The number one book-related question I get asked most often is “I want to read Russian literature, do you have any recommendations?” So here I’ve decided to do a post to finally answer this question. When looking for books to start, you can use this as a starting point, put it into goodreads, and look at the “related books” or “you may also like” on the right side. I’ve discovered many, many new favorites in this way. You’re welcome!
If you’re just getting started…
- Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy
- Anton Chekhov’s short story collections
- Nikolai Gogol’s short story collections
If you’re just getting started but are looking to transition to the big guns…
If you’re looking for a conversation starter
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (probably one of the only two Russian novels most people read)
- Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (because pretty much everyone’s seen the movie)
If you want something less depressing
If you’ve read quite a lot of the classics and want something more modern/sci-fi/lesser known
Not sure why you would be looking for stories set in the gulag specifically but here you go…
If you want to challenge yourself…
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Petersburg by Andrei Bely
- Stalingrad & Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman (two separate books)
Note: I haven’t read all the books I listed above, but I am familiar with most of them! Feel free to comment below if you have other suggestions!