Count Leo Tolstoy

Count Lev (Leo) Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828–1910) was a Russian novelist, short-story writer, and essayist, widely regarded as one of the greatest authors of realistic fiction. His major works — including War and Peace and Anna Karenina — combine detailed depiction of 19th-century Russian society with profound moral and philosophical reflection. Later in life he became a spiritual thinker and social reformer, advocating nonviolent resistance and Christian anarchism.