Anna Karenina is a novel by the Russian author Lev Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever written, Tolstoy himself called it his first true novel. It was initially released in serial installments from 1875 to 1877, all but the last part appearing in the periodical The Russian Messenger. When William Faulkner was asked to list what he thought were the three greatest novels, he replied: "Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina, and Anna Karenina."
Nicola Pagett had been a castmate of Anna Karenina (1948) star Vivien Leigh, Pagett having supported Leigh's star turn in the 1965 three city tour of Paul Osborn's "La Contessa" (which would prove to be Leigh's British theatrical envoi).
The novel deals with themes of betrayal, faith, family, marriage, Imperial Russian society, desire, and the differences between rural and urban life. The story centers on an extramarital affair between Anna and cavalry officer Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky that scandalizes the social circles of Saint Petersburg and forces the young lovers to flee to Italy in a search for happiness, but after they return to Russia, their lives further unravel.