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Russian books & authors

One of the most enjoyable things about learning to speak Russian is the ability to be able to read and appreciate some of the finest works of literature as written in their native language.

In the SCRSS Library (http://www.scrss.org.uk) there is a collection of over 35,000 Russian books, journals and pamphlets covering Russia and the former Soviet Union. It comprises material in both English and Russian language. It includes a loan library, reference library and archive.

Below is a list of some of my favourite highly recommended Russian literature pearls listed by author.

Anton Chekhov (1860–1904)
short stories author and playwright

  • The Cherry Orchard/ Вишневый Сад
  • Three Sisters/ Три Сестры
  • The Seagull/ Чайка

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881)
novelist

  • Crime and Punishment/ Преступление и наказание
  • The Gambler/ Игрок
  • The Idiot/ Идиот
  • The Possessed/ Бесы
  • The Raw Youth/ Подросток
  • The Brothers Karamazov/ Братья Карамазовы

Mikhail Bulgakov (1891–1940)
playwright and author

  • Master and Margarita/ Мастер и Маргарита

Aleksandr Kuprin (1870-1938)
short stories author and novelist

  • Duel/ Дуэль

Mikhail Lermontov (1814–1841)
poet, playwright and novelist; оne of the major Russian writers

  • A Hero of Our Time/ Герой нашего времени

Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
poet and novelist, wrote first in Russian then in English

  • Lolita/ Лолита

Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883)
short stories author and novelist

  • Notes of a Hunter/ Записки охотника
  • First Love/ Первая любовь
  • Torrents of Spring/ Вешние воды
  • Rudin/ Рудин
  • A Nest of the Gentry / Дворянское гнездо
  • On the Eve/ Накануне
  • Fathers and Sons/ Отцы и дети
  • Smoke/ Дым
  • Virgin Soil/ Новь

Ivan Bunin (1870-1953)
short stories author and novelist

  • The Life of Arseniev/ Жизнь Арсеньева
  • Dark Avenues/ Темные аллеи
  • Lika/ Лика

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910)
novelist

  • War and Peace/ Война и Мир
  • Anna Karenina/ Анна Каренина

Aleksandr Pushkin (1799–1837)
poet, novelist and dramatist; considered to be the greatest Russian poet of all time

  • Eugene Onegin/ Евгений Онегин

Nikolai Nekrasov (1821–1878)
poet

  • Peasant children/ Крестьянские дети
  • Grandfather Frost-the Red Nose/ Мороз Красный Нос
  • Who is Happy in Russia?/ Кому на Руси жить хорошо?