Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace" is a novel published in 1869.
It is regarded as one of Tolstoy's finest literary achievements and remains a classic of world literature.
"War and Peace" chronicles the French invasion of Russia and the impact of the Era of Napoleon on Tsarist society through the stories of five Russian aristocratic families.
However, Tolstoy said "War and Peace" is "not a novel, even less is it a poem, and still less a historical chronicle." Large sections, especially the later chapters, are philosophical discussions rather than narrative. Tolstoy also said that the best Russian literature does not conform to standards and hence hesitated to call "War and Peace" a novel. Instead, he regarded Anna Karenina as his first true novel.
After countless adaptations, and translations it remains of the most popular and grand stories of all.
