Russian essentials

[Nico87]

While I have mostly read WW1/WW2 litterature, I've also picked up and read some russian litterature, which I am now a huge fan of.

I have/are going read the following;

Solzhenitsyn:

Cancer Ward
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
The Gulag Archipelago 1-3

Dostoevsky:

The Brothers Karamazov

Tolstoy:

War and Peace
Anna Karenina

Gogol:

Dead Souls

Now, the point of the list isn't to show you which books I've got. I want to know if I have missed any essential Russian litterature. I've heard that both Crime and Punishment and The House of the Dead by Dostoevsky are very good books, but I'm not sure if I wanna read Crime & Punishment. After reading some reviews it seems like it isn't "my type of book". Not sure about the The Red Wheel series by Solzhenitsyn either.

So, if anyone could tell me if I have missed something great, russian work, something that you would recommend, I'd really appreciate it if you let me know.

Thanks

[Idril]

What is it about Crime and Punishment that you don't think you'll like? I liked that book so much better than Brothers Karamozov. Ivan Turgenev's Father and Sons is, I think, a very important book. His books are much more consise than the great Russian epics of Tolstoy or Dostoevsky but they are no less profound in their way. Also...consider delving into some of the short stories of Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, they wrote some absolutely incredible short stores...and don't forget about Pushkin. Eugene Onegin is a good one to read.

As for Soviet Lit, I would add Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and Quiet Flows the Don my Mikhail Sholokhov. And it would probably be good to read Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak.

[Nico87]

Thanks., I might pick up Crime and Punishment after all then. Everyman's Library has publised a translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky, and that isn't exactly a bad sign. Unfortunately, I haven't read The Brothers Karamazov yet.

[Idril]

Oh, you haven't read it yet...I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. I really struggled with Brothers Karamazov, of all the Dostoevsky I've read, and I've read a good amount, it was the book I liked the least but the majority of Dostoevsky fans consider it his greatest novel so, what do I know?

[Etienne]

Dostoievsky - Crime and Punishment
Turgeniev - Fathers and Sons
Turgeniev - Clara Millitch
Sholokov - Quiet Flows the Don
Tolstoi - Resurrection
Gontcharov - Oblomov
Pushkin - The Queen of Spades
Pushkin - Eugene Onegin
Lermontov - A Hero of our Time (Haven't read this one yet myself)
Chekov - Short Stories
Bulgakov - Master and Margarita
Nabokov - The Defence
Gorky - My Childhood
Gorky - Mother (Haven't read this one either though)

"Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak."

How is this one? I have it but haven't come around to reading it yet.

[Idril]

"Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak."

How is this one? I have it but haven't come around to reading it yet.

I loved it! I had it in my head that it was this great epic love story...probably because of the pictures from the movie and I was kind of put off by that but I was wonderfully surprised to find that while there certainly is a love story, it's a great historical accounting of the Russian Civil War that followed the Revolution. It's sometimes hard to keep all the political groups and alliances clear...which at times, I think is part of the point but I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in Russian literature or Russian history.

Lermontov's Hero of Our Time didn't do a whole lot for me. It was a fine book, a fairly easy read but it just didn't leave much of an impression one way or another. I think I had really high expectations of it because it's hailed as this masterpiece, a huge milestone in Russian history and I just found it to be merely another book.

The only books I haven't read on your list is Clara Millitch by Turgenev, although I've read several of his books, just not that one, and Nabokov's The Defence. Nabokov is an author I haven't read a great deal of. I've read Lolita but that's it.

[Nico87]

Anyone of you read Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov? It's an account in a way similar to One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, describing life in Gulag. Solzhenitsyn even asked Shalamov if he wanted to contribute with The Gulag Archipelago, but Shalamov felt - "too ill and tired after the hardship of his time in Gulag" - from John Bayley's introduction for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich .

[Dori]

Chekhov's Short Stories are essential. Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev is also an excellent, albeit short, book. You could also try out The Idiot by Dostoevsky.

[Idril]

Anyone of you read Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov? It's an account in a way similar to One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, describing life in Gulag. Solzhenitsyn even asked Shalamov if he wanted to contribute with The Gulag Archipelago, but Shalamov felt - "too ill and tired after the hardship of his time in Gulag" - from John Bayley's introduction for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich .

I haven't read it but it sounds interesting. I'll have to add it to my amazon list.

[Nico87]

Sounds interesting, indeed. John Bailey says in his introduction for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich that the stories from The Kolyma Tales are much more brutal than the stories in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. The stories are both from personal experiences and fictional accounts of stories the author of The Kolyma Tales had heard from other ex-prisoners.

You can read more about the book here;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kolyma_Tales

Quote: "The Kolyma Tales is considered to be one of the great Russian collections of short stories of the twentieth century"

[Idril]

Sounds interesting, indeed. John Bailey says in his introduction for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich that the stories from The Kolyma Tales are much more brutal than the stories in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. The stories are both from personal experiences and fictional accounts of stories the author of The Kolyma Tales had heard from other ex-prisoners.

One Day in the Life is a pretty tame book. It's amazing how depressing it is and how clear a picture it draws of life in the gulags without being overly detailed or graphic. Gulag Archigelago, however, is a much more brutal look at the gulags. One of the things I found interesting in the review of The Kolyma Tales I read is that they talk about how emotionless he tells these tales, that the more brutal the act, the more objective the writing becomes and that intrigues me because Solzhenitsyn was so emotional in his writing. It would be fascinating to compare and contrast their approaches.

[Nico87]

Well said, Idril. I've just finished One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and you are right about what you're saying about it. The Kolyma Tales is on the top of my to-buy list now, after I just placed an order on Crime and Punishment. Seems kind of hard to find a decent hardcover edition of the book, though.

[Nico87]

Chekhov's Short Stories are essential.

Would this be the one I'm looking for in this case?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Nov...3023265&sr=8-4

It contains The Steppe, The Duel, The Story of an Unknown Man, Three Years, and In My Life.

I'm going to the army/Afghanistan in the beginning of January, so I need alot of reading material!

[Etienne]

Would this be the one I'm looking for in this case?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Nov...3023265&sr=8-4

It contains The Steppe, The Duel, The Story of an Unknown Man, Three Years, and In My Life.

I'm going to the army/Afghanistan in the beginning of January, so I need alot of reading material!

I haven't read The Steppe or The Duel, however I think you should take this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Ta...3023265&sr=8-4

His three plays are also known as classics of russian litterature, but I haven't read them.

[Boris239]

I haven't been on this forum for a while.

I've read "The Kolyma Tales" and like them much better than anything Solzhenitsyn ever written (doesn't say much because I like only "One day of Ivan Denisovich" anyway. I especially recommend "The last battle of major Pugachov".
From Dostoevsly I would start from "Idiot" because it is probably easiest to read among his great novels, then continue with "Crime and Punishment", "The Possesed (Devils)" and finish "Brothers Karamazov". While the latter can be a bit difficult at times it is very rewarding and has some of the best passages I've ever read.

I agree with most of the books proposed above except probably Gorky's "Mother"- it is trul one of the worst clasics I've ever read.

From Bulgakov not only "Master and Margarita" but "Heart of a Dog" and "White Guard" are extremely interesting and are among my favorites.

Other 20th century not mentioned interesting Russian authors are:

Vassily Grossman
Andrei Platonov
Vladimir Voynovich
Victor Pelevin
Anatoly Rybakov
Anatoly Pristavkin
Chingiz Aytmatov
Fazil' Iskander
Strugatsky brothers