The Best Russian Writer of Fiction

[chaplin]

The most noteworthy writers of history cannot be, definitively, pinned down to one person. The variables of language, society, government system, previous literary influences, are too numerous. But, one, I think, can determine the best writers under similar conditions in the above categories.

This thread will deal with the unique genius of the Russian writer, both 19th and 20th century. The answer that many would immediately offer is Dostoevsky, he has popularity and prolificity among many regions of the world; however, I feel Dostoevsky is able to be removed from the list of possible candidates. Obviously, he is a notable 19th century writer, however the reasons why he is so popular among many people's "best" lists are the very reasons that exclude him from the possible ranking of best. This is the sentimentalism that accompanys every one of his works (except, in my opinion, The Double), which always appeals to and compels the mass of readers of any nation (I feel this also applies to Dickens). This sentamentalism, combined with obvious tendentiousness, leads his casts of characters to be almost invariably one-dimensional, forced, and pushed on the reader as right or wrong, and thus stripped of any hint of verisimilitude. (Read some of Nabokov's writings on Dostoevsky to examine this point further, and of course more expertly).

Needless to say, this is a matter of opinion, but there reaches a point where opinions can be distinguished as right and wrong.

My opinion on the best Russian writers of fiction are Tolstoy as the best novelist, and Chekhov as the best short story writer (Gogol a close second), with Tolstoy just barely beating out Chekhov as overall, best writer of fiction.

If you can, accompany your vote in the poll with a post giving an explanation for your selection.

[Koa]

Since when Solzhenitsyn writes fiction? ;)

(or can 'one day' be considered fiction?)

[chaplin]

Since when Solzhenitsyn writes fiction? ;)

(or can 'one day' be considered fiction?)

Although Solzhenitsyn is most famous for life inspired fiction with little invention, and probably his best work, The Gulag Archipelago, is non-fiction, I still believe in his incredible talent for creating character, plot, and fictionalized life. This is shown from One Day and The First Circle, to The Red Wheel series, and "Prussian Nights". His take on fiction is similar to Tolstoy's who spurned the invention that Dostoevsky relished so much. Tolstoy's fiction was all from the flesh, from his flesh, and experience, and so is Solzhenitsyn's.

[JBI]

Many of those guys are poets, not really fiction or novel writers. I voted for Pushkin solely because of Eugene Onegin, but I consider the best "Fiction" writer of the bunch to be Dostoevsky.

[chaplin]

Many of those guys are poets, not really fiction or novel writers. I voted for Pushkin solely because of Eugene Onegin, but I consider the best "Fiction" writer of the bunch to be Dostoevsky.

The only writers in the poll that ever wrote poetry extensively or successfully are Pushkin and Lermontov, and both of those wrote prose equal in quality to their poetry. And their poems are not the wandering musings that most other poets now write, but are long, narrative, and sometimes novel length poems that I think are rightly and easily considered fiction.

[Boris239]

I voted for Dostoevsky- his "Brothers Karamazov" is probably the most impressive piece of fiction I've ever read.

I don't feel that Solzhenitsyn fiction books stand even close to the other listed authors- I can easily name 20 other Russian writers whom I value much more than him

[bazarov]

I voted for Dostoevsky- his "Brothers Karamazov" is probably the most impressive piece of fiction I've ever read.

I don't feel that Solzhenitsyn fiction books stand even close to the other listed authors- I can easily name 20 other Russian writers whom I value much more than him
WWOOOOWWWWWW, Boris?!!?!?!

Where have you been? I am very glad you're back!

Go Fyodor!

[Boris239]

I am working 50+ hours a week and taking 3 graduate level math classes for my MS- takes a lot of time (plus, don't forget that I have to watch some football games :) )

[bazarov]

Are you coming to Zagreb on June 6th?

[chaplin]

I don't feel that Solzhenitsyn fiction books stand even close to the other listed authors- I can easily name 20 other Russian writers whom I value much more than him

Then why don't you name them, all 20? I think you would quickly run dry. And how about some reasons for your statement, instead of merely stating it? I hope it was an exaggeration, because if it isn't, it makes you look, at least slightly, foolish. It is widely accepted that Solzhenitsyn is the best Russian writer of the 20th century, though, yes, he did have very great peers, and also, indisputably, the best living writer.

[bazarov]

Then why don't you name them, all 20? I think you would quickly run dry. And how about some reasons for your statement, instead of merely stating it? I hope it was an exaggeration, because if it isn't, it makes you look, at least slightly, foolish. It is widely accepted that Solzhenitsyn is the best Russian writer of the 20th century, though, yes, he did have very great peers, and also, indisputably, the best living writer.

Calm down...Pasternak rules IMO.

[Boris239]

Accepted by whom? I'm talking about my own opinion. I would appreciate if you don't call me foolish if you don't like my views. The absolute majority of my friends, who are very well educated, like only "One day of Ivan Denisovich" ( I like it too). His other books have other value- I don't like their language one bit.

And as far as I know the greatest Russian writer of the 20th century is Bulgakov- in my own humble opinion Solzhenitsyn isn't even close to him

1) Pasternak
2) Platonov
3) Sholohov
4) Voynovich
5) Grossman
6) Zoschenko
7) Kuprin
8) Leskov
9) Saltykov-Schedrin
10) Erenburg
11) Dovlatov
12) Gor'kiy
13) Nabokov
14) Bunin
15) Brodskiy
16) Harms
17) Schwarz
18) Overchenko
19) Il'f i Petrov
20) Aitmatov

That's the list of Russian writers that I like much better than Solzhenitsin. You can agree or disagree- I am just stating my own opinion

[Boris239]

Baz, I'm thinking about coming to London for England-Russia game. It will be on Wembley- it would be absolutely fantastic to watch it.

[bazarov]

Baz, I'm thinking about coming to London for England-Russia game. It will be on Wembley- it would be absolutely fantastic to watch it.

So 4 days later you come to Zagreb so we can celebrate England failure!

[chaplin]

That's the list of Russian writers that I like much better than Solzhenitsin. You can agree or disagree- I am just stating my own opinion

I apologize if my tone was offensive, I didn't at all mean it to be. People who usually make those kind of assertions can rarely back them up, but you obviously can and just did, showing your wide knowledge of Russian literature.

Just a question, if you like One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, why don't you also like The First Circle or Cancer Ward, which, in my opinion, are very similar to One Day in tone, message, and content. To me, they seem like extensions to the first.

[Boris239]

It would be really funny if England won't qualify- let's just cross the fingers and wait

[bazarov]

It would be really funny if England won't qualify- let's just cross the fingers and wait

Well, it's quite realistic. But if you lose those 2 games in June, then...Bye, zbornaja!

[Boris239]

I can admit that I can be a bit biased, because I simply don't like Solzhenitsin period (as a person).

To my shame I haven't read "The First Circle of Cancer Ward", but I've read "Gulag Archipelag", and didn't like it at all. Solzhenitsin is so well-known, because he emigrated and there was a lot of international commotion connected with him. There were other Russian writers, who touched the topic of Gulag earlier- they are less known outside of Russia. The best example is Varlam Shalamov- whose stories I admire and who was writing before Solzhenitsin

[Boris239]

Well, I think that Hiddink did a good job with Russia. Have you seen the goal that Messi scored recently? It's exactly the same as the goal Maradona scored in 1986 against England (not the God's hand, but the other one :) )

[chaplin]

I can admit that I can be a bit biased, because I simply don't like Solzhenitsin period (as a person).

To my shame I haven't read "The First Circle of Cancer Ward", but I've read "Gulag Archipelag", and didn't like it at all. Solzhenitsin is so well-known, because he emigrated and there was a lot of international commotion connected with him. There were other Russian writers, who touched the topic of Gulag earlier- they are less known outside of Russia. The best example is Varlam Shalamov- whose stories I admire and who was writing before Solzhenitsin

Obviously, having grown up in and currently living in the United States, Solzhenitsyn is all that is readily available for first person accounts of Gulag (in English), and thus I guess my view is probably not as wide as yours.

In The Gulag Archipelago Solzhenitsyn mentions and occasionally quotes Shalamov, but usually appends them with the caveat that his writings don't cover the whole scope of Gulag, and are inaccurate having been written before people could give their own accounts about their experiences.

[Boris239]

I graduated from a Russian high school, so the topic of Gulag was covered pretty well in my literature classes. If you are interested in the topic I would like to recommend you to try "Children of Arbat" by Anatoly Rybakov and "Life and Destiny" by Vassily Grossman.

[bazarov]

Arbat is street in Moscow, right:)?

[chaplin]

I graduated from a Russian high school, so the topic of Gulag was covered pretty well in my literature classes. If you are interested in the topic I would like to recommend you to try "Children of Arbat" by Anatoly Rybakov and "Life and Destiny" by Vassily Grossman.
I just checked both of those titles on Amazon, and both are currently out of print: I guess it's unfortunate that America's only major voice from the Gulag camps is Solzhenitsyn, but, aside from the statistical errors in The Gulag Archipelago, out of curiosity, what is your major complaint against the book? It exposes and denounces Stalin as pure, destructive evil, which everyone agrees is truth, and honors and records the lives of those who were destroyed by the horrible system.

[bazarov]

Well, I think that Hiddink did a good job with Russia. Have you seen the goal that Messi scored recently? It's exactly the same as the goal Maradona scored in 1986 against England (not the God's hand, but the other one :) )

Of course, I liked this one even more, those English defenders never attacked him really; she was just running. But Messi; great skill to pass them, especially those on center. And it's harder today; they will rather broke your legs than let you go( Cristiano Ronaldo; what do you say about that?)

[Boris239]

Yep, Arbat is one of the main streets in Moscow.

Chaplin, I obviously agree with what Solzhenitsin writes, I simply don't like how he writes. I'm not sure if there is an English translation, but there is an interesting (and extremely controversial) book by Voinovich "A Portrait Against the Background of a Myth" about Solzhenitsin.

Baz, I don't like Cristiano Ronaldo- he may be a great player, but he is such a faker.

[bazarov]

I am thinking about Middlesborough defenders and Belgian goalkeeper.
I don't like that diver too much, also.

[Taliesin]

How about Strugatskys? What about Pelevin? Really, Russian literature isn't that small.

But, well, luckily, our favourite is still mentioned in the poll- who happens to be Bulgakov.

[smile]

I haven't read anything by Russian writers but couldn't help but come to this topic; compelling title perhaps? Just wanted to say you guys are really informed with your arguments and should be proud of the intelligence you've displayed. I was impressed. Well I will ask this then; any recommended reading from the above poll of Russian writers? :)

[Idril]

I really find it impossible to make a choice. There are those I can check off, some easily such as Lermontov and others reluctantly like Turgenev but then I'm left with Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Bulgakov and I'm stuck. I find Tolstoy generally more 'readable' than Dostoevsky but there are times when I prefer the depth and difficulty of the later to the ever so slightly easier and lyrical prose of the former and then there's the dark, dry, scathing satire of Bulgakov... I simply can't make up my mind. :confused:

[chaplin]

How about Strugatskys? What about Pelevin? Really, Russian literature isn't that small.

But, well, luckily, our favourite is still mentioned in the poll- who happens to be Bulgakov.

Of course Russian literature has a much, much wider scope, and their were many great, deserving authors left out, but unfortuantely, the poll has a maximum of 10 choices, thus, more obscure writers, that only serious students of Russian literature know well, like Strugatskys and Pelevin had to be left out.

[chaplin]

Well I will ask this then; any recommended reading from the above poll of Russian writers? :)

Though it is obvious from the poll that Dostoevsky reigns in popularity among all of Russia's writers, I strongly believe that Chekhov is every bit as good a writer as him, but unfortunately he only lived to be 44 years old, and thus, did not have the opportunity to be as prolific as Dostoevsky. I think that any good collection of his stories is just as compelling as any Dostoevsky novel, and are a great introduction to Russian literature.

[chaplin]

I really find it impossible to make a choice. There are those I can check off, some easily such as Lermontov and others reluctantly like Turgenev but then I'm left with Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Bulgakov and I'm stuck. I find Tolstoy generally more 'readable' than Dostoevsky but there are times when I prefer the depth and difficulty of the later to the ever so slightly easier and lyrical prose of the former and then there's the dark, dry, scathing satire of Bulgakov... I simply can't make up my mind. :confused:

This is exactly what I think is great about Russian literature. It has so many great authors, with similar and yet vastly different styles and qualities, that it becomes apparent that their lineup truly has no equal in all of world literature.

[Boris239]

Though it is obvious from the poll that Dostoevsky reigns in popularity among all of Russia's writers, I strongly believe that Chekhov is every bit as good a writer as him, but unfortunately he only lived to be 44 years old, and thus, did not have the opportunity to be as prolific as Dostoevsky. I think that any good collection of his stories is just as compelling as any Dostoevsky novel, and are a great introduction to Russian literature.

Lermontov was 27, when he died. Pushkin was 37. Tolstoy is almost an exception.

Taliesin, have you read the last Boris Strugatsky's novel ( his used a pseudoname)? It is pretty interesting, although not even close to my favorite "It's difficult to be God".

[Tsar]

I have only started to read Tolstoy's "War and Peace" and therefore I cannot accurately vote on this poll. Are there any other Russian writers that you could recommend to me?

[soumyakans]

My favourite is Leo Tolstoy - "War and Peace" is one example of his eloquent thought and flawless writing. "Anna Kareinina" is also a celebrated classic. i have read some of his short stories too and liked them a lot.
i may be wrong in my views. For one thing - i don't know Russian and so all the Russian fiction that i read are translated ones. i'm sure that any classic can be enjoyed best when read in the language written by the author in its original form - translations may highlight the thoughts and views of the writer. However, the author's true command over the language is reflected strongly in the original versions.

[bazarov]

I have only started to read Tolstoy's "War and Peace" and therefore I cannot accurately vote on this poll. Are there any other Russian writers that you could recommend to me?

After War and Peace you will surely read his other works. I highly recommend Dostoevsky and Pushkin, but you really can't miss with anybody.

[EAP]

If I had known Solzhenitsyn hadn't recieved a single vote I'd have voted for him! But I guess he's just too depressing for most.

[chaplin]

Lermontov was 27, when he died. Pushkin was 37. Tolstoy is almost an exception.


Lermontov and Pushkin, by virtue of their being founders of Russian fiction, made their mark early, and any work they produced was a foundation for what was to come; whereas Chekhov wrote in a national literary scene that was already founded and firm, and thus had to chip away to make any sort of indelible mark.

Dostoevsky was also, to a lesser extent, in that same situation, and didn't make his true contributions to his country's literature until the last decade or so of his life, e.g The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot, Demons. Imagine a Dostoevsky with only Crime and Punishment and Notes from Underground to his claim. I feel that the last year or two before he died, Chekhov, intellectually, literarily and spiritually, was at the heights of his genius, and would, of course, have produced many more masterpieces (equal in greatness to Dostoevsky's last works) if tuberculosis hadn't taken him prematurely, and had lived to 60 as Dostoevsky did.

[Taliesin]

Lermontov was 27, when he died. Pushkin was 37. Tolstoy is almost an exception.

Taliesin, have you read the last Boris Strugatsky's novel ( his used a pseudoname)? It is pretty interesting, although not even close to my favorite "It's difficult to be God".

Under the name Vititski? We found it also quite interesting. Among other things, it felt as a sort of irony over the superhero-genre - we felt that his variant is somehow more realistic/believable than all the fighting crime stuff.
Still, yes, when there were two of them, they have produced better works.

[F.Emerald]

Nabokov should have been included in this :(

[Ciao]

Nabokov should have been included in this :(

I agree one hundred percent! I was sad I could not vote for him :bawling: ... faulty choices...

[JBI]

I agree one hundred percent! I was sad I could not vote for him :bawling: ... faulty choices...

I sincerely hope that was over his Russian work, not his English work (I.E. Lolita)

[Ciao]

I sincerely hope that was over his Russian work, not his English work (I.E. Lolita)

Indeed : ] I prefer 'Mary' ... but Lolita was...interesting to say the least :D