Hadji Murád

Written near the end of Tolstoy’s life and published only after his death, this short novel returns to the Caucasus he had known as a young soldier. Its hero is a real man, Hadji Murad, an Avar commander who breaks with the rebel imam Shamil and gambles his life on an alliance with the Russians who have long been his enemies. Trapped between two ruthless powers, he tries to protect his family and hold onto his own code of honor. Tolstoy frames the tale with the image of a crushed thistle that refuses to die, and he draws Tsar Nicholas I, Shamil, and ordinary soldiers with equal, unsparing clarity. A free PDF and EPUB edition are available here.