The True Story of Anna Karenina

“Anna Karenina” is probably Leo Tolstoy’s most mysterious work. Why does it still spark arguments? We know very little about the harsh laws and paradoxical customs of the “golden” nineteenth century. Pavel Basinsky examines the novel through the eyes of a curious and devoted reader. The facts gathered together surprise, disorient, and help explain many oddities of this tragic love story. Pavel Basinsky is a writer, journalist, and literary scholar. His engaging documentary books about the life and work of Leo Tolstoy have sparked a new wave of public interest in the phenomenon of the “Yasnaya Polyana apostle” (“Leo Tolstoy: Escape from Paradise,” “A Saint Against Leo,” “The Lion in the Shadow of Leo”). Winner of the “Big Book” prize. “I understand that no real story of Anna Karenina exists. There are as many Annas Kareninas as there are readers of this novel. But I flatter myself with hope that my book will help fanatics like me who have latched onto this novel sort out their own personal Annas. Of course, without agreeing with me” (Pavel Basinsky).