Rocinante Rocinante Rocinante () is Don Quixote's horse in the novel "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. In many ways, Rocinante is not only Don Quixote's horse, but also his double: like Don Quixote, he is awkward, past his prime, and engaged in a task beyond his capacities. in Spanish means a work horse or low-quality horse, but can also mean an illiterate or rough man. There are similar words in French ("roussin; rosse"), Portuguese ("rocim"), Dutch ("ros"), and Italian ("ronzino"). The etymology is uncertain. The name is a complex pun. In Spanish, "ante" has several meanings and can function as
Karla (character) Karla (character) Karla is a recurring character in the works of John le Carré. A Soviet Intelligence officer, he is the head of Moscow Centre, le Carré's fictional version of the KGB, and the nemesis of le Carré's frequent protagonist George Smiley. Karla is nominally an unseen character who operates either through functionaries, hitmen, or by turning his enemies into double agents. Although other characters recount their past meetings with him, he only appears once during the events of the books. His real name is never revealed; instead, he takes his code name from that of the first spy network