The Discharged

"The Discharged," known in Russian as "Разжалованный" (Razzhalovannyi), was written in 1856 and published in the same year in the journal "Библиотека для чтения" (Biblioteka dlya chteniya). It is sometimes referred to as "The Degraded" or "From Caucasian Reminiscences. The Discharged". The story's conception dates back to 1853 during Tolstoy's service in the Caucasus, and he revisited it in Saint Petersburg in November 1856. The narrative reflects Tolstoy's direct impressions from his interactions with officers who had been demoted to privates and were serving their sentences in the Caucasian army.

Set in the 1850s amidst the Caucasian War, the narrative unfolds from the perspective of a prince serving in an artillery battery. It depicts officers gathering after a day of logging to play gorodki, a traditional Russian game. This work, part of Tolstoy's Caucasian cycle, contributes to his early, realistic portrayals of military life, focusing on the human element within the rigid structures of the army.

This critical reader's edition presents a modern translation of the original manuscript, crafted for the modern reader with clean, contemporary language and simplified sentence structures that clarify his complex Russian phrasing and specific antiquated references. Supplementary material enriches the text with autobiographical, historical, and linguistic context, including an afterword by the translator on Tolstoy’s personal history, impact, and intellectual legacy, an index of the philosophical concepts he employs—emphasizing Existentialism and influence by Schopenhauer—a comprehensive chronological list of his published writings, and a detailed timeline of his life, highlighting the personal relationships that shaped his philosophy.