内容简介
   Set against the sweeping panoply of Napoleon's invasion of Russia,  War and Peace?presented here in the first new English translation in forty years?is often considered the greatest novel ever written. At its center are Pierre Bezukhov, searching for meaning in his life; cynical Prince Andrei, ennobled by wartime suffering; and Natasha Rostov, whose impulsiveness threatens to destroy her happiness. As Tolstoy follows the changing fortunes of his characters, he crafts a view of humanity that is both epic and intimate and that continues to define fiction at its most resplendent. 
 * Includes an introduction, note on the translation, cast of characters, maps, notes on the major battles depicted, and chapter summaries  
 "The best translation so far of Tolstoy's masterpiece into English." 
 -Robert A. Maguire, professor emeritus of Russian studies, Columbia University  
 "In Tolstoy's work part of the translator's difficulty lies in conveying not only the simplicity but the subtlety of the book's scale and effect. . . . Briggs has rendered both with a particular exactness and a vigorous precision not to be found, I think, in any previous translation." 
 -John Bayley, author of  Elegy for Iris       
作者简介
   Count Leo Tolstoy was born on September 9, 1828, in Yasnaya Polyana, Russia. Orphaned at nine, he was brought up by an elderly aunt and educated by French tutors until he matriculated at Kazan University in 1844. In 1847, he gave up his studies and, after several aimless years, volunteered for military duty in the army, serving as a junior officer in the Crimean War before retiring in 1857. In 1862, Tolstoy married Sophie Behrs, a marriage that was to become, for him, bitterly unhappy. His diary, started in 1847, was used for self-study and self-criticism; it served as the source from which he drew much of the material that appeared not only in his great novels  War and Peace (1869) and  Anna Karenina (1877), but also in his shorter works. Seeking religious justification for his life, Tolstoy evolved a new Christianity based upon his own interpretation of the Gospels. Yasnaya Polyana became a mecca for his many converts. At the age of eighty-two, while away from home, the writer suffered a break down in his health in Astapovo, Riazan, and he died there on November 20, 1910. 
  Anthony Briggs has written, translated, or edited twenty books in the fields of Russian and English literature.  
 Orlando Figes is the prizewinning author of  A People’s Tragedy and  Natasha’s Dance. He is a regular contributor to  The New York Times,  The Washington Post, and  The New York Review of Books.     
前言/序言
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					托尔斯泰的宏伟史诗:在时代洪流中探寻人类的命运与意义  《战争与和平》 并非仅仅是一部描绘拿破仑战争的鸿篇巨制,它更是一部深刻剖析人类精神世界、社会变迁与历史哲学的百科全书式的巨著。列夫·尼古拉耶维奇·托尔斯泰以其无与伦比的洞察力和细腻入微的笔触,为我们构建了一个广阔而复杂的俄国社会图景,将宏大的历史叙事与个体生命的细微挣扎完美地融合在一起。  故事背景与时代的脉搏  本书的时间跨度始于1805年,聚焦于拿破仑战争初期,直至1812年法军入侵俄国并最终溃败的这段决定性历史时期。这不是一部仅仅关注军事战略的书籍,而是将焦点置于沙皇俄国贵族阶层——安德烈·博尔孔斯基公爵、皮埃尔·别祖霍夫伯爵以及娜塔莎·罗斯托娃小姐等核心人物的生活轨迹之上。  托尔斯泰毫不留情地揭示了贵族们在和平时期的浮华、虚伪与道德困境,以及战争的残酷如何成为检验他们真正品格的试金石。从圣彼得堡的沙龙社交到莫斯科的家庭温馨,再到波罗金诺战场的血与火,时代的巨轮以不可阻挡的力量推动着所有人物命运的转变。历史不再是冰冷的年代记录,而是活生生的、由无数个体意志交织而成的洪流。  核心人物的精神探索之旅  《战争与和平》的魅力在于其对人物内心世界的深度挖掘,每一个主要角色都代表着一种对生命意义的追问和探索:  1. 安德烈·博尔孔斯基公爵:荣耀与幻灭  安德烈是典型的启蒙时代贵族,聪明、骄傲,对平庸的世俗生活深感厌倦。他最初将拿破仑视为英雄,渴望通过军事上的辉煌成就获得世人认可,以逃离他认为空虚的家庭生活和贵族圈子。在奥斯特里茨战役的天空下,当他身负重伤,仰望那片高远、永恒的蓝天时,他第一次认识到世间一切荣耀的渺小与虚妄。他的探索是关于“何为真正的英雄主义”以及“如何与死亡和解”的痛苦历程。他试图在理性、责任、爱情和哲学思辨中寻找锚点,最终,他的悲剧性命运是对追求个人英雄主义的深刻反思。  2. 皮埃尔·别祖霍夫伯爵:笨拙的理想主义者  皮埃尔,一个私生子继承了巨额财富,他天性善良、正直,却在复杂的社会环境中显得笨拙、缺乏城府。他代表着知识分子对真理和人生终极意义的执着探寻。他先后尝试了共济会、政治改良、个人享乐主义,以及在战争中尝试充当“人民”的一员,甚至差点刺杀拿破仑。皮埃尔的旅程充满了试错,他的成长是缓慢而痛苦的,体现了托尔斯泰对“精神觉醒”的重视。他最终在战争的磨砺和与质朴农民卡拉塔耶夫的相处中,找到了内心的平静和对生活最朴素的热爱。  3. 娜塔莎·罗斯托娃小姐:生命力的化身  娜塔莎是本书中最具生命力和情感感染力的形象。她不像安德烈和皮埃尔那样沉溺于抽象的哲学思辨,她的智慧是直觉的、感性的。她从一个天真烂漫、充满活力的少女,经历了初恋的狂喜、背叛的痛苦、对心爱之人安德烈的深切哀悼,以及在瘟疫中作为照料者的成熟。娜塔莎的成长是关于“如何成为一个真正的、有道德的俄国女性”的典范。她证明了生命力、爱与家庭的温暖,才是抵御历史洪流侵蚀的终极力量。  战争与和平的辩证统一  托尔斯泰并未将“战争”和“和平”简单地视为对立面,而是视其为同一历史进程的两个侧面。  在“战争”的描写中,托尔斯泰彻底颠覆了传统的军事历史叙事。他摒弃了对“伟大将军”的个人崇拜,认为历史是由无数微小、不可预测的因素和“民族精神”共同推动的。他用极具现场感的笔触描绘了博罗金诺战役的混乱、恐惧和无序,强调了士兵们在生死关头爆发出的本能的勇气和群体意识,而非精确的指挥部署。库图佐夫元帅的成功,并非因为他的天才战略,而是因为他懂得顺应历史的“惰性”和俄国人民抵抗的意志。  而在“和平”时期,托尔斯泰则关注家庭生活的细微波动,贵族家庭的联姻、舞会、误解与和解。通过这些看似琐碎的场景,他展现了道德的腐蚀与净化过程。  托尔斯泰的历史哲学  贯穿全书的,是作者对历史的深刻思考。托尔斯泰猛烈抨击了当时流行的历史决定论——即认为历史由少数“伟人”(如拿破仑)的意志所决定的观点。  他坚信,真正的历史是由无数平凡人的集体意志所铸就的。任何试图掌控历史进程的努力,最终都会在历史的惯性面前显得苍白无力。历史不是线性进步的,而是充满循环与偶然。这种“宿命论”和对个体自由意志的怀疑,构成了本书思想层面的核心张力。他赞美那些不追求名声、而是默默履行职责、顺应自然法则生活的人,如库图佐夫和农民卡拉塔耶夫。  超越时代的文学价值  《战争与和平》以其宏大的结构、对心理描写的精妙把握,以及对人性复杂性的全面展现,被誉为世界文学史上最伟大的小说之一。它不仅是了解19世纪初俄国社会的珍贵文献,更是一部关于人类如何在动荡世界中寻找爱、信仰、责任与自我定位的永恒探索。阅读它,如同亲身经历了那段风云变幻的时代,并与书中人物一同完成了对生命意义的深刻追问。这部作品的经典地位,在于它成功地将个体命运的悲欢离合,熔铸进了人类历史的磅礴叙事之中。