I’m new to Russian literature but have been enjoying it a lot so far. I finished Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky recently and it is one of my all-time favourite books, and I recently started Dr. Zhivago. Any recommendations for good Russian literature?
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The Gray House by Miriam Petrosyan is what made me fall in love with russian literature. Also loved Pale Fire by Nabokov, a little less difficult of a read than Lolita because of the subject matter and also has a (hilariously) self rightious protagonist.
The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov
I’m partial to Gogol – The Nose and The Overcoat are the first stories of his that come to mind. Also, I’d strongly recommend Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita, though that’s considerably later than what you’re currently reading. It’s definitely worth giving Evgenii Onegin by Alexander Pushkin, though no English translation really hits like the original Russian since it’s in verse, but it has such an outsized impact on Russian literature you kinda of have to read it. Hero of Our Time by Lermontov is in a similar vein, if you find you like it. I’ll also give a shout to my boy Anton Chekov – the two that loom largest in the canon are probably Uncle Vanya and the Cherry Orchard, but I would start with the Seagull.
It’s been decades but Anna Karenina is still in my top five favorite books.
I really enjoyed Roadside Picnic.
Maybe Tolstoy?
