Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910):

Great Russian author, best known for his monumental War and Peace (1863-69) and the tragic Anna Karenina (1873-77).

Tolstoy's novella The Kreutzer Sonata (1890), written after he hosted a performance of the titular piece, centers on a man driven to murder his wife after a similar performance. Accused of preaching immorality through this story, Tolstoy was excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church as a result.

--February 26, 2006 (Shiao/Smart: The Kreutzer Project)