Read classics of Russian literature online. Classical literature (Russian). Russian classical literature: list of the best works

Being an active reader, I will try to take on the role of an assistant and sketch out a few ideas, compiling a list of the most recognized and most successful, from my point of view, works of both domestic and foreign literature. Most of these novels have already gained, and continue to gain, popularity, which means that these are exactly the books that you need to read in order to discover and understand this magical, mysterious and so tempting world of literature.

  1. What to read from the classics? Relevance of the issue.

Typically, a similar question arises from those who suddenly realized the need for self-education or decided to fill in their gaps from the school course on Russian literature.

This is where the main difficulty arises. Everyone definitely wants to read something from the collection of world masterpieces. But is there even such a thing as a literary masterpiece? Critics argue that there is no clear answer to this question impossible: some like Russian literature, some like foreign literature, some read until they read, and some can’t imagine an evening without an exciting love story.

Having visited one of the large used bookstores in the capital, I asked the sellers what questions visitors most often ask. As it turns out, one of the most common requests is precisely the request for advice on what to read from the classics.

It turns out that in fact there are a lot of people interested, literature of this kind is in demand, but low awareness sometimes scares away potential clients.

First of all, let's focus on the short stories. By the way, they should be understood as more short form presentation of current events than, for example, a story or story. This type of narration is characterized by the presence of only one storyline, and the quantity characters very limited.

I would highlight the following works:

  1. Augustine "Treatises"
  2. D. Swift "Gulliver's Travels"
  3. F. Kafka "The Process"
  4. M. de Montaigne "The Complete Essay"
  5. N. Hawthorne "Letter to Scarlet"
  6. G. Melville "Moby Dick"
  7. R. Descartes "Principles of Philosophy"
  8. Charles Dickens "Oliver Twist"
  9. G. Flaubert "Madame Bovary"
  10. D. Austin "Pride and Prejudice"
  1. Aeschylus "Agamemnon"
  2. Sophocles "The Myth of Oedipus"
  3. Euripides "Medea"
  4. Aristophanes "Birds"
  5. Aristotle "Poetics"
  6. W. Shakespeare "Richard III", "Hamlet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
  7. Moliere "Tartuffe"
  8. W. Congreve "This is what they do in the world"
  9. Henrik Johan Ibsen "A Doll's House"

Dreamers and romantics very often try to find answers to their questions in poetry. What to read from the classics in the poetic genre? Many things. But I would especially highlight:

  1. Homer "Iliad" and "Odyssey"
  2. Horace "Odes"
  3. Dante Alighieri's Inferno
  4. W. Shakespeare "Sonnets"
  5. D. Milton " Lost heaven"
  6. W. Wordsworth "Selected"
  7. S.T. Coleridge "Poems"

As for the works of our country, is there really nothing worthy? - Well, of course not! - If I were asked to answer the question of what to read from Russian classics, I would, of course, recommend “The Master and Margarita” by M. Bulgakov, “Mtsyri” by M. Lermontov, poetry and poems by A. Pushkin.

3. Reading masterpieces of world literature. What does this give us?

Is it worth returning to this direction or is it better and more correct to pay more attention modern works? It is very, very difficult to answer this question unambiguously.

Sometimes opinions are simply divided radically.

For example, opponents argue that it is already completely outdated, has lost its relevance, and has gradually turned into some kind of utopia. In turn, philologists and students of linguistic universities defend the masterpieces of the world epic, insisting that without studying history, culture and the intricacies of language, it is impossible to understand and comprehend our today's world.

Well, well... Each side is right in its own way... Probably everyone will agree that, say, Homer’s “Odyssey” is not the so-called pulp reading for vacation or empty pastime. It is difficult to read a work of this kind and you need to do it thoughtfully, slowly and without distraction, comprehending and remembering the details. Not everyone can do this.

It is precisely such books that can introduce the reader to the world of both native and foreign literature and help to better understand the traditions, culture and mentality of peoples. And they will also discover all the charm and richness of colors of the narrative language, thereby replenishing lexicon reading.

Undoubtedly, reading all the books mentioned in this article may take several years, but in any case, it will certainly not be time wasted.

Books are one of the greatest legacies of humanity. And if before the invention of printing, books were available only to a select caste of people, then books began to spread everywhere. Each new generation gave birth to talented writers who created world masterpieces of literature.

Great works have reached us, but we are reading the classics less and less. The literary portal Buklya presents to your attention 100 best books of all times and peoples, which is a must read. In this list you will find not only classic works, but also modern books who left their mark on history quite recently.

1 Mikhail Bulgakov

A novel that does not fit into the usual literary framework. This story mixes philosophy and everyday life, theology and fantasy, mysticism and realism, mysticism and lyricism. And all these components are intertwined with skillful hands into a solid and bright story, which can turn your world upside down. And yes, this is Bookly’s favorite book!

2 Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky

A book from the school curriculum that is difficult to understand in the tender teenage years. The writer showed duality human soul when black intertwines with white. The story is about Raskolnikov, who is going through an internal struggle.

3 Antoine de Saint-Exupery

A small story that contains a huge life meaning. A story that makes you look at familiar things differently.

4 Michael Bulgakov

An amazingly subtle and sarcastic story about people and their vices. The story is about an experiment that proved that you can make a human out of an animal, but you cannot take an “animal” out of a human.

5 Erich Maria Remarque

It is impossible to tell what this novel is about. You need to read the novel, and then you will understand that this is not just a story, but a confession. Confession about love, friendship, pain. A story of despair and struggle.

6 Jerome Salinger

The story of a teenager who shows with his own eyes his perception of the world, his point of view, his renunciation of the usual principles and moral principles of society that do not fit into his individual framework.

7 Mikhail Lermontov

A lyrical and psychological novel that tells the story of a man with complex character. The author shows it with different sides. And the disrupted chronology of events makes you completely immerse yourself in the narrative.

8 Arthur Conan Doyle

The legendary investigations of the great detective Sherlock, which reveal the meanness of the human soul. Stories told by friend and assistant detective Dr. Watson.

9 Oscar Wilde

A story about pride, selfishness and a strong soul. A story that clearly shows what can happen to a person’s soul tormented by vices.

10 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

A fantastic trilogy about people and non-humans who fell under the power of the One Ring and its lord Sauron. The story is about those who are ready to sacrifice the most precious things and even their lives for the sake of friendship and saving the world.

11 Mario Puzo

A novel about one of the most powerful mafia families in America of the last century - the Corleone family. Many people know the film, so it’s time to start reading.

12 Erich Maria Remarque

After the First World War, many emigrants ended up in France. Among them is the talented German surgeon Ravik. This is the story of his life and love against the backdrop of the war he experienced.

13 Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol

The story of the Russian soul and stupidity. And the author’s amazing style and language makes the sentences sparkle with colors and shades that fully reveal the history of our people.

14 Colin McCullough

A stunning novel that tells not only about the love of a man and a woman and complex relationships, but also about feelings for family, native places and nature.

15 Emily Bronte

A family lives on a secluded estate and a tense atmosphere reigns in their home. Difficult relationships have deep roots that are hidden in the past. The story of Heathcliff and Catherine will not leave any reader indifferent.

16 Erich Maria Remarque

A book about the war from the perspective of a simple soldier. The book is about how war breaks and cripples the souls of innocent people.

17 Hermann Hesse

The book simply turns all ideas about life upside down. After reading it, it is no longer possible to get rid of the feeling that you are one step closer to something incredible. This book has answers to many questions.

18 Stephen King

Paul Edgecombe former employee prison, which served in the block for death row prisoners. It tells the life story of suicide bombers who were destined to walk the Green Mile.

20 Victor Hugo

Paris 15th century. On one side it is full of grandeur, and on the other it looks like a sewer. On the background historical events A love story unfolds between Quasimodo, Esmeralda and Claude Frollo.

21 Daniel Defoe

The diary of a sailor who was shipwrecked and lived alone on an island for 28 years. He had to go through too many trials.

22 Lewis Carroll

Strange and misterious story about a girl who, in pursuit of a white rabbit, finds herself in a different and wonderful world.

23 Ernest Hemingway

There is war on the pages of the book, but even in a world full of pain and fear, there is a place for beauty. To a wonderful feeling called love, which makes us stronger.

24 Jack London

What can love do? Martin's love for the beautiful Ruth made him struggle. He overcame many obstacles to become something great. A story about spiritual development and personality formation.

25 Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

A fantastic and fascinating fairy tale in which magic intertwines with reality.

26 We are Evgeny Zamyatin

The novel is a dystopia, which describes an ideal society where there is no personal opinion, and everything happens according to schedule. But even in such a society there is a place for freethinkers.

27 Ernest Hemingway

Frederick volunteered to go to war, where he became a doctor. In the sanitary unit, where even the air is saturated with death, love is born.

28 Boris Pasternak

Beginning of the twentieth century. Russian empire has already embarked on the path of revolution. The story is about the life of the intelligentsia of that time, as well as the book raises questions of religion and touches on the mystery of life and death.

29 Vladimir Nabokov

A cautionary tale about people who betrayed their ideals. The book is about how bright and beautiful feelings evolve into something dark and disgusting.

30 Johann Wolfgang Goethe

The greatest work that draws you into the story of Faust, who sold his soul to the Devil. By reading this book you can walk the path of learning about life.

31 Dante Alighieri

The work consists of three parts. First we go to Hell to complete all 9 circles. Then Purgatory awaits us, through which we can atone for our sins. And only by reaching the top can you enter Paradise.

32 Anthony Burgess

Not the most pleasant story, but it shows human nature. A story about how you can make an obedient and silent doll out of any person.

33 Victor Pelevin

A complex story that is difficult to understand the first time. A story about the life of a decadent poet who is looking for his own path, and Chapaev leads Peter to enlightenment.

34 William Golding

What will happen to the children if they find themselves completely alone? Children have a delicate nature, which is quite susceptible to vices. And sweet, kind children turn into real monsters.

35 Albert Camus

36 James Clavell

The story of an English sailor who, by the will of fate, ended up in Japan. An epic novel with historical realities, intrigue, adventures and secrets.

37 Ray Bradbury

Collection fantasy stories, which tells about the life of people on Mars. They almost destroyed the Earth, but what awaits the other planet?

38 Stanislav Lem

There is an Ocean on this planet. He is alive and he has a mind. Researchers face the difficult task of transferring knowledge to the ocean. And he will help make their dreams come true...

39 Hermann Hesse

The book is about an internal crisis that can happen to anyone. Inner devastation can destroy a person if one day you don’t meet a person along the way who will give you just one book…

40 Milan Kundera

Plunge into the world of sensations and feelings of the libertine Tomas, who is used to changing women, so that no one dares to take away his freedom.

41 Boris Vian

Each of the group of friends has their own destiny. Everything goes easy and simple. Friendship. Love. Conversations. But one event can change everything and destroy your usual life.

42 Iain Banks

Frank tells the story of his childhood and describes the present. He has his own world, which can collapse at any moment. Unexpected turning points in the plot add a special flavor to the whole story.

43 John Irving

This book raises themes of family, childhood, friendship, love, betrayal and betrayal. This is the world we live in with all the problems and shortcomings.

44 Michael Ondaatje

This book contains many themes - war, death, love, betrayal. But the main leitmotif is loneliness, which can take on a variety of forms.

46 Ray Bradbury

Books are our future, but what will happen if they are replaced by TV and one opinion? The answer to this question is given by a writer who was ahead of his time.

47 Patrick Suskind

Story mad genius. His whole life is wrapped in smells. He will go to any lengths to create the perfect scent.

48 1984 George Orwell

Three totalitarian states, where even thoughts are controlled. The world is hateful, but there are people who can still resist the system.

49 Jack London

Alaska at the end of the 19th century. The era of the gold rush. And among human greed lives a wolf named White Fang.

50 Jane Austen

The Bennett family has only daughters, and the heir is distant relative. And once the head of the family dies, the young girls will be left with nothing.

51 Evgeny Petrov and Ilya Ilf

Who doesn’t know Ostap Bender and Kisa Vorobyaninov and their eternal failures, which are associated with the search for ill-fated diamonds.

52 Fedor Dostoevsky

53 Charlotte Bronte

Jane became an orphan early, and life in her aunt's house was far from happy. And love for a strict and gloomy man is far from a romantic story.

54 Ernest Hemingway

A short story from my own life ordinary person. But reading this work, you penetrate into amazing world which is full of emotions.

55 Francis Scott Fitzgerald

A great novel that is filled with feelings. On the pages of the book awaits the beginning of the 20th century, when people were full of illusions and hopes. This story is about life values ​​and true love.

56 Alexandr Duma

We are all familiar with the adventures of d'Artagnan and his closest friends. A book about friendship, honor, devotion, fidelity and love. And of course, like other works of the author, it was not without intrigue.

57 Ken Kesey

This story is told to the reader by a patient in a psychiatric hospital. Patrick McMurphy ends up in prison, in a psychiatric ward. But some people think that he is simply faking his illness.

59 Victor Hugo

The novel describes the life of an escaped convict who is hiding from the authorities. After escaping, he had to endure a lot of hardships, but he was able to change his life. But police inspector Javert is ready to do anything to catch the criminal.

60 Victor Hugo

The actor-philosopher met on his way a disfigured boy and a blind girl. He takes them under his wing. Against the background of physical defects, the perfection and purity of souls is clearly visible. It’s also a great contrast to the life of the aristocracy.

61 Vladimir Nabokov

The novel tightens its unhealthy web of passions and unhealthy love. The main characters gradually go crazy, controlled by their base desires, like all of them. the world. This book definitely won't have a happy ending.

62 Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

A fantastic story that describes the life of stalker Redrick Shewhart, who anomalous zones on Earth extracts extraterrestrial artifacts.

63 Richard Bach

Even a simple seagull can get tired of the drab life, and become bored with everyday life. And then Chaika devotes her life to her dream. The seagull gives his whole soul on the way to his cherished goal.

64 Bernard Werber

Michel ended up at the court of the archangels, where he will have to undergo the weighing of his soul. After the trial, he faces a choice - to go to earth in a new incarnation or become an angel. The path of an angel is not simple, just like the life of mere mortals.

65 Ethel Lilian Voynich

A story about freedom, duty and honor. And also about different types love. In the first case, it is the love of a father for his son, which has survived many trials and will pass through generations. In the second case, it is love between a man and a woman, which is like a fire, then goes out, then flares up again.

66 John Fowles

He is a simple town hall servant, lonely and lost. He has a passion - collecting butterflies. But one day he wanted to add to his collection a girl who captivated his soul.

67 Walter Scott

The narrative of the novel will take readers into the distant past. During Richard's time Lion Heart and the first crusades. This is one of the first historical novels, which everyone should read.

68 Bernhard Schlink

There are a lot of questions in the book that remain unanswered. The book makes you think and analyze not only what is happening on the pages, but also your life. This is a story about love and betrayal that will not leave anyone indifferent.

69 Ayn Rand

Socialists come to power and set a course for equal opportunities. The authorities believe that the talented and rich should improve the well-being of others. But instead of a happy future, the familiar world is plunging into chaos.

71 Somerset Maugham

The story of an actress who has worked in the theater all her life. And what is reality for her: acting on stage or acting in life? How many roles do you have to play every day?

72 Aldous Huxley

Dystopian novel. Satire novel. A world where Henry Ford became a god, and the creation of the first Ford T car is considered the beginning of time. People are simply raised, but they don’t know anything about feelings.

75 Albert Camus

Meursault lives a detached life. It seems that his life does not belong to him at all. He is indifferent to everything and even his actions are saturated with loneliness and renunciation of life.

76 Somerset Maugham

Philip's life story. He is an orphan and throughout his life he not only searches for the meaning of life, but also for himself. And the main thing is to understand the world and people around us.

77 Irvine Welsh

The story of friends who one day discovered drugs and euphoria. Each character is unusual and quite smart. They valued life and friendship, but only until the moment when heroin came first.

78 Herman Melville

Ahab, the captain of a whaling ship, set the goal of his life to take revenge on a whale named Moby Dick. Wit ruin too many lives to let him live. But as soon as the captain starts hunting, mysterious and sometimes terrible events begin to happen on his ship.

79 Joseph Heller

One of the best books about World War II. In it, the author was able to show the senselessness of war and the monstrous absurdity of the state machine.

80 William Faulkner

Four characters, each telling their own version of events. And to understand what we're talking about, you need to read to the end, where the puzzles will fit into a single picture of life and secret desires.

82 Joanne Rowling

83 Roger Zelazny

A classic of the fantasy genre. The chronicles are divided into two volumes of 5 books. In this cycle you can find travel in space and time, wars, intrigue, betrayal, as well as loyalty and courage.

84 Andrzej Sapkowski

One of the best fantasy series. The series includes 8 books, with the last one being “Season of Thunderstorms”, which is best read after the first or second book. This is a story about the Witcher and his adventures, his life and love, and also about the girl Ciri, who can change the world.

85 Honore de Balzac

An amazing story about the boundless and sacrificial love of a father for his children. About love that was never mutual. About the love that destroyed Father Goriot.

86 Gunther Grass

The story is about a boy named Oskar Matzerath, who, when the National Socialists came to power in Germany, refuses to grow up in protest. Thus, he expresses his protest to the changes in German society.

87 Boris Vasiliev

A poignant story of war. About true love for parents, friends, and the Motherland. This story must be read to feel the entire emotional component of this story.

88 Stendhal

The story is about Julien Sorel and the soul, in which there is a confrontation between two feelings: passion and ambition. These two feelings are so intertwined that it is often impossible to distinguish between them.

89 Lev Tolstoy

An epic novel that describes an entire era, delving into the historical realities and artistic world of that time. War will be replaced by peace, and peaceful life characters depends on the war. Many heroes with unique personalities.

90 Gustave Flaubert

This story is recognized greatest work world literature. Emma Bovary dreams of being beautiful social life, but her husband, a provincial doctor, cannot satisfy her requests. She finds lovers, but will they be able to fulfill Madame Bovary's dream?

91 Chuck Palahniuk

No matter how much the work of this author is criticized, it cannot be denied that his book “Fight Club” is one of the symbols of our generation. This is a story about people who decided to change this dirty world. The story is about a man who was able to resist the system.

92 Markus Zusak

Winter Germany in 1939, when Death has too much work, and after six months the work will increase significantly. A story about Liesel, about fanatical Germans, about a Jewish fighter, about thefts and about the power of words.

93 Alexander Pushkin

The novel in verse tells the story of the fate of the noble intelligentsia with their vices and selfishness. And at the center of history love story no happy ending.

94 George Martin

A fantastic story about another world ruled by kings and dragons. Love, betrayal, intrigue, war and death, all for the sake of power.

95 David Mitchell

History of past, present and future. Stories of people from different times. But these stories make up a single picture of our entire world.

96 Stephen King

A fantastic series of novels by the master of horrors. This series interweaves genres. The books closely coexist with horror, western, science fiction and other genres. This is the story of the gunslinger Roland, who is searching for the Dark Tower.

97 Haruki Murakami

A story about human destinies in Japan in the 60s of the twentieth century. A story about human loss. Memoirs of Tooru, which will introduce the reader to different people and their stories.

98 Andy Weir

By chance, an astronaut is left alone at a space base on Mars. He has a limited amount of resources, but no connection with people. But he doesn’t give up, he believes that they will come back for him.

100 Samuel Beckett

An amazing play where everyone determines for themselves the mysterious personality of Godot. The author gives you the opportunity to find the answer to the question “who is he?” A specific person? Strong personality? Collective image? Or God?

I would like to include many more books in this top. Therefore, dear readers, write in the comments about those books that you consider the best. We will add books to the top and, with your help, expand it to the 1000 best books of all times.

Surely many people believe that classical works, by their definition, are long, boring, have been written for many years, and therefore are not always understandable to the modern reader. This is a common mistake. After all, in fact, classics are everything that is not subject to time. The themes revealed in such works are relevant for any century. And if a 19th century author wrote such a book now, it would again become a bestseller. We bring to your attention the best classic ones. They captivated millions of readers. And even those who claim that they are dissatisfied with the author’s creation, believe me, did not remain indifferent.

1.
The novel consists of two different but intertwined parts. The first one is set in modern Moscow, the second one is in ancient Jerusalem. Each part is filled with events and characters - historical, fictional, as well as scary and amazing creatures.

2. $
What forces move people? They are the result of the actions of individuals - kings, generals - or such feelings as patriotism, or there is a third force that determines the direction of history. The main characters are painfully searching for the answer to this question.

3. $
The novel is based on the experience that Dostoevsky received in hard labor. Student Raskolnikov, who has vegetated in poverty for several months, is convinced that a humane goal will justify the most terrible act, even the murder of a greedy and useless old money-lender.

4.
A novel that was ahead of its time and came out long before such a thing appeared. cultural phenomenon like postmodernism. The main characters of the work - 4 sons born from different mothers - symbolize those irrepressible elements that can lead to the death of Russia.

5.
Should she stay with her husband, who was always indifferent to her inner world and never loved her, or should she give herself with all her heart to the one who made her feel happy? Throughout the entire novel, the heroine, the young aristocrat Anna, is tormented by this choice.

6.
The poor young prince returns home to Russia by train. On the way, he meets the son of one of the rich merchants, who is obsessed with a passion for one girl, a kept woman. In a metropolitan society obsessed with money, power and manipulation, the prince finds himself an outsider.

7. $
Despite the title, the work itself is in no way connected with the mysticism that is mainly inherent in the work of this writer. In the tradition of “harsh” realism, the life of landowners in the Russian province is described, where a former official comes to carry out his scam.

8. $
The young St. Petersburg rake, fed up with love and social entertainment, leaves for the village, where he develops a friendship with a poet who is in love with one of the daughters of a local nobleman. The second daughter falls in love with the rake, but he does not respond to her feelings.

9.
A famous Moscow surgeon decides to conduct a very risky experiment on a stray dog ​​in his large apartment, where he receives patients. As a result, the animal began to turn into a human. But at the same time he acquired all human vices.

10. $
People come to the provincial town who, it would seem, cannot be connected by anything. But they know each other, since they belong to the same revolutionary organization. Their goal is to create a political riot. Everything goes according to plan, but one revolutionary decides to quit the game.

11. $
A cult work of the 19th century. At the center of the story is a student who does not accept traditional public morality and opposes everything old and non-progressive. For him, only scientific knowledge is valuable, which can explain everything. Except love.

12.
He was a doctor by profession, and a writer by vocation, whose talent was fully revealed when creating short humorous stories. They quickly became classics all over the world. In them, in an accessible language - the language of humor - human vices are revealed.

13.
This work is on a par with Gogol's poem. In it, the main character is also a young adventurer who is ready to promise everyone something that, in principle, cannot be done. And all for the sake of a treasure that several other people know about. And no one is going to share it.

14. $
After a three-year separation, young Alexander returns to the house of his beloved Sophia to propose to her. However, she refuses him and says that she now loves someone else. The rejected lover begins to blame the society in which Sophia grew up.

15.
What should a real nobleman do if the life of a young noble girl depends on him? Sacrifice yourself, but not lose your honor. This is what guides the young officer when the fortress in which he serves is attacked by the impostor king.

16. $
Terrible poverty and hopelessness are strangling the old resident of Cuba. One day, as usual, he goes to sea, not hoping for a big catch. But this time he catches a large prey on his hook, with which the fisherman fights for several days, not giving it the opportunity to escape.

17.
Ragin selflessly serves as a doctor. However, his zeal is fading; he sees no point in changing the life around him, because it is impossible to cure the madness that reigns around him. The doctor begins to visit the ward daily where the mentally ill are kept.

18. $
What is more destructive - to do nothing and just indulge in dreams about how to live, or to get off the couch and start implementing your plans? The young and lazy landowner Ilya Ilyich initially occupied the first position, but after he fell in love, he woke up from his sleepy state.

19. $
You can write great works not only about life big city, but also about the life of a small Ukrainian farm. During the day, the usual rules apply here, and at night power passes to supernatural forces, which can both help and at the same time destroy.

20.
A talented surgeon settles illegally in Paris, but is not prevented from practicing medicine. Before moving, he lived in Germany, from which he fled, but at the same time allowed his beloved to die. In a new place, he quickly begins another romance.

21. $
A Russian tutor goes on a trip with the family in which he serves. At the same time, he is secretly in love with the girl Polina. And so that she understands all his nobility, he begins to play roulette in the hope of getting big money. And he succeeds, but the girl does not accept the winnings.

22.
The world of family comfort, nobility and true patriotism is breaking under the onslaught of social catastrophe in Russia. The escaped Russian officers settled in Ukraine and hoped that they would not fall under the rule of the Bolsheviks. But one day the city's defenses weaken and the enemy goes on the offensive.

23. $
A series of small works written in different artistic styles. Here you can find a romantic duelist and sentimental stories about eternal love, and a harsh picture of reality in which money rules, and because of it a person can lose the most important thing.

24.
What Pushkin failed to do in his time, Dostoevsky did. The work is entirely a correspondence between a poor official and a young girl who also has a small income. But at the same time, the heroes are not poor in soul.

25. $
A story about the invincibility and perseverance of a man who does not want to be someone's faithful soldier. For the sake of freedom, Hadji Murat goes over to the side of the imperial troops, but does this in order to save not himself, but his family, which is captured by the enemy.

26. $
In these seven works, the author takes us through the streets of St. Petersburg, which was built with the help of strength and ingenuity on swampy terrain. Beneath its harmonious façade lies deception and violence. The inhabitants are confused by the city itself, giving them false dreams.

27.
This collection of short stories is the first major work to gain recognition for the author. It is based on personal observations while hunting on his mother's estate, where Turgenev learned about the mistreatment of peasants and the injustice of the Russian system.

28.
The main character is the son of a landowner, whose property was confiscated by a corrupt and treacherous general. After the death of his father, the hero becomes a criminal. To achieve the ultimate goal - revenge - he resorts to more cunning means: he seduces the daughter of his enemy.

29.
This classic novel written about the war from the perspective of a young German soldier. The hero is only 18 years old, and under the pressure of his family, friends and society, he enters military service and goes to the front. There he witnesses such horrors that he dares not tell anyone about.

30.
Mischievous and energetic, Tom enjoys childhood pranks and games with his friends. One day, at the city cemetery, he witnesses a murder committed by a local tramp. The hero makes a vow that he will never talk about it, and so begins his journey into adulthood.

31.
The story of a pathetic St. Petersburg official whose expensive overcoat was stolen. No one wants to help him return the item, which eventually makes the hero seriously ill. Even during the author’s lifetime, critics adequately appreciated the work from which all Russian realism was born.

32.
The novel is on a par with another work of the author - “The Call of the Wild”. Most of White Fang is also written from the point of view of the dog whose name appears in the title. This allows the author to show how animals see their world and how they see humans.

33. $
The novel tells the story of 19-year-old Arkady, the illegitimate son of a landowner and a maid, as he struggles to improve his situation and “become a Rothschild,” despite the fact that Russia remains tied to its old value system.

34. $
The novel is about how a hero, who is very broken and disillusioned due to a failed marriage, returns to his estate and finds his love again - only to lose her. This reflects main topic: a person is not destined to experience happiness except something ephemeral.

35. $
A dark and engrossing tale that follows the struggle of an indecisive, alienated hero in a world of relative values. The innovative work introduced moral, religious, political and social topics, which dominate the author's later masterpieces.

36. $
The narrator arrives in Sevastopol, which is under siege, and makes a detailed inspection of the city. As a result, the reader has the opportunity to study all the features of military life. We find ourselves at a dressing station, where horror reigns, and at the most dangerous bastion.

37. $
The work is partly based on life experience author who took part in the war in the Caucasus. A nobleman, disillusioned with his privileged life, enlists in the army to escape superficiality Everyday life. A hero in search of a full life. 38.$
First social novel author who is partly artistic introductory remarks for those who belonged to a previous era, but lived in times when political and social movements. This era has already been forgotten, but it is worth remembering.

39. $
One of the greatest and most successful dramatic works. A Russian aristocrat and her family return to their estate to oversee the public auction of their house and huge garden for debt. The old masters are losing in the struggle to new trends in life.

40. $
The hero was sentenced to death on charges of murdering his wife, but was subsequently exiled to Siberian penal servitude for 10 years. Life in prison is difficult for him - he is an intellectual and experiences the anger of other prisoners. Gradually he overcomes his disgust and experiences a spiritual awakening.

41. $
On the eve of his wedding, a young aristocrat learns that his bride was having an affair with the king. This was a blow to his pride, so he renounces everything worldly and becomes a monk. This is how they pass long years humility and doubt. Until he decides to become a hermit.

42.
The editor falls into the hands of a manuscript that tells about a young and depraved man who worked as a forensic investigator. He becomes one of the “corners” in a love triangle in which married couple. The outcome of the story is the murder of his wife.

43.
A work banned until 1988, in which, through the fate of one military doctor, the story of a people who perished in the turmoil of the revolution is told. From the general madness, the hero, together with his family, flees into the interior of the country, where he meets someone whom he does not want to let go.

44.
The main character, like all his friends, is a war veteran. He is a poet at heart, but he works for a friend who runs a small tombstone manufacturing business. This money is not enough, and he earns additional income by giving private lessons and playing the organ at a local mental hospital.

45. $
In someone else's war, Frederic falls in love with a nurse and tries to seduce her, after which their relationship begins. But one day the hero is wounded by a fragment of a mortar shell, and he is sent to a Milan hospital. There, far from the war, he heals - both physically and mentally.

46. $
During breakfast, the barber discovers in his bread human nose. With horror, he recognizes him as the nose of a regular visitor who holds the rank of collegiate assessor. In turn, the injured official discovers the loss and submits an absurd advertisement to the newspaper.

47.
The main character, a boy, seeking independence and freedom, escapes from his alcoholic father by faking his own death. And so begins his journey through the south of the country. He meets a runaway slave and they float down the Mississippi River together.

48. $
The plot of the poem is based on the events that actually took place in St. Petersburg in 1824. The political, historical and existential questions that the author articulates with dazzling force and brevity continue to be the subject of controversy among critics.

49. $
To save his beloved, who was forcibly taken away by an evil sorcerer, the warrior Ruslan will have to go on an epic and dangerous journey, encountering many fantastic and terrible creatures. This is a dramatic and witty retelling of Russian folklore.

50. $
The most famous play describes a family of aristocrats who have difficulty finding any meaning in their lives. Three sisters and their brother live in a remote province, but they struggle to return to the sophisticated Moscow where they grew up. The play captures the decline of the “masters of life.”

51. $
The hero is obsessed with an all-consuming love for one princess, who is unlikely to know about his existence. One day socialite receives an expensive bracelet for his birthday. The husband finds a secret admirer and asks him to stop compromising a decent woman.

52. $
In this classic literary representation gambling the author explores the nature of obsession. Secret and otherworldly clues alternate with the story of the passionate Herman, who wants to make his fortune at the card table. The secret of success is known to one old woman.

53. $
Muscovite Gurov is married and has a daughter and two sons. At the same time, he is not happy in his family life and often cheats on his wife. While vacationing in Yalta, he sees a young lady walking along the embankment with her small dog, and is constantly looking for opportunities to get to know her.

54. $
This collection is in some ways the culmination of the work he did throughout his life. The stories were written on the eve of a terrible world war in the context of collapsing Russian culture. The action of each work concentrates on a love theme.

55. $
The story is told from the point of view of an anonymous narrator who recalls his youth, in particular his time in a small town west of the Rhine. Critics consider the hero a classic " extra person- indecisive and undecided about their place in life.

56. $
The four laconic plays, later known as "Little Tragedies", were written at a time of heightened creative strength, and their influence cannot be overestimated. Being the author's adaptation of plays by Western European authors, "Tragedies" offers readers current problems.

57. $
This story takes place in Europe, in a hedonistic society during the Roaring Twenties. Rich girl A schizophrenic woman falls in love with her psychiatrist. As a result, a whole saga of troubled marriages, love affairs, duels and incest unfolds.

58. $
Some scholars identify three poems in the work of this author, which embody one original idea. One of them is, of course, “Mtsyri”. The main character is a 17-year-old monk who was forcibly taken away from his village as a child, and one day he escapes.

59. $
A completely young mongrel runs away from his permanent owner and finds a new one. He turns out to be an artist who performs in a circus with acts in which animals participate. Therefore, a separate number is immediately invented for the smart little dog.

60. $
In this story, among its many themes, such as Europeanized Russian society, adultery and provincial life, the theme of a woman comes to the fore, or rather, planning a murder by a woman. The title of the work contains a reference to Shakespeare's play.

61. Leo Tolstoy - Fake coupon
Schoolboy Mitya desperately needs money - he needs to repay his debt. Depressed by this situation, he follows the evil advice of his friend, who showed him how to change the denomination of a banknote. This act sets off a chain of events that affects the lives of dozens of other people.

62.
Proust's most important work, known for its length and theme of involuntary memories. The novel began to take shape back in 1909. The author continued to work on it until his last illness which forced him to stop working.

63. $
The lengthy poem tells the story of seven peasants who set out to ask various groups of the village population if they were happy. But wherever they went, they were always given an unsatisfactory answer. Of the planned 7-8 parts, the author wrote only half.

64. $
The story is about the sad life of a young girl who lived in extreme poverty and suddenly became an orphan, but she is adopted rich family. When she meets her new stepsister, Katya, she instantly falls in love with her and the two soon become inseparable.

65. $
Main character - classic hero Hemingway: a violent guy, an underground liquor dealer who smuggles weapons and transports people from Cuba to the Florida Keys. He risks his life, dodges the Coast Guard's bullets and manages to outsmart them.

66. $
While traveling on a train, one of the passengers overhears a conversation going on in the compartment. When one woman argues that marriage should be based on true love, he asks her: what is love? In his opinion, love quickly turns into hatred, and tells its own story.

67. Leo Tolstoy - Notes of a Marker
The narrator is a simple marker, a person who keeps score and places the balls on the billiard table. If the game turns out well and the players are not stingy, then he gets a good reward. But one day a very gambling young man appears at the club.

68. $
The main character is looking for peace in Polesie, which should invigorate him. But in the end he ends up with unbearable boredom. But one day, having lost his way, he comes across a hut where an old woman and her beautiful granddaughter are waiting for him. After such a magical meeting, the hero becomes a frequent visitor here.

69. $
The focus is on the janitor tall and powerful physique. He falls in love with a young washerwoman and wants to marry her. But the lady decides differently: the girl goes to the always drunk shoemaker. The hero finds his solace in caring for a small dog.

70. $
One evening, three sisters shared their dreams with each other: what they would do if they became the wives of the king. But only the third sister’s pleas were heard - Tsar Saltan took her in marriage and ordered her to give birth to an heir by a certain date. But envious sisters begin to play dirty tricks.

Classic Literature Foundation in different times filled with outstanding geniuses of their peoples and their era. We love them for the opportunity to plunge into the world of the distant past, which is why classical literature remains popular at all times.

Classical literature: general characteristics

It happens that a certain mood makes us pay attention to classic books, because the most famous works often the best. Not in vain, because it was these best works that inspired other famous authors - representatives of subsequent popular generations in literature. Golden classic, an eternal series of books, will be a salvation for those who are not seduced by modern literary works, because it was the authors from this list of classics who were genre pioneers long before the postmodern era arrived, and literary world flared up with all the genre diversity that was difficult to even imagine in the conventional 19th century. Nevertheless, all this became possible precisely thanks to the classics, as evidenced by numerous reviews.

Books of world classics: list

As you know, classical works are not just books, but also markers of an era, which are considered exemplary examples of how the best writers saw their literary heritage. In addition, most often the problems of classical works resonate with the worldview of an entire generation, which makes the mass reader love these books with all his soul. This is also the reason that these books are often included in school curriculum different countries, because such works help to understand what a whole cross-section of society was thinking and breathing in a specific time frame.

This list contains just some of the best examples of classic literature. But if you are wondering what to read from the literature included in the golden fund of world culture, then here you will definitely find something for yourself.


The current generation now sees everything clearly, marvels at the errors, laughs at the foolishness of its ancestors, it is not in vain that this chronicle is inscribed with heavenly fire, that every letter in it screams, that a piercing finger is directed from everywhere at it, at it, at the current generation; but the current generation laughs and arrogantly, proudly begins a series of new errors, which posterity will also laugh at later. "Dead Souls"

Nestor Vasilievich Kukolnik (1809 - 1868)
For what? It's like inspiration
Love the given subject!
Like a true poet
Sell ​​your imagination!
I am a slave, a day laborer, I am a tradesman!
I owe you, sinner, for gold,
For your worthless piece of silver
Pay with divine payment!
"Improvisation I"


Literature is a language that expresses everything a country thinks, wants, knows, wants and needs to know.


In the hearts of simple people, the feeling of the beauty and grandeur of nature is stronger, a hundred times more vivid, than in us, enthusiastic storytellers in words and on paper."Hero of our time"



And everywhere there is sound, and everywhere there is light,
And all the worlds have one beginning,
And there is nothing in nature
Whatever breathes love.


In days of doubt, in days of painful thoughts about the fate of my homeland, you alone are my support and support, oh great, powerful, truthful and free Russian language! Without you, how can one not fall into despair at the sight of everything that is happening at home? But one cannot believe that such a language was not given to a great people!
Poems in prose, "Russian language"



So, I complete my dissolute escape,
Prickly snow flies from the naked fields,
Driven by an early, violent snowstorm,
And, stopping in the wilderness of the forest,
Gathers in silver silence
A deep and cold bed.


Listen: shame on you!
It's time to get up! You know yourself
What time has come;
In whom the sense of duty has not cooled,
Who is incorruptibly straight in heart,
Who has talent, strength, accuracy,
Tom shouldn't sleep now...
"Poet and Citizen"



Is it really possible that even here they will not and will not allow the Russian organism to develop nationally, with its own organic strength, and certainly impersonally, servilely imitating Europe? But what should one do with the Russian organism then? Do these gentlemen understand what an organism is? Separation, “disengagement” from their country leads to hatred, these people hate Russia, so to speak, naturally, physically: for the climate, for the fields, for the forests, for the order, for the liberation of the peasant, for Russian history, in a word, for everything, They hate me for everything.


Spring! the first frame is exposed -
And noise burst into the room,
And the good news of the nearby temple,
And the talk of the people, and the sound of the wheel...


Well, what are you afraid of, pray tell! Now every grass, every flower is rejoicing, but we are hiding, afraid, as if some kind of misfortune is coming! The thunderstorm will kill! This is not a thunderstorm, but grace! Yes, grace! It's all stormy! The northern lights will light up, you should admire and marvel at the wisdom: “from the midnight lands the dawn rises”! And you are horrified and come up with ideas: this means war or pestilence. Is there a comet coming? I wouldn’t look away! Beauty! The stars have already taken a closer look, they are all the same, but this is a new thing; Well, I should have looked and admired it! And you are afraid to even look at the sky, you are trembling! Out of everything, you have created a scare for yourself. Eh, people! "Storm"


There is no more enlightening, soul-cleansing feeling than that which a person feels when acquainted with a great work of art.


We know that loaded guns must be handled with care. But we don’t want to know that we must treat words in the same way. The word can kill and make evil worse than death.


There is a well-known trick by an American journalist who, in order to increase subscriptions to his magazine, began to publish in other publications the most harsh, arrogant attacks on himself from fictitious persons: some in print exposed him as a swindler and perjurer, others as a thief and murderer, and still others as a debauchee on a colossal scale. He didn’t skimp on paying for such friendly advertisements until everyone started thinking - it’s obvious he’s a curious and remarkable person when everyone is shouting about him like that! - and they began to buy up his own newspaper.
"Life in a Hundred Years"

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov (1831 - 1895)
I... think that I know the Russian person to his very depths, and I do not take any credit for this. I didn’t study the people from conversations with St. Petersburg cab drivers, but I grew up among the people, on the Gostomel pasture, with a cauldron in my hand, I slept with it on the dewy grass of the night, under a warm sheepskin coat, and on Panin’s fancy crowd behind the circles of dusty habits...


Between these two clashing titans - science and theology - there is a stunned public, quickly losing faith in the immortality of man and in any deity, quickly descending to the level of a purely animal existence. Such is the picture of the hour illuminated by the brilliant noonday sun of the Christian and scientific era!
"Isis Unveiled"


Sit down, I'm glad to see you. Throw away all fear
And you can keep yourself free
I give you permission. You know, the other day
I was elected king by everyone,
But it doesn't matter. They confuse my thoughts
All these honors, greetings, bows...
"Crazy"


Gleb Ivanovich Uspensky (1843 - 1902)
- What do you want abroad? - I asked him while in his room, with the help of the servants, his things were being laid out and packed for sending to the Warsaw station.
- Yes, just... to feel it! - he said confusedly and with a kind of dull expression on his face.
"Letters from the Road"


Is the point to get through life in such a way as not to offend anyone? This is not happiness. Touch, break, break, so that life boils. I am not afraid of any accusations, but I am a hundred times more afraid of colorlessness than death.


Poetry is the same music, only combined with words, and it also requires a natural ear, a sense of harmony and rhythm.


You experience a strange feeling when, with a light pressure of your hand, you force such a mass to rise and fall at will. When such a mass obeys you, you feel the power of man...
"Meeting"

Vasily Vasilievich Rozanov (1856 - 1919)
The feeling of the Motherland should be strict, restrained in words, not eloquent, not talkative, not “waving your arms” and not running forward (to show yourself). The feeling of the Motherland should be a great ardent silence.
"Secluded"


And what is the secret of beauty, what is the secret and charm of art: in the conscious, inspired victory over torment or in the unconscious melancholy of the human spirit, which does not see a way out of the circle of vulgarity, squalor or thoughtlessness and is tragically condemned to appear complacent or hopelessly false.
"Sentimental Memory"


Since birth I have lived in Moscow, but by God I don’t know where Moscow came from, what it is for, why, what it needs. In the Duma, at meetings, I, together with others, talk about the city economy, but I don’t know how many miles there are in Moscow, how many people there are, how many are born and die, how much we receive and spend, how much and with whom we trade... Which city is richer: Moscow or London? If London is richer, why? And the jester knows him! And when some issue is raised in the Duma, I shudder and be the first to start shouting: “Pass it over to the commission!” To the commission!


Everything new in an old way:
From a modern poet
In a metaphorical outfit
The speech is poetic.

But others are not an example to me,
And my charter is simple and strict.
My verse is a pioneer boy,
Lightly dressed, barefoot.
1926


Under the influence of Dostoevsky, as well as foreign literature, Baudelaire and Edgar Allan Poe, my fascination began not with decadence, but with symbolism (even then I already understood their difference). I entitled the collection of poems, published at the very beginning of the 90s, “Symbols”. It seems that I was the first to use this word in Russian literature.

Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov (1866 - 1949)
The running of changeable phenomena,
Past the howling ones, speed up:
Merge the sunset of achievements into one
With the first shine of tender dawns.
From the lower reaches of life to the origins
In a moment, a single overview:
In one face with a smart eye
Collect your doubles.
Unchanging and wonderful
Gift of the Blessed Muse:
In the spirit the form of harmonious songs,
There is life and heat in the heart of the songs.
"Thoughts on Poetry"


I have a lot of news. And all are good. I'm lucky". It's written to me. I want to live, live, live forever. If you only knew how many new poems I wrote! More than a hundred. It was crazy, a fairy tale, new. I am publishing a new book, completely different from the previous ones. She will surprise many. I changed my understanding of the world. No matter how funny my phrase may sound, I will say: I understand the world. For many years, perhaps forever.
K. Balmont - L. Vilkina



Man - that's the truth! Everything is in man, everything is for man! Only man exists, everything else is the work of his hands and his brain! Human! It's great! It sounds... proud!

"At the bottom"


I feel sorry for creating something useless and no one needs right now. Collection, book of poems in given time- the most useless, unnecessary thing... I don’t want to say that poetry is not needed. On the contrary, I maintain that poetry is necessary, even necessary, natural and eternal. There was a time when everyone seemed to need entire books of poetry, when they were read in bulk, understood and accepted by everyone. This time is the past, not ours. For the modern reader no need for a collection of poems!


Language is the history of a people. Language is the path of civilization and culture. That is why studying and preserving the Russian language is not an idle activity because there is nothing to do, but an urgent necessity.


What nationalists and patriots these internationalists become when they need it! And with what arrogance they mock the “frightened intellectuals” - as if there is absolutely no reason to be afraid - or at the “frightened ordinary people”, as if they have some great advantages over the “philistines”. And who, exactly, are these ordinary people, the “prosperous townsfolk”? And who and what do revolutionaries care about, in general, if they so despise the average person and his well-being?
"Cursed Days"


In the struggle for their ideal, which is “liberty, equality and fraternity,” citizens must use means that do not contradict this ideal.
"Governor"



“Let your soul be whole or split, let your worldview be mystical, realistic, skeptical, or even idealistic (if you are so unhappy), let creative techniques be impressionistic, realistic, naturalistic, let the content be lyrical or fabulistic, let there be a mood, an impression - whatever you want, but I beg you, be logical - may this cry of the heart be forgiven me! - are logical in concept, in the construction of the work, in syntax.”
Art is born in homelessness. I wrote letters and stories addressed to a distant, unknown friend, but when the friend came, art gave way to life. I'm talking, of course, not about home comfort, but about life, which means more than art.
"You and I. Love Diary"


An artist can do no more than open his soul to others. You cannot present him with pre-made rules. It is a still unknown world, where everything is new. We must forget what captivated others; here it is different. Otherwise, you will listen and not hear, you will look without understanding.
From Valery Bryusov's treatise "On Art"


Alexey Mikhailovich Remizov (1877 - 1957)
Well, let her rest, she was exhausted - they tormented her, alarmed her. And as soon as it’s light, the shopkeeper gets up, starts folding her goods, grabs a blanket, goes and pulls out this soft bedding from under the old woman: wakes the old woman up, gets her on her feet: it’s not dawn, please get up. It's nothing you can do. In the meantime - grandmother, our Kostroma, our mother, Russia! "

"Whirlwind Rus'"


Art never addresses the crowd, the masses, it speaks to the individual, in the deep and hidden recesses of his soul.

Mikhail Andreevich Osorgin (Ilyin) (1878 - 1942)
How strange /.../ There are so many cheerful and cheerful books, so many brilliant and witty philosophical truths - but there is nothing more comforting than Ecclesiastes.


Babkin was brave, read Seneca
And, whistling carcasses,
Took it to the library
Noting in the margin: “Nonsense!”
Babkin, friend, is a harsh critic,
Have you ever thought
What a legless paralytic
A light chamois is not a decree?..
"Reader"


The critic's word about the poet must be objectively concrete and creative; the critic, while remaining a scientist, is a poet.

"Poetry of the Word"




Only great things are worth thinking about, only big tasks the writer must set himself; put it boldly, without being embarrassed by your personal small strengths.

Boris Konstantinovich Zaitsev (1881 - 1972)
“It’s true that there are goblins and water goblins here,” I thought, looking in front of me, “and maybe some other spirit lives here... A powerful, northern spirit that enjoys this wildness; maybe real northern fauns and healthy, blond women wander in these forests, eat cloudberries and lingonberries, laugh and chase each other.”
"North"


You need to be able to close a boring book...leave a bad movie...and part with people who don't value you!


Out of modesty, I will be careful not to point out the fact that on my birthday the bells were rung and there was general popular rejoicing. Gossips They connected this rejoicing with some big holiday that coincided with the day of my birth, but I still don’t understand what another holiday has to do with it?


That was the time when love, good and healthy feelings were considered vulgarity and a relic; no one loved, but everyone thirsted and, as if poisoned, fell for everything sharp, tearing apart the insides.
"The Road to Calvary"


Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (Nikolai Vasilievich Korneychukov) (1882 - 1969)
“Well, what’s wrong,” I say to myself, “at least in a short word for now?” After all, exactly the same form of saying goodbye to friends exists in other languages, and there it does not shock anyone. great poet Walt Whitman, shortly before his death, said goodbye to his readers with a touching poem “So long!”, which means in English - “Bye!”. The French a bientot has the same meaning. There is no rudeness here. On the contrary, this form is filled with the most gracious courtesy, because the following (approximately) meaning is compressed here: be prosperous and happy until we see each other again.
"Alive as Life"


Switzerland? This is a mountain pasture for tourists. I myself have traveled all over the world, but I hate these ruminant bipeds with Badaker for a tail. They devoured all the beauty of nature with their eyes.
"Island of Lost Ships"


Everything that I have written and will write, I consider only mental rubbish and I do not regard my merits as a writer as anything. And I’m surprised and perplexed why by appearance smart people find some meaning and value in my poems. Thousands of poems, whether mine or those of the poets I know in Russia, are not worth one singer from my bright mother.


I am afraid that Russian literature has only one future: its past.
Article "I'm afraid"


We have been looking for a long time for a task similar to a lentil, so that the connected rays of the work of artists and the work of thinkers, directed by it to a common point, would meet in general work and could ignite and turn even the cold substance of ice into a fire. Now such a task - the lentil that guides together your stormy courage and the cold mind of thinkers - has been found. This goal is to create a common written language...
"Artists of the World"


He adored poetry and tried to be impartial in his judgments. He was surprisingly young at heart, and perhaps also in mind. He always seemed like a child to me. There was something childish in his buzz cut head, in his bearing, more like a gymnasium than a military one. He liked to pretend to be an adult, like all children. He loved to play “master”, the literary superiors of his “gumilets,” that is, the little poets and poetesses who surrounded him. The poetic children loved him very much.
Khodasevich, "Necropolis"



Me, me, me. What a wild word!
Is that guy over there really me?
Did mom love someone like that?
Yellow-gray, half-gray
And all-knowing, like a snake?
You have lost your Russia.
Did you resist the elements?
Good elements of dark evil?
No? So shut up: you took me away
You are destined for a reason
To the edges of an unkind foreign land.
What's the use of moaning and groaning -
Russia must be earned!
"What you need to know"


I didn't stop writing poetry. For me, they contain my connection with time, with new life my people. When I wrote them, I lived by the rhythms that sounded in heroic story my country. I am happy that I lived during these years and saw events that had no equal.


All the people sent to us are our reflection. And they were sent so that we, looking at these people, correct our mistakes, and when we correct them, these people either change too or leave our lives.


In the wide field of Russian literature in the USSR, I was the only literary wolf. I was advised to dye the skin. Ridiculous advice. Whether a wolf is dyed or shorn, it still does not look like a poodle. They treated me like a wolf. And for several years they persecuted me according to the rules of a literary cage in a fenced yard. I have no malice, but I am very tired...
From a letter from M.A. Bulgakov to I.V. Stalin, May 30, 1931.

When I die, my descendants will ask my contemporaries: “Did you understand Mandelstam’s poems?” - “No, we didn’t understand his poems.” “Did you feed Mandelstam, did you give him shelter?” - “Yes, we fed Mandelstam, we gave him shelter.” - “Then you are forgiven.”

Ilya Grigorievich Erenburg (Eliyahu Gershevich) (1891 - 1967)
Maybe go to the House of Press - there is one sandwich with chum caviar and a debate - “about the proletarian choral reading”, or to the Polytechnic Museum - there are no sandwiches there, but twenty-six young poets read their poems about the “locomotive mass”. No, I will sit on the stairs, shiver from the cold and dream that all this is not in vain, that, sitting here on the step, I am preparing the distant sunrise of the Renaissance. I dreamed both simply and in verse, and the results turned out to be rather boring iambics.
"The Extraordinary Adventures of Julio Jurenito and His Students"