Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy is buried on the grounds of his estate in Yasnaya Polyana, Russia.

Tolstoy's literary idol was French author Victor Hugo whom he met on an 1861 trip to France.

Tolstoy became a vegetarian in his later years.

Even though the two men never met in person, Tolstoy burst into tears upon receiving the news that fellow Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevski had died.

Tolstoy was a heavy gambler during his younger days and frequently had to sell off family land to cover his obligations.

Tolstoy lost his virginity at a brothel after being taken there by his older brothers.

In 1882, Tolstoy worked as a volunteer census taker in Moscow.

Tolstoy once planned to write a novel about Peter the Great but abandoned the project and wrote Anna Karenina instead.

Tolstoy condemned the 1905 revolts against the Russian government because he felt spiritual reform must come before political action.

Tolstoy became estranged from his wife and children during his latter years.

Tolstoy reportedly learned to ride a bicycle when he was 67 years old.

5 of Tolstoy's 13 children died at a young age.

Tolstoy's mother died when he was two and his father died when he was nine.

Tolstoy would frequently give large sums of money to beggars when in large cities.

In 1904, Tolstoy condemned the Russo-Japanese War.

Tolstoy once corresponded with a young Mohandes K. Gandhi.

Tolstoy eventually came to oppose the institutions of private property and marriage.

Tolstoy frequently suffered from periods of great depression and seriously contemplated suicide on several occasions.

The Russian Orthodox Church excommunicated Tolstoy in 1901 because of his anarchist and pacifist views.

The character of Levin in Anna Karenina is based upon Tolstoy himself.

After his army service was completed, Tolstoy became a committed pacifist.

Tolstoy's group of short stories, Sevastopol Sketches, were about his experiences in the Crimean War.

Tolstoy served in an artillery regiment during the Crimean War.

Tolstoy and his wife had a total of 13 children.

Wife, Sofia, was 16 years younger than Tolstoy.

In 1862, Tolstoy married Sofia Andreevna Berg.

Tolstoy began writing when he was in the army.

Tolstoy joined the Russian army in 1851.

Tolstoy studied law and Oriental languages at Kazan University in 1844 but eventually withdrew from school.

Tolstoy was the fourth of five children.