Any suggestions for somebody new to Russian Literature?

Can anyone recommend some good Russian literature that deals with the Second World War (or The Great Patriotic War as it is known in Russia)?

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Originally Posted by BjorkPlease

I have recently become interested in Russian literature, but have no idea where to start. So far the only Russian work I have ever read is a collection of short stories by Chekhov. Once at age 15 I tried reading "The Double" by Dostoevsky but found it too boring an was unable to finish it. I was wondering whether anybody could suggest a good place to start, preferably novels that aren't too long. Perhaps somebody could post 5 books best for beginners to Russian Lit? Thanks.

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Well there's your problem :P

That said, I'll limit myself to shorter fiction;

Notes From Underground - Fyodor Dostoyevsky;
The Gambler - Fyodor Dostoyevsky;
White Nights - Fyodor Dostoyevsky;
The Death of Ivan Illyich; Leo Tolstoy
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - Aleksander Solzhenitsyn;
The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov (not short);
The Overcoat/The Nose - Nikolai Gogol
Eugene Onegin - Alexander Pushkin (amazing!!)
The Covetous Night - Alexander Pushkin
Fathers and Sons - Ivan Turgenev
Spring Torrents - Ivan Turgenev
Rudin - Ivan Turgenev

Ilf and Petrov -wonderful

Thank you Wat for your list. I may begin with some of these shorter works before tackling some of the epics.

Dogbrick,

For good literature dealing with World War II or the Soviet era, log on to:

http://www.sovlit.com/

Definitely one of the greatest websites online.

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Originally Posted by Dogbrick

Thank you Wat for your list. I may begin with some of these shorter works before tackling some of the epics.

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The epics are considered by most critics to be greater than the short works, and that has been my experience. They are also easier reads, are at least less perplexing/disturbing... you kind of get a "thrown in the deep end" feel with the shorter works.

So if you are disappointed, say, with "The Death of Ivan Illyich", a work that I thought didn't live up to its hype, give Tolstoy another chance. Not only is W&P better, it goes on for longer, and so your enjoyment is not only more, but it lasts (far!) longer.

I really "enjoyed" "Notes from the Underground", but it's really intense stuff, you might find an epic ("Crime & Punishment") easier to swallow first ... I'd certainly recommend "easing yourself in" with that work rather than "Notes".

to add to the above mentioned authors
try Alexander Kuprin, Andrey Platonov (short stories), Maxim Gorky.

A hero of our time by Lermontov is considered to be one of the early great Russian novels, published in 1841 it comes between Eugene Onegin and Fathers and Sons but it's a much easier read than either of those classics. It's hardly a novel at all, it's more like five short stories and these are five adventures of the "superfluous man", Byronic Hero Pechorin, it was one of the first ones I read and I would recommend it as an introductory novel to Russian literature.

However, once you're in there you must read The master and Margarita as recommended earlier. It's simply brilliant!

Master and Margarita by Bulgakov is my favorite of Russian lit of 1900s. May be too complicated for ones who doesn't know what life in Russia or Moscow of 1920-30 was look like. For starters prose by Pushkin (short stories) will give a feeling of the Russian soul, :-). Also Ivan Turgenev. There was even the type of woman "Turgenev's woman".
http://public-library.narod.ru/ there are books in Russian

Waw, thanks! That's certainly prove its worth soon. I tried Chechov after my (barely) year-long course of self-study, and I must say, there was still a mist over the words but it'll wear off.

I'll certainly put it on my favorites list.

:)

The disadvantage is great in looking for Russian stuff on the net as I have to go to Word in order to get Russian letters...

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Originally Posted by neilgee

A hero of our time by Lermontov is considered to be one of the early great Russian novels, published in 1841 it comes between Eugene Onegin and Fathers and Sons but it's a much easier read than either of those classics....

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I found Fathers and Sons a really easy read, much easier than Dostoevsky, but also much less interesting...

Apart from Torrents of Spring by Turgenev mentioned earlier, I'd also recommend Asya and First Love. Asya is my personal favourite.
If you're into Sci-Fi, you can also try the Strugatsy brothers.
Then, the Twelve Chairs by Ilf and Petrov is a satirical novel released in 1920-s, it's really great and many of its funny sayings remain wide-spread in the modern Russian language. I don't know how difficult it would be to understand for a foreigner, but if you manage the Master and Margarita, then the Twelve Chairs won't be a hard nut to crack.

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Originally Posted by kiki1982

Many nicknames of men tend to end in a as well. Then there are pejoratives like Vera-Verochka that end always in -ochka/-achka (probaby depends how the translator transcribed it) and for men Piotr-Piotrek.

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Hm, I'd say that nickname for Piotr is Petya. Maybe Piotrek is specific for some Slavic countries?

haha, yes, It is Petya! Thinking in Polish there!

Do you have any links for children's stories (fairy tales and such)?

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Originally Posted by kiki1982

haha, yes, It is Petya! Thinking in Polish there!

Do you have any links for children's stories (fairy tales and such)?

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I though that Piotrek sounded very Polish but wasn't sure :)

As for children's stories, I could give you some links but all of them will be in Russian...