War and Peace Resources

Websites

The Novel

So you don't have to type out long quotations. This is the Maude & Maude translation.

A Tolstoy Timeline

PBS's Masterpiece Theatre website provides a brief biography of Tolstoy and an interactive timeline of his life.

Battle of Borodino

Everything you ever wanted to know about the who, what, where, when, and how of the Battle of Borodino. (Check out the pictures of Kutuzov, for instance, or see the strategy of the armies' movements).

How to Read War and Peace

Oprah gives some suggestions on how to get through this monster of a book.

Napoleon at War

PBS's site on Napoleon. Learn about his campaigns, what life was like as a soldier, and even play a battle simulator game.

Alexander I

A brief biography of Nikolai Rostov's hero.

Movie or TV Productions

Hollywood Film Version (1956)

Cons: leaves out most of the war stuff and pretty much just focuses on Natasha, Pierre, and Andrei. Pros: well, it's got Audrey Hepburn as Natasha, so that's something.

Eight-Hour Russian Film Version (1967)

Still the definitive movie version of this book, although it takes almost as long to watch as the book does to read. (Well, not quite.)

British Miniseries (1972)

With Anthony Hopkins as Pierre.

Recent Miniseries (2007)

What? Natasha is blonde?

Historical Documents

"Count Leo Tolstoy's Novels"

1871 New York Times article about Tolstoy's works.

Napoleon's Diaries

The real deal.

Articles

Napoleon's Lost Army: The Soldiers Who Fell

A BBC article about Napoleon's campaign into Russia, plus cool archeological findings surrounding the campaign.

Video

Heroes and History: Lessons for Leadership from Tolstoy's War and Peace

A video brought to you by Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

1956 Trailer

This is the film version that stars Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda.

Miniseries Promo

A promo trailer for the 2007 miniseries.

1967 Film

Looks like you can watch the entire film on YouTube. Who knows, though, this vid might not last… (Includes English subtitles.)

Audio

"Why War and Peace Needed a New Translation"

An interview with translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. (Shmoop used their translation.)

Love and Hate: A Tolstoy Family Tale

War and Peace focuses so much on family life that it's interesting to learn about Tolstoy's rocky relationship with his wife, Sonya (Sophia). Listen to an NPR radio tidbit on the topic here. Also, be sure to check out the excerpts from Tolstoy and Sonya's diaries. 

Images

Tolstoy and the Arts

An online gallery from the University of Toronto. Includes sections like "Tolstoy in Cinema" and "Tolstoy in Contemporary Visual Arts."

Tolstoy Image Gallery

Click through a bunch of photos of Tolstoy, brought to you by the University of Toronto.

Alexander I

The emperor of Russia, Nikolai's hero.

Napoleon I

The emperor or France, who got his butt kicked in Russia.

General Kutuzov

Check out this painting of the Russian general.

General Bagration

Somehow we expected him to look different than this. He's not all plump and pasty like Kutuzov.

Napoleon's Son

The painting of Napoleon's son that they bring him just before the Battle of Borodino.

Battle of Borodino

An 1843 painting attempting to depict the battle.

Moscow on Fire

A painting of Napoleon retreating from a burning Moscow.

Maps of the Napoleonic Wars

Check out maps of the Battle of Austerlitz and the Battle of Borodino.