In 1875, The Russian Messenger brought us a serialised version of one of the greatest novels ever, or so The Guardian tells me. They brought us Leo Tolstoy’s “Анна Каренина”. The novel is famous for dealing with the many issues of human existence, and it focuses on the affair between Anna Karenina and Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky. Due to the scandal of their affair, they had to leave St Petersburg and live in Italy, which sounds awful if you ask me. Eventually, they returned to Russia, which was an appalling idea. Apologies for any spoilers here.