War and Peace (Penguin Classics) - Softcover

Tolstoy, Leo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140444173 ISBN 13: 9780140444179

Publisher: Penguin Books, 1982

Synopsis

Napoleon's invasion of Russia forms the backdrop for Tolstoy's literary masterpiece. At its centre are Pierre Bezuhov, searching for meaning in his life; cynical Prince Andrei, ennobled by suffering in the war; and Natasha Rostova, whose impulsiveness threatens to destroy her happiness. As Tolstoy follows the changing fortunes of these characters and their families, scenes of domestic life are juxtaposed with magnificent battle sequences, creating a view of humanity that is both epic and intimate. Often considered the greatest novel in any language, War and Peace is also a philosophical meditation on the tension between free will and fate as the forces of history move inexorably forward.

About this title

About the Author:

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), the Russian prose writer, is chiefly remembered for his novels, War and Peace and Anna Karenina.
Rosemary Edmonds studied English, Russian, French, Italian and Old Church Slavonic at universities in England, France and Italy. During the war she was translator to General de Gaulle in London and, after the liberation, in Paris. She translated many Russian texts for Penguin Classics before her death in 1998, aged 92.

Synopsis:

Few would dispute the claim of "War and Peace" to be regarded as the greatest novel in any language. This massive chronicle, to which Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) devoted five whole years shortly after his marriage, portrays Russian family life during and after the Napoleonic war. Tolstoy's faith in life and his piercing insight lend universality to a work which holds the mirror up to nature as truly as those of Shakespeare or Homer.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 1982
• ISBN 10: 0140444173
• ISBN 13: 9780140444179
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 1472