"Kholstomer" (), also translated as "Strider", is a novella by Leo Tolstoy and the name of the horse from it. It has been referred to as "one of the most striking stories in Russian literature". It was started in 1863 and left unfinished until 1886, when it was reworked and published as "Kholstomer: The Story of a Horse". The story exploits the technique of defamiliarization by adopting the perspective of a horse to expose some of the irrationalities of human conventions.
Strider's altruistic life is recounted parallel to that of his selfish and useless owner. At the end of the story Strider dies but his corpse gives birth to a new life – that of wolf cubs:
Georgy Tovstonogov staged it in his theatre in 1975 under the title . The horse was played by Yevgeni Lebedev.
References
External links
English Text Kholstomer, from RevoltLib.com Kholstomer, from Marxists.org Kholstomer, from TheAnarchistLibrary.org Commentaries Analysis of Kholstomer: The Story of a Horse on Lit React