My edition (translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky) is about 1,200 pages. War and Peace is a perfect book to read together for the duration of our necessary isolation. In these times, one does want to read an author who is so deeply moved by the world that he could appear unmoved in his writing. I have found that the more uncertain life is, the more solidity and structure Tolstoy’s novels provide. In these coming weeks and months, when every one of us has to turn ourselves into a master of living through a harsh reality, I wonder if I could invite you to read and discuss War and Peace with me.

One doesn’t need to look far-there sit the books by Tolstoy, “the master-recorder of realities,” as Stefan Zweig describes him. In these unsettled times, like many of you I have been looking for substance in my bookcase.

Envisioned as a moment each day to gather together as a community, the virtual book club continued for 85 days-a remarkable experience that has been compiled into a book, Tolstoy Together: 85 Days of War and Peace with Yiyun Li, published by A Public Space Books. Tolstoy Together began on March 18, 2020, with an invitation to read and discuss War and Peace with Yiyun Li and A Public Space.

Pevear war and peace