Kholstomer

'Kholstomer' is a work by Leo Tolstoy that 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'. This story prominently features the technique of defamiliarization by adopting the perspective of a horse to expose some of the irrationalities of human conventions.
Kholstomer's altruistic life is recounted parallel to that of his selfish and useless owner. At the end of the story horse dies but his corpse gives birth to a new life - that of wolf cubs.