Hadji Murat

This translation of Tolstoy's novella Hadji Murat was first published as part of The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories in 2009, and now appears in a stand-alone edition for the first time. Inspired by a real historical figure Tolstoy heard about while serving in the Caucasus, it tells of the warrior Hadji Murat, a Chechen rebel who has fought fiercely against his Russian occupiers. After a feud with his commander he defects to the Russians, only to find that he is now trusted by neither side. First welcomed but then imprisoned by the Russians under suspicion of being a spy, and hearing news of his wife and son held captive by the Chechens, Murat risks all to try to save his family.