Count **Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy** (Russian: **Лев Николаевич Толстой**, 9 September 1828 – 20 November 1910), usually referred to in English as **Leo Tolstoy**, was a Russian writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential authors of all time. Tolstoy's notable works include the novels *War and Peace* (1869) and *Anna Karenina* (1878), often cited as pinnacles of realist fiction, and two of the greatest books of all time.