It’s no secret that I love War and Peace. I’ve shared the reasons why before,…
War and Peace
Not always accurate, but rich and engaging nonetheless: The BBC adaptation of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The cast of 2016’s BBC1 production of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Photograph: Mitch Jenkins/BBC The…
Tolstoy on doing “a lot of bad things, without wishing to – simply from imitating grown-ups”
When researching Tolstoy, I find myself noticing a common theme of failure: of not being…
The power of a sunset: how Viktor Frankl & Tolstoy’s Pierre Bezukhov are lifted from hardship by the beauty of nature
Despite experiencing unimaginable hardship during the Holocaust, Viktor Frankl describes in Man’s Search for Meaning how…
Tolstoy’s Pierre Bezukhov on why being knocked off course is “only the start of something new and good”
My favourite translation by Anthony Briggs and published by Penguin. A fortnight ago I submitted my…
Lessons on failure from Pierre in Tolstoy’s War and Peace
I’ve posted before about Tolstoy’s “Rules of Life” and desire for self-improvement, both of which…
Ernest Hemingway’s list of 16 books we ought to read, including War and Peace and Anna Karenina
In 1934, a young American with aspirations to become a writer hiked across America to…
Reading W.B. Yeats’s “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death” as a Meditation on Life
Today I’m sharing with you something that’s a little different. I’ve just started a university…
If You Don’t Know Where to Go in Life, Try Reading War and Peace
I write a lot about Pierre Bezukhov, one of the main characters in Leo Tolstoy’s…
Tips for Reading War and Peace & Getting Started with Leo Tolstoy
A reader recently got in touch to ask what advice I’d give for reading War and…
What Leo Tolstoy Can Teach Us About Overcoming Anxiety
Tolstoy at the time of writing War andPeace, 1868. Image source. While on a trip…
‘Give War and Peace a Chance’ This Summer with Andrew D. Kaufman
My copy of Give War and Peace a Chance, before it was covered in Post-it…
12 Life Lessons to Gain From Reading Leo Tolstoy
After completing a considerable chunk of Tolstoy’s major works, I’ve been thinking about the lessons that…
On War & Peace: My Problems With The Pevear & Volokhonsky Translation (Part II)
My well-worn copy of War and Peace. I recently shared the reasons why…
Living in Barcelona, Part I: Settling in, Sightseeing & Reading
The lizard in Gaudi’s Parc Güell As some of you will know, I’ve recently moved…
Why Read War and Peace? The Reasons Why I Love Tolstoy’s Masterpiece
My well-worn (and well-loved) copy of War and Peace If you tell someone that you’re…
War and Peace: Thoughts on the Epilogue
It feels like I’ve left it too long after finishing War and Peace to write…
War and Peace: Thoughts on Volume IV
I must say that Volume IV contains most of my favourite moments in War and Peace.…
War and Peace: Thoughts on Volume III
I’ve finished reading Volume III, so here are a few of my thoughts on the…
Reading the Book of “Simple Pleasures” in Light of Tolstoy’s Pierre
On a recent literary spree in town, I picked up a little hardcover book entitled…
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: Thoughts on Volume I
I’m so glad that I’m re-reading War and Peace. Yes, it’s really (really) long at…
Reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Where to Start with Tolstoy
Tolstoy’s notes from the ninth draft of War andPeace, 1864. It is also an example…
Ten Favourite Classics
At around nine years old, I decided I was too old for children’s books and…