Russian Literature reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 227 Reddit reviews across 11 subreddits and 28 posts to rank the best Russian Literature brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/suggestmeabook, r/booksuggestions, r/classicliterature, r/RussianLiterature, r/russian. Top-rated brands include Fyodor Dostoevsky (4.8/5), Mikhail Bulgakov (4.8/5), Leo Tolstoy (4.9/5).
Stats
Reviews227
Subreddits11
Posts28
Brands47
Products92
227 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Fyodor Dostoevsky
4.8
(30)
"Oliver Ready’s translation of Crime and Punishment was the first piece of Russian literature I’d ever read."
"Must read Crime and Punishment! It is a literary masterpiece."
"The Brothers Karamazov."
"Crime and Punishment was the first russian lit that i read though"
"White Nights and Dream of a Ridiculous Man are a couple of great Dostoevsky short stories."
"White Nights and Dream of a Ridiculous Man are a couple of great Dostoevsky short stories."
"Dostoyevsky's work is all incredible, but I think my favorite is The Double."
"Crime and Punishment would be my vote for next"
"Crime and Punishment, same author, is excellent too."
""The double" Dostojevsky"
#2
Mikhail Bulgakov
4.8
(29)
"I'm a huge fan of Mikhail Bulgakov and would recommend 'The Master and Margarita'."
"Master and Margarita, Heart of a Dog by Bulgakov is great."
"Bulgakov's Master and Margherita."
"The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov."
"Great list! one more book i would add would be The Master and Margarita. It just blew me away."
"I would add Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, I recently finished it and it was amazing."
"Bulgakov's Morphine is excellent."
"The Master and Margarita"
"The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov is a good place to start."
"The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov"
#3
Leo Tolstoy
4.9
(28)
"War and Peace would be another classic to read."
"Then I tried out Anna Karenina and oh my god did I love that book."
"Two of my favorite books on earth are War and Peace."
"It's considered an easy way to get into Russian literature."
"Tolsty is my favorite, and his long-short story The Death of Ivan Illych is a great place to start with him."
"Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy"
"*The Death of Ivan Ilyich* by Leo Tolstoy is an easy read."
"Hailed as one of the world's supreme masterpieces on the subject of death and dying."
"War and Peace by Lev Tolstoy (fictional account of Russia's war with Napoleon)"
"If you like true classics you can try Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, Sevastopol Sketches, Hadji Murat or The Prisoner of the Caucasus."
#4
Anton Chekhov
4.8
(20)
"Try reading short stories by Chekhov."
"Čechov's short stories."
"If I could recommend only one I, liked *Ward No. 6* by Chekhov the most."
"I'd also get a collection of short stories by Chekhov to read. Utterly mind blowing."
"My favorite in the collection is Ward No. 6 about a doctor at a mental hospital."
"If you want something a little shorter, check out The Essential Tales of Chekhov, edited by Richard Ford."
"I guess Gogol and Chekhov will be cool for teens as they have their humor and irony."
"Bulgakov and his "The master and Margarita" is a classic too. You can find it as an audiobook on YT."
"Also Chekov, start with some of his short stories. They're sublime."
""Ward no 6""
#5
Nikolai Gogol
4.9
(16)
"Gogol's The overcoat."
"Dead souls by Nikolai Gogol"
"And Diary of a Madman!"
"Dead souls is freaking amazing! one of my fav books"
""Dead Souls" Gogol"
"Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol"
"Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol."
"I guess Gogol and Chekhov will be cool for teens as they have their humor and irony."
"Dead Souls by Gogol, and he has a bunch of short stories (The Government Inspector, The Overcoat etc.) that you should read"
"Gogol's Ukrainian stories, Pechorin by Lermontov, Goncharov, Turgenev, Alexey Tolstoy, Bunin, Paustovsky."
#6
Mikhail Lermontov
4.7
(9)
"If you want a novel, I strongly recommend A Hero of Our Time by Lermontov."
"A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov"
"A hero of our time by Lermontov is a must read to have an understanding of Russian culture."
"Mikhail Lermontov, *A Hero of Our Times*."
"I’d add: Hero of Our Times by lermontov."
"From classics nobody mentioned Lermontov 'Hero of our time'."
"A Hero of Our Time is another great classic."
"A great lesser known book is *A Hero Of Our Time* by Lermontov. Also it's short."
"A Hero of Our Time by Lemonotov"
#7
Alexander Pushkin
4.9
(8)
"Evgeny Onegin or Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin."
"I’d recommend his 'The Queen of Spades' - also a fantasy-ish story with supernatural elements."
"Start with the man regarded by Russians as the father of their literary tradition, Alexander Pushkin! His "Eugene Onegin" translated by James Falen is beyond brilliant."
"Alexander Pushkin, Eugene Onegin, Oxford"
"Upvote for Eugene Onegin."
"Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin - Poetry, fairly easy to read and a good story."
"Pushkin's Eugene Onegin"
"'Eugene Onegin' is a beautiful short novel and easy to read."
#8
Ivan Turgenev
4.6
(8)
"Ivan Turgenev! His Sketches from a Huntsmans Alnum is a beautiful collection of short stories portraying rural Russian peasant life."
"I really enjoyed Fathers and Sons by Turgenev."
"Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Sons, Norton"
"Ivan Turgenev, Sketches from a Hunter's Album, Penguin"
"Also highly recommend Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev."
"'Fathers and Sons'."
"Fathers and Sons, by Turgenev"
"_Fathers and Sons_ by Turgenev"
#9
Yevgeny Zamyatin
4.6
(7)
"*We* by Yevgeny Zemyatin is an incredible and wacky far-future dystopian novel."
"Classic dystopian that inspired Brave New World and 1984."
"It's a dystopia and inspired both 1984 and Brave New World."
"We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Great dystopian book."
"If you are a fan of 1984, try WE by Yevgeny Zamyatin."
"We - E. Zamyatin (if you like dystopian novels like Orwell's 1984 or Brave new world)"
"Yevgeny Zamyatin's *We*. The Russian Brave New World."
#10
Vladimir Nabokov
4.5
(6)
"Vladimir Nabokov is one of my favorite authors. My favorites are Ada and Lolita, in that order."
"If those don't tickle your fancy try Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, it's controversial, beautifully written and an extremely influential piece of work."
"*Lolita* by Nabokov. A Russian writer, though originally written in French."
""Invitation to a beheading" Nabokov"
"Nabokov is supposed to be amazing."
"For more bite-sized reading, maybe some Nabokov."
#11
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
4.3
(6)
"If you want another short and harrowing read, try One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn."
"Cancer Ward and In the First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn are obvious recommendations."
""Cancer ward" Solzjenitsyn"
"A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch by Alexander Solzhenitsyn is reasonably short and quite readable."
"I also like Solzhenitsyn's One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich."
"Cancer Ward."
#12
Ivan Goncharov
4.2
(6)
"Oblomov by Goncharov"
"Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov"
"Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov"
"Came here to recommend Oblomov, too. He’s not simply lazy, though, he is depressed."
"Oblomov - Goncharov (a sympathetic lazy dude)"
"_Oblomov_ by Goncharov"
#13
Victor Pelevin
4.0
(5)
"I’d probably recommend starting with one of his novellas as a taster. The Yellow Arrow would be my pick."
"For contemporary: Victor Pelevin’s “Homo Zapiens.”"
"Another friend of mine really enjoyed Omon Ra (1992) by Victor Pelevin."
"Also you may check books of Victor Pelevin."
"I recommend Pelevin for a very peculiar satire and way of storytelling. Relatively modern writer."
#14
Boris Pasternak
4.8
(4)
"Epic and breathtaking."
"Its a stunning book set during the Revolution and the years preceding it."
"One of the most beautiful books I've ever read is *Doctor Zhivago*."
"Doctor Zhivago."
#15
Vasily Grossman
5.0
(3)
"His two books about the battle of Stalingrad in WWII are kinda like the Soviet version of War and Peace."
"His two books about the battle of Stalingrad in WWII are kinda like the Soviet version of War and Peace."
"Life and Fate."
#16
Sergei Dovlatov
5.0
(3)
"Something more contemporary: The Suitcase by Dovlatov."
"Pushkin Hills by Sergei Dovlatov is among my favorite"
"I agree. Dovlatov’s work would be perfect for a beginner and if you appreciate dry humour, then it’s a bonus."
#17
Ilf & Petrov
4.7
(3)
"Ilf & Petrov - 12 chairs."
"Also The Golden Calf, by the same authors."
""The twelve chairs" Ilf & Petrov"
#18
Mikhail Sholokhov
5.0
(2)
""And quiet flows the Don" is only the 1st and 2nd volumes. The 3rd and 4th are "The Don Flows Home to the Sea". The last part is brilliant."
""And quiet flows the Don" by Sholokhov is the most relevant for current events."
#19
Lyudmila Petrushevskaya
5.0
(2)
"I'd recommend Lyudmila Petrushevskaya's short stories."
"Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, Vladimir Makanin."
#20
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
5.0
(2)
"Russian literature: Crime and Punishment, The Master and Margarita, The Brothers Karamazov, Fathers and Sons by Turgenev, Works by Nabokov."
"Also look up work by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Notes from Underground."
#21
Andrei Bely
4.5
(2)
"Petersburg by Andrei Bely is a lesser known Russian novel, but it is beautifully written."
"Andrei Bely, *Petersburg*."
#22
Maxim Gorky
4.5
(2)
"Maxim Gorky's autobiographical trilogy"
"The Mother by Maxim Gorky (it follows the story of a socialist revolutionary’s mother)"
#23
Dmitry Glukhovsky
4.0
(2)
"If you also want to read something modern, as far as i know Metro series of books not that bad."
"I recommend you to dive into Metro 2033 series (original author Dmitrii Glukhovskyi)."
#24
George Orwell
5.0
(1)
"If you've ever read *1984* you'll be amazed by how much Orwell lifted directly from it."
#25
Vladimir Voinovich
5.0
(1)
"A slightly lesser-known Russian treasure is The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin by Vladimir Voinovich. It's a satire of Soviet Russia, and it is ridiculously hilarious."
#26
Anna Akhmatova
5.0
(1)
"Selected Poems of Anna Akhmatova. It's published by Penguin. Her poetry is amazing."
#27
Venedikt Yerofeyev
5.0
(1)
"Moscow-Petushki by Venedikt Yerofeyev. It's a pretty short, straightforward and funny as hell book."
#28
Amor Towles
5.0
(1)
"A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles | 462 pages | Published: 2016 | Popular Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction, book-club, historical, russia"
#29
Dostoyevsky
5.0
(1)
"Love Dostoyevsky, especially Notes From Underground and C&P."
#30
Aleksey Pekhov
5.0
(1)
"I recommend books of Aleksey Pekhov (Алексей Пехов). I believe he is one of the best modern fantasy authors in Russia."
#31
Yuz Aleshkovskiy
5.0
(1)
"I strongly suggest that you read Nikolai Nikolaevich by Yuz Aleshkovskiy."
#32
Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky
5.0
(1)
"A Soviet-era Russian short story writer, Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, is incredible."
#33
Alexander Griboyedov
4.0
(1)
"Woe from Wit by Alexander Griboyedov"
#34
Nikolay Chernyshevsky
4.0
(1)
"Nicholas Chernyshevskii, What is to be Done? Cornell University Press"
#35
Tatyana Tolstaya
4.0
(1)
"My Russian friend recently recommended 'The Slynx' by Tatyana Tolstaya, which is a post-apocalyptic satire."
#36
Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin
4.0
(1)
"The Golovlyov Family by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin"
#37
Daniil Kharms
4.0
(1)
"I recommend the collection Russia's Lost Literature of the Absurd because it has Daniil Kharm's best writing."
#38
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
4.0
(1)
"Strugatksy brothers books - Roadside picnic, Hard to be God."
#39
Strugatsky brothers
4.0
(1)
"How about the Strugatsky brother's 'Roadside Picnic' or 'Definitely Maybe'? "
#40
Isaac Babel
4.0
(1)
"Red Cavalry - I. Babel (a series of short stories set during the Soviet-Polish war)"
#41
F. Sologub
4.0
(1)
"Short stories and "Petty Demon" F. Sologub"
#42
Varlam Shalamov
4.0
(1)
"Kolyma Tales/Graphite."
#43
Eduard Limonov
4.0
(1)
"And to name something more recent: Eduard Limonov - it's me, Eddie. I loved the style, typical russian."
#44
Sergei Lukyanenko
4.0
(1)
"Or you can look on to Lukianenko's books like "Остров Русь". There are funny mix of russian traditional сказки and fantastic f"
#45
Vladimir Sorokin
4.0
(1)
"If you nee modern classics then try Sorokin's Day of the Oprichnik and Sugar Kremlin."
#46
Mariëngof
4.0
(1)
""Cynics" Mariëngof"
#47
Anatoly Rybakov
4.0
(1)
"Children of The Arbat by Rybakov"
Discover your audience
GummySearch is an audience research toolkit for 130,000 unique communities on Reddit.
If you are looking for startup problems to solve, want to validate your idea or find your customers online, GummySearch is for you.
Sign up for free, get community insights in minutes.
Tell me more
Get started
