“
In Sevastopol Sketches, we can already find, in embryonic form, all the essential elements of Tolstoy's thought and art. The volume contains the impressions of the bombardment of Sevastopol, as they were etched into the soul of a wonderful observer, of a young man who, from that time onwards, was drawn by the impulse of feeling to the brotherhood of mankind, of a Russian who was firmly convinced of the futility of reason and will in the face of the laws of a transcendent fate by which mankind is guided.A novel? No, because it lacks the central plot point that would link the various episodes narrated. A historical work? No, because it is clear that the characters described are products of the author's imagination. So, is it a historical novel? Yes, but not in the way we Latinos usually understand this literary genre. (Chap. III, pp. 16–17)
— FELICE MOMIGLIANO