Dickens vs Tolstoy: The Battle Of The Great 19th-century Novelists
Dickens. Tolstoy. Their names and reputations shake the ground â and so do their books, if you drop one. They are the two greatest novelists from the century when novels were really great. Both captured their countriesâ very souls and, as vastly influential social reformers, savagely criticised them as well. But whose legacy is more enduring? Whose vision truer and more relevant today? Should you embark on War and Peace or Our Mutual Friend? To battle it out, Intelligence Squared brought two celebrated writers, John Mullan for Dickens and Simon Schama for Tolstoy, to our stage. They called on a cast of star actors, including Tom Hiddleston, to bring their arguments to life with readings from the authorsâ finest works. The debate was chaired by author, playwright and broadcaster Bonnie Greer.
