Painting by Vincent van Gogh

Count Leo Nicholaievich Tolstoy was the leading Russian novelist and one of the best known literary figures in the world. Born a noble family at Yasnaya Polyana, near Russia, his first work was “Childhood” (1852),------part of one trilogy which was completed with “Boyhood” and “Youth” in 1857. The universal fame of his writings rests on the fact that the human sentiments expressed therein hold appeal to the people of every era and every country. War and Peace is his masterpiece