Family Happiness: Leo Tolstoy (Penguin Archive)

Leo Tolstoy is one of the most celebrated novelists of all time. He was born in central Russia on 9 September 1828. As well as writing literary classics such as Anna Karenina and War and Peace he was also the author of some hugely influential critical and philosophical works. First published in 1898 his book length essay What is Art? has lost none of its power to challenge our perception of art and its function in society today. In this provocative work Tolstoy famously dismisses works by Shakespeare, Dante, Wagner and even many of his own works as 'bad art' based on various criteria including sincerity, ethics, morality and accessibility. Tolstoy took art seriously at a time when western civilization toyed with it as a mere pastime during the height of the Aestheticism movement. For him, art was natural and necessary to the advancement of humankind. He served in the army during the Crimean War and his Sevastopol Sketches (1855-6) are based on his experiences. He died in 1910.