War and Peace (Russian Война и мир, Voyna i mir) is an epic masterpiece by Leo Tolstoy, first published between 1865 and 1869 in the pages of Russki Vestnik. This monumental novel intricately weaves the tapestry of Russian society during the tumultuous Napoleonic Era. Often hailed as one of Tolstoys two major works—alongside Anna Karenina—it is regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written. With a vast array of characters entangled in a narrative that spans grand themes of war and peace, along with the profound nuances of youth, age, and marriage, Tolstoys work broke conventions of its time, prompting many critics to question its classification as a novel. Tolstoy himself viewed Anna Karenina (1878) as his first true foray into the European novel format. (Summary by Wikipedia)