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The Leo Tolstoy BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art

The Leo Tolstoy BBC Radio Drama Collection

By: Leo Tolstoy
Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale,Amanda Redman,Emily Mortimer,Teresa Gallagher,Toby Stephens,Richard Dillane,Ian McDiarmid,Haydn Gwynne,full cast,Katherine Igoe
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Summary

BBC Radio adaptations of Tolstoy's three major novels, plus a reading of his profound philosophical memoir, an original drama based on his life and a bonus documentary.

One of the greatest novelists of all time, Leo Tolstoy is famed worldwide for his masterpieces of realist fiction, War and Peace and Anna Karenina. This comprehensive collection contains both those iconic works, as well as his final novel, Resurrection, his autobiographical essay 'A Confession', Stephen Wakelam's dramatic account of his tempestuous marriage, Mrs Tolstoy, and In Our Time: Tolstoy.

War and Peace - 1805, and Napoleon Bonaparte is threatening the peace of Europe. In St Petersburg and Moscow, the lives of three aristocratic families are about to be changed forever.... This epic dramatisation stars Simon Russell Beale, Gerard Murphy, Amanda Redman and Emily Mortimer.

Anna Karenina - in 19th-century Russia, bored high-society wife Anna embarks on an affair with the handsome Count Vronsky - but her passion sets her on a path to self-destruction. Starring Teresa Gallagher and Toby Stephens.

Resurrection - serving on the jury in a murder trial, Prince Dimitri recognises the young prostitute in the dock as Katerina Maslova, the girl he seduced years before. Knowing he is partly responsible for her plight, he attempts to atone for his mistakes and find redemption. Katherine Igoe and Richard Dillane star in this powerful adaptation of Tolstoy's final novel.

A Confession - read by Joss Ackland, this compelling religious testament describes Tolstoy's search for God, faith and the meaning of life.

Mrs Tolstoy - in his 50's, Leo Tolstoy has a spiritual crisis. Converting to Christianity, he gives up writing, stops sleeping with his wife, won't see his children and wants to give away all his possessions. But Sofya is ready to fight for her husband and family.... Starring Ian McDiarmid and Haydn Gwynne.

In Our Time: Tolstoy - Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Tolstoy's life and writings, exploring his urgent desire to represent real life in his work, how he strove to convey truth to the reader - and why he ultimately gave up on literature to concentrate on religious and political philosophy.

First published 1869 (War and Peace), 1877 (Anna Karenina), 1879 (A Confession), 1899 (Resurrection).

Please note that the chapter headings have been updated as of 10th February 2022. 

©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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Leo Tolstoy a literary genius

I found the BBC radio drama disappointing because in my opinion it could unfortunately not capture the same essence and genius of the original Tolstoy works which I had initially read. I therefore recommend readers enjoy the actual excellently written Tolstoy masterpieces rather than the abridged radio drama version as produced by BBC.

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Fascinating

Great writing by a Master who knew the human condition in rare depth. Intensely satisfying.

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  • Anna B.
  • 07-01-22

Excellent adaptation..No chapter titles

As usual, The bbc adaptation of daunting literary masterpieces is spot-on and excellent as usual.
For the life of me, i can’t understand how amazon(the largest corporation on planet) can’t get a group of college interns to label the chapters. As usual, no one has a clue when one play ends or another begins...very frustrating.

10 people found this helpful

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