Leo Tolstoy

Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, born on September 9, 1828, into a noble Russian family, faced early loss with his mother's death at two and his father's at seven. Raised by relatives and tutors, he initially pursued Oriental languages at Kazan University but later left without a degree. Returning to Yasnaya Polyana, his family estate, Tolstoy began a literary career with his first novel, "Childhood" (1852), and later enlisted in the military during the Crimean War, where he witnessed horrors that shaped his pacifist and anarchist philosophies.

After military service, Tolstoy settled at Yasnaya Polyana, marrying Sophia 'Sonya' Behrs in 1862. Their union was productive, and with her support he wrote his magnum opuses "War and Peace" (1865) and "Anna Karenina" (1875–8). Tolstoy had an existential crisis that led to a break from the Orthodox Church and the development of his 'Christian anarchist' beliefs, influencing figures like Gandhi. Despite family tensions over his radical views, Tolstoy continued writing until his death on November 7, 1910