12 works of Russian literature that do not go to school in vain

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The depth and grandeur of Russian literature extend far beyond the school curriculum. Here are examples of creations that are as valuable as creations from the educational standard. They are definitely worth reading.

1. "Demons", Fyodor Dostoevsky

The novel provides an extensive picture of the socio-political life of Russia at the end of the 19th century. The Russian intelligentsia is one of the main historical problems of our country. Problems in the sense that this social stratum has never been able to find itself, to determine its own ideals. Intellectuals, liberals, terrorists - after reading the novel, you will not have any questions why in the Russian Empire these concepts were synonymous for many.

2. "Uncle Vanya", Anton Chekhov

After watching the theatrical performance of Uncle Vanya, Gorky wrote to Chekhov: “Uncle Vanya and The Seagull are a new kind of dramatic art […]. Other dramas do not distract a person from reality to philosophical generalizations - yours do it. " What can we say, Chekhov's plays are indeed the strongest in Russian literature.

"Uncle Vanya" is in no way inferior to "The Cherry Orchard" or "Three Sisters". But the Ministry of Education for some reason excluded the play from the list of mandatory books, which affected its popularity today. If you decide to familiarize yourself, then keep in mind that the work is heavy and the narrative in it goes in a serious tone unusual for Chekhov.

3. "Red Laughter", Leonid Andreev

"Red laughter" if it is mentioned in literature lessons, it is only in passing. The main attention is paid to another story of the author - "Judas Iscariot". But "Red Laughter" is such a stylistically verified work that goosebumps run down the skin not from the described horrors of war, but from a sonorous rich syllable.

Nobody wrote about the war like that. Nobody else wrote like that. If you want to clearly and clearly find out what the word "style" means in literature, read Andreeva.

4. "Head of Professor Dowell", Alexander Belyaev

Belyaev's work is entertaining in nature. Therefore, probably, his works were not included in school textbooks. However, the ability to entertain while maintaining a great art style is also worth a lot. Let Belyaev now be assessed as a classic of fiction, but we don't always read in order to reflect on the problems of the world, right? Professor Dowell's Head is a fascinating experiment in science fiction literature for its time.

5. Collected Works, Daniil Kharms

Kharms is a prankster and daredevil of Soviet literature. His absurdist prose is devoid of an obvious moralizing message, which is why schoolchildren receive their certificates without having learned anything about the most original Soviet writer. It is quite difficult to single out the central work of Kharms, so we recommend reading the first thing that comes to hand. For example, here is the whole story "New Anatomy":

One little girl had two blue ribbons growing on her nose. The case is especially rare, for one tape was written "Mars", and on the other - "Jupiter".

6. "Twelve Chairs", Ilya Ilf, Evgeny Petrov

This novel needs no introduction. Ostap Bender's phrases have long been disassembled into quotes and have become winged. Even if for some reason you did not have a chance to read the legendary novel about the great strategist, you have probably seen one of its many adaptations. However, this is the case when none of the film incarnations can compare with the literary original. It's like Shanghai leopards compared to Mexican jerboas. Infinitely better.

7. "The Living and the Dead", Konstantin Simonov

The trilogy by Konstantin Simonov is dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. It is based on the author's personal experience, and perhaps that is why it turned out to be so inspirational and sincere. This is a chronicle of the events of 1941-1945, presented through the prism of the view of the participants in the war. The work is fundamental, large-scale, with many deeply written images, strong dialogues and storylines. "War and Peace" of the XX century.

8. "Roadside Picnic", Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

It is strange why Soviet science fiction classics are still not included in the school curriculum. Almost every book of theirs is philosophical and raises a wide range of topics. Roadside Picnic is perhaps the most famous work of the authors. The Stalker series of books originates here. The "Zone", even before it became a popular place for the works of literary epigones, was introduced by the Strugatskys as the deepest metaphor. A metaphor that summarizes all human activities and endows it with the universal meaning of the pursuit of happiness.

9. "Razor's Edge", Ivan Efremov

"Razor's Edge" is a novel in which Efremov expressed his entire worldview. Therefore, it is so multifaceted and touches on a huge number of different topics: science, philosophy, mysticism, love, yoga. The writer carried out such a complex work on the synthesis of materialistic, metaphysical and mystical teachings that his book can be considered not only as a work of fiction, but also as a kind of philosophical treatise. It is not surprising that after writing the novel, Efremov acquired the status of a spiritual guru.

10. Novels, Vladimir Nabokov

Why there is no "Lolita" in the school curriculum, we can understand. But why other works of the author, like "Defense of Luzhin" or "Invitation to Execution", are given so little time is a mystery. Nabokov discovered a completely new dimension of the Russian language - one that was unknown to either Pushkin or Tolstoy. His words sound, smell, feel skin and tongue. This is a synesthetic feast of sounds and colors, where topics that are not the most traditional for Russian literature are raised, such as the relationship between the author and his creation, the illusory nature of the world.

11. "Generation" P "", Victor Pelevin

Generation P is a nineties bible. What is the new Russia, what are the values of the nascent world, where are their origins and what is the meaning of the media - Pelevin, of course, digs much deeper than the level of an entertaining story about the adventures of a talented PR specialist Vavilen Tatarsky. The age-old problem "Who lives well in Russia?" is transformed into “What is Russia? What is good? And what, after all, does it mean to live?"

Ideologically, Pelevin's work is somewhat outdated: there are already other realities in the yard. However, his approach to explaining phenomena, combining postmodern ideas and metaphysics of Indian and Iranian philosophy, is completely unique. The method of analysis of social phenomena discovered by Pelevin endows his creation with a timeless meaning.

12. "Boris Pasternak", Dmitry Bykov

The works of this writer cannot be found in the school curriculum for one simple reason: they have not yet had time to get there. Dmitry Bykov is one of the most prominent representatives of modern literature. He is a writer of the classical school with a good sense of language and a desire for extensive disclosure of characters.

Boris Pasternak is a biographical work, but thanks to Bykov's literary talent, it reads like a work of art and gives a textured understanding of Pasternak's life path.

What books that remained outside the school curriculum do you remember?