Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time, but the man behind the masterpieces was far more complex than his fiction. In this episode, we trace Tolstoy’s dramatic transformation from a gambling aristocrat and artillery officer into a radical Christian anarchist and pacifist who was eventually excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Join us as we explore how the author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina came to reject his own literary fame, his wealth, and the institutions of his time.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Early Years: Growing up at Yasnaya Polyana, his "lax and leisurely" youth, and his service during the Crimean War that sparked his hatred of warfare.
• Literary Giants: Why critics like Vi ...