Im looking to get into Russian literature. Any suggestions?

Tolstoy.

Dostoevsky.

Thanks, anything in particular that would be good to start with?

Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. It was my first into into Russian literature and it is fantastic.

The names can get confusing. I used a moleskine to map who is who.

I would suggest Hesse and Kafka first. They aren’t Russian but they are Eastern European. Both are fantastic. I have read everything published by Herman Hesse and I am convinced that it changed my life for the better.

Isn’t Herman Hesse German? That’s not Eastern European.

Depends on where you put the wall. My point was that it is best to slowly ease into Russian literature. War and Peace is a horrible place to start. Fathers and Sons is a much better place to start.

Granted… I hate Ivan Turgenev.

Chekhov. His short stories will be easier to digest than than Tolstoy’s or Dostoevsky’s big works and he can make a nice introduction.

Now, I’m partial to German literature myself. Maybe it’s in my blood. But I’m not entirely sure that Hesse would necessarily be a good preliminary read. By all means, read Hesse; he’s great. But if you want to read Russian literature then read Russian literature, not German.

Chekhov is a good start. I second @johnpowell‘s suggestion to map the characters; the names are confusing. You might want to both listen to the book on tape and read the book. The tapes are usually abridged, and will give you a sense of plot and name pronunciation, and can make following the book much easier.

rususa.com

I haven’t read a lot of Russian literature, but I’d definitely recommend The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. It’s a great, intriguing story, beautifully written, and it’s a little bit lighter than some of the real “classics” like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. It would definitely be another good way to ease into Russian literature, as @johnpowell suggested – he’s right that you probably don’t want to jump right into War and Peace!

Dostoevsky for sure.

Start with Chekhov or Bulgakov. And no one’s mentioned Nabokov yet – some stuff he wrote in English, other stuff in Russian. Just don’t start with Crime and Punishment. If you want to begin with Dostoyevsky, try The Gambler or The Underground Man.

My apologies – that last one is titled Notes from Underground, not The Underground Man. Also, War and Peace is an easy read – it actually feels somewhat like reading Harry Potter to me: fluffy and enjoyable.

Ayn Rand- interesting since it was written by a Russian woman during the early 20th century… interesting perspective.

I’m really surprised no one has said it yet: Anna Karenina. It is a big book, but don’t be intimidated. You have to give yourself plenty of time to read it, so take it slow. There are basically 4 or 5 main story lines that are interwoven, and it is spectacularly written. Make sure you pick up a decent translation. I think Amazon has one that has gotten really good reviews.

I would start with Tolstoy. War and Peace and Anna Karenina are both great reads although the nomenclature might be daunting. If you want to just dip your toes in first you could try some of Chekhov’s short stories.

@johnpowell Why would you recommend Fathers and Sons if you hate Turgenev?

Thanks for all the responses. Now I’m thinking of starting with Kafka and Hesse and working my way East.

I would recommend Anna Karenina from Tolstoj too, but if you’r a bit allergic to romance I would start with Dostojevski.

Funny how there are different ways of writing it (Dostojevski).