Recognized as the greatest novel ever written, War and Peace is a perennial bestseller, with reprints appearing regularly, even nearly a century and a half after its original publication. Here are just a few reasons why Tolstoy's epic continues to attract, enlighten, and inspire readers of all ages and backgrounds, and why you might want to put it at the top of your reading list, too.
1. This novel is a mirror of our time.
At its core, War and Peace is a book about people trying to find their footing in a world turned upside down by war, social and political changes, and mental turmoil. The existential angst of Tolstoy and his heroes is familiar to us living at the beginning of the twenty-first century, and his novel can tell us something important for us right now. This book shows how moments of crisis can either overwhelm us or help us discover deep sources of strength and creativity within ourselves.
2. This novel is a fascinating history lesson.
If you like history, you'll love War and Peace for its striking and insightful portrayal of a time of great change. Tolstoy brings the past to life, immersing you in long-forgotten trifles everyday life, something that historians usually overlook. And he succeeds so well that even Soviet soldiers who were given chapters from War and Peace to read during World War II claimed that Tolstoy’s description of the war captured them more than the actual battles that took place before their eyes. Thanks to War and Peace, most Russians consider the War of 1812 and the famous bloody Battle of Borodino to be their unique victory. Tens of thousands of their compatriots were killed on the Borodino field, but this battle was a foreshadowing of Napoleon's fateful retreat from Moscow - a turning point that forever changed the course of European history, and was described by Tolstoy as powerfully as any historian could.
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3. This novel helps to understand today's Russia.
If you want to understand why today's Russians have such difficult relationships with the West, read War and Peace. Tolstoy's interpretation unsuccessful attempt Napoleon's conquest of Russia in 1812 was so deeply rooted in Russian cultural code that subsequent Russian leaders more than once used her to illustrate both the greatness of their country and its vulnerability in the face of external threats... But there is something else in “War and Peace”: a preaching of comprehensive love for humanity, which goes far beyond the scope of any politics. Tolstoy offers a model of patriotism free of nationalism that is worth listening to.
4. This is one of the wisest self-improvement books you will ever read.
War and Peace is not only a great novel. It is also a guide to life. What Tolstoy offers is not so much a set of answers to various life problems, but rather a worldview. He encourages us not to be content with other people's advice and recipes, but to join him and his heroes in search of deeper meanings, to continue asking ourselves important issues and find your own, reliable experience in everything. “History,” Tolstoy seems to be telling us, “is what happens to us. And our destiny is what we ourselves do with all this.”
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5. This is a fun read
"War and Peace" is a novel filled with such a volume of human experience that no other work of modern fiction has even dreamed of. Over the course of three hundred and sixty-one chapters, written with cinematic imagery, Tolstoy smoothly moves from the ballroom to the battlefield, from a wedding to the scene of a mortal massacre, from private life to crowd scenes. In Tolstoy’s world you see, hear and feel everything: here the sunrise lights up, here a cannonball whistles, here is a horse-drawn team dashing along, here is someone’s miraculous birth, here is someone’s cruel death, and here is everything that happened between them. Everything that a human being is capable of experiencing is described by Tolstoy in War and Peace.
6. You will get to know a lot of interesting people.
More precisely, almost 600. How often do we manage to meet short term so many people from different walks of life? And each of these people, even the most insignificant of them, is absolutely alive and recognizable. There is not a single unambiguously bad or unimpeachably good character in War and Peace, which is what makes them so real and human. Even Napoleon - an almost villainous character - is described in an interesting way, to say the least. In some moments, Tolstoy invites us to look into his soul and feel his pain, as at Borodino, where Napoleon, examining a field strewn with corpses, is fully aware of both his own cruelty and his own powerlessness. As a writer, Tolstoy strictly follows the vow given to himself: “to tell, show, but not judge,” which is why the characters he created are so “breathing,” so alive.
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7. This novel will make you enjoy life.
This book contains, on the one hand, descriptions of human cruelty and blood-drenched battlefields, and on the other hand, examples of the most powerful moments of extraordinary bliss that can be found in world literature. Here Prince Andrei, prostrate on the battlefield, for the first time in his life looks into the sky and sees in it the stunning immensity of the Universe; here is Natasha - she dances and sings as if no one sees her; or Nikolai Rostov, in the heat of a wolf hunt, feels himself a beast of prey. “People are like rivers,” Tolstoy once wrote. - The water is the same in everyone and the same everywhere, but every river is sometimes narrow, sometimes fast, sometimes wide, sometimes quiet. So are people. Each person carries within himself the rudiments of all human properties and sometimes displays some, sometimes others, and is often completely unlike himself, remaining one and himself.” The world depicted by Tolstoy in his greatest novel, is a place full of mystery, where things are not always what they seem, and today's tragedy only opens the way to tomorrow's triumph. This thought inspired Nelson Mandela in prison, who called War and Peace his favorite novel. She consoles and inspires us - even in our own troubled times.
Moral lessons of Leo Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”
An excellent source for the spiritual improvement of a person is the second Russian classic half of the 19th century century, which is represented by writers of that era. Turgenev, Ostrovsky, Nekrasov, Tolstoy are only a small part of that outstanding galaxy of Russian writers who became famous not only in their homeland, but also gained recognition throughout the world. Their works have become classics. It is not for nothing that the writer Tolstoy was called “a teacher in life and art.” Considering the work of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, one cannot help but dwell on such a work as “War and Peace”.
The main theme of this novel is the heroic struggle of the Russian people against the French invaders. But along with main theme Lev Nikolaevich put a lot global problems and resolved them with such depth that this novel can be called a textbook of life. What moral questions did Lev Nikolaevich answer? These are problems of the relationship between the individual and society, the role of the individual in history, false and true patriotism.
This work is filled with love for the Motherland and pride in its past. The novel shows how the Russian spirit and Russian courage manifest themselves in the fight against enemies. The people defended their homeland not only at the front; partisan detachments operated in the rear, smashing the enemy. As Tolstoy wrote, “a club people's war rose with all her formidable and majestic strength and nailed the French until she defeated the entire invasion.” I think that Tolstoy's novel became greatest monument heroes of 1812, taking their rightful place in the history of our country.
After reading the novel, I realized that every person should have a goal in life. In Tolstoy's work, everyone goodie seeks his meaning in life and finds it. The searches did not always lead the heroes of the work immediately to the right path. For example, Pierre Bezukhov first indulged in wine and carousing, then became interested in the Freemasons. Soon he falls into war, and the war becomes a turning point in his life. He finds his goal - serving the Russian people.
The goal of my life is also to serve the good of the fatherland. What is it? To live, first of all, for my loved ones, for those people who surround me, to find a job and become a master of my craft.
The novel by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy teaches me to distinguish true patriotism from false. I realized that true patriots- these are people who do their job unnoticed, sometimes without suspecting that they are performing a feat. For example, Tushin does not know that victory today everyone owes him, he even considers himself guilty, although during the battle he set an example of courage, heroism, and soldierly valor. Natasha Rostova, without hesitation, gives the carts to the wounded. Pierre, with his own money and from his peasants, recruits a militia and maintains it. Natasha Rostova, Pierre, Prince Andrei, Tushin - they all behave like true patriots. When the war began, not all representatives secular society took part in military operations. The author speaks with irony about the introduction of a fine for those who did not give up the French language. For these people, patriotism consists of idle talk. Tolstoy mercilessly exposes their cowardice. After all, true patriotism lies in active actions, and not in empty speculation about abstract subjects,
The novel teaches us to understand what it is true beauty, and comparing Helen with Marya Bolkonskaya will help to understand this better. Lev Nikolaevich portrays Helen as a brilliant beauty, but she inner world wretchedly poor. But Princess Marya, who is not at all attractive in appearance, is endowed with tall spiritual qualities. Tolstoy says that true beauty lies in the soul, in the generous human heart. For him, spiritual beauty is more important than external beauty. And I completely agree with this.
From the novel I also learn about what love is, what true friendship is. The example of the friendship between Prince Andrei and Pierre shows what real human friendship is. I also became more familiar with such a feeling as love. The author says that love is a feeling that must go through difficulties. Having experienced and suffered a lot, Natasha understands that she loved only Andrei Bolkonsky.
In his work, Tolstoy exposes the careerists. These include Boris Drubetskoy. Using the low qualities of his soul, this person is looking for influential acquaintances, the goal of his life is to work his way up the career ladder. He rejects marriage to Natasha Rostova, as it threatened his career. It is impossible not to condemn such people.
The novel “War and Peace” for me is not only a book about the historical past of the country, but also a book of morality. From it I learned many moral lessons that will help me in life. This novel made me think about the problems of courage, friendship, loyalty, and moral issues that every person certainly decides for himself. In our difficult times, when all values are being reconsidered, we need a pure source from which we can draw the most sacred, the most pure, the brightest. I believe that L.N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is just such a source.
I first read War and Peace more than half a century ago during my first paid vacation, which I spent in Perros-Guirec. At that time I was an employee of the France-Presse agency and was writing my first novel, being deeply convinced that this literary genre, unlike others, the main condition of quality was volume, that great novels, as a rule, were large, because they covered so many layers of reality and seemed to embody the entire richness of human experience.
Tolstoy's novel seemed to fully confirm this position. From the very beginning, the narrative, which tells in a light-hearted tone about the life of the social salons of St. Petersburg and Moscow, where representatives of the nobility speak more French than Russian, gradually moves into all layers of complexity Russian society, showing him in all the diversity of classes and social types, from princes and generals to serfs, including merchants, marriageable brides, secret Masonic societies with all their paraphernalia, believers, swindlers, military men, artists, careerists and mystics. The reader gets the feeling that a story with all possible representatives of the human race is passing before his eyes.
As far as I remember, the most outstanding in this huge novel were the battle scenes, descriptions of the military genius of Field Marshal Kutuzov, who, despite the defeats, constantly inflicted damage on the Napoleonic troops invading the country until, with the help of severe frosts, snow and hunger, he completely destroyed them.
I had the misconception that if it were necessary to summarize the entire content of “War and Peace” in one phrase, then one could say that this is a majestic canvas telling how the Russian people crushed the aggressive aspirations of the “enemy of humanity” Napoleon Bonaparte and defended his independence. That is, a great military-patriotic novel in which war, traditions and the so-called military valor of the Russian people are extolled.
Re-reading this work now, I realize that I was wrong. Without at all trying to present the war as an event in which human spirit, are formed personal qualities and the greatness of the country, the novel uses the example of each of the battles - perhaps this is seen with particular force in the stunning description of Napoleon’s victory at Austerlitz - shows all its horror, the monstrous number of victims, the endless injustice and suffering that befell ordinary people. They are the ones who make up the bulk of its victims. The author reveals the sinister and criminal stupidity of those who caused all these disasters, while talking about honor, patriotism, civil and military valor. All the emptiness and meaninglessness of these words becomes obvious as soon as shell explosions begin to rumble. Tolstoy's novel is significantly to a greater extent talks about peace rather than war. The love for Russian history and culture that fills him does not at all glorify the noise and fury of the massacre, but reveals this rich inner life, reflections, doubts, searches for truth and the desire to do good, embodied in the image of the good-natured and gentle Pierre Bezukhov, one of the main characters of War and Peace. Although the Spanish translation of the work I am now reading is not perfect, Tolstoy's genius is felt in everything he describes, much more in allegorical ways than in what he says openly. His silence is always eloquent, informative, arouses the curiosity of the reader, who cannot tear himself away from the text, passionately wanting to know whether Prince Andrei will finally confess his love for Natasha, whether the wedding will take place or whether the gloomy Prince Nikolai Andreevich will manage to upset her. There is practically no episode in the novel that would not remain unsaid, would not be interrupted, without telling the reader the most interesting and decisive thing, so that he closely follows the development of the plot without relaxing his attention. Indeed, it seems incredible how in such a long and multifaceted work, in which there is so much characters, the omniscient narrator so skillfully builds storyline, which never loses control over it, distributes the time devoted to each character so wisely that it never forgets anyone. Everyone is given exactly the right amount of time and space so that everything goes as it should. real life, sometimes very slowly, sometimes in furious leaps, with everyday joys and sorrows, dreams, loves and quirks.
Re-reading War and Peace now, I notice something that I did not understand the first time I read it. Namely, that the spiritual dimension of the novel is much more important than what happens in salons and on the battlefield. Philosophy, religion, the search for truth, which will allow us to distinguish evil from good and act accordingly, are the main concerns of the heroes of the novel, including such an outstanding character as Field Marshal Kutuzov. Despite the fact that he spent his entire life in battles - he still has a scar from a Turkish bullet visible on his face - he is a highly moral man who knows no hatred. We can say that he is fighting because there is no other way out: someone has to do this. In general, he would prefer to devote himself to more intellectual and spiritual activities.
Although, strictly speaking, the events that take place in War and Peace are terrible, I very much doubt that it will bring melancholy or sadness to the reader. Rather, on the contrary, the novel gives the feeling that, despite all the horrors of life, the abundance of scoundrels and scoundrels who still achieve their goal, after summing up the final balance, it turns out that there are more good ones than bad ones; There is more happiness and peace than bitterness and hatred, although this is not always obvious, humanity is gradually leaving behind the worst that it carries within itself. That is, often in an invisible way, it becomes better, getting rid of its negative properties.
Apparently, this was Tolstoy’s main feat, similar to those accomplished by Cervantes, who wrote “Don Quixote,” and Balzac, who created “ The human comedy", Dickens, author of "Oliver Twist", Victor Hugo with his "Les Miserables" and Faulkner with the history of the American South. Despite the fact that, reading their novels, we plunge to the very bottom of human evil, we develop the conviction that, with all its vicissitudes human life immeasurably richer and deeper than all the troubles and adversities. If you look at life in all its depth, balanced and calm, then you can say that it is worth living. If only because we can live not only in real world, but also in the world of heroes of great novels.
I cannot complete this article without publicly asking a question that has been haunting me for a long time: how did it happen that the first Nobel Prize in literature they gave Sully Prudhomme, and not Leo Tolstoy? Was it not as obvious then as it is now that War and Peace is one of those miracles that happen from century to century in the universe of literature?
The main theme of this novel is the heroic struggle of the Russian people against the French invaders. But along with the main theme, Lev Nikolaevich posed many global problems and resolved them with such depth that I can call this novel a textbook of life. What moral questions did Lev Nikolaevich answer? These are problems of relationships between the individual and society, the role of the individual in history, false and true patriotism. This work is filled with love for the Motherland and pride in its past. Reading this novel, I see how spirit and courage are manifested in the fight against enemies. The people defended their homeland not only at the front, but also joined partisan detachments that crushed the enemy in the rear. The "club" of the people's war rose with all its formidable and majestic strength and nailed the French until it defeated the entire invasion. I think that Tolstoy’s novel became the greatest monument to the heroes of the events of 1812, who took their rightful place in the history of our country. After reading this novel, I realized that every person should have a goal in life. In his work, Tolstoy showed that each of his positive heroes is looking for his own meaning in life and finds it. Their searches did not always lead to the right path. Live first and do what your heart desires, most importantly what you truly love. The novel by Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy teaches me to distinguish true patriotism from false. I realized that true patriots are those people who do their work unnoticed, sometimes without suspecting that they have accomplished a feat. When the war began, not all representatives of secular society took part in the drama of hostilities. The author speaks with irony about these people who introduced a fine for French. For these people, patriotism consists of idle talk. Tolstoy mercilessly exposes their cowardice. The novel teaches me to understand what true beauty is, and to understand this, I compare Helen with Maria Bolkonskaya. Lev Nikolaevich portrays Helen as a brilliant beauty, but her inner world is pitifully poor. But Princess Marya, while not a beauty, is endowed with all the spiritual human qualities. Tolstoy says that true beauty lies in the soul, in the generous human heart. For him, spiritual beauty is more important than external beauty. And I completely agree with this. In the novel I learn what love and true friendship are. I also became more familiar with such a feeling as love. The author says that love is a feeling that is tested by difficulties. Having gone through all the trials and suffered, Natasha only then understands that she loved only Andrei Bolkonsky. In the work, Tolstoy exposes the careerists, including Boris Drubetskoy. Using the low qualities of his soul, this person is looking for influential acquaintances, the goal of his life is to work his way up the career ladder. He rejects marriage to Natasha Rostova, as it would be the ruin of his career. Tolstoy condemns such people. This novel made me think about the problems of friendship, fidelity, and moral questions that every person certainly decides for himself. In our difficult times, when all values are being reconsidered, we need a pure source from which we can draw the most sacred, the most pure, the brightest. I believe that Leo Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is one of these sources.
An excellent source of spiritual improvement is the Russian classics of the second half of the 19th century, which revealed many outstanding geniuses of the pen of that era. Turgenev, Ostrovsky, Nekrasov, Tolstoy are only a small part of that outstanding galaxy of Russian writers who became famous not only in their homeland, but also gained recognition throughout the world. Their works have become classics. It is not for nothing that my favorite writer Tolstoy was called “a teacher in life and art.” Considering the work of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, I cannot help but dwell on such a work as “War and Peace.”
The main theme of this novel is the heroic struggle of the Russian people against the French invaders. But along with the main theme, Lev Nikolaevich posed many global problems and resolved them with such depth that I can call this novel a textbook of life. What moral questions did Lev Nikolaevich answer? These are problems of relationships between the individual and society, the role of the individual in history, false and true patriotism.
This work is filled with love for the Motherland and pride in its past. Reading this novel, I see how the Russian spirit, Russian courage is manifested in the fight against enemies. The people defended their homeland not only at the front, but also joined partisan detachments that crushed the enemy in the rear. “The club of the people’s war rose with all its formidable and majestic force and nailed the French until it defeated the entire invasion.” I think that Tolstoy’s novel became the greatest monument to the heroes of the events of 1812, who took their rightful place in the history of our country.
After reading this novel, I realized that every person should have a goal in life. In his work, Tolstoy showed that each of his positive heroes is looking for his own meaning in life and finds it. Their searches did not always lead to the right path. For example, Pierre Bezukhov first sought the meaning of life in wine, carousing, and Freemasonry. Then Pierre finds himself in a war. And the war becomes a turning point in Pierre’s life; it was she who prepared him for joining the Decembrist camp. He finds his purpose in life in serving the Russian people. The goal of my life is also to serve the good of the fatherland. What is it? To live, first of all, for my loved ones, for those people who surround me, to find a job and become a master of my craft.
The novel by Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy teaches me to distinguish true patriotism from false. I realized that true patriots are those people who do their work unnoticed, sometimes without suspecting that they have accomplished a feat. For example, Tushin did not know that today’s victory was owed to him; he even considers himself to be the culprit, although during the battle he set an example of courage, heroism, and soldier’s valor. Natasha Rostova, without hesitation, gives the carts to the wounded. Pierre, with his own money and from his peasants, recruits a regiment and maintains it. Natasha Rostova, Pierre, Prince Andrei, Tushin - they all behave like true patriots of their Motherland. When the war began, not all representatives of secular society took part in the drama of hostilities. The author speaks with irony about these people who introduced a fine for the French language. For these people, patriotism consists of idle talk. Tolstoy mercilessly exposes their cowardice. I come to the conclusion that true patriotism lies in active action, and not in idle talk and idle reasoning.
The novel teaches me to understand what true beauty is, and to understand this, I compare Helen with Maria Bolkonskaya. Lev Nikolaevich portrays Helen as a brilliant beauty, but her inner world is pitifully poor. But Princess Marya, while not a beauty, is endowed with all the spiritual human qualities. Tolstoy says that true beauty lies in the soul, in the generous human heart. For him, spiritual beauty is more important than external beauty. And I completely agree with this.
In the novel I learn what love and true friendship are. Using the example of the friendship of Prince Andrei and Pierre, I see what real human friendship is. I also became more familiar with such a feeling as love. The author says that love is a feeling that is experienced by difficulties. Having gone through all the trials and suffered, Natasha only then understands that she loved only Andrei Bolkonsky.
In the work, Tolstoy exposes the careerists. These include Boris Drubetskoy. Using the low qualities of his soul, this person is looking for influential acquaintances, the goal of his life is to work his way up the career ladder. He rejects marriage to Natasha Rostova, as it would be the ruin of his career. I, like Tolstoy, condemn such people. I believe that the most important goal in life is serving the people, the Motherland.
The novel "War and Peace" for me is not only a book about the historical past of the country, but also a book of morality. From it I learned many moral lessons that will help me in life. This novel made me think about the problems of courage, friendship, loyalty, and moral issues that every person certainly decides for himself. In our difficult times, when all values are being reconsidered, how we need a pure source from which we can draw the most sacred, the most pure, the brightest. I believe that Leo Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is this source.