Book description
An alternative version - the one Tolstoy originally intended, but has
been hitherto unpublished - of Russia's most famous novel; with a
different ending, fewer digressions and an altered view of Napoleon -
it's time to look afresh at one of the world's favourite books.
'War and Peace' is a masterpiece - a panoramic portrait of Russian
society and its descent into the Napoleonic Wars which for over a
century has inspired reverential devotion among its readers.
This version is certain to provoke controversy and devotion in equal
measures. A 'first draft' of the epic version known to all, it was
completed in 1866 but never published. A closely guarded secret for a
century and a half, the unveiling of the original version of 'War and
Peace', with an ending different to that we all know, is of huge
significance to students of Tolstoy. But it is also sure to prove
fascinating to the general reader who will find it an invigorating and
absorbing read. Free of the solemn philosophical wanderings, the drama
and tragedy of this sweeping tale is reinforced. His characters remain
central throughout, emphasising their own personal journeys, their loves
and passions, their successes and failures and their own personal tragedies.
500 pages shorter, this is historical fiction at its most vivid and
vital, and readers will marvel anew at Tolstoy's unique ability to
conjure the lives and souls of Russia and the Russians in all their
glory. For devotees who long for more, for those who struggled and
didn't quite make it to the end, or for those who have always wanted to
know what all the fuss is about, this is essential reading. 'The
greatest of all novelists - for what else can we call the author of “War
and Peace”?' Virginia Woolf
'The pure narrative power of Tolstoy's work is unequalled. To read him
is to find one's way home, to everything within us that is fundamental
and sane.' Thomas Mann
'What an artist and what a psychologist! It seems to me there are some
passages worthy of Shakespeare. I found myself crying out in admiration
while reading.' Gustave Flaubert Leo Tolstoy was born in 1828 in Tula,
near Moscow. His parents, who both died when he was young, belonged to
the Russian nobility, and to the end of his life Tolstoy remained
conscious of his aristocratic status. His novels, 'War and Peace' and
'Anna Karenina' are literary classics and he is revered as one of the
greatest writers of the nineteenth century. He died in 1910 at the age
of 82.
Andrew Bromfield was born in Yorkshire and lives in Surrey, having
spent several long periods living in Moscow, where he cofounded and
edited 'Glas'. He is best known for his English translations of the work
of Victor Pelevin and Boris Akunin.
