Anna Karénina

In the eyes of others, Anna has everything. Then she meets Vronsky. She is married, has a son, and holds a place in Russian high society. What might have been a mere indiscretion becomes something far greater: Vronsky turns out to be the person for whom Anna dares to risk everything. Amidst balls, meaningful glances, and charged silences, Tolstoy explores what happens when desire erupts into a life built to please others. In 1872, the author learned of the death of Anna Pirogova—a woman from his own social circle whose story left its mark on this novel. *Anna Karenina* began its run as a serialized work in 1875, and readers had to wait until 1878 for the complete text. The wait was well worth it: few books capture the dizzying experience of falling in love—and the price of living one’s life under the constant gaze of others—with such precision.