Jul 1, 2024
Russian literature is simply elite! It is sophisticated, deep, thought-provoking, and at times ‘Oh-so-scandalous’. But, Russian literature has not reached many people as yet in biblio-circuits. Here we mention 8 amazing books to read when starting out.
Canva-AI
This novel is about the lives of 3 brothers and their father - Fyodor Pavlovich, and three sons - Alyosha, Ivan, and Dmitri. The book talks about human nature and the eternal struggle between good and evil.
Penguin-Classics
Set against the Napoleonic Wars, this epic novel follows the lives of aristocratic families. It is an extremely heavy book and a complicated read that blends in itself personal stories, historical events, and a view of Russian society.
Penguin-Classics
‘Dead Souls’ follows the life of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, as he travels through the Russian countryside, buying the rights to deceased serfs from landowners. His scheme is to use these "dead souls" to acquire a large estate and make himself a ‘Gentleman’.
Penguin-Classics
‘Lolita’, a novel considered inappropriate and controversial even today, is about the life of Humbert, a literature professor who becomes obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl named Dolores.
Penguin-Classics
‘Uncle Vanya’ is famous as a play written by Chekhov who was an exemplary playwright. The story is about the frustrations and disappointments of the characters living on a rural estate. The arrival of Serebryakov and his young wife Yelena changes some lives.
Penguin-Classics
‘The Dream Life of Sukhanov’ is about Anatoly Sukhanov, an art critic who once dreamed of being a surrealist painter. But, now that he is old and the regime is about to change, his past comes back to him, and he re-thinks about several of his decisions and dreams.
Penguin-Classics
‘A Hero of Our Time’ is a series of interconnected stories about Pechorin, a Byronic hero whose actions reveal his cynical, manipulative nature.
Penguin-Classics
‘Fathers and Sons’ is about the life of Arkady, Bazarov, and the Kirsanov family. The novel shows the clash between the older generation of traditionalists and the younger generation of nihilists in 19th-century Russia.
Penguin-Classics
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