Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina is a novel by Leo Tolstoy, first published in serial form between 1875 and 1877. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest works of realist fiction ever written. The story revolves around Anna Karenina, a married aristocratic woman in Imperial Russia, and her tragic love affair with Count Alexei Vronsky. As Anna pursues this relationship, she is gradually pushed out of respectable society, leading to emotional isolation and psychological decline. In parallel, the novel follows Konstantin Levin, a landowner whose storyline reflects Tolstoy’s philosophical concerns about meaning, faith, work, and family life. Levin’s arc is often seen as a contrast to Anna’s—he struggles, but ultimately moves toward a more stable and grounded sense of purpose. A central idea of the novel is often summarized by its opening line: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Tolstoy uses this to explore how love, marriage, social pressure, and personal choices interact in different ways to shape human suffering and happiness.