Greatest novel by the saddest husband

The Russian novel 'War and Peace' is considered to be the greatest literary creation in any language. It has been translated into most of the languages including Hindi. It was written by a troubled soul Leo Tolstoy in four years-1865-69. It established Tolstoy as the preeminent novel in history.  No one  has surpassed him since then.

'War and Peace' was set during the Napoleonic wars when the French emperor (1805-75) attacked and almost crushed Russia and the morale of its people. It  examines the absurdity, hypocrisy and shallowness of war and aristocratic society through the spiritual quest of its man protagonist Pierre. 

This is a panoramic study of early 19th century Russian society, noted for its mastery of realistic detail and variety of psychological analysis. Savor one example: Pierre changed places several times during the game, sitting now with his back to Natasha and now facing her, but during the whole of the six rubbers he watched her and her friend.

The gem of the craft is primarily concerned with the histories of five aristocratic families--particularly the Bezukhovs, the Bolkonskys, and the Rostovs--the members of which are portrayed against a vivid background of Russian life during the war against  Napoleon ( 1805-14). The theme of war, however,is subordinate to the story of family existence, which involves Tolstoy's optimistic belief in the life-assessing pattern of human existence. The heroine, Natasha Rostova, for example, reaches her greatest fulfillment through her marriage to Pierre Bezukhov and her motherhood.

The novel is disturbing. So was Tolstoy's life. No wonders, it sounds autobiographical. Born in an aristocratic family,, he had a dissolute youth.  To overcome his internal crisis, he started teaching peasant children. His other equally great work 'Anna Karenina' is also transparently biographical. Anna reminds the reader about his wife.  The character Anna also deserts her husband like Tolstoy's wife did. After writing this novel, Tolstoy went through a spiritual crisis and sought refuge in Christianity. He lived as a peasant in his own estate and met a lonely death at a railway station.