Old-school Russian Novels

[SouthernFriedGhoul]

I always get in the mood for Tolstoy when the weather gets cold. MI winters remind me of cold, dark Russia and long novels. Is anyone else a fan of "War and Peace" or "Anna Karenina"? How about anything by Dostoevsky?

[pomba gira]

"I am a sick man... a spiteful man..."

"My liver is bad? Bah! let it get worse!"

My favorite is the bit about the man with a toothache inflicting his pain on his family by way of carefully-crafted moaning. If I were still capable of reading traditional fiction (as opposed to graphic novels & manga) I would certainly read Dostoievsky in winter...

and of course one of Iggy Pop's best lines ever is "a fine little girl/she's waitin for me/but I'm as bent as Dostoievsky"

[SouthernFriedGhoul]

Wow, I wasn't aware of that Iggy Pop line. Thanks!

[Paper Hearts]

I've very little Russian lit. I've not been through War and Peace or Anna Karenina, but I have read The House of the Dead by Dostoevsky, Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol; I've also been through some of Anton Chekov's plays and read some Isac Babel (which I loved) and I've read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I don't speak Russian and so I've sort of postponed reading translations (Russian or otherwise) a couple of years ago--I'm just not completely convinced that a book doesn't lose something after it's been translated (although I do count some translated novels as some of the best I've read). Since, I've been more interested in English literature.

[phee]

Crime And Punishment

[maeve]

I’ve read a couple of short stories like Alexander Pushkin’s, The Queen of Spades , which was apparently one of Dostoevsky’s favorites by the way. I’ve also read Tolstoy’s, The Death of Ivan Ilyich .

Other than that though I don’t recall reading too much Russian literature. I’m quite sure that I have several Russian novels around the house here, but I have yet to get to them.

Most of my reading interest is focused on the English long 19th century. I absolutely adore authors like Walpole, Lewis, Radcliff, Austen, Shelley, Bronte, and also the Victorians like Dickens, Hardy, Collins, and Gaskell just to name a few, although given time I’m sure I could add to the list without much effort.

Anyway, I digress, I know for sure I have some Dostoevsky waiting in line to be read, but honestly I’m sure it will be a while before I get to it. I’m in my 4th year of school and the reading that has been assigned is taking up most of my time and leaves me very little time for personal discovery.

[pomba gira]

Wow, I wasn't aware of that Iggy Pop line. Thanks!

No prob! It's from "Louie Louie" which is on the American Caesar CD

I've very little Russian lit. I've not been through War and Peace or Anna Karenina, but I have read The House of the Dead by Dostoevsky, Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol; I've also been through some of Anton Chekov's plays and read some Isac Babel (which I loved) and I've read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I don't speak Russian and so I've sort of postponed reading translations (Russian or otherwise) a couple of years ago--I'm just not completely convinced that a book doesn't lose something after it's been translated (although I do count some translated novels as some of the best I've read). Since, I've been more interested in English literature.

Wow, forgot all about Nabokov. Haven't read Lolita but did wade through Ada many years ago & found it kind of tedious. Think I was in high school at the time so might appreciate it more now.

Translation is a tricky business indeed. When I watch anime DVDs I run the subtitles & dub at the same time, & it's amazing how much they can differ. Really makes you wonder what was really intended and how much is being lost. Anytime I read a translation from a culture I'm unfamiliar with, I gotta wonder how many inaccurate or misleading translation conventions are being used- i.e. translating the Japanese "tanuki" as "badger" which was the standard until about 10-15 years ago.

[sass_in_the_pants]

What I like about Russian literature is that the people are either unhappy or not unhappy, they're never actually fully happy. And if they are, they'll get shot soon, or die of starvation or something else tragic. I like to drink scotch while I read those kinds of novels. Okay, who am I kidding...I like to drink scotch while I clip coupons.

[BrassFusion]

What I like about Russian literature is that the people are either unhappy or not unhappy, they're never actually fully happy. And if they are, they'll get shot soon, or die of starvation or something else tragic. I like to drink scotch while I read those kinds of novels. Okay, who am I kidding...I like to drink scotch while I clip coupons.

You are so hilarious, I love you so much. And I've never read any of these books you guys are talking about... the "real" stuff I've read is more often english, french, or american. i've heard good things, though. any recommendations on what i should start with?

[sass_in_the_pants]

You are so hilarious, I love you so much. And I've never read any of these books you guys are talking about... the "real" stuff I've read is more often english, french, or american. i've heard good things, though. any recommendations on what i should start with?

Aw shucks. I've always found your posts to be witty and insightful, so to hear this from you is very flattering! Thanks!

I say start with Anna Karenina! It's like People magazine for the 1800s. It's all scandal, and lies and gossip. Okay, perhaps it's slightly deeper than that, but who freaking cares when you've got adultery and hedonism? One thing though that will save you HOURS of confusion - sometimes people will refer to other people in the book by their formal name, sometimes their informal name, and sometimes, I think he slipped in new names just to be a jerk. For the first quarter of the book, I thought there were WAY more characters than there really was. I really wish someone had clued me in on that eariler...

[pomba gira]

What I like about Russian literature is that the people are either unhappy or not unhappy, they're never actually fully happy. And if they are, they'll get shot soon, or die of starvation or something else tragic. I like to drink scotch while I read those kinds of novels. Okay, who am I kidding...I like to drink scotch while I clip coupons.

Yeah... when you read Russian lit you start to understand why people in that part of the world drink so godawful much.