The Cossacks

The Cossacks (Kazaki, 1863) is a novel by Count Leo Tolstoy. The central character, Olenin, tired of life in civilized society, attempts to find happiness in the wild, free-living Cossacks of the Caucasus. The portraits of the old Cossack, Eroshka and the native girl, Maryana are especially successful. Critics generally cite this short work as the finest book written by Tolstoy before War and Peace.