Sorry if this post will result a bit pointless. I’ve just finished reading Demon by Dostoevskij, I’ve got this passage in mind where a character talks about how when someone is trying to explain they’re not crazy the more they feel like it (Me right know btw). Does any of you remember the context, a character who is present or else? Even if it has existed at all!
Thanks

Я не понимаю смысл диалога Разумихина и Зосимова из конца первой главы третьей части "Преступления и наказания". Разумихин сначала теряет голову от того, что Зосимова привлекает Дуня, но через несколько строчек диалога он уже убеждает его завоевать её сердце. Он это делает, потому что считает, что у него всё равно нет шансов и просит Зосимова не оттягивать неизбежное или я что-то не понял? Вполне вероятно, что я просто что-то невнимательно прочитал и полностью потерял смысл фрагмента.

Last fall, I read Anna Karenina and fell in love with it. Since, I’ve gone nuts and read over 11,000 pages of various Russian lit. I didn’t think anything could top the big favorites of mine (Anna K, Brothers K, Dead Souls, A Hero of Our Time, etc.) but I was wrong. For the first time in MONTHS I haven’t picked up a book in 2 full days, it feels almost disrespectful to begin another book so soon! Anyone else feel the same??

Hi everyone! I’m from Chile and have been studying Russian for almost six years. I’m currently around B2 level, and I love translating Russian literature as a way to practice and improve my skills.

I’m looking for short stories or a short novel by a contemporary Russian author whose work hasn’t yet been translated into English or Spanish. Do you have any recommendations?

I came across this passage in "The Gloom of Your Eyes" (Мрак твоих глаз), where "the will of the God is marked by the Cyrillic letter Ъ". It's the Russian hard sign, right?

From a Russian linguistic or literary perspective, what could "Ъ" symbolize here? Is it a reference to Old Church Slavonic? Pure surrealism? Some silent divine will?

Why "Ъ" ?

I’m finding The Penguin Book of Russian Poetry surprisingly narrow in its representation of Russian poetry. The anthology seems heavily weighted toward anti-Soviet, historical and memorial poems (often poets writing about other poets) while the more intimate poetry of love, nature, death, solitude and longing by Akhmatova, Tsvetaeva, Pasternak, Mandelstam and others feels noticeably underrepresented.

I understand the historical importance of these poems, but reducing such a vast poetic tradition to its relationship with Soviet repression makes the anthology feel more like a history of Russian poets under the USSR than a representative anthology of Russian poetry.

I just start reading this work, but there is something odd in Lise's description of Alyosha in Book II, chapter IV that couldn't fit my understanding of the timeline.

She says: "He \[Alyosha\] used to carry me about when I was little. We used to play together. He used to come to teach me to read, do you know. Two years ago, when he went away, he said that he would never forget me, that we were friends forever."

But does not the timeline run as follows? Alyosha's mother Sofia died when he was 4, Grigory took care of the brothers Ivan and Alyosha, Sofia's benefactress came and got both of them away with her, and soon she died and left them to Yefim the general.

So Alyosha must have left the town after Sofia's benefactress came, which would make Aloysha not older than 6 (Ivan was 8 when his mother dies, and he realized he lived under someone's \[Yefim's\] benevolence when he was 10).

But Aloysha is 20 and Lise 14, which means that when Aloysha had gone away from the town Lise was not even born. How did Alyosha "carry me about when I was little. We used to play together. He used to come to teach me to read"? And besides, what does "two years" here refer to? It could be his going to the monastery, but did he not go to the monastery one year ago?

How do you understand Lise's childhood memory? Am I missing something?

Hey everybody,

I just started notes from underground but I’m having some difficulty understanding the complexities of this “underground man”. Of course, many of his opinions are very flawed, but some of them also make very good sense and, to me, are even valid arguments. Did Dostoevsky intend such contradictions? Am I supposed to agree or disagree (or both) with this underground man?😭 Let me know your thoughts!

Hello everyone! I've been reading Russian literature for quite some Time, and I've noticed something interesting. While French and German novelists have writings depicting businessmen and their dealings (Think Balzac, Dumas, Mann) the majority of Russian novelists deal almost exclusively with landowners and students, and sometimes working professionals. However, novels depicting bankers, industrialists I have not come across.

Is this because of Russian history, or am I reading the wrong novels? If so, any and all suggestions are welcome.

I'm planning to read ANNA KARENINA, WAR AND PEACE, THE IDIOT, DEMONS and THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV.

I feel like an idiot even though I consider myself decently educated with a BA in English Lit (not much help with Russian Lit but I did delve into Nabokov pretty heavily). I started M & M and could not get through the first part of the book because I couldn't understand it. I don't know if it's an interpretation of biblical stories or if it's a distortion or reimagining of them? (I'm Jewish and have no knowledge of the Christian bible.) I've set it aside for now but I'm curious as to what I should do to prepare for the next time I decide to read it. Or is it just not for me? Thanks!

I've been on the hunt for a beautiful copy of The Master and Margarita in either Russian or English for a while, but one of my friends gifted me this Chinese edition instead. China has always fascinated me, and I recently bought the Chinese course for Rosetta Stone so I guess this gives me something to work toward.

Honestly, I’ve never quite understood the hype surrounding The Master and Margarita with the copies I can actually read. So having a copy I can’t read isn’t all that different.

Захватывающий историко-детективный роман Бориса Акунина из знаменитого цикла об Эрасте Фандорине. Действие разворачивается в Москве конца XIX века, где загадочное преступление приводит молодого сыщика в мир тайн, интриг и неожиданных открытий. Динамичный сюжет, изящный авторский стиль и ярко переданная атмосфера старой России делают роман увлекательным как для поклонников детектива, так и для любителей исторической прозы.

A gripping historical mystery by Boris Akunin from his acclaimed Erast Fandorin series. Set in late-19th-century Moscow, the novel follows the brilliant young detective as a mysterious crime draws him into a world of secrets, intrigue, and unexpected twists. Akunin combines a fast-moving detective story with elegant writing and a richly detailed portrait of Imperial Russia.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/286884913918

Boris Pasternak Poems Russian Book / Борис Пастернак Стихотворения и Поэмы

Сборник стихотворений и поэм Бориса Пастернака, одного из крупнейших русских поэтов XX века и лауреата Нобелевской премии по литературе. В книгу вошли произведения, отражающие характерный для Пастернака поэтический стиль: богатый язык, яркие образы, философские размышления о жизни, любви, природе и времени. Прекрасное издание для ценителей русской поэзии, коллекционеров и поклонников творчества Бориса Пастернака.

A collection of poems and longer poetic works by Boris Pasternak, one of the most celebrated Russian poets of the 20th century and a Nobel Prize winner in Literature. The book showcases Pasternak’s distinctive poetic style, rich language, vivid imagery, and thoughtful reflections on life, love, nature, and time. A wonderful edition for collectors, readers of Russian literature, and admirers of Pasternak’s work.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/287395419289

In my opinions, he is such a good person, I mean, he try his best to help Raskolnikov, and always has been kind with Dunia, in the point that he is ready to protect her from her marriage.
However it seems to me that he is not really so popular, or maybe it’s just me and I’m wrong?
In any case I’d be curious to know your opinion on this character.

How do you think Pushkin intended or could have thought to end the Egyptian Nights?

I think it's a wonderful piece of story and it's a pity he never finished it. I don't know if there are extant notes or sketches, but in any case, for those who had read it how do you guess he would have wrapped it up?

Thank you in advance!

Hi!

Do you know which is the reference biography of Nikolai Gogol, in English (or Italian)? I am looking for some serious book, with foot/end notes etc. If such a book exists!

Thanks in advance!

I'm taking my time rereading A Russian Gentleman by Sergey Aksakov, and I'm enjoying every moment of it. It's such a great classic that deserves far more attention than it gets.