Hadji Murad

Book Description

He is considered one of the greatest novelists in any language in all of human history, but many of Leo Tolstoy's works remain obscure today. This short novel, published posthumously and recommended by Harold Bloom in his Western Canon, is the writer's fictionalized account of his service in the Russian army in Chechen in the 1850s and of a Chechen soldier, Hadji Murád, who defects to the enemy with tragic results. Brutal and uncompromising, this remains a work of startling insight into an ethnic war that continues to this day. Russian writer COUNT LEV ("LEO") NIKOLAYEVICH TOLSTOY (1828-1910) is best known for his novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877). ALSO FROM COSIMO: Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God Is Within You, The Cossacks, and The Pathway of Life

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This Hadji Murad was Shamil's naib, famous for his exploits, who used never to ride out without his banner and some dozens of murids, who caracoled and showed off before him. Now wrapped in a hood and burka, from under which protruded a rifle, he rode, a fugitive with one murid only, trying to attract as little attention as possible and peering with his quick black eyes into the faces of those he met on his way. -- Note: Tolstoy's last novel.

Customer Reviews:

Good Story, Bad Text.......2007-05-07

This is a little known short novel by Leo Tolstoy, and the story could easily take place today - an ongoing conflict between Russia and Chechen tribesmen leads Chechen warrior Hadji Murad to side with Russia in order to exact vengeance on a chechen rival and enemy. The story and premise are well developed, but the text suffers from an apparent bad translation - which occasionally garbles the syntax, and serves up a host of typographical errors. I would hope the publisher would re-do this translation and test to resurrect this topical story.

Reading history by a great author.......2007-04-03

This book is perhaps a short story for Tolstoy, but a novel in modern terms.
The prose has a quality of poetry that translation sometimes fails.
It reminds me of Thomas Moore's Lalla Rookh in that the writer
was trying to get across a culture foreign to him. He appears to be more familiar
with the traits and frailty of a Russian nobility that is more English than Russian than the
Islamic Turkish tribesmen that warred with the Russian Empire just prior to the first world war.
Both England and Russia where wide Empires ruled by related families.
Here the Russian Prince bungles a chance to put down the rebellion cheaply
and kills the Islamic holy war prince who has sworn to help him if only he would ransom his family.
Some places the story reaches high poetry levels,
but like some epic poetry it tends to drag out the plot line.
I think the current Russian rulers could learn from this book
and maybe our own leaders as well.
Lalla Rookh An Oriental Romance

A Story Without End.......2007-02-17

It is eerie how a 150 yr old story reflects the exact same tragedy so accurately today. Events that inspired this novella are still raging in the Caucuses. It reminds one of the fate of the American Indians, except these yigits were better armed and mountians were their castles.

I am not sure about this being the best story ever told, but it is a timeless classic for sure. Given when it was written, Tolstoy's technique is striking and message is so modern. Though this is supposedly the best translation, one still feels somethings are lost and there are occasional awkward expressions and dialogues.

The characters themselves are greater than life and tragic but at the same time there is a disturbing reality to the scenes described, kind that takes Hollywood much technology and special effects to create.

The old World hero culture against the steel and guns of an imperial army. A lifestyle and nation crumbling under the relentless expansion of a mighty Russia. Shamil, Russian Imperial cahracters, especailly the Czar, and Murad, whose legends still live all around the region today, after whom my father named me, are captured magnificiently and with amazing efficiency by the old master.

Then, As Now.......2006-08-16

As others have noted, this is possibly the best written novella of all time, and is solidly based on Tolstoy's military service in the Russian campaign to conquer the tribes of the Caucasus Mountains, led for decades by the Imam Shamil. The Avar chieftain Hadji Murad, a doomed tragic figure, is painted with respect, and Tolstoy's pacifist views are the same as in War and Peace. His acid portrayal of Czar Nicholas is one-sided, but his characterization of the Russian nobility as shallow one dimensional people with an excessive taste for gambling, drinking, and violence is an accurate accounting of the conditions that would soon lead to their downfall.

Cover.......2004-09-23

The book is great. The cover of this edition is to say least ridiculous (slightly out of date)!

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HADJI MURAD [EasyRead Comfort Edition]
Lev Tolstoy
Manufacturer: ReadHowYouWant.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1425008917
Release Date: 2006-10-01

Book Description

It is an imaginary story of Hadji Murad's struggle against the Russian Army. Murad was haunted by those who deceived him. Tolstoy has described cultural and social values that sometimes create inconsistency in individual choice. It's a remarkable ironical commentary on day-to-day affairs and horrible effects of war.

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Hadji Murad
Leo Tolstoy
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 076077353X

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HADJI MURAD [EasyRead Edition]
Lev Tolstoy
Manufacturer: ReadHowYouWant.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1425003125
Release Date: 2006-10-01

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HADJI MURAD
Leo (Trans by Aylmer Maude) Tolstoy
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead And Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RO4MU8

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HADJI MURAD [EasyRead Large Edition]
Lev Tolstoy
Manufacturer: ReadHowYouWant.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1425014151
Release Date: 2006-10-01

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Hadji Murad and Other Stories; Edited By Hagberg Wright

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Hadji Murad and Other Stories; Edited By Hagberg Wright
Count Leo Tolstoy
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QSIVKC

Hadji Murad, the Light That Shines in the Darkness, the Man Who Was Dead, the Cause of It All

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Hadji Murad, the Light That Shines in the Darkness, the Man Who Was Dead, the Cause of It All
Lev N. Tolstoy
Manufacturer: Dana Estes & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000T2DI8A

Product Description

One of the first American Edition of Tolstoy's collection of stories, translated by Aylmer Maude. This book is part of a rare series of Tolstoy books in the Illustrated Sterlin Editions, published by Dana Estes & Company in 1912.

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Ivan Ilych And Hadji Murad
Leo Tolstoy
Manufacturer: Slusser Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1406721387

Book Description

IVAN ILYCH AND HADJI MURAD BY LEO TOLSTOY Translated by LOUISE AND AYLMER MAUDE With an Introduction by AYLMER MAUDE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON HUMPHREY MILFORD LEO ToLsr6Y Born, Yasnaya Polyana, Tula August 28 old style September 9, n. s., 1828 Died, Astapdvo, Riazan November 7 old style November 20, n. s., 1910 The Death of Ivdnllfch was fir t published in 1886 Master and Man 9 , A Talk among Leisured People, and Walk in the Light while there is Light in 1 893. Hadji Murdd, Memoirs of a Madman 9 , and Fedor Ku nich were all published posthumously. In the Worlds Classics the stories were fast published in 1935. PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. By AYLMER MAUDE . . vii THE DEATH OF IVAN IL CH. 1886 . . i MASTER AND MAN. 1893 . . .74 A TALK AMONG LEISURED PEOPLE. 1893 . 138 WALK IN THE LIGHT WHILE THERE IS LIGHT. i . . . . .143 MEMOIRS OF A MADMAN, ea. 1884 . .210 LIST OF TARTAR WORDS IN HADJI MURAD . 226 HADJI MURAD. ca. iSgGfi and 1901 4 . . 227 FfcDOR KUZMlCH. 1905 . . . . 385 PREFACE nr HE Death of Ivan Ilych is one of Tolstoys best JL stories. After the completion of Anna Kartnina he was so preoccupied with religious problems for about nine years that he wrote no fiction except some of the short stories that appear in Twenty-Three Tales. A report spread that he had abandoned art, but when, in 1886, The Death of Ivan Ilych appeared the critics promptly exclaimed At last his train has come out of its tunnel. The Death of Ivan Ilych was written about the same time as his philosophical work On Life, which treats of the fact that life inevitably leads on to corporeal death, and indicates that we cannot look to the flow of matter that constitutes our body to furnish any rational hope of permanent survival. Neither the Egyptian practice of mummification, nor asser tions of belief in a resurrection of the body, nor any grafting with monkey-gland, can conceal the inevitable end that awaits our bodies. Tolstoy was firmly convinced that there is something more permanent in our personalities than in our corporeal encasement, that mans true life dwells in his spirit and that the fear of death ceases when he experiences the awakening to real life which comes when we mingle souls with one another. In What is Art he says that The destiny of art in our time is to transmit from the realm of reason to the realm of feeling the truth that well-being for men consists in their being united together, and the philosophic truth stated in On Life is presented in fictional form in The Death of Ivan Ilych for readers whose feelings may be reached by art more easily than by argument. Master and Man, which comes second in this viii PREFACE volume, is a story of peasant life written on the same theme as The Death oflvdn Itych. More than one of Tolst6ys later stories treats of scenes with which he had dealt when he was a young man. Master and Man, for instance, is strongly reminiscent of The Snow Storm. That earlier effort consisted, how ever, entirely of closely observed incidents and characters, while what is essential in Master and Man are the feelings arising from the authors mature understanding of life and death. In it, again, we have a man who, when near physical death, ceases to be afraid and finds true life by coming into brotherly contact with his fellow man. A Talk Among Leisured People, like many of Tol st6ys writings, is evidently closely drawn from per sonal experience. We can almost hear in it the opposition expressed by his wife and other members of his family to such changes of the external con ditions of life as he aimed at and they made so difficult for him. Walk in the Light While There is Light is, for him, a poor story, and almost the only one in which he subordinates artistic veracity to tendentious teaching. I met members of the so-called Tolstoyan Colony at Purleigh in Essex, who told me that they had been influenced by this story...

"The Cossacks" and "Hadji Murad".(Book Review) : An article from: Radical Teacher

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"The Cossacks" and "Hadji Murad".(Book Review) : An article from: Radical Teacher
Bob Blaisdell
Manufacturer: Center for Critical Education, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Radical Teacher, published by Center for Critical Education, Inc. on March 22, 2005. The length of the article is 638 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: "The Cossacks" and "Hadji Murad".(Book Review)
Author: Bob Blaisdell
Publication: Radical Teacher (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2005
Publisher: Center for Critical Education, Inc.
Issue: 72 Page: 44(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Recently impoverished orphan Titania Stanhope must marry money if she plans to survive. The Earl of Oakley has money, but, in an attempt to keep gold-digging girls at bay, keeps it a secret. Then he meets Titania, whose sharp wit and keen mind are rivaled only by her lovely face.

Customer Reviews:

Warming and Exciting!.......2006-11-03

I was all prepared to write a long review of this book, but I can't. Let's just say I finished the book the day after getting it and wished that I had spaced it out longer to savor it. Even though I just read it, I plan to read it again this weekend. I simply can't wait any longer to reread it.

There are some faults. There are certain characters I wish I could know more about such as Claire, but you'll definitely come to know the heroine, Titania, very well. As a reader, it is so easy to fall in love with the hero, Edwin. He knows exactly what he wants, and he pursues it. I don't even view any of his actions negatively. He pursued Titania because he knew she wanted him too. It's true Edwin's behavior is a little less formal and predictable than the Lords of his time period, but he did just arrive back to England from America which probably accounts for some of the difference. That and the writing style isn't as formal as some of the Christmas Regency short stories I've read.

I highly recommend this light and easy read (even though it was emotionally engaging for me-I was sad when it was over!). After reading A Singular Lady you just might be willing to go back to the 1800s and give up electricity and all your modern-day amenities because you will be yearning for a Season of your own.

A fun, witty read.......2006-03-17

This is a great, light Regency full of quirky characters (I love that the heroine has a crooked nose). Great repartee between her and the hero, with some fun double entendres going on and some tongue-in-cheek playing with classic Regency elements.

A pleasant read with some flaws.......2006-02-04

Even before I started reading A Singular Lady" I was inclined to be charmed because I had read in the blurb that the hero was called Edwin - such a delightfully down-to-earth name and such a change from all the Justins and Alexanders. My delight turned to dismay, however, when I discovered in the course of the first two chapters that the heroine was in the worst Barbara Cartland tradition: the "I must carry the whole financial burden of my brother's impoverished estate on my shoulders and not breathe a syllable to him about it because he must be kept safe from the knowledge" sort. Gah! I kept on reading, anyway, and found the rest of the novel a mixture between good and not quite so good points. On the plus side, the author has a dry sense of humour that shows to greatest advantage in the interior monologues. In fact, I would love to read a book by her that was just straightforward funny and lacked the melodrama of this one. The author loves to use long and rare words, however, and sometimes these tended to overwhelm the otherwise pleasant style.

Besides hero and heroine (if you ignore her stubborn desire for self-sacrifice), many of the characters are engaging: the younger brother, the dandified ex-soldier, the chaperone who has a romance on the side. Most unfortunately, Megan Frampton did not give these secondary characters enough space to develop in the narrative, because she chose of overcrowd the novel with too many plot-twists, especially in the last few chapters. In fact she introduced new, surprising twists with almost every page by then, so that neither the reader nor the protagonists have the space to react emotionally to each new turn, and a disappointingly high number of threads are left loose. This is a real shame, because there potential here, and a less convoluted ending would have been much more satisfying.

A word on titles and forms of address, even if this means to be nit-picking: If Edwin Worthington, Earl of Oakley, is son and heir to the Marquess of Taunton (p. 32), he is addressed as Lord Oakley and his father as Lord Taunton. When Megan Frampton calls both gentlemen Lord Worthington, sometimes on the same page, it is unnessecarily confusing and shows sloppy research.

All in all, the book is a pleasant read with some flaws which shows definite promise, and it will be interesting to see how the author develops in a (hopefully soon to be written) second novel.

Love this author, she will be a superstar IMO!.......2006-01-07

I have read so many mediocre Historical romances lately, I was thrilled to finally find one I truly like. Witty, delightful and humorous, Titania is one of my favorite heroines. It is a truly fast enjoyable read. I did not want it to end...my ultimate criteria of a good book!

Lovely, breezy read.......2005-12-27

I don't usually read traditional Regencies, but I picked this one up because of the heroine's unusual name. Unfortunately it sat in my TBR pile until recently when I was looking for a light fun read. I'm glad that I did. Megan Frampton's debut is a sparkling, lovely, breezy read. Her heroine Titania Stanhope has wit, charm, and is more than a match for the hero, Edwin. Ms. Frampton takes characters that could be stereotypes and turns them on their heads. I look forward to reading more from this author.

The Service of Ladies: An Autobiography (First Person Singular) (First Person Singular)

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The Service of Ladies: An Autobiography (First Person Singular) (First Person Singular)
Ulrich von Liechtenstein
Manufacturer: Boydell Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1843830957

Book Description

Ulrich von Liechtenstein's extraordinary account of his adventures as a knight-errant is one of the most vivid images of chivalric life to have come down to us. His knightly autobiography was written in the mid-thirteenth century, and gives an account of the 'journey of Venus' which he undertook in 1226 in honour of his lady, in which he claimed to have broken 307 spears in jousts against all comers in the space of a month. Some of it is obviously quietly exaggerated, written for his friends' entertainment many years later, and he is not above a sly dig at the conventions of courtly love, but he completely accepts its basic ideas. It is full of lively episodes and good stories, as well as verses in honour of his lady; if the tale has been polished up for effect, it is nonetheless a thoroughly entertaining account of how a knight saw his ideal career in the jousting field. If the name is unexpectedly familiar to modern readers, it is because it was borrowed by the hero of the film 'A Knight's Tale'; Ulrich would have certainly approved of his exploits. Introduction by KELLY DEVRIES.

Caraboo: A Narrative Of A Singular Imposition, Practiced Upon The Benevolence Of A Lady Residing In The Vicinity Of The City Of Bristol By A Young Woman Of The Name Of Mary Willcocks, Alias Baker

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Caraboo: A Narrative Of A Singular Imposition, Practiced Upon The Benevolence Of A Lady Residing In The Vicinity Of The City Of Bristol By A Young Woman Of The Name Of Mary Willcocks, Alias Baker
John Mathew Gutch
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 054828850X

Book Description

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

That singular person called Lear : a biography

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That singular person called Lear : a biography
Lady Susan Chitty
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld and Nicolson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0297793888

The British Don Juan: Being a narrative of the singular amours, entertaining adventures, remarkable travels, &c. of the Hon. Edward W. Montague, son of the celebrated Lady Mary Wortly Montague

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The British Don Juan: Being a narrative of the singular amours, entertaining adventures, remarkable travels, &c. of the Hon. Edward W. Montague, son of the celebrated Lady Mary Wortly Montague
Henry Coates
Manufacturer: Published by James Griffin, Middle Row, Holborn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0008C2WW4

Caraboo: A narrative of a singular imposition practised upon the benevolence of a lady residing in the vicinity of the city of Bristol, by a young woman ... by E. Bird, Esq. R.A. and Mr. Branwhite

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Caraboo: A narrative of a singular imposition practised upon the benevolence of a lady residing in the vicinity of the city of Bristol, by a young woman ... by E. Bird, Esq. R.A. and Mr. Branwhite
John Mathew Gutch
Manufacturer: Printed by J.M. Gutch ... Bristol, and published by Baldwin, Cradock and Joy ... London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0008AFGUQ

Book Description

In the first volume of Trigun Maximum, we caught up with Vash and watched him jump back into service for Peace and Love! But now the action really begins. Remember the Gung-Ho Guns? That modge-podge group of assassins born and bred to kill Vash? Well, they're the one's who're still alive and are still trying to kill him, and in Trigun Maximum Volume 2, we'll see the beginning of a whole new set of worries for our gunslinging mysterious nice guy. See the whole menagerie of freaky Gung-Ho Guns come after Vash in lots of crazy ways. The fun is really getting rolling in Trigun Maximum, taking you way beyond the anime and into new, dangerous territory.

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Trigun Maximum Volume 2: Death Blue

Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1417666706

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