The Tolstoy Library

In which a group of prisoners, somber and resigned, are led to face an execution by firing squad beneath the watchful eyes of soldiers and onlookers alike, their shared horror and despair palpable in ...

15 Sep 9min

In which Pierre finds himself imprisoned among common soldiers and accused of grievous crimes, enduring the cold dispassion of a trial where truth is subordinate to the will of those in power. Amidst ...

14 Sep 5min

In which the heavy toll of war casts a sombre shadow over the lives of those at Vorónezh, and amidst the sorrow and uncertainty, young Nicholas Rostóv finds his heart stirred by the noble and gentle P...

14 Sep 11min

In which the tender and self-effacing Sónya grapples with her heart’s longing and the cruel demands of duty, finding herself torn between sacrifice and love amid the stirring anxieties of the Rostóvs’...

14 Sep 10min

In which Nicholas finds himself at a lively gathering in Vorónezh, charming a blonde lady and catching the eye of the influential Anna Ignátyevna Malvíntseva, while the governor’s wife cautiously prop...

13 Sep 8min

In which the imagined unity of patriotic sacrifice in the face of invasion is tempered by the observation that private interests often prevail amidst the clamour of history, rendering those who seek t...

13 Sep 12min

In which Princess Mary, settled in Moscow and burdened by mourning and anxieties, finds herself caught in the quiet stirrings of hope and doubt upon the visit of Count Rostóv, whose presence kindles i...

13 Sep 10min

In which the grand salons of Petersburg, aglow with the usual gaiety and salons steeped in intrigue, mask the deeper anxieties of a nation poised on the brink of great trials, while the whispers of il...

12 Sep 9min