2. Tolstoy on war and on peace

Abstract

Tolstoy is often hailed as the father of the modern war story. What makes Tolstoy’s writing on war so good—and so modern—is how he seems to tell the truth about war. As he drew on his first-hand experience of warfare in the Caucasus and Crimea, Tolstoy made it clear that he was not going to repeat old lies to the effect that ‘it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country’. ‘Tolstoy on war and on peace’ explains that Tolstoy went further in his truth-telling to reveal not just that war is hell, but that it violates the ‘law of love’ that the participants profess. It explores ‘The Raid’, the Sevastopol tales, War and Peace, and Hadji Murat.