Tolstoy’s epic novel of love, destiny, and self-destruction is presented in a stunning new clothbound edition from Penguin Classics. Anna Karenina appears to have it all—beauty, wealth, popularity, and a beloved son. Yet, she feels an emptiness in her life until the moment she meets the passionate officer Count Vronsky.

Their ensuing affair scandalizes both society and her family, eventually leading to jealousy and bitterness. In contrast to this tale of love and self-destruction is the vividly depicted story of Levin, a man seeking contentment and purpose in life—an echo of Tolstoy himself.

This celebrated modern translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky won the PEN/Book of the Month Club Translation Prize in 2001. Accompanying their translation in this edition is an introduction by Richard Pevear and a preface by John Bayley. “The new and brilliantly witty translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky is a must” – Lisa Appignanesi, Independent, Books of the Year.

“Pevear and Volokhonsky are both meticulous translators and masterful English stylists, and their outstanding rendering allows us, perhaps more than ever, to fully grasp the tangibility of Tolstoy’s characters, actions, and situations” – James Wood, New Yorker.