Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was one of the most influential writers in world literature. Born into a noble Russian family, Tolstoy first gained international fame with his monumental novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, works widely regarded as among the greatest achievements of the nineteenth-century novel.In the later decades of his life Tolstoy increasingly turned toward moral and philosophical questions, writing essays, parables, and stories that reflected his interest in education, social justice, and spiritual life. He established schools for peasant children on his estate and produced a number of simple stories intended to communicate moral insight through accessible narrative.These shorter works, including the tales collected in Tolstoi for the Young, remain an important part of his literary legacy and reflect his enduring concern with ethical living and the moral development of individuals and communities.
