Tolstoy Together: 85 Days of War and Peace with Yiyun Li

“I’ve found that the more uncertain life is,” Yiyun Li writes, “the more solidity & structure War & Peace provides.” Tolstoy Together expands the epic novel into a rich conversation about literature & ways of reading, with contributions from Garth Greenwell, Elliott Holt, Carl Phillips, Tom Drury, Sara Majka, Alexandra Schwartz, & hundreds of fellow readers.

Along with Yiyun Li’s daily reading journal & a communal journal with readers’ reflections—with commentary on craft & technique, historical context, & character studies, Tolstoy Together: 85 Days of War and Peace includes a schedule & framework, providing a daily motivating companion for Tolstoy’s novel & a reading practice for future books.

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Yiyun Li grew up in Beijing & came to the United States in 1996. Her debut collection, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award & the Guardian First Book Award. Her novel, The Vagrants, was shortlisted for the Dublin IMPAC Award. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages. She was selected by Granta as one of the 21 Best Young American Novelists under 35, and was named by The New Yorker as one of the top 20 writers under 40.