Stocking the Bookshelf with Russian Writers

I suppose I became interested in Russian writers during a short stint as a Ph.D. student at Florida State. There were quite a few candidates immersed in a variety of other genres-women writers, African American writers, Spanish writers and the like-but only one other student in the entire program who was actively studying the Russians.

I like this genre of writing for a variety of reasons: in general, the Russians have a worldview uncharacteristic of anything you might find somewhere else; there's definitely a strong sense of place in every work; and, as I noticed whenever I had conversations with my fellow bibliophiles, reading works by Russian writers seems to leave a great impression on people. By and large, they seem to think you worthy of praise for merely having completed the reading, so any intellectual observations you can make are like icing on a rather huge piece of cake.

So, fearless readers, if you think you can handle long nights in the intimate company of some of the greatest writers in the world, here are my top five recommendations for books by Russian writers:

1. Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837): Pushkin is generally considered the greatest Russian poet of all time. Additionally, he is also known as the father of modern Russian literature, so his influence on Russian writing is, to say the least, profound-something on the level of Shakespeare's impact on English literature is an appropriate comparison to make. Western readers are most familiar with his prose works, including The Queen of Spades, Mozart and Salieri, and Eugene Onegin. But that's just the tip of Pushkin's iceberg of work. With over thirty publishing credits to his name, this prolific Russian writer serves as the most appropriate introduction to the world of Russian writing and should be considered required reading for anyone looking to study the genre.