"Shows us in a very cheerful and moving manner how, when, and under what circumstances Tolstoy shed his tears, thus challenging one of the most common gender stereotypes." —Andrei Zorin, Professor and Chair of Russian at the University of Oxford, Author of Leo Tolstoy

"This biography, which is structured like an illustrated listicle, looks at all the ways the Russian novelist’s vulnerability countered masculine norms of his era." —Publishers Weekly

A graphic novel about one of the greatest Russian writers, this unique and extremely compelling overview of Leo Tolstoy imparts meaningful insights into life, literature, and love.

Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer, is best known for his novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1878). Although the world's greatest novelist was a courageous man, his heart responded with pain and excitement to almost everything—whether poems and prose by fellow writers or hunger in the surrounding villages, not to mention family affairs. By his example, Leo Tolstoy showed that boys do cry, can express their feelings, nurture others, and embrace everything they love.

Through the crystal prism of tears, Katya Gushchina shows us a multifaceted world in which Leo Tolstoy created his groundbreaking novels and made a difference in the world using intelligence and kindness, instead of aggression and force.