Inspired by Tolstoyâs own experiences in the Caucasian War, âThe Cossacksâ is a suspenseful tale of murder and misfortune as well as being a menas for the young author to clear his gambling debts. Tolstoyâs undying love for the Russian landscape and his incessant exploration of the meaning of life shine through in this novel and make it a must-read for fans of all Russian literature, culture and history.
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian author. He was a prolific author of large literary works, but he also wrote many short stories, alongside the essays and plays written in his later life. Deemed the master of realistic fiction, his novel âAnna Kareninaâ (1875-77) is considered by many to be the greatest novel of all time. Some of his other notable works include âWar and Peace' (1865-69), âThe Kingdom of God is Within Youâ (1894), and his final novel âResurrectionâ (1899). His frank examinations of the world around him are unmissable for fans of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Anton Chekhov, and Virginia Woolf, who was openly inspired by Tolstoyâs ideas about social class.