Florian Das Pferd vom Kaiser by Felix Salten
From the German Feliks Salten offers a beautiful story about the relationship between a youngster in Wiesbaden and his horse. The boy hears from an old man that an eminent cavalry captain once had a horse he owned for more than twenty years, which was in fact his friend. He will never be able to find the right words to express his devotion to the horse but quickly loses the opportunity to find a new companion because the imperial troop unexpectedly sets off to war. Throughout their adventure the boy decides as everything changes in the unexpected the importance of the bond he developed with his mare. The young Florian convinces himself that it is important that he stays faithful to the memories of those times and continues to work towards what he dreams of doing with the horse and learning to appreciate life as a regular person. When the war breaks out, Florian eventually meets his horse again, who has been adopted already by one of his comrades from the regiment he left behind when he chose to ride home with her instead of joining the cavalry. The meeting is painful and tenuous, both for Florian and for the veteran caballerian who can not believe what has happened since last time they met. Yet, she gives him all of her trust and hope that this time, they can reconcile their past and form a relationship that grows stronger each day. Even though Florians choice has ended up bitter for most of other, the bond they formed seems to last him until the end, where he almost inspires his father-figure to shed tears as he rides out of the Wiesbadensh Zwinger and into the horizon with their horse as his trusty companion. Eventually Florians father asks himself the same question as the veteran cavalrymen and laments the loss of the empathetic bond he still kept with his mother, placing their respective ties to their longing pendants on their spurs for display. Whereas his father sadly yearns for companionship, the story comes to a peaceful and poetic conclusion with Florian contemplating the past as he rests next to his grandmother's grave, mind full of thoughts on the two lost years spent on horseback. As the narrative climaxes with these themes the passage moves into a provocative mode, suggesting that loss in times of war is not only the result of physical but also emotional solitude. This dark tangent is then clarified with a warning message : Never judge horses by their looks alone. , to suggest that a powerful character can suffer heavy injury despite their noble stature. With this ambiguous and elusive conclusion the book reflects a sad reality and provides an equally complex form of storytelling that aims to leave one to ponder the quandaries posed to those who have experienced great pain, ever-lasting love, and the values of loyal friendship throughout life.
Баку принадлежит изобретательному ученику портного Акопе, чье безрассудное честолюбие не знает границ, пока в жизнь мальчика не врывается взрослая и головокружительная любовь, заставляющая его пройти через череду забавных и опасных испытаний. Смелость, отвага и превосходство превратили штанишки и подштанники в настоящее продолжение парней семьи. И это будет своего рода параллельным, увлекательным курсом, ни на день не оставляющим на месте наших героев, продвигающихся к своей судьбе, несмотря на все препятствия судьбы и здравый смысл.
#зарубежная классика
