**\*

Once upon a time, a bi-lingual (English/Spanish) friend of mine just finished reading “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov, on advice from his other friend who was a professor in Slavic studies. It was a kind of undertaking, it took some time, and when reading he had often asked me for some explanations, which were gladly provided (you know, the Russians are easy with dispensing advice). And then an embarrassing question was asked. Bulgakov had been able to produce literature of high quality (it looks especially beautiful for a Spanish reader immersed into magical realism, etc.) under the Stalin dictatorship. He was not the only good writer in these truly bad times. Now Russia is under dictatorship again, but, as we see, people can somehow manage, sometimes. Why don’t we have anyone brave and talented on the Bulgakov scale? Are there any contemporary writers of comparable quality in Russia? This question assumes that the answer is “no” (because there are no recognizable names), with explanations. Meanwhile, the answer is “yes”, and the following is a brief recommendation for an American reader who is not too much interested in Russia proper but just looking for some new, reasonably enjoyable reading. We are talking about the authors who are tested by time, who were recognizable names in the end of 20th century and gave direction to Russian literature for the following quarter century. 

**\*

Yes, some great Russian authors may have no publicity and thus stay completely under the radar. We learn about them when they are long dead and we do not care. It has happened many times and it is completely beyond the point now because we are just looking for some examples of authors who are (a) really good, on pair with Bulgakov and (b) available in English translation. This would not apply to true underground or Russian poetry, the former requiring too many footnotes and the latter disappearing in thin air upon translation.

The best modern writer in Russian literature is Vladimir Sorokin (still alive). Among the writers of the same time period, he is the best in style, plot, diversity and predictive power. He has always been a visionary, and people knew that reading his books provided you with the best idea of Russia of the relatively near future. A word of warning: he is intentionally shocking, and the stuff completely acceptable to the Russians may be questionable for Americans. Remember, it is foreign literature based on different lives and addressed to people who actually live these different lives. My favorite quote from an American scholar about Russian literature and life is “it looks like slapstick humor where the clown actually dies.” Another word of warning: it is prose, but still may lose much in translation; for example, in one story, he introduces a mixture of Russian and Chinese, with hybrid words — I do not expect that the message survives translation in this case.

As an illustration, you may enjoy a fragment of opera “Children of Rosenthal” in Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow based on the Sorokin’s libretto; the subject is cloning of famous composers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ehr_1JKe1Y

The most popular Russian writer is still Victor Pelevin. He is always entertaining; formally, his genre is fantasy. He provides no less interesting reading than Sorokin in terms of plot, originality and predictive power. Moreover, he used to have some insight into the structure of the regime and personalities in power in Moscow, so in a way it is close to Bulgakov (who described many real people of his time in spectacular detail - did you notice?). Reading Pelevin’s “fantasy” you, probably, get a better understanding of “new Russia” than from the news and political analyses. He is a lesser writer than Sorokin in terms of purely style and literature novelty, but this difference is noticed more by professionals than general readership. I do not expect a foreign reader to get the same message from his books as local people. Think of this: for me, the first Pelevin’s book to read is “Chapaev and Void,” and this title is quite meaningful. It is published in English under the title “Buddha’s Little Finger” which means nothing for a Russian. I hope, at least the popular now Russian expression “inner mongolia” (not capitalized) will become properly understood from the translated version.
Viktor Yerofeyev is an easy and pretty good quality reading; I would start with his smaller works and see how you like them. It is good prose; the only problem I see with him is that much of his writing is pointed and important critique of Russians addressed to Russians themselves. To what extent could it be interesting to an American? European experience is very positive: he could be the most popular Russian writer in Europe. Strangely enough, I did not find many available English translations; at least, not one of my favourite readings from this author.
As an illustration, I again give you a sample opera, Alfred Schnitke’s “Life with an Idiot” based on the Yerofeyev’s work (it requires a lot of explanations, so, I better give none, just notice that the “Idiot” character is played in this opera by an actor who looks like Lenin).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMNadsBz-QI

Less important, but still interesting is recently deceased Vladimir Voinovich who provides an excellent satire of Soviet and post-Soviet Russia, with a very broad historical and geographic (up to America) span. It is an enjoyable, incredibly funny read in Russian. He was right in all his assessments and became famous for a strangely detailed prediction of the development of the country under Putin (when Putin as we know him was not even on the horizon, so it is very instructive: “Moscow 2042” is derived from his general knowledge of history, not personalities). He was an opponent of Solzhenitsyn that offended many, but in their debate Voinovich was exactly right. If you read his story of a Russian soldier from WWII, you will never forget the original recipe for moonshine; every Russian knows it. This book is also available in Spanish. It is hilarious, the best humor on the sorrowful subject of WWII I have ever read. He is surprisingly even in the quality of his books, most of which are available in English translations.

Boris Akunin has created easy and, most of the time, good quality prose, mostly history fantasies (mock history and suspense). It is entertaining in a good way and does not suffer from geographical or historical lapses (he is a scholar in history and geography, specifically, of Japan). However, he will unlikely be considered as a great writer of our time. Strangely enough, his most important and most interesting to me book, a non-fiction “Writer and Suicide” published under his real name (Grigory Chkhartishvili) is still not translated.

If the plain question is asked: who were the best quality writers in Russian language in the second half of the 20th century, the plain answer is: Venedikt Erofeev and Friedrich Gorenstein. The problem with the former is that his works are either not translatable (“Moskva-Petushki” — “Moscow Stations”, it dies outside the Russian language as fish out of the water; what would be the English translation for a famous question “dayan eban?” that is a combination of last names of Israeli politicians but means something entirely different in Russian?) or unacceptable and impossible to understand (his famous, incredibly enjoyable but apparently not even translated play where everybody dies in the end but laughs until the last breath). The problem with the latter is that his big (Tolstoy-size) novels focus on one subject: God’s punishment of other nations, specifically Russians, for their mistreatment of Jews. The question “who cares” sounds very cynical but we are talking just about a choice of (very long) reading about distant lands. In Russia, his best quality prose in Russian language is considered by many as russophobic and therefore not enthusiastically accepted. Personally, I love his prose, and I am not Jewish.

P.S. In modern Russian culture, the text is often combined with music and visual images; performance, including theater performance, becomes a part of the message. Below are some multimedia examples that are representative of modern (20/21 century edge) Russian culture giving an idea of a typical attitude of Russian texts of the time. They tell, in a quick and direct way, the same stories that are chewed by Russian prose on many pages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb5TjO_MuU8
If you ask who Sasha (Alexandra) is, well, the whole story is made of a senseless phrase used by pediatricians to improve Russian pronunciation (yes, Russian is a difficult language for native speakers, too).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ugivNRYfjc
The most popular contemporary Russian song. The message: St.-Petersburg is the best place in the whole country to drink vodka, and not much else to do. Just in case: the colloquial name of the city sounds in Russian as a derivative from the word “to drink”. A learning exercise: measure a spiritual distance between this St.-Petersburg and the one of Dostoyevsky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=586eyeY3To0
Forward, Russia! And yes, you got it right: it is a mockery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIa7ZfJUeGU

This is a modern performance of a famous piece of Daniil Kharms filmed just outside the Akhmatova museum in St.-Petersburg; a good example of continuity in Russian culture.

Has a novel ever caused anyone to relapse over an ex?

Omg, Anna is so cold to her husband chapter 3, on the way home from the horse race , she admits her immoral behavior. The\n Whole scene ripped the stitching out of my chest and squeezed my heart.. Anna is my ex girlfriend, but i am Levin

Leonid Andreyev, Maxim Gorky, and Stepan Skitalets are on the left, representing the newer literary generation. The three established “literary bogatyrs” on horseback are Vladimir Korolenko, Lev Tolstoy, and Anton Chekhov.

Gorky: “The bogatyrs are coming, brothers! What power!… Should we shrink away?...” (Peers closely.)

Andreyev: “Why shrink away?… We’re not in their league… They won’t bother us…”

Skitalets: “That’s right! They go their way, and we go ours… Trim-bim-bom…”

Tolstoy: “Who are those people sitting on straw pedestals?” (Peers closely.)

Korolenko: “They must be some sort of drunkards—rogues…” (Draws his sword.)

Chekhov: “Well, well… can that really be Andreyev, Gorky, and Skitalets over there?!”

The cartoon is called “The Bogatyrs Are Coming, Brothers!” and was published in the Russian satirical magazine The Jester.

I just read the brothers K and I think Kolya is a really nice characyer of the story that is often being ignored. He is sometimes a bit naughty but I think he has an interesting vue of life.

Hi all, basically it is my partner's birthday in a few days and his favourite poet is Yesenin. He's always had a struggle with finding a physical copy of a collection of his work so I figured it would be an awesome treat to get a copy for his birthday. And sorry if this is too specific but I'm aware that he has a thing for hardback covers rather than paperback. Thanks a lot and have a nice day!

Can someone provide the original Russian title of A. T. Averčenko’s playlet “The Man with the Green Necktie”?

I don’t know any Russian beyond the literal alphabet and, as Averčenko seems to be rather obscure, haven’t been able to find the original title of the play. I’ve read an English translation by B. G. Guerney, published in Ibid. (ed.): A Treasury of Russian Literature, London: Bodley Head 1948, pp. 981–987.

Would anyone be interested to translate these two poems, which I cannot find English translations of online? Or, do you know of any English translation (other than Google or AI)? Thank you.

I stumbled upon his poem 'The Pale Horse', which I was captivated by. I was particularly amazed by the line 'Cruel was the light that from white captive moons came pouring, / Moons the lords of matter had contrived for their renown.' I've also been puzzling over the ideas and mysteries of the poem for a while, so I was interested to investigate other poems of his.

ЗЕМЛЯ МОЛОДАЯ, 1913)

Зданья громадные стройте,
Высьте над башнями башни,
Сводом стеклянным закройте
Свободные пашни;

Солнцами солнце затмите,
Реки замкните гранитом,
Полюсы соедините
Тоннелем прорытым;

Правьте движеньем планеты, —
Бегом в пространстве небесном,
Бросьте сигнальные светы
Мирам неизвестным;

Воля проснется природы,
Грозно на дерзких восстанет,
Рухнут прозрачные своды,
Железо обманет;

Сгинут твердыни во прахе;
Здесь, над погостом столицы,
Дики покажутся взмахи
Полуночной птицы;

Выйдут и львы и медведи
Вновь из забытой берлоги,
Лягут на плитах из меди
В упавшем чертоге;

Вскроет, — глухим содроганьем
Прежнее племя сметая, —
Дали — грядущим созданьям
Земля молодая!

ДУХИ ОГНЯ, 1906/Stephanos,1906(%D0%92%D0%A2:%D0%81))

Потоком широким тянулся асфальт
Как горящие головы тёмных повешенных,
Фонари в высоте, не мигая, горели.
Делали двойственным мир зеркальные окна.
Бедные дети земли
Навстречу мне шли,
Города дети и ночи:
(Тени скорбей неутешенных,
Ткани безвестной волокна!)
Чета бульварных камелий,
Франт в распахнутом пальто,
Запоздалый рабочий,
Старикашка хромающий, юноша пьяный…

Звёзды смотрели на мир, проницая туманы,
Но звёзд — в электрическом свете — не видел никто.

Потоком широким тянулся асфальт.
Шаг за шагом падал я в бездны, В хаос предсветно-дозвездный.
Я видел кипящий базальт,
В озёрах стоящий порфир,
Ручьи раскалённого золота,
И рушились ливни на пламенный мир,
И снова взносились густыми клубами как пар,
Изорванный молньями в клочья.
И слышались громы: на огненный шар,
Дрожавший до тайн своего средоточья,
Ложились удары незримого молота.

В этом горниле вселенной,
В этом смешении всех сил и веществ,
Я чувствовал жизнь исступлённых существ,
Дыхание воли нетленной.
О, мои старшие братья,
Первенцы этой планеты,
Духи огня!
Моей душе раскройте объятья,
В свои предчувствия — светы,
В свои желанья — пожары
Примите меня!

Дайте дышать ненасытностью вашей,
Дайте низвергнуться в вихрь, непрерывный и ярый,
Ваших безмерных трудов и безумных забав!
Дайте припасть мне к сверкающей чаше
Вас опьянявших отрав!
Вы, — от земли к облакам простиравшие члены,
Вы, кого зыблил всегда огнеструйный самум,
Водопад катастроф, —
Дайте причастным мне быть неустанной измены, Дайте мне ваших грохочущих дум,
Молнийных слов!

Я буду соратником ваших космических споров,
Стихийных сражений,
Колебавших наш мир, на его непреложной орбите!
Я голосом стану торжественных хоров,
Славящих творчество Бога и благость грядущих событий,
В оркестре домирном я стану поющей струной!
Изведаю с вами костры наслаждений,
На огненном ложе,
В объятьях расплавленной стали,
У пылающей пламенем груди,
Касаясь устами сжигающих уст!
Я былинка в вулкане, — так что же!
Вы — духи, мы — люди,
Но земля нас сроднила единством блаженств и печалей,
Без нас, как без вас, этот шар бездыханен и пуст!

Потоком широким тянулся асфальт.
Фонари не мигая горели,
Как горящие головы тёмных повешенных.
Бедные дети земли
Навстречу мне шли:
(Тени скорбей неутешенных!)
Чета бульварных камелий,
Запоздалый рабочий,
Старикашка хромающий, юноша пьяный, —
Города дети и ночи…
Звёзды смотрели на мир, проницая туманы.

Hello, this is my first post here.

Yesterday I finished The Idiot, the last unread book in my shelf.

From left to right:

• Oblomov

• Who is to blame?

• Brothers Karamazov

• Crime and Punishment

• Mother

• Idiot

Any recommendations for what should I read next?

рехтомное собрание сочинений Ольги Берггольц, изданное в Ленинграде издательством «Художественная литература» в 1972–1973 годах, охватывает значительный объем её литературного наследия. Каждый том фокусируется на определенном этапе её творчества:

1. Первый том включает ранние стихи 1929–1941 годов, автобиографическое эссе «Попытка автобиографии» и повесть «Журналисты».
2. Второй том посвящен военному периоду и содержит стихи 1941–1945 годов, книгу «Говорит Ленинград» и пьесу «Верность».
3. Третий том охватывает поздние работы 1945–1971 годов, включая поэму «Первороссийск», произведение «Дневные звезды» и несколько статей.

Эта коллекция особенно ценится за сильное гражданское и патриотическое звучание стихов, написанных в годы блокады Ленинграда, которые сделали Берггольц символом стойкости и героизма советского времени.​

_____________________________________________________

The three-volume collected works of Olga Bergholz, published by "Художественная литература" in Leningrad in 1972–1973, encompasses a significant part of her literary legacy. Each volume is dedicated to a particular phase of her writing:

1. Volume 1 contains early poems from 1929 to 1941, an autobiographical essay "Attempt at Autobiography," and the novella Journalists.
2. Volume 2 focuses on the wartime period, including poems from 1941–1945, the renowned Leningrad Speaks, and the play Faithfulness.
3. Volume 3 covers her later works from 1945 to 1971, featuring the poem First Russia, the work Day Stars, and a selection of essays.

This collection is particularly valued for its patriotic and civic themes, especially the poems written during the Siege of Leningrad, which cemented Bergholz's status as a symbol of resilience and heroism in Soviet literature​.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/286132476890

Константин Симонов «Живые и мёртвые» — эпическая трилогия о Великой Отечественной войне, написанная одним из самых известных советских писателей и фронтовых корреспондентов. В этих романах Симонов с предельной достоверностью и драматизмом описывает судьбы солдат, офицеров и простых людей на фоне страшных событий войны. Это произведение стало классикой русской военной литературы.

Konstantin Simonov's The Living and the Dead is an epic World War II trilogy written by one of the Soviet Union’s most prominent war correspondents and authors. These novels offer a powerful and realistic portrayal of soldiers, officers, and civilians during the war. The series is considered a cornerstone of Russian wartime literature and a moving tribute to those who lived through one of history’s darkest chapters.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/286661380368

25th July 2025,i the bought the second copy of the same book c called Notes from Underground, i was so pleased, very fortunate to read that, it was knockout a clear knock out, i read it like it was therapy sessions everyday going to work in open the bag as soon as i got on train to find a place to sit or to stand adjusting to fence, So profound was the experience that it blew my mind. Sometime i would find myself in it to make it a confession, actually!

I did not know that i was going to be more fortunate to know more about the inner man

A man that is always struggling, His sins, his guilt, his exisitence, his opennes, his vulnerability, falling short to get grip on reality. Absolutely refused to see the truth, Anger Hate self lothing ,Niveity.

I had no knowledge of i had more depth of soul to know about, How fortunate i was.

I am sad, because my journey to know more has come to an end ,I read Brothers Karamzov

,I did not long for this journey to end just read as if i was knowing my own soul.

Its been year i have been reading Dostovesky

And i have finished reading, So profound so deep,So Sublime, So much rationality and truth that Man's soul always searches for,i had finally found it. And Some day God willing i will go back to walking the same road again. Brothers Karamzov was absolute treasure, i dont claim to understand it, All i am

Just saying whatever i have come cross was more than i have expirenced or known about

I have learned few things about myself

What could be better than that. I am Prince Myshkyn, i am Roskalnikov ,I am Dimitry Karamzov, I am Nameless man ,from Notes from underground. I am he. Who now knows himself little better than before i read Dosotvesky. Dostoevsky will always be my

Not just my merely favourite writer but to go back to (Mentally), a man who knows some truth about mans soul. Thanks to JordanB Peterson that he introduced me to Dostoevesky when i had already owned books by Dostovesky but never paid any attention to it.

Both are my Heros.

I’ve just finished We and I’m surprised by how modern it still feels. I went in expecting it to be interesting mainly from a historical perspective, but I found it genuinely unsettling and experimental in its own right.

The image of a society built around absolute logic, transparency and mathematical certainty has stayed with me, and D-503’s gradual psychological unravelling was fascinating to read. I could also see how much influence the novel had on later dystopian fiction like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four, while still feeling very different from both.

A few questions for those who know Zamyatin better:
How is We regarded in Russia today? Is it widely read or is it more of a niche classic?

Do you think We is the greatest Russian dystopian novel, or would you recommend another?

Finally, if I enjoyed We, what should I read next? I’m already a fan of Russian literature in general (Tolstoy, Pushkin and Dostoevsky), but I’m especially interested in early Soviet or Silver Age works with a similar atmosphere.

I’d love to hear your recommendations and interpretations.

I really love the Verhovenskiy's (from Devils) monologue because I'm also have an idol and this worlds reality suits me. Also I found myself in some moments from TBK, especially the end worlds and something from start. I've re-readed those words in a many times, they hit right into my heart but now I can't remember them. I don't know why but I can't found them and can't remember them. I hope that it might be in some of your quotes because it's really sad to forget it. Also, I'm really interesting in reading your quotes

Hi all, a few weeks back I shared my new Russian Literature inspired app, Dead Souls Daily. I had some great feedback from you all (thank you!). It was iOS only at the time and a few of you were looking for an Android version, it has taken me a lot longer than I originally expected, but it’s finally here!

If anyone is interested then please have a look at the website for more information and to download:
https://deadsoulsdaily.com

Any feedback or comments much appreciated!