"Anna Karenina" is a novel written by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1878. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest works of literature ever written. The novel tells the story of Anna Karenina, a married aristocrat and socialite, who embarks on a passionate affair with Count Alexei Vronsky, a handsome cavalry officer. Their illicit romance scandalizes Russian society and threatens to destroy Anna's marriage to her husband, Alexei Karenin, a high-ranking government official.