战争与和平/War and Peace

Anewversion--theoneTolstoyoriginallyintended,buthasbeenhithertounpublished--ofRussia'smostfamousnovel;withadifferentending,fewerdigressionsandanalteredviewofNapoleon--it'stimetolookafreshatoneoftheworld'sfavouritebooks.'WarandPeace'isamasterpiece--apanoramicportraitofRussiansocietyanditsdescentintotheNapoleonicWarswhichforoveracenturyhasinspiredreverentialdevotionamongitsreaders.Thisnewversioniscertaintoprovokecontroversyanddevotioninequalmeasures.A'firstdraft'oftheepicversionknowntoall,itwascompletedin1866butneverpublished.Acloselyguardedsecretforacenturyandahalf,theunveilingoftheoriginalversionof'WarandPeace',withanendingdifferenttothatweallknow,isofhugesignificancetostudentsofTolstoy.Butitisalsosuretoprovefascinatingtothegeneralreaderwhowillfinditaninvigoratingandabsorbingread.Freeofthesolemnphilosophicalwanderings,thedramaandtragedyofthissweepingtaleisreinforced.Hischaractersremaincentralthroughout,emphasisingtheirownpersonaljourneys,theirlovesandpassions,theirsuccessesandfailuresandtheirownpersonaltragedies.500pagesshorter,thisishistoricalfictionatitsmostvividandvital,andreaderswillmarvelanewatTolstoy'suniqueabilitytoconjurethelivesandsoulsofRussiaandtheRussiansinalltheirglory.Fordevoteeswholongformore,forthosewhostruggledanddidn'tquitemakeittotheend,orforthosewhohavealwayswantedtoknowwhatallthefussisabout,thisisessentialreading.