Leo Tolstoy, born Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, was a renowned Russian writer regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. Born on September 9, 1828, into an aristocratic family, Tolstoy's early works, including the semi-autobiographical trilogy "Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth" (1852–1856) and "Sevastopol Sketches" (1855), brought him early acclaim.

His masterpieces, "War and Peace" (1869) and "Anna Karenina" (1878), are celebrated as pinnacles of realist fiction and are amongst the greatest novels ever written. His literary contributions also include stories like "Alyosha the Pot" (1911) and "After the Ball" (1911), as well as novellas such as "Family Happiness" (1859), "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" (1886), and "The Kreutzer Sonata" (1889).

In the 1870s, Tolstoy underwent a profound moral and spiritual transformation, as described in his non-fiction work "Confession" (1882). This led him to a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist belief, deeply influenced by the ethical teachings of Jesus. Tolstoy's ideas on nonviolent resistance, outlined in "The Kingdom of God Is Within You" (1894), profoundly impacted figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

Tolstoy was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year from 1902 to 1906 and for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902, and 1909; however, he never won. His passing on November 20, 1910, marked the end of an era, but his influence on literature and moral philosophy endures.