7 h 6 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 6 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the life you long for belongs to a world that may never accept you?
Dmitri Olenin leaves Moscow on a winter night, weary of society, burdened by debt and hungry for a truer life. In Leo Tolstoy’s short novel, The Cossacks, he travels south to the Caucasus. Snow peaks make his old worries seem small. A village near the Terek River offers a different rhythm: hunting, fishing, wine and war.
Here Olenin meets Uncle Eroshka, a loud, generous hunter with his own philosophy of living. He also falls for Maryanka, a proud young woman who guards her independence. But Lukashka, a bold Cossack admired in the village, is expected to marry her. Olenin’s wish to begin again meets lives and loyalties that do not bend around his hopes.
What you’ll discover
- Mountains that change perspective See the Caucasus through Olenin’s wonder as its snow peaks dwarf his familiar troubles.
- A hunter’s earthy wisdom Meet Uncle Eroshka, whose appetite for life offers Olenin another way to think.
- Love meets independence Encounter Maryanka’s reserve, proud bearing and determination to remain her own person.
- Life along the frontier Enter a village where hunting, fishing and wine share daily life with war.
- The wish to belong Follow Olenin’s honest doubts as Tolstoy reveals what his eager newcomer cannot see.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy stories of travel and wild landscapes, if you like to watch a thoughtful character test his ideals against real life, or if quiet, aching love stories draw you in.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Olénin leaves with dreams of renewal
- The mountains loosen the past
- The village has its own order
- Lukáshka earns honor at the river
- Eróshka offers freedom without guilt
- A generous gift meets suspicion
- Love grows through quiet habits
- Admiration does not make him belong
- His search keeps changing its answer
Who’s who
- Dmítri OléninA rich, restless Moscow cadet who comes to the Caucasus hoping to find honest happiness and a life without mistakes.
- MaryánkaThe strong, proud daughter of the cornet, promised to Lukáshka, who works hard and keeps her feelings guarded.
- LukáshkaA brave young Cossack, nicknamed the Snatcher, who wants a horse, glory and Maryánka as his bride.
- Daddy EróshkaAn old hunter and drinker who tells wild tales of his youth and teaches Olénin to enjoy life.
- VanyúshaOlénin's loyal servant who mixes bad French into his talk and distrusts the Cossacks.
- Granny UlítkaMaryánka's mother, a stern housewife who wants her daughter well married and her lodger kept in his place.
- BelétskiA cheerful Moscow prince and officer who enjoys village life and urges Olénin to do the same.
- ÚstenkaMaryánka's plump, merry neighbor who loves gossip, parties and a good time.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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The Cossacks
by Leo Tolstoy · 1863
A bored Moscow nobleman rides toward the Caucasus and finds a village where a girl, a hunter and a mountain wait.
Easy read2–5 hours to read2 languages
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In short
Picture a winter night in Moscow. Three friends sit over the remains of a supper, and one of them is about to climb into a sledge at four in the morning.
The Cossacks at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 5 min3 h 15 min fast, 4 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 58,500 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1863by Leo Tolstoy
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A restless young man leaves Moscow behind
The book opens at Chevalier's Restaurant, where Olénin says goodbye to two friends. He talks warmly about himself and the fresh start he is certain to make. One friend predicts he will make a mess of things again.
Olénin is twenty-four, an orphan, rich, and free of every duty. He has tried university, office work, farming, music and love, and dropped each one the moment it asked for effort. As the sledge rolls south, his mind builds castles in the air. He pictures winning fame among mountain tribesmen, and a lovely Circassian slave girl waiting at the door of a hut. Then he calls his dreams nonsense, only to start dreaming again at the next post station.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1863
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 35 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Tolstoy, Leo. The Cossacks. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-cossacks.
Tolstoy, L. (2026). The Cossacks. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-cossacks (Original work published 1863)
Tolstoy, Leo. The Cossacks. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-cossacks.
@book{tolstoy2026cossacks,
author = {Tolstoy, Leo},
title = {The Cossacks},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-cossacks},
note = {First published 1863}
}
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What is The Cossacks by Tolstoy about?
It follows Dmítri Olénin, a rich young Muscovite who joins the army in the Caucasus and lives in a Cossack village. There he befriends an old hunter, admires a Cossack girl named Maryánka, and searches for real happiness.
Is The Cossacks based on a true story?
It is a work of fiction, but Tolstoy drew on his own years of army service in the Caucasus. It was published in 1863, and its landscape, customs and daily life come from what he saw.
Who are Lukáshka and Daddy Eróshka?
Lukáshka is a young, brave Cossack who kills a raider and is promised to Maryánka. Eróshka is the old hunter, his neighbor and relative, who becomes Olénin's friend and teacher in the ways of the village.
The author
Leo Tolstoy
1828–1910 · Russian novelist and moral philosopher
Leo Tolstoy was a Russian author born in 1828 at Yasnaya Polyana, where he lived for much of his life. He wrote novels, stories, and essays. War and Peace appeared in 1865–1869 and Anna Karenina in 1875–1877. He died in 1910 at Astapovo, Russia.
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