Leo Tolstoy & the Alibi of Narrative

One hundred years after his death, Tolstoy still inspires controversy with his notoriously complex narrative strategies. This original book explores how and why Tolstoy has mystified interpreters and offers a new look at his most famous works of fiction.

“This book takes its place among the work of the most influential Tolstoy scholars.”—Gary Saul Morson, author of "Anna Karenina" in Our Time: Seeing More Wisely

Justin Weir is professor of Slavic languages and literatures, Harvard University. His previous work includes The Author as Hero: Self and Tradition in Bulgakov, Pasternak, and Nabokov.