A well-known collection of the best works of literature. The most famous Russian writers and their works

(Russian) is a broad concept, and everyone puts their own meaning into it. If you ask readers what associations it evokes in them, the answers will be different. For some, this is the basis of the library collection, others will say that works of classical Russian literature are a kind of example with high artistic merit. For schoolchildren, this is everything that is studied at school. And they will all be absolutely right in their own way. So what is classical literature? Russian literature, today we will talk only about it. ABOUT foreign classics we'll talk about it in another article.

Russian literature

There is a generally accepted periodization of formation and development Russian literature. Its history is divided into the following time periods:

What works are called classics?

Many readers are sure that classical literature (Russian) is Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy - that is, the works of those writers who lived in the 19th century. It's not like that at all. It can be classic from both the Middle Ages and the 20th century. By what canons and principles can one determine whether a novel or story is a classic? Firstly, a classic work must have high artistic value and be a model for others. Secondly, it must have worldwide recognition, it must be included in the fund of world culture.

And you need to be able to distinguish between the concepts of classical and popular literature. A classic is something that has stood the test of time, and oh popular work They can forget quite quickly. If its relevance remains for decades, perhaps it will also become a classic over time.

The origins of Russian classical literature

IN late XVIII century, only the established nobility of Russia split into two opposing camps: conservatives and reformers. This split was due to different attitudes towards the changes that took place in life: Peter’s reforms, understanding of the tasks of the Enlightenment, the painful peasant issue, attitude towards power. This struggle of extremes led to the rise of spirituality and self-awareness, which gave birth to Russian classics. We can say that it was forged during the dramatic processes in the country.

Classical literature (Russian), born in the complex and contradictory 18th century, was finally formed in the 19th century. Its main features: national identity, maturity, self-awareness.

Russian classical literature of the 19th century

The growth of national consciousness played a major role in the development of culture at that time. More and more educational institutions are opening, strengthening public importance literature, writers begin to pay a lot of attention to their native language. It made me think even more about what was happening in the country.

Karamzin's influence on the development of 19th-century literature

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, the greatest Russian historian, writer and journalist, was the most influential figure in Russian culture of the 18th-19th centuries. His historical stories and the monumental “History of the Russian State” had a huge influence on the work of subsequent writers and poets: Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Griboedov. He is one of the great reformers of the Russian language. Karamzin put it into use a large number of new words, without which we cannot imagine modern speech today.

Russian classical literature: list of the best works

Select and list the best literary works- a difficult task, since each reader has his own preferences and tastes. A novel that will be a masterpiece for one may seem boring and uninteresting to another. How to create a list of classic Russian literature that would satisfy the majority of readers? One way is to conduct surveys. Based on them, one can draw conclusions about which work the readers themselves consider the best of the proposed options. These types of information collection methods are conducted regularly, although the data may change slightly over time.

The list of the best creations of Russian classics, according to versions of literary magazines and Internet portals, looks like this:

Under no circumstances should this list be considered a reference. In some ratings and polls, the first place may not be Bulgakov, but Leo Tolstoy or Alexander Pushkin, and some of the listed writers may not be at all. Ratings are an extremely subjective thing. It’s better to make a list of your favorite classics for yourself and focus on it.

The meaning of Russian classical literature

The creators of Russian classics have always had great social responsibility. They never acted as moralizers and did not give ready-made answers in their works. Writers put before the reader difficult task and made him think about her decision. They raised serious social and public problems in their works, which still affect us today. great importance. Therefore, Russian classics remain just as relevant today.

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 hearts simple feeling 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, mighty, 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, “detachment” 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 appear). 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 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. Publishing new book, not at all similar to 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. The modern reader does not need 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 structure 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 should be thought about, only great tasks should a writer 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 creatures 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. I’m surprised and perplexed why apparently 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 united rays of the labor of artists and the labor of thinkers, directed by it to a common point, would meet in a common work and would be able to 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 the heroic history of 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"

Domestic fiction has always been characterized by a focus on displaying the inner world of the heroes. This is main feature creativity of Russian writers. The ability to depict the morals of characters in such a way that the reader has a vivid emotional response is admired by many critics of past centuries and today. Description of mental contradictions, overcoming moral obstacles, attempts to find the right decision in situations where personal needs find themselves in confrontation with public ideas about duty and decency, the search for one’s own path - all this the best Russian books hide behind their bindings and covers. This current review contains works that played significant role in the personal development of more than one generation. Non-trivial plots, memorable characters who have become symbols of eras, elements of merciless sarcasm and sad irony are perceived by readers in different ways, but even those who are not accustomed to absorbing the meaning of printed lines with every cell of an open heart do not remain indifferent. So, top 10 best Russian books of all times.

10. Two captains, Veniamin Kaverin

Written by the Soviet prose writer Veniamin Kaverin, during the author’s lifetime this novel brought the creator the highest literary award of that time in the USSR - Stalin Prize. Inspired by the spirit of patriotic heroism and adventurous adventures, the work tells the story of the amazing intersection of the destinies of two worthy people of the era. The dangerous expedition of Captain Tatarinov to the northern shores haunted Sanka Grigoriev with early childhood. Having matured, the young man decides to repeat the route of the brave navigator. On this difficult path, many unexpected meetings and discoveries await him, as well as the opportunity to find love and discover qualities in himself, the presence of which in other circumstances is difficult to guess. Some heroes of the story have real prototypes. Expedition to the region eternal ice described with the reliability with which it is possible to interpret the circumstances described in the diaries of members of the team of Arctic explorers Brusilov and Sedov.

9. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Included in school curriculum, philosophical novel The great Russian classic F. M. Dostoevsky undoubtedly provides much more reasons for thought than the minds of high school students are able to grasp. However, the work can influence the formation of their internal views and beliefs, and become a motivating phenomenon for the desire to compose own opinion and tell others about it. The question of whether a person has the right to dispose of someone else’s life (even in the context of subsequent good deeds) is an eternally relevant one. The main character is a student who has overcome the threshold of poverty and is steadily striving towards the social abyss, towards poverty. Desperation leads him to the idea of ​​getting money by committing murder. Justifying his action, Raskolnikov convinces himself that the future victim is an unworthy person, and her means will help many more noble people improve their lives. Does the hero have any reason to reason in this way when his main opponent is his own conscience? In this inevitable dialogue, there are obviously losers, but the outcome becomes known only after a fatal decision is made.

8. Dead Souls, Nikolai Gogol

The work, conceived by the author in the format of three volumes, is unusual for a prosaic text genre definition. Gogol called his epistolary work a poem and presented it to the world in 1842. Masterfully using the technique of generalization where appropriate, the author managed to create an encyclopedic collection of characters from representatives of various social strata of the mid-nineteenth century. At the center of the presentation is the adventurer Chichikov. He accumulates around himself people who embody vivid and eloquent images of landowners, noble or ruined. The task of the visiting guest is to acquire serfs who, according to documents, are listed as deceased. What caused this interest, and which souls are actually long dead? The immortal literary classic and one of the best Russian books appears as a field for limitless knowledge in the ephemeral sphere of human passions.

7. Amphibian Man, Alexander Belyaev

“Amphibian Man” is one of the best Russian science fiction books, which gained enormous popularity among readers of Soviet society and remained the standard of the corresponding genre in modern world. It is based on the amazing experiment of Dr. Salvator. With the initially noble goal of saving the life of a dying child, the surgical experience led to the emergence of a man with the unique ability to breathe underwater. The sea has become Ichthyander’s native element, but insidious people decide to use the hero’s capabilities to their advantage. Love line fits organically into the plot and adds sensuality to the narrative, provokes empathy. The struggle for life and love, merged into a single powerful reason to resist evil, prompted talented Soviet directors to create artistic painting, which attracted a record number of viewers for that time.

6. Heart of a Dog, Mikhail Bulgakov

A vivid personification of the essence of socialist society, which was formed in the 20s of the last century. Amazing ability to embody the spirit of the era in characters literary heroes possessed by the brilliant writer Mikhail Bulgakov. His hero, Professor Preobrazhensky, demonstrates the unusual revolutionary nature of scientific ideas, constantly performing extraordinary surgical operations. Their action is aimed at obtaining results that mark unprecedented progress in medicine. The next job is to transplant the pituitary gland of a deceased person into a dog. To the surprise of the genius himself, the object not only survives, but also amazingly finds a place in the new society. Taking on the features of a real activist, the new Sharik, named according to documents as Poligraf Poligrafovich, has no respect for the creator, tries to force him out of his personal apartments, writes slander, and makes provocative indecent speeches in public. These manifestations of character help the hero obtain the position of chief in the structure for the fight against those to whom Sharikov himself only recently belonged, namely, stray dogs. Only the professor can harness time again and correct the mistake that soon begins to threaten his life and well-being. But how is this possible?

5. Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky

In the middle of the ranking of the best Russian books is The Brothers Karamazov. The work can be safely assessed as a successful attempt to reconsider, understand and evaluate moral religious values ​​through the prism of relationships between members of an individual family. Dostoevsky again staged a provocative experiment on human self-awareness, clearly depicting the serious struggle within the souls of each of the three brothers and their father. The novel is complex, but the insane interest in it arises due to the interweaving of the psychological aspects of the individual and the external religious instructions to which she is exposed. The final point is self-acceptance and finding God within, and not subconsciously forced humility. But which of the brothers will be able to achieve this knowledge before their sins become irreversible, and how useful will it be to them? An expert in mental torment, Fyodor Mikhailovich created Mitya, Alyosha, Ivan and Fyodor Karamazov on the pages of the novel in such a way that the possibility of their real existence will not raise doubts.

4. White Guard, Mikhail Bulgakov

There is nothing more destructive for a country than war within its borders. An open armed struggle between the inhabitants of a once united state affects the life of every citizen, forcing him to make a choice for which it is impossible to be prepared. The civil war finds the intelligent Turbin family in Kyiv. The heroes witness how familiar reality changes daily, requiring them to take active action at every step. Some people prefer to resign themselves and passively watch as everything that was once of great value turns into dust and dirt underfoot. Others dare to enter into confrontation and defend in any way the right to life, love, the natural manifestation of justice and freedom.

3. War and Peace, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy

A grandiose epic, embodying interesting biographies of entire family clans and chronicles of the events of the war with Napoleon, opens the top three best Russian books. The four volumes are an impressive panorama that sweeps before the reader in a bright whirlwind of extraordinary destinies. Bezukhovs, Kuragins, Rostovs, Bolkonskys - these surnames became household names and excluded oblivion for their representatives, thanks to the novel by Leo Tolstoy. The character of each character is drawn so carefully that it is very difficult to remain indifferent to the events of his life. The circumstances in which the author places the characters remain in the memory and acquire common characteristics. What is worth the scene where Prince Bolkonsky is lost in thought by the old oak tree! Tolstoy masterfully shows evolution human soul against the background of external objective metamorphoses. Total time of the described actions is approaching 15 years. Only the epilogue will make you understand the scale of influence of this period on the heroes, and what you read - on the reader.

2. Quiet Don, Mikhail Sholokhov

The beginning of the last century was marked for Russia by a number of political and social cataclysms, which became fateful trials for people of all faiths and social statuses. Characters of Sholokhov's novel - Don Cossacks. During the war of 1914-1918 and subsequent civil armed conflicts, during the formation period new government and radical changes in the foundations of the state structure, the main character of the epic named Grigory Melekhov is tormented by the need to make a moral and factual choice. The novel contains a sharp political line, created on the basis of Gregory’s definition in relation to the established power structures, and a lyrical one. Melekhov finds himself married to a girl he does not love, and happiness with the desired Aksinya seems to be slipping away. Time passes, the hero is forced to put up with the consequences of his own decisions, the significance of which he failed to properly assess in time. A powerful impact on the reader is due to the talented description of the steppe landscapes, which allows us to better understand the true loneliness and suffering from the losses of the main character. A worthy second place on the list best books Russian writers.

1. The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov

Topping our small list of the best Russian books is The Master and Margarita. Everything is mixed up in this literary masterpiece: past and present, religion and aggressive atheism, the devilish and the sinless, vices and ideals, genius and mediocrity, love and base manifestations of passions. Bulgakov worked on the novel until the end of his earthly journey. The version of the work available to the public was released due to the efforts and painstaking work the writer's wife. Capital theme Russian state The 30s of the twentieth century exposes catastrophic wormholes in the hearts of its inhabitants. The leitmotif of the confrontation between the worldviews of the Fifth Procurator of Judea and one of those condemned to death by him forces one to mentally touch eternity and feel its frightening constancy. An absorbing story of sensual affection, captivating elements of mysticism, capacious quotes that remain relevant, encourage you to read the novel to the last line and absorb the meaning of every word, chosen with amazing precision.

Valuable treasures epistolary genre are the best Russian books described. Numerous film adaptations of classic stories are works not only Russian directors, but also foreign ones. The popularity of Russian classics among representatives of the foreign cultural community is explained by constant efforts to understand and explain the motives of the secretive and therefore mysterious soul of the Russian person. Domestic readers can only be proud and admire such a rich, inspiring and amazing literary heritage.

Many of us have school days There remains the conviction that for the most part Russian classics are rather boring and unimaginably drawn out works of several hundred pages about the hardships of life, mental suffering and the philosophical quests of the main characters. We have collected Russian classics that are impossible not to read to the end.

Anatoly Pristavkin “The golden cloud spent the night”

“The golden cloud spent the night” by Anatoly Pristavkin is a piercingly tragic story that happened to the orphaned twin brothers Sashka and Kolka Kuzmin, who were evacuated along with the rest of the orphanage pupils to the Caucasus during the war. Here it was decided to establish a labor colony to develop the land. Children turn out to be innocent victims of government policies towards the peoples of the Caucasus. This is one of the most powerful and honest stories about war orphans and deportation. Caucasian peoples. “The Golden Cloud Spent the Night” has been translated into 30 languages ​​and is rightfully one of the best works Russian classics. 10th place in our ranking.

Boris Pasternak "Doctor Zhivago"

Novel Boris Pasternak "Doctor Zhivago", which brought him world fame and the Nobel Prize - in 9th place in the list of the best works of Russian classics. For his novel, Pasternak was sharply criticized by representatives of the country's official literary world. The book's manuscript was banned from publication, and the writer himself, under pressure, was forced to refuse to receive the prestigious award. After Pasternak's death, it was transferred to his son.

Mikhail Sholokhov " Quiet Don»

In terms of the scale and scope of the period of life of the main characters described in it, it can be compared with “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy. This is an epic story about the life and destinies of representatives Don Cossacks. The novel covers three most difficult eras of the country: the First world war, the revolution of 1917 and Civil War. What was going on in the souls of people in those days, what reasons forced relatives and friends to stand on opposite sides of the barricades? The writer tries to answer these questions in one of the best works of Russian classical literature. “Quiet Don” is in 8th place in our ranking.

Stories by Anton Chekhov

A generally recognized classic of Russian literature, they occupy 7th place on our list. One of the most famous playwrights in the world, wrote more than 300 works different genres and died very early, at 44 years old. Chekhov's stories, ironic, funny and eccentric, reflected the realities of life of that era. They have not lost their relevance even now. Its peculiarity short works– do not answer questions, but ask them to the reader.

I. Ilf and E. Petrov “Twelve Chairs”

Novels by writers with a wonderful sense of humor I. Ilf and E. Petrov “The Twelve Chairs” and “The Golden Calf” take 6th place among the best works of Russian classics. After reading them, every reader will understand that classical literature is not only interesting and exciting, but also funny. The adventures of the great schemer Ostap Bender, the main character of the books by Ilf and Petrov, will not leave anyone indifferent. Immediately after the first publication, the writers' works were received ambiguously in literary circles. But time has shown their artistic value.

In fifth place in our ranking of the best works of Russian classics - "The Gulag Archipelago" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. It's not only great novel about one of the most difficult and terrible periods in the history of the country - repressions in the USSR, but also autobiographical work, based on personal experience the author, as well as letters and memoirs of more than two hundred camp prisoners. The release of the novel in the West was accompanied by loud scandal and persecution launched against Solzhenitsyn and other dissidents. Publication of The Gulag Archipelago became possible in the USSR only in 1990. The novel is among best books of the century.

Nikolai Gogol “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is a universally recognized classic of world significance. The crowning achievement of his work is considered to be the novel “Dead Souls,” the second volume of which was destroyed by the author himself. But our ranking of the best works of Russian classics includes the first book Gogol – “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”. It’s hard to believe that the stories included in the book and written with sparkling humor were practically Gogol’s first experience in writing. Pushkin left a flattering review of the work, who was sincerely amazed and fascinated by Gogol’s stories, written in a living, poetic language without feigned affectation and stiffness.

The events described in the book take place in different time periods: in XVII, XVIII XIX centuries.

Fyodor Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"

Novel “Crime and Punishment” by F. M. Dostoevsky takes third place in the list of the best works of Russian classics. It has received the status of a cult book of world significance. This is one of the most frequently filmed books. It's not only deep philosophical work, in which the author poses to readers the problems of moral responsibility, good and evil, but also a psychological drama and a fascinating detective story. The author shows the reader the process of transforming a talented and respectable young man into a killer. He is no less interested in the possibility of Raskolnikov’s atonement for his guilt.

Great epic novel Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy "War and Peace", the volume of which has terrified schoolchildren for many decades, is actually very interesting. It covers the period of several military campaigns against the strongest France at that time, led by Napoleon Bonaparte. This is one of the brightest examples of the best works of not only Russian, but also world classics. The novel is recognized as one of the most epic works in world literature. Here every reader will find his favorite topic: love, war, courage.

Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"

Topping our list of examples of the best classical literature is the amazing novel. The author never lived to see the publication of his book - it was published 30 years after his death.

The Master and Margarita - so complex work, that not a single attempt to film the novel has been successful. The figures of Woland, the Master and Margarita require filigree accuracy in conveying their images. Unfortunately, no actor has yet managed to achieve this. The film adaptation of the novel by director Vladimir Bortko can be considered the most successful.