Anna Karenina

"There are as many kinds of love, as there are hearts." Anna Karenina is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Many writers consider it to be one of the greatest works of Russian literature ever written and Tolstoy himself called it his first true novel. Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and thereby exposes herself to the hypocrisies of society. Anna Karenina is spread over more than 800 pages. It deals with themes of betrayal, faith, family, marriage, Imperial Russian society, desire, and rural vs. city life. The novel has been adapted into various media including theatre, opera, film, television, ballet, figure skating, and radio drama.