Literature Library author

Leo Tolstoy

A concise guide to Leo Tolstoy's body of work, major titles, and recurring themes.

AP-referenced author
Languages
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Regions / countries
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Forms
Literary work, Novella, Short story
Indexed works
3

Author overview

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) was a novelist, poet, and playwright whose body of work spans literary writing, novella, and short story. This writing is associated with Russian Empire. Major works and useful reading starting points include Anna Karenina, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Where Love Is, God Is, and Hadji Murat. Key themes include Love, marriage, and unequal judgment, Isolation and the need to be seen truthfully, Work, class, and meaningful life, and Death, faith, and moral awakening.

Reading pathway

Begin with Anna Karenina, then move to The Death of Ivan Ilyich, then move to How Much Land Does a Man Need?.

Official author and legacy websites

These links lead to an author, estate, foundation, archive, museum, or legacy organisation identified as an official website in the reviewed authority record.

Representative starting points

Anna Karenina

Tolstoy’s eight-part novel sets Anna’s increasingly isolated love affair beside Konstantin Levin’s difficult search for a meaningful family life, faith, and work.

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

A successful judge discovers that the respectable life he carefully built cannot protect him from pain, loneliness, or death, and learns too late that honest compassion matters more than social approval.

All published guides by this author

Biography, authority, and bibliography sources

This independent author guide supports reading and discussion. Curriculum badges show useful AP or IB connections without making this an official AP or IB publication.