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Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer and moral philosopher. He was one of the world's greatest novelists. His writings greatly influenced much of 20th-century literature, and his moral teachings helped shape the thinking of several important spiritual and political leaders. Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy was born in 1828 into a family of aristocratic landowners at Yasnaya Polyana. His early education came from tutors at home, but after the deaths of his parents in the 1830s, his …

…himself tried to abide by his new beliefs, simplifying his life, living on his own labor, and giving up material possessions. His wife, however, did not share all of his beliefs, and their marriage suffered under severe strain during their last years together. The relations between them had grown so tense that Tolstoy decided to leave home for good. He contracted pneumonia while traveling and died at the small railway station of Astapovo in November 1910.