Chicago Public Library-Blog: Top Picks: Short Russian Classics

Chicago IL

01 November, 2021

2:36 PM

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Press release from the Chicago Public Library-blog: Chloe November 1, 2021 We will start with the guest of honor himself! Dostoyevsky is best known for Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and The Brothers Karamazov, but Notes From Underground is one of his most revolutionary and shortest novels. Notes from Underground is about a unnamed narrator who rejects life as he knows it and becomes isolated underground. It is thought to be one of the first existentialist novels.   Notes From UndergroundNotes From Underground Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, 1821-1881Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, 1821-1881 Paperback, 1993Available View detailsView details for Notes From Underground, Paperback, Available If you enjoy more bite-sized narratives, consider trying short stories by Russian authors. The Overcoat, and Other Tales of Good and Evil by Nikolai Gogol is an interesting dive into the author's work. The story The Overcoat follows an impoverished clerk who is teased by his coworkers for having a ratty overcoat. The overcoat then becomes a driving force in the clerk's life.  The Overcoat, and Other Tales of Good and EvilThe Overcoat, and Other Tales of Good and Evil Gogolʹ, Nikolaĭ Vasilʹevich, 1809-1852Gogolʹ, Nikolaĭ Vasilʹevich, 1809-1852 Paperback, 1965Available View detailsView details for The Overcoat, and Other Tales of Good and Evil, Paperback, Available While Leo Tolstoy is most famous for War and Peace, his book The Death of Ivan Ilyich is one of his most well-known novellas. Ivan Ilyich is a man who is indifferent with his life. It's an interesting and sometimes sad examination on the meaning of life, or rather, life without meaning. The Death of Ivan Ilyich is often regarded as one of the best novellas ever written.  The Death of Ivan IlyichThe Death of Ivan Ilyich And, Master and ManTolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910 Paperback, 2003Available View detailsView details for The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Paperback, Available Eugene Onegin is a novel in verse, and is thought of as one of the hardest texts to translate. Not only must it be translated from Russian to English, but the translation must maintain the original poetic style. Originally published serially, the novel follows Eugene Onegin and his love interest Tatyana. The story ebbs and flows with comedy, tragedy and even a duel.  Eugene OneginEugene Onegin a Novel in VersePushkin, Aleksandr Sergeevich, 1799-1837Pushkin, Aleksandr Sergeevich, 1799-1837 Paperback, 2008Available View detailsView details for Eugene Onegin, Paperback, Available The Master and Margarita is the longest book on this list weighing in at a few hundred pages, but it's still shorter than War and Peace! Part of the next generation of Russian authors after Dostoyevsky, author Mikhail Bulgakov manages to strike a perfect balance between the fantastical and political. It is also the most recent of the books mentioned here, offering a different perspective of Russia.  The Master and MargaritaThe Master and Margarita Bulgakov, Mikhail, 1891-1940,Bulgakov, Mikhail, 1891-1940, Paperback, 2016All copies in useView detailsView details for The Master and Margarita, Paperback, All copies in useHolds: 1 on 10 copies With winter coming up, make sure to check out Kate's post on Russian Classics: Top Picks for Winter. What are your favorite short(ish) Russian novels? This press release was produced by the Chicago Public Library-blog. The views expressed here are the author's own.