Leo Tolstoy's Query Letter

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Subject: Query Letter for “War and Peace” 

Dear Ms. A. Gent, 

Are you ready for a literary adventure that blends war, peace, philosophy, religion, and history? Allow me to introduce War and Peace, a completed 587,287-word masterpiece. I understand it is customary at this time to inform you of the book’s genre. Well … that’s complicated. 

The book, which is told mainly in third-person point of view with unexplained moments where the narrator slips into first-person, is as difficult to fit into a single genre as it is to fit on your bookshelf. 

As you may ascertain from the title, parts of the book focus on war, while others focus on peace. The war sections fit into several genres: historical, philosophical, thriller, and speculative. These sections can almost be poetical in the lyrical beauty of their word-smithing, which is a nice contrast to the blood and gore. 

The “peace” parts of the book are anything but peaceful. No actual bullets fly in these sections, but there are love affairs, broken engagements, rash decisions, and religious pursuits. These sections fit into the following genres: romance, historical fiction, Masonic, and more! 

Why choose one genre when one book can encompass so many? 

There are five hundred named characters, and many of the main characters have five or six names each. Additionally, several characters share the same name. Add it all together, and that means there are only about 2,500 names for readers to keep track of. To keep things simple, I wrote much of the dialogue in French. *Ne vous inquiétez pas, les traductions sont disponibles en bas de page. 

War and Peace will appeal to readers of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, and the King James Bible. Essentially, War and Peace will find readership with people who like words — and lots of them. Readers who enjoy battle scenes on horseback and ballroom dancing in equal measure will find their home within the pages of my book. 

A little about me: if you’re not interested in War and Peace, I also have a work in progress called Anna Karenina. I haven’t figured out how to end it yet, but that’s where train accidents come in handy. I’m a veteran of the Crimean War, was recommended for Russia’s highest military honor, then passed over for it, founded several schools for peasants (if they can’t read, they can’t buy my book!), and I’m a count. 

I appreciate your interest in my book. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but if you are a sucker for free will and historical determinism, you'll be glad you stuck around. 

Most sincerely, Leo Tolstoy 

*Don’t worry, the translations are available in the footnotes.


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