"Anna Karenina" is Leo Tolstoy's epic novel of love, marriage, betrayal and class tension set amid the declining years of late 19th-century Imperial Russia. A monumental literary achievement, this book has long been hailed as one of the greatest Russian novels ever written.

The plot centers on the long-term extramarital affair between the married Anna Karenina and her lover, the rich aristocrat and cavalry officer Count Vronsky. As the book opens, we learn that Vronsky is eager for Anna to leave her husband and start a new life with him. The couple flees to Italy so they can finally be together, but when life abroad turns sour, they return to Russia, only to face a society that has turned its back on Anna for her infidelity.

The story winds its way through multiple sub-plots and various themes, which includes the tension between country and city life, religion, marriage, family strife and even suicide. It is sweeping in scale and has been studied and praised by literary critics for well over a century.

"Anna Karenina" is presented here in its original and unabridged format, as translated by Constance Garnett from the Russian.

Leo Tolstoy (known in Russia as Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy) is often cited as one of Russia's greatest authors and two of his works - "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina" - are regularly lauded as two of the finest novels ever written. Born to an aristocratic family and offered the finest education available to a young, rich young Russian man, Tolstoy was a poor student who dropped out of college and seemed destined to lead the life of a wastrel. After running up huge gambling debts, he was forced by his poor finances to join the military. He also began writing during this period and published his first novel - the autobiographical "Childhood" - shortly before being sent to fight in the Crimean War, where he distinguished himself on the battlefield. However, appalled by the death and destruction that he witnessed during his time in uniform, Tolstoy left the service at the conclusion of the war. Tolstoy's military experience - coupled with his various travels through Europe - caused him to embrace the concept of non-violence, a banner he carried throughout his life. His writings on the subject inspired the work and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and the two became correspondents. While in France, Tolstoy met Victor Hugo and was allowed to read a first draft of "Les Miserables," which greatly influenced his later work. Though much of his early work was biographical, he eventually moved on to writing books about larger themes: life in Russia, politics, marriage, war, pacifism, infidelity and philosophy. He expanded his writing to include poetry, plays and essays. His works often highlighted Christian themes and Tolstoy considered himself a "Christian anarchist," believing that humanity should not answer to a government, only to God. He had a huge following among the Russian people, who practically deified him during his life and after.One night, Tolstoy fled his home, apparently to escape the tyrannical condemnations of his wife. He was discovered in a train station and appeared very ill. Attempts to revive him failed and he died of pneumonia at the age of 82.