Tolstoy I suppose, mainly because of his serenity and elegance, and his ability to call attention to so much that escapes me--and he is so magnificently profound!
However, Dostoyevsky can be even more meaningful and unforgettable, e. g. The Brothers Karamazov, part 3, book 7, chapter 4: Cana of Galilee, one of the most powerful, profound, and beautiful things I've ever read. I played an audio recording of it for my teenage grandson one afternoon when I picked him up from school, and one evening, I played it for my family as they relaxed in silence and listened, the room lit by candle light. Everyone was deeply moved.
I cannot decide between the two.
I think I love War and Peace the most.
I think the Pevear and Volokhonsky translations are the best. Do you agree? I don't know Russian and have to read translations.
What about you? What's your team? Your favorite books?
Team Dostoyevsky here. Tolstoy, well, in a novel I’m not looking for serenity and elegance. I’m looking for colossal struggles. FD was nobody of note, in his time and place, but he sure punched above his weight. Tolstoy mostly stuck to his social comfort zone.
I was homeschooled, exposed to various translations and commentaries thereon, all in the library at home and my teacher was fluent in Russian anyway. So it was “stereo surround” reading and I’ve no preference.