatre stage. The author of monumental novels such as War and Peace and Anna Karenina, he dissected the human soul and society with psychological precision. Among his other masterpieces are the extensive novel Resurrection, the autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood, Youth, and his famous novellas The Death of Ivan Ilyich, The Kreutzer Sonata, and Hadji Murat. He also left a significant mark on playwriting, most notably with the realistic drama The Power of Darkness and the comedy The Fruits of Enlightenment. Alongside writing, he dedicated himself intensively to education, philosophy, and the advocacy of pacifism.