Who here loves Russian Liturature!

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I'm talking about Pushkin, Dostovetsky, Tolstoy, Chekov, and everyone else that I have not mentioned!

I do!! !! !! !!

I just started Notes From the Underground, and I really like it, it's my first Dostoyevsky and it's a lot more accessible then I expected.

I think first was Bulgakov's Margherita and the Master which is definitely the most fun and one of the more moving. No idea why I picked up Anna Karenina but am glad I did, read War and Peace cos I had two hour bus journey every day for a few months and it was totally amazing. Crime and Punishment was grim though as is the other Dostoevsky's I've tried. Am half way through Gogols 'Dead Souls' no idea why I like it so much, Tolstoy could certainly be a candidate for historical aspie of the month though.

Я не знаю and I hate reading

Nabokov!

Especially his early stories in Russian, though I can read only English translations thereof. The best of these leave some words in Russian, with footnotes regarding their meaning (i.e., no direct translation) or spelling (which changed after the October revolution).

Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment had a profound effect on me when I first read it. It took me 2 days of solid reading to finish, but it captivated me completely for those 2 days and almost put me into some kind of trance.

I've read a fair amount in my Yute...but Ya Nye Znayu...I got burned out by Sohlsynitsyn (which I probably misspelled...

I have no idea why, but the great Russian authors absolutely dwarf everything else in the literary canon. Their sense of scope is matchless. Some favourites:

"The Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoevsky. Most challenging, insightful, and rewarding book I have ever read. Changed my life and the way I think of the world.
"The First Circle" by Solzhenitsyn. Just an amazing tale of friendship, desire, and the futility of endeavor.
"Dead Souls" by Gogol. The funniest book I have ever read, but also thoughtful and quite touching, especially the ending, which has stuck with me. I would also recommend his short stories "The Overcoat" and "The Nose."

What is it about Russia that makes it produce such great novelists? I have no idea.

I love Dostoevsky and Nabokov.

i suppose if i read russian literature i might enjoy it
but that is one branch i haven't yet explored.

I know it's cheeky but can I suggest The Master and Margherita by Mikhail Bulgakov it's the most accessible of all the ones I've read, amazing book. After that just dive straight into Tolstoy, War and Peace blew me away.

thanks for the recommendation

All in translation 'cause I not speak Russian.

Dislikes:
War and Peace - boring except for the battle (edit - Borodino, is it? that's the only bit I remember ). Ok, I'm low-brow.
Crime and Punishment - I didn't make it more than half-way in before losing interest.
Pale Fire - made me want to murder the protagonist and/or the author, it was so unpleasant. I want to read Lolita because it's so damn famous, but if it's as nasty as this one (and I get the impression it is) I'm not going near it.

Meh:
We - although being a doubleplusunfan of implausible dystopias I'm biased against.
Zhivago - okay but I doubt I'll read it again!

Likes:
Red Star - although being a fan of socialist utopias I'm biased in favour. Arkady Bogdanov from the Mars trilogy was named after the author.
The Master and Margarita - never mind the allegory, demon cats are just cool!
A Hero For (Of) Our Time - Bond, 19th Century style. Really good book.
Roadside Picnic - I was delighted when Stalker came out.

Heh. That's all I can think of for now, I've not read a lot of Russian books. As you can see I'm more a fan of action than high culture.

And now I've got that damn Police song in my head.