&quot;Anna Karenina&quot; by Leo Tolstoy was published in instalments between 1875 and 1877 and it is considered one of the pinnacles of world literature.<br /><br />This masterwork tracks the life of aristocrat Anna Karenina and her tryst with Count Vronsky. The novel is staged in the late nineteenth century at the height of major political and social changes in Russia. In &quot;Anna Karenina&quot; Tolstoy uses his intense imaginative insight to create dozens of characters that portray a realistic account of Russian society during this period, some of the most memorable characters in literature. Anna is a sophisticated woman who abandons her empty existence as the wife of Karenin and turns to Count Vronsky to fulfil her passionate nature - with tragic consequences. Levin is a reflection of Tolstoy himself, often expressing the author&#39;s own views and convictions.