10 best books of Russian classics

Many works of Russian classics are included in the school curriculum. But it captures only a small part of the works of great writers. In addition, the program for studying literature often includes novels and short stories that are most accessible to the understanding of the child. Therefore, you can discover the full power of Russian classics only by reading additional works. Among the huge number of worthy works of the great Russian classics, it is difficult to choose the best ones, but we have tried to do it for you. And now we sincerely recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rating of works that everyone should read.

The Best Classics of the 19th Century

Russian classics of the 19th century are studied in the school curriculum, but it does not always include the best and strongest works.We offer a little broaden your horizons and read other works of writers familiar from school. After that, the authors will reveal themselves in a completely different way, and their books will make you think about a lot.

5 Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District

The incomparable lively writing style of Nikolai Leskov is most clearly revealed in his essay "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District." He deliberately called this work an essay, not a story, in order to create the illusion of documentary. The story tells of a bored young merchant who falls in love and commits terrible crimes for her love.

In Russian classics, this is the first work about a woman - a serial killer. It can be called a tragedy, and an action-packed short story, and an everyday story with bitter comedy. The reader will feel the deplorable consequences of unbridled passion, imbued with the amusement of the plot and the severity of the conflicts. A great work by a no less great writer should be read by everyone.

4 Sunday

Leo Tolstoy's novel "Sunday" is not as famous as his trilogy "War and Peace", but in terms of the depth of the plot, the denunciation of injustice can be considered one of the best. The story of the hard life of an orphan, seduced in his youth, turned off the right path, fell and ended up in hard labor is intertwined with the opposite fate of the seducer, who realized all his sinfulness and mistakes, longing for forgiveness and correction.

This book has everything - love and human vices, the injustice of legal proceedings and life, deep repentance, disappointment and pain.A heavy, thought-provoking plot, combined with the magnificent style of one of the greatest writers of Russian classics, will not leave anyone indifferent.

3 ordinary story

Such an ordinary story can happen in our time, so the book still does not lose its relevance. The Russian classic touched upon that facet of human nature that has always been present in people. The novel describes the changes taking place with a young man who came from the outback to conquer the capital. A simple provincial romantic gradually becomes a cynical and indifferent city dweller.

Despite the fact that "An Ordinary Story" was the first work of Ivan Goncharov, it immediately aroused increased interest. The author himself admitted that for literature the plot of the book is not original and common. But the artistic style, the lively description of the transformation from a romantic into a cynic help to feel all the sadness of such ordinary stories.

2 Pit

The story of Alexander Kuprin "The Pit" was condemned, condemned, carried to smithereens by critics. But now in literature it is one of the most striking, open and bold works of Russian classics. The Yamskaya Sloboda, in which the action of the story takes place, is a kind of social pit, a place of accumulation of brothels. The narrative reveals all the dirt, the baseness of debauchery, the deformation of the personality of the people associated with this - not only the prostitutes themselves, but also their clients and brothel keepers.

The writer vividly and vividly painted all the ugliness of some aspects of society, and he was not afraid to speak about it honestly and openly.Later, the story was nevertheless appreciated, it was filmed three times.

1 Brothers Karamazov

The most powerful novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, which became a brilliant completion of his literary activity. It contains all the artistic power, wisdom and insight of the writer. The novel touches on the deepest questions that a person can ask - about God, morality, freedom.

The novel is a kind of collection of novels about the nature and essence of man. The struggle for inheritance, the search for God, blind passion, the endless battle between good and evil in every human soul, its versatility - all this the book shows vividly and insightfully. Fyodor Dostoyevsky died two months after the publication of The Brothers Karamazov. The novel became his final work, worthy of being read by everyone.

The Best Classics of the 20th Century

The classics of the twentieth century are much closer to most readers. The way of life in it is more understandable, the style is simpler, and the experiences of the characters are closer. The list of Russian classics of this time is huge, there are so many worthy works that it can take many years to read them. Therefore, we suggest you start with the brightest books.

5 gentleman from san francisco

Does money give freedom? Can they buy happiness? What is the purpose of man in this world? These and many other questions are raised in the work of the Russian classic Ivan Bunin "The Gentleman from San Francisco". The writer was able to show very clearly that no amount of money can save a person from the chaos of death.But there is no complex, hidden philosophy in the story - the author simply shows that every person should leave a mark.

But the main character of the story did not leave him. The writer skillfully described the imaginary freedom of a rich man from the New World and the uselessness of his existence, the selfishness and coldness of people who only care about status.

4 petty imp

It was this novel by the Russian symbolist, now a classic, that made Fyodor Sologub famous, producing the effect of an exploding bomb, becoming one of the most widely read works of the early twentieth century. Against the backdrop of the darkness of the Russian provinces, the writer unfolded the story of pleasure, pain, madness and beauty. The book tells about the history of the insanity of a gymnasium teacher - from obsessions to the complete collapse of the personality.

The author skillfully intertwined pictures of gloomy life, vivid descriptions of heroes, expressive scenes of social life. But the true meaning of the book lies in human passions. The lively writing captures so much that the book is literally read in one breath.

3 One Story America

These authors of the Russian classics of the last century are known to all by the works of "12 Chairs" and "The Golden Calf". But no less attention deserves the book of writers "One-Storied America". It is filled with good humor, evokes nostalgic memories, and really makes you smile.

In the book, the writers represent America in the 1930s with their own eyes.The luxury of Hollywood, the splendor and poverty of New York, gangster Chicago, quiet provincial towns - traveling around America, they recorded and published all their observations. Everything here seemed unfamiliar and outlandish to the authors - hamburgers, beer in cans, nightclubs. The book once helped Soviet citizens to discover America for themselves, was highly appreciated even by the Americans themselves.

2 Morphine

The book tells about a young doctor and patient at the same time, about his addiction to morphine and attempts to get out of drug captivity. Mikhail Bulgakov, who is a genius with words, managed to convey to the readers in frightening detail and realistically all the feelings and thoughts of a morphine addict, his suffering, despair and a vague hope of liberation from addiction.

The theme of the work remains always relevant, as it touches upon a topical and serious problem. In terms of the power of presentation, the transfer of emotions, this is one of the best works of the writer. Perhaps the story turned out so real, well conveying the gravity of the state of mind of a morphine addict, because this whole story is Mikhail Bulgakov's autobiography.

1 Doctor Zhivago

This is one of those books that changes the world. It tells about the doctor and poet Yuri Andreevich Zhivago. The biography of the protagonist by the writer is deliberately correlated with the tragic history of Russia in the first thirty years of the twentieth century - the era of repression and oppression of the individual. Here the actual question is raised - why we have become what we are.There is a lot of love in the book - real, changing the essence of existence, knowing no barriers.

The tragic story of a doctor and a poet touches to the very depths of the soul. Pasternak was one of the few writers who was not afraid to speak out in defense of freedom of speech and conscience, for which he was persecuted. The novel is loved not only for its truthfulness, but also for the beauty and fullness of the text, the abundance of ambiguous thoughts that, after reading, you want to calmly think about in solitude.

Popular vote - which book of Russian classics do you consider the best?
Vote!

Brothers Karamazov

Pit

ordinary story

Sunday

Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District

Doctor Zhivago

Morphine

One Story America

petty imp

gentleman from san francisco

Total voted: 89

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