A celebrated writer, a recognized moralist and a distinguished social reformer – Leo Tolstoy needs no introduction of sorts. He is regarded as the greatest Russian literary giant, who gave the world some of the most remarkable piece of writings. A master of realistic fiction, Tolstoy’s novels are even today considered amongst the finest literary works. Through his works, Tolstoy not just became one of the greatest writers ever known, but a living symbol of someone in search of life’s meaning. What is interesting to note is that Tolstoy’s panache for writing enabled him to bring out masterpieces from everyday activities of people. He possessed a gift for describing his characters and their purpose with élan. Most of Tolstoy’s stories are built around his fond and lasting memories of childhood. While Tolstoy had an emotionally toiling early life, much of his later life was built around moralistic and ascetic views. He experienced a spiritual awakening in the last three decades of his life, post which he became a moral thinker and social reformer. It was his doctrine of non-resistance to evil which inspired Mahatma Gandhi and influenced the latter into walking on the path of non-cooperation and non-violence. Not just Gandhi, Tolstoy had a great influence on Martin Luther King Jr as well. His works, ‘War and Peace’, ‘Anna Karenina’ and ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’, still rank among the world's top literary pieces.