The best works of Russian writers. List of classic writers of Russian literature and their best books

All the romantic pathos that shrouded the Middle Ages is presented in Ivanhoe. Valiant knights, beautiful ladies, sieges of castles and the political subtleties of vassal relations - all this found a place in Walter Scott’s novel.

In many ways, it was his creation that contributed to the romanticization of the Middle Ages. The author described historical events that affect the period in English history after the Third Crusade. Of course, there were serious artistic improvisations and fiction, but this only made the story more fascinating and beautiful.

It was impossible not to include the most famous creation of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in this selection. For many schoolchildren, studying “Dead Souls” is the most a bright event in literature lessons.

Nikolai Gogol is one of the few classics who knew how to write about the problems of bourgeois life and Russia as a whole in such a sarcastic and direct tone. There is neither the epic heaviness of Tolstoy nor the unhealthy psychologism of Dostoevsky. Reading the work is easy and pleasant. However, it is unlikely that anyone will deny him the depth and subtlety of the phenomena he noticed.

The adventure novel “The Headless Horseman” is multi-layered: detective and love motives are intertwined in it. Plot intricacies create intrigue and keep you in suspense until the very last pages of the book. Who is this headless horseman? A ghost, a figment of the heroes’ imagination or someone’s insidious trick? You are unlikely to fall asleep until you get the answer to this question.

Charles Dickens was extremely popular during his lifetime. People were waiting for his next novels in much the same way as we are now waiting for the release of some Transformers. The educated English public loved his books for their inimitable style and plot dynamism.

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club is Dickens's funniest work. The adventures of English snobs, who proclaimed themselves explorers of human souls, are full of absurd and comical situations. Social issues, of course, is present here, but it is presented in such a simple form that it is simply impossible not to fall in love with the English classic after reading it.

"Madame Bovary" is rightfully considered one of greatest novels world classics. This title in no way detracts from the fascination of Flaubert’s work - a challenging story love adventures Emma Bovary is bold and daring. After the publication of the novel, the writer was even brought to justice for insulting morality.

The psychological naturalism that permeates the novel allowed Flaubert to clearly reveal a problem that is relevant in any era - the convertibility of love and money.

Oscar Wilde's most famous work touches a nerve with its deeply nuanced portrayal of its protagonist. Dorian Gray, an esthete and a snob, has extreme beauty, which contrasts with the internal ugliness that develops throughout the plot. You can spend hours reveling in watching Gray's moral decline, allegorically reflected in the visual change in his portrait.

"American Tragedy" - the wrong side American dream. The desire for wealth, respect, position in society, and money is common to all people, but for most, the path to the top is closed by default for various reasons.

Clyde Griffiths is a man from the lower classes who is trying with all his might to break into high society. He is ready to do anything for his dream. But society, with its ideals of success as an absolute life goal, is itself a catalyst for moral violations. Clyde ends up breaking the law to achieve his goals.

To Kill a Mockingbird is an autobiographical novel. Harper Lee described her childhood memories. The result is a story with an anti-racist message, written in simple and accessible language. Reading the book is useful and interesting; it can be called a moral textbook.

Not long ago, a continuation of the novel called “Go Set a Watchman” was published. In it, the images of the characters in the classic work of the writer are turned inside out so much that cognitive dissonance cannot be avoided when reading.

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Closer to mid-February, it seems that even love vibes are in the air. And if you haven’t felt this mood yet, the gray sky and cold wind spoil all the romance - will come to your aid the best classic about love!

Antoine François Prevost's History of the Chevalier de Grieux and Manon Lescaut (1731)

This story takes place in Regency France after the death of Louis XIV. The story is told from the perspective of a seventeen-year-old boy, a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy in northern France. Having successfully passed his exams, he is about to return to his father's house, but accidentally meets an attractive and mysterious girl. This is Manon Lescaut, who was brought to the city by her parents to be sent to a monastery. Cupid's arrow pierces the heart of the young gentleman and he, forgetting about everything, persuades Manon to run away with him. Thus begins the eternal and beautiful love story of the Chevalier de Grieux and Manon Lescaut, which will inspire entire generations of readers, writers, artists, musicians, and directors.

The author of the love story is Abbot Prevost, whose life rushed between monastic solitude and secular society. His fate - complex, interesting, his love for a girl of another faith - forbidden and passionate - formed the basis of a fascinating and scandalous (for its era) book.

“Manon Lescaut” is the first novel where, against the backdrop of a reliable depiction of material and everyday realities, a subtle and heartfelt psychological picture heroes. The fresh, winged prose of Abbé Prévost is unlike all previous French literature.

This story tells about several years in the life of de Grieux, during which an impulsive, sensitive young man thirsting for love and freedom manages to turn into a man with extensive experience and a difficult fate. The beautiful Manon also grows up: her spontaneity and frivolity are replaced by depth of feelings and a wise outlook on life.

“Despite the cruelest fate, I found my happiness in her gaze and in firm confidence in her feelings. Truly I have lost everything that other people honor and cherish; but I possessed the heart of Manon, the only good that I honored.”

A novel about pure and eternal love, which arises out of thin air, but the strength and purity of this feeling is enough to change the heroes and their destinies. But is this power enough to change life around?

Emily Bronte "Wuthering Heights" (1847)

Having made their debut in the same year, each of the Bronte sisters presented the world with their own novel: Charlotte - “Jane Eyre”, Emily - “Wuthering Heights”, Anne - “Agnes Gray”. Charlotte's novel created a sensation (it, like any book by the most famous Brontë, could have ended up in this top), but after the death of the sisters it was recognized that Wuthering Heights was one of the best works of that time.

The most mystical and reserved of the sisters, Emily Bronte, created a piercing novel about madness and hatred, about strength and love. His contemporaries considered him too rude, but they could not help but fall under his magical influence.

The story of generations of two families unfolds against the picturesque backdrop of the Yorkshire fields, where maddening winds and inhuman passions reign. Central characters- freedom-loving Catherine and impulsive Heathcliff are obsessed with each other. Their complex characters, different social status, exceptional destinies - all together form the canon of a love story. But this book is more than just an early Victorian love story. According to modernist Virginia Woolf, “the idea that at the heart of the manifestations of human nature lie forces that elevate it and raise it to the foot of greatness, and puts Emily Brontë’s novel in a special, outstanding place among similar novels.”

Thanks to Wuthering Heights beautiful fields Yorkshire became a nature reserve, and we inherited, for example, such masterpieces as the film of the same name with Juliette Binoche, the popular ballad “It's All Coming Back to Me Now” performed by Celine Dion, as well as touching quotes:

“What doesn’t remind you of her? I can’t even look at my feet without her face appearing here on the floor slabs! It is in every cloud, in every tree - it fills the air at night, during the day it appears in the outlines of objects - her image is everywhere around me! The most ordinary faces, male and female, my own features - everything teases me with its likeness. The whole world is a terrible panopticon, where everything reminds me that she existed and that I lost her.”

Leo Tolstoy "Anna Karenina" (1877)

There is a well-known legend about how it was discussed among writers that there are no good novels about love in literature. Tolstoy perked up at these words and accepted the challenge, saying that he would write good novel about love in three months. And he did write it. True, in four years.

But that, as they say, is history. And “Anna Karenina” is a novel that is included in the school curriculum. This is school reading. And so, every decent graduate learns at the exit that "All happy families look alike...", and in the Oblonskys’ house “everything is mixed up...”

Meanwhile, “Anna Karenina” is real great book O great love. Today it is generally accepted (thanks, in particular, to the cinema) that this is a novel about the pure and passionate love of Karenina and Vronsky, which became Anna’s salvation from her boring tyrant husband and her own death.

But for the author himself, this is, first of all, family romance, a novel about love, which, having united two halves, grows into something more: a family, children. This, according to Tolstoy, is the main purpose of a woman. Because there is nothing more important, and most importantly, more difficult than raising a child, preserving the real strong family. This idea in the novel is personified by the union of Levin and Kitty. This family, which Tolstoy largely copied from his union with Sofia Andreevna, becomes a reflection of the ideal union of a man and a woman.

The Karenins are an “unhappy family,” and Tolstoy dedicated his book to analyzing the reasons for this misfortune. However, the author does not indulge in moralizing, accusing sinful Anna of destroying a decent family. Leo Tolstoy, “an expert on human souls,” creates a complex work where there is no right and wrong. There is a society that influences the heroes, there are heroes who choose their path, and there are feelings that the heroes do not always understand, but to which they give themselves fully.

I'll wrap it up here literary analysis, for much has already been written about this and better. I’ll just express my thought: be sure to re-read the texts from school curriculum. And not only from school.

Reshad Nuri Gyuntekin “The Kinglet - a songbird” (1922)

The question of which works of Turkish literature have become world classics can be perplexing. The novel “The Songbird” deserves such recognition. Reshad Nuri Güntekin wrote this book at the age of 33, it became one of his first novels. These circumstances make us even more surprised by the skill with which the writer depicted the psychology of a young woman and the social problems of provincial Turkey.

A fragrant and original book captures you from the first lines. This diary entries beautiful Feride, who remembers her life and her love. When this book first came to me (and it was during my puberty), on the tattered cover there was “Chalykushu - a songbird.” Even now it seems to me that this translation of the name is more colorful and sonorous. Chalykushu is the nickname of the restless Feride. As the heroine writes in her diary: “...my real name, Feride, became official and was used very rarely, like a festive outfit. I liked the name Chalykushu, it even helped me out. As soon as someone complained about my tricks, I just shrugged my shoulders, as if saying: “I have nothing to do with it... What do you want from Chalykushu?..”.

Chalykushu lost her parents early. She is sent to be raised by relatives, where she falls in love with her aunt’s son, Kamran. Their relationship is not easy, but the young people are drawn to each other. Suddenly, Feride learns that her chosen one is already in love with someone else. In feelings, the impulsive Chalykushu fluttered out of family nest towards real life, which greeted her with a hurricane of events...

I remember how, after reading the book, I wrote quotes in my diary, realizing every word. It’s interesting that you change over time, but the book remains the same piercing, touching and naive. But it seems that in our 21st century of independent women, gadgets and social networks A little naivety wouldn't hurt:

“A person lives and is tied by invisible threads to the people who surround him. Separation sets in, the threads stretch and break like violin strings, emitting sad sounds. And every time the threads break at the heart, a person experiences the most acute pain.”

David Herbert Lawrence "Lady Chatterley's Lover" (1928)

Provocative, scandalous, frank. Banned for over thirty years after first publication. The inveterate English bourgeoisie did not tolerate description sex scenes and the “immoral” behavior of the main character. In 1960, a high-profile trial took place, during which the novel “Lady Chatterley's Lover” was rehabilitated and allowed to be published when the author was no longer alive.

Today the novel and its storyline hardly seem so provocative to us. Young Constance marries Baronet Chatterley. After their marriage, Clifford Chatterley goes to Flanders, where during the battle he receives multiple wounds. He is permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Connie's married life (as her husband affectionately calls her) has changed, but she continues to love her husband, caring for him. However, Clifford understands that it is difficult for a young girl to spend all nights alone. He allows her to have a lover, the main thing is that the candidate is worthy.

“If a man has no brains, he is a fool; if he has no heart, he is a villain; if he has no bile, he is a rag. If a man is not capable of exploding, like a tightly stretched spring, he has no masculine nature. This is not a man, but a good boy.”

During one of her walks in the forest, Connie meets a new huntsman. It is he who will teach the girl not only the art of love, but also awaken real deep feelings in her.

David Herbert Lawrence – classic English literature, author no less famous books“Sons and Lovers”, “Women in Love”, “Rainbow”, also wrote essays, poems, plays, and travel prose. He created three versions of the novel Lady Chatterley's Lover. The last version, which satisfied the author, was published. This novel brought him fame, but Lawrence's liberalism and proclamation of freedom moral choice The people glorified in the novel could only be appreciated many years later.

Margaret Mitchell "Gone with the Wind" (1936)

Aphorism “When a woman can’t cry, it’s scary”, and the image itself strong woman belong to the pen of the American writer Margaret Mitchell, who became famous thanks to her only novel. There is hardly a person who has not heard of the bestseller Gone with the Wind.

"Gone with the Wind" - the story of the civil war between the northern and southern states America in the 60s, during which cities and destinies collapsed, but something new and beautiful could not help but be born. This is the story of young Scarlett O'Hara coming of age, who is forced to take responsibility for her family, learn to manage her feelings and achieve simple female happiness.

This is that successful novel about love when, in addition to the main and rather superficial theme, it gives something else. The book grows with the reader: open in different time, it will be perceived in a new way every time. One thing remains unchanged in it: the hymn of love, life and humanity. And the unexpected and open ending inspired several writers to create a continuation of the love story, the most famous of which are “Scarlett” by Alexander Ripley or “Rhett Butler’s People” by Donald McCaig.

Boris Pasternak "Doctor Zhivago" (1957)

Pasternak's complex symbolist novel, written in an equally complex and rich language. A number of researchers point to the autobiographical nature of the work, but the events or characters described barely resemble real life author. Nevertheless, this is a kind of “spiritual autobiography”, which Pasternak characterized as follows: “I am now writing a large novel in prose about a man who forms some resultant between Blok and me (and Mayakovsky, and Yesenin, perhaps). He will die in 1929. What will remain from him is a book of poems, which makes up one of the chapters of the second part. The time covered by the novel is 1903-1945.”

The main theme of the novel is reflection on the future of the country and the fate of the generation to which the author belonged. Historical events play an important role for the heroes of the novel; it is the whirlpool of a complex political situation that determines their lives.

The main characters of the book are the doctor and poet Yuri Zhivago and Lara Antipova, the hero’s beloved. Throughout the novel, their paths accidentally crossed and separated, seemingly forever. What really captivates us in this novel is the inexplicable and immense love, like the sea, that the characters carried through their entire lives.

The culmination of this love story is a few winter days in the snow-covered Varykino estate. It is here that the main explanations of the heroes take place, here Zhivago writes his best poems dedicated to Lara. But even in this abandoned house they cannot hide from the noise of war. Larisa is forced to leave to save the lives of herself and her children. And Zhivago, going crazy from the loss, writes in his notebook:

A man looks from the threshold,

Not recognizing home.

Her departure was like an escape,

There are signs of destruction everywhere.

The rooms are in chaos everywhere.

He measures ruin

Doesn't notice because of tears

And a migraine attack.

There is some noise in my ears in the morning.

Is he in memory or dreaming?

And why is it on his mind

Are you still thinking about the sea?..

“Doctor Zhivago” is a novel awarded the Nobel Prize, a novel whose fate, like the fate of the author, turned out to be tragic, a novel that is alive today, like the memory of Boris Pasternak, is a must read.

John Fowles "The French Lieutenant's Mistress" (1969)

One of Fowles's masterpieces, representing an unsteady interweaving of postmodernism, realism, the Victorian novel, psychology, allusions to Dickens, Hardy and other contemporaries. A novel that is central work English literature of the 20th century, is considered one of the main books about love.

The outline of the story, like any plot of a love story, looks simple and predictable. But Fowles, a postmodernist influenced by existentialism and passionate about historical sciences, created a mystical and deep love story from this story.

An aristocrat, a wealthy young man named Charles Smithson, and his chosen one meet Sarah Woodruff on the seashore - once "mistress of a French lieutenant", and now - a maid who avoids people. Sarah looks unsociable, but Charles manages to establish contact with her. During one of the walks, Sarah opens up to the hero, talking about her life.

“Even your own past does not seem like something real to you - you dress it up, try to whitewash it or denigrate it, you edit it, somehow patch it up... In a word, you turn it into fiction and put it away on the shelf - this is your book, your novelized autobiography. We are all running from the real reality. This is the main distinguishing feature of homo sapiens."

A difficult but special relationship is established between the characters, which will develop into a strong and fatal feeling.

The variability of the endings of the novel is not only one of the main techniques of postmodern literature, but also reflects the idea that in love, as in life, anything is possible.

And for lovers acting Meryl Streep: in 1981, a film of the same name directed by Karel Reisz was released, where the main characters were played by Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep. The film, which received several film awards, has become a classic. But watching it, like any film based on a literary work, is better after reading the book itself.

Colin McCullough "The Thorn Birds" (1977)

During her life, Colleen McCullough wrote more than ten novels, the historical series “The Lords of Rome,” and a series of detective stories. But she was able to occupy a prominent place in Australian literature thanks to just one novel - The Thorn Birds.

Seven parts fascinating story big family. Several generations of the Cleary clan, who move to Australia to settle here and from simple poor farmers become prominent and successful family. The central characters of this saga are Maggie Cleary and Ralph de Bricassart. Their story, which unites all the chapters of the novel, tells about the eternal struggle of duty and feelings, reason and passion. What will the heroes choose? Or will they have to stand on opposite sides and defend their choice?

Each part of the novel is dedicated to one of the members of the Cleary family and subsequent generations. Over the fifty years during which the novel takes place, not only the surrounding reality changes, but also life ideals. So Maggie’s daughter Fia, whose story opens in the last part of the book, no longer strives to create a family, to continue her kind. So the fate of the Cleary family is in jeopardy.

“The Thorn Birds” is a finely crafted, filigree work about life itself. Colleen McCullough managed to reflect the complex overflows of the human soul, the thirst for love that lives in every woman, the passionate nature and inner strength men. Ideal for long reading winter evenings under a blanket or on hot days on the summer veranda.

“There is a legend about a bird that sings only once in its entire life, but is more beautiful than anyone else in the world. One day she leaves her nest and flies to look for a thorn bush and will not rest until she finds it. Among the thorny branches she begins to sing a song and throws herself on the longest, sharpest thorn. And, rising above the unspeakable torment, he sings so, dying, that both the lark and the nightingale would envy this jubilant song. The only, incomparable song, and it comes at the cost of life. But the whole world stands still, listening, and God himself smiles in heaven. For all the best is bought only at the price of great suffering... At least that’s what the legend says.”

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Plague (1985)

I wonder when it appeared famous expression, that love is a disease? However, it is precisely this truth that becomes the impetus for understanding the work of Gabriel García Márquez, which proclaims that “...the symptoms of love and plague are the same”. And the most important idea of ​​this novel is contained in another quote: “If you meet your true love, then she will not get away from you - not in a week, not in a month, not in a year.”

This happened with the heroes of the novel “Love in the Time of Plague,” the plot of which revolves around a girl named Fermina Daza. In her youth, Florentino Ariza was in love with her, but, considering his love only a temporary hobby, she marries Juvenal Urbino. Urbino's profession is a doctor, and his life's work is the fight against cholera. However, Fermina and Florentino are destined to be together. When Urbino dies, the feelings of old lovers flare up with renewed vigor, colored in more mature and deeper tones.

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, 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 It’s impossible: some people like Russian literature, some like foreign ones, 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 many people interested, literature of this kind is in demand, but low awareness sometimes scares off potential clients.

First of all, let's focus on the short stories. By them, by the way, we should understand a more concise form of presentation of current events than, for example, a story or a story. This type of narrative is characterized by the presence of only one storyline, and the number of characters is 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. They will also reveal all the charm and richness of colors of the narrative language, thereby expanding the reader’s vocabulary.

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 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. Literary portal Hedwig 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 classical 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 vibrant story that 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 a gentle way adolescence. The writer showed the duality of the human soul, when black is intertwined 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

A surprisingly 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 principles of morality 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 a complex character. The author shows it from 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 Brontë

A family lives on a secluded estate and there is a tense atmosphere 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 convicts death penalty. 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. Against the backdrop of historical events, a love story unfolds - 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 development.

25 Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

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

26 We are Evgeny Zamyatin

A dystopian novel that describes 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. The 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. A book about how bright and wonderful 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

A collection of science fiction stories telling 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 a 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, subject to their base desires, like the entire world around them. 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 extracts extraterrestrial artifacts from anomalous Zones on Earth.

63 Richard Bach

Even a simple seagull can get bored gray life, and the routine has become boring. 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 the time of Richard the Lionheart and the first crusades. This is one of the first historical novels that everyone must 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 are 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 Gunter 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 historical realities and art world that time. War will be replaced by peace, and the peaceful life of the 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 decides for themselves mysterious person 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.

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Under Russian classical literature we mean the works of classics: writers who are not only exemplary, but also who have become symbols of Russian culture. Only the person who knows classical works, appreciates their merits, feels their inner beauty can be considered truly educated. Today you will find out by opinion women's magazine Charla.

10 best books of Russian literature: “The Brothers Karamazov”

Perhaps this novel can be considered the most complex and controversial work of the great Russian writer. Critics have dubbed it an “intellectual detective story,” and many call it the best work about the mysterious Russian soul. This is the last and one of the most famous novels Dostoevsky, it was filmed both here and in the West, where, by the way, this work is held in special esteem. What is this novel about? Each reader answers this question differently. The author himself defined his great creation as “a novel about blasphemy and its refutation.” One thing is certain, this is one of the deepest philosophical works world literature about sin, mercy, the eternal struggle taking place in the human soul.

10 best books of Russian literature: “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky

10 best books of Russian literature: “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy

The tragic novel about the love of married Anna Karenina for the handsome officer Vronsky is one of the greatest masterpieces of Russian literature, still relevant today. “All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” - these lines are familiar to every person.

"Anna Karenina"- a complex, deep, psychologically sophisticated work that captures the reader from the first lines and does not let go until the end. The novel by the brilliant psychologist Tolstoy captivates with its absolute artistic authenticity and dramatic narrative, forcing the reader to watch intensely how the relationship will develop between Anna Karenina and Vronsky, Levin and Kitty. It is not surprising that this book captivated not only Russian readers, but also Europe and America.

10 best books of Russian literature: “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov

10 best books of Russian literature: “Dead Souls” by Nikolai Gogol

The novel was originally conceived in three volumes. The first volume was published in 1842. However further events have a mystical connotation: having finished the second volume, Gogol completely burned it - only a few chapters remained in drafts. And ten days after that the writer died...

10 best books of Russian literature: “Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak

10 best books of Russian literature: collection of stories “Dark Alleys” by Ivan Bunin

10 best books of Russian literature: “Quiet Don” by Mikhail Sholokhov

10 best books of Russian literature: “The Gulag Archipelago” by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Of course, this is far from full list outstanding books of Russian literature. Nevertheless, these are books that every person who appreciates and honors Russian culture should know.

Alisa Terentyeva