Russian Literature

In the town of West Jordan, Utah, where I grew up, there lived a crotchety old curmudgeon (excuse the redundancy, but I love how that sounds), named Mr. Nelson. He taught the Russian classes that I chose over the big three of high school language instruction. While I never heard his pronunciation of "greetings" in Russia, I have always been grateful that Mr. Nelson planted the seed which has since grown into an absurd devotion to Russia.

Over the years, I continued to study Russian which included several extended visits, the longest of which exceeded two years. During that time, I was able to read plenty of Russian literature. Just as a breather from less interesting, more esoteric topics, I am going to list my favorite pieces of Russian literature. Please be advised, that I am no authority on this subject. The only warranty I make is that I personally enjoyed these books and found some value in them that I find applicable in some sense. If you do not, I offer you my deepest and most sincere apologies for wasting your time. On the other hand, these books will survive longer than Gresham, and Clancy combined. J.K. Rowlings? That's a tough one.

Now, to the list!

Bulgakov, Mikhail

The Master and Marguerite (This is far and away my favorite work of Soviet literature. It gives the most interesting treatment of truth, fact, Christianity, repression, and the human spirit. Maybe I am pushing things, but if you read this and are not moved, you must not be me.)

Heart of a Dog (perhaps the best allegory describing the dramatic transformation in the Russian collective soul that the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 brought)

Chekhov, Anton

The Cherry Orchard
Uncle Vanya
The Steppe
At Christmas

Dostoevsky, Fyodr (He is the stereotypical Russian author, a classification not without justification. If you have not read him yet, chances are you will not.)

Notes from the Underground--I suggest starting with this one and if you like it, work your way though the following:
Crime and Punishment
The Idiot
The Brothers Karamazov
If you are still thirsty for more, there are plenty and you will not likely be disappointed with any of them.

Gogol, Nikolai (When his remains were disinterred, the gravediggers found that he was face down in his coffin. With a death like that, you can rest assured that his writing is good.)

I like his short stories most
Nose
The Overcoat
The Inspector General

Dead Souls is also a must read.

Pushkin, Alexandr

Eugene Onegin (a Russian Lord Byron and his world of love, friendship, and loss)

The Captain's Daughter (many will disagree with me on this one, but I have always been a sucker for "historical" novels)

Solzhenitsyn, Alexandr
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Cancer Ward (based loosely on his own battle with cancer)

Tolstoy, Lev (Lion)

If you are really into historical novels, read War and Peace. It is marvelous in its scope. As for Anna Karenina, I got my fill of people swooning in The Idiot. I like Tolstoy's work. His house in Moscow is one of my favorite museums, but if you are looking for anything more than a good yarn, you might skip him. If you are set on reading him, stick to his later works like Resurrection and work backwards.

Turgenev, Ivan

Fathers and Sons (this one contained was one of the first published use of the term "nihilist." My Russian professors always seemed to get more out of this book than I did, but I was a lot younger then. However, I do not want to give the impression that I did not enjoy it.)

Diary of a Superfluous Man (Does this one sound strangely familiar to Notes from the Underground? You'll have to check the first edition publication dates of both, read the books, and decide for yourself.)

Zamyatin, Evgenii

We (Does it feel a little like 1984? Heck no, we have much more advanced technology today.)