ANNA KARENINA is the novel written by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy , published in installments in a Russian Periodical, Russian Messenger from 1873 to 1877.
The book revolves around
- Anna Arkadyevna Karenina – Stepan Oblonsky's sister, Karenin's wife and Vronsky's lover
- Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky – Lover of Anna
- Prince Stepan Arkadyevitch Oblonsky ("Stiva") – a civil servant and Anna's brother.
- Princess Darya Alexandrovna Oblonskaya ("Dolly") – Stepan's wife
- Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin – a senior statesman and Anna's husband, twenty years her senior.
- Konstantin Dmitrievitch Levin ("Kostya") – Kitty's suitor and then husband.
- Princess Ekaterina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya ("Kitty") – Dolly's younger sister and later Levin's wife.
The book has eight parts. The book begins with a quote All happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Oblonsky character is introduced with, him being unfaithful to his wife Dolly, and cheating her by having an affair with governess. Anna Karenina is called upon to settle an issue and on her way to Saint Petersburg, she meets Vronsky's mother on train and eventually, she meets Vronsky. Their meeting happens with an inauspicious event of a worker dying by falling under a train.
Vronsky was supposed to betroth Kitty but he gets carried away by Anna and her beauty that, he neglects Kitty who rejects Levin's proposal for Vronsky. Story takes a twist from here and various characters undergo various changes in their lives. Remaining part of the book is all about, the way each character's story travels and ends.
The beauty of the Tolstoy's writing is that, he describes a scene so realistically that, you get transformed to that particular time and place, with little bit of patience ( which requires to read his work). He gives the finest details of the scene beautifully.
Leo Tolstoy projected his mind through the Levin's character. He also showed his confusion regarding various philosophies and methodologies, through Levin's character. The interactions of the high aristocratic Russian society is depicted well.
I liked the way Leo Tolstoy developed a scene. I liked his way of describing a woman's mentality and the way they think. He showed the fickle mindedness of a woman very nicely.
Some of the scenes are worth mentioning:
- First acquaintance between Anna Karenina and Vronsky.
- Heart breaking scene of Kitty, when she sees, Vronsky being carried away by Anna's beauty.
- Anna's sudden expression of her love towards Vronsky in public during a horse race.
- Couple of scenes between Anna and her husband.
- Anna's aversion towards her husband after Vronsky proposes to Anna.
- Anna's childbirth scene and Vronsky's suicide attempt.
- Kitty's conduct during Levin's half brother Nikolai's death.
- Nikolai's death scene and Levin's philosophical thoughts.
- Anna's feeling when her son tells that, he had been informed that his mother is dead.
- Anna's quarrels with Vronsky and her growing jealousy towards him.
- Levin's final philosophical thoughts.
The transalation by Joel Carmichael is simple and also an introduction by Malcom Cowley is worth reading.
This book was the first Magnum Opus, I read in my life. It nearly took 6 months to read first 300 pages as I found it bit difficult to adjust to the Leo Tolstoy style of writing and also the Russian atmosphere. Once I got adjusted to it, I finished remaining part of the book (roughly 700 pages) in 20 days.
Overall, its a good book to read and you end it with a nostalgic effect. But it really tests your patience.
Here I am giving you the first print of the novel.
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