My War and Peace in reading

I was surprised during this past Monday's Martin Luther King birthday holiday, when the Lifetime Network, aired a new mini series version, of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel, "War and Peace." This timeless story is considered by many, to be the most famous novel ever written in any language.

I am not sure of the exact date when I first read the original novel, but it was likely in the mid '70s. When I use the term read, that is a bit of an understatement. Regardless of which translation you obtain, this is one of the longest books ever written. My own paperback copy contains over 1400 pages!

I researched online for more cinematic productions. This current series will air in four parts. This is only the latest attempt to create a video version of this novel. The very first adaptation was a Russian film in 1915. Hollywood got into the act, with a 1956 film starring Henry Fonda and Audrey Hepburn.

In 1967, the Soviet Union released a 431-minute film that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It used thousands of army and civilian extras, and the battle scenes were particularly realistic.

There have been several television versions produced from different countries around the world. My favorite all time adaptation was the 1972 eight hour BBC mini series. Sir Anthony Hopkins portrayed Pierre, and he was, as always, superb.

It is a testament to the original Tolstoy work, that so many different attempts have been made, in trying to capture the scope of this novel. In America we have only one comparable work, "Gone With the Wind."

I titled this column "War and Peace in Reading." I did so for several reasons. First and foremost, I used these words, because I still consider this book to be the single most in depth novel ever written.

My second reason for such a title has to do with my own physical reading incapacity. For years I was an avid reader. Rarely did I go to bed any night that I did not literally -- read myself to sleep. In the process, I consumed on average well over a thousand pages a week. That all changed 14 years ago.

On Jan. 3, 2002, I suffered a stoke. I was lucky that the damage from the stroke was not worse. Stokes can paralyze, and often even result in death. Again, I consider myself very fortunate. My only permanent damage was to a heart valve (which I eventually had to have replaced in 2013), and also the loss of vision in the right half of both eyes.

This vision impairment was immediately manifested in a number of ways. Since I am totally blind on the right side, I have not been able to safely drive a vehicle. I also have had to learn to be very careful in how I maneuver, in a host of different areas.

The vision issue also caused me to loose the ability to enjoy my daily reading. My actual vision fields test that was completed after the stoke, indicated that I had 48 percent of vision horizontally. If you can imagine trying to view the world through a half circle, then you have some idea of my current vision ability.

Early on I discovered that the stroke had weakened my reading skill. Even though I tried diligently, I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the lines. At the end of a sentence, I would have to work at attempting to move my eyes to the next correct line.

Since I was seeing only half as much of a line, my reading speed was reduced significantly. This became very apparent to me when trying to read sub titles in a movie or television show. By the time I get my eyes to move from left to right, the sub title has often disappeared.

Again, I actually consider myself the luckiest of persons. There are countless others who have had stokes, who have suffered much worse than I have. Yes, I have a disability, but I am alive.

If you asked me which of the issues I would change first, my answer might surprise you. Of course the inability to drive a vehicle has been a terrible loss, but I do have other people and options that offer me transportation. When it comes to my loss of reading skill, there is no available easy option.

It is physically painful to try and read a book now. The strain of trying to keep my eyes on a line is very tiring. I have tried to use audio books to replace my former nightly read, but it is just not the same as actually devouring a book.

I am fortunate to be able to read several newspapers including the Daily Mail online. I can enlarge the print and this allows me to read with less discomfort.

There is a saying, "that every cloud has a silver lining." For me, that silver lining was the many years of reading that I was allowed to enjoy, prior to my stroke. That time gave me hundreds of books that now remain in my memory.

So, when a new mini series like Lifetime's current adaptation of "War and Peace" comes along, I am able to relate the scenes from the video, to the novel that still rests comfortably in my bookcase.

When I see Pierre and Natasha (the two main characters in the book) onscreen, they become like old friends returning to me. I remember their thoughts, joys, fears, and hopes, which Tolstoy created in them.

My advice to any reader of this column is if you have never read "War and Peace," it is high time you did so. It is without a doubt one of the "classics."

Perhaps most importantly, I encourage you to read. It is a gift that I no longer possess. There are so many video options available today, but a good novel is always a better choice.