A Year of War and Peace

[rug]

Introducing a Daily, Yearlong, Chapter-by-Chapter Reading and Meditation on Tolstoy’s Masterpiece



Brian E. Denton
Dec 21, 2016

What It Is

A Year of War and Peace is the bibliotheraputic equivalent of mainlining your favorite mood enhancer.

Over the course of one year, should you choose to join me, we will read one of the 361 chapters of War and Peace per day followed by a brief reflection on the chapter published here on Medium. These reflections will focus on the novel’s characters and how thinking about their nineteenth-century triumphs and failings may help us to live better, more fulfilling lives today. This unique reading of War and Peace is something I’ve been doing every day for the past seven years. I welcome you to join me this year.

Why You Should Join Me

The primary reason you should join me is that War and Peace is one of the greatest books ever written. It’s immensely enjoyable to read. It’s also just plain immense. In fact, its size is often cited as the reason people have not read it yet. A Year of War and Peace solves this problem by breaking down the gigantic novel into small, bite-sized pieces. No more than twenty minutes per day is required to read along and, by year’s end, with just this small investment of time, you’ll have a thorough understanding and appreciation of one of the world’s most celebrated books.

When It Starts

A Year of War and Peace begins on January 1, 2017.

What Translation I’ll be Reading

I’ll be reading Oxford World’s Classics’ Maude translation. I’ve read many of the English translations and this is my favorite. With the exception of the Norton Critical Edition, all the translations I’ve read follow the 361 chapter convention so following along with another translation should not be a problem. The first time I cycled through the book using the one-chapter-per-day method I used this cheap digital version. There are a few minor typos but it’s serviceable for our purposes.

The Daily Readings

Below are the daily readings. I will link to each as they are made available.

Day 1

Day 2

https://medium.com/@BrianEDenton/a-year-of-war-and-peace-cc66540d9619#.7rmflgb51

A little background:

http://blog.oup.com/2017/01/reading-war-and-peace/