Monica_in_Switzerland Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 So last year, I learned a ton about China by reading The Good Earth, followed by Wild Swans. I'm terrible at reading plain old history books ,but these two books did a great job of giving me a general timeline of modern China. I'm now looking for something similar that will help me understand Russia. I prefer books that is well researched, but still fiction, as I will never make it through an actual history book. A few books that piece together multiple time periods in Russian history would be fine, kind of like what I did for China above. Ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicentra Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 What about Edward Rutherfurd's Russka? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92162.Russka?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=pGpropogVd&rank=2 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted March 24, 2020 Author Share Posted March 24, 2020 Thank you both, I will check these out! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 Slightly off topic but related to your OP, have you read the sequels to The Good Earth? I enjoyed them. Sons drags on a bit, but you need it to set you up for the climax in A House Divided. https://www.amazon.com/Good-Earth-Trilogy-House-Divided-ebook/dp/B00CLVB9CY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 War and Peace 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 (edited) My hubby learned much from The Gulag Archipelago (Solzhenitsyn), though I'm not sure how readable that makes it. Recently I actually enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow (Towles). ETA: Historical fiction, but maybe not an epic. Edited March 24, 2020 by KathyBC 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 Dr. Zhivago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 I'd go with these four, in this order: Anna Karenena Crime and Punishment The Gulag Archipeligo Disappearing Earth 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 Great options. Another one not mentioned is Laurus by Vodolazkin. It won a bunch of prizes a few years ago. It takes place in the middle ages. It delves into the Orthodox understanding of "Fool for Christ", so you may want to look into that for better appreciation. Fabulous book! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24694092-laurus?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=sMzgYbFPxT&rank=1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 @Monica_in_Switzerland - how are things in Switzerland? the numbers I"m seeing look bad. my dd was supposed to go to Switzerland in may for a wedding, but we don't see her traveling now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 Life and Fate. Read description bc it is not an...easy read. I just assigned some bits to DS for AP euro. There’s a letter from a mother to a son in there, (based on the author’s own experience) that I’ve posted here before. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 One Day in the Life of Ivan Densovich isn't an epic but it's effective. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarter Note Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 Monica, this isn't quite an epic, but you may enjoy Pushkin's verse novel Eugene Onegin. Pushkin is sometimes called "the Russian Shakespeare". The book isn't too long. I have the translation by Charles Johnston (translated into verse as well). (And then, of course, you'll want to follow it up with Tchaikovsky's opera of the same name!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 I'm currently reading Soviet writer Maxim Gorky's (b. 1868) autobiographical trilogy, My Childhood, My Apprenticeship, and My Universities. All 3 books are reasonably short and very readable. And cheap in used Penguin editions. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SereneHome Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) Try Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. ( I don't know if it was translated....should be...) It's set in after the revolution time. It's a bit mystical, but nice portrail of life in Russia I recently read City of Thieves - WWII - blockade of Leningrad. Wasn't written by Russian author but oh my, very accurately describes what happened there. Also, The Twelve Chairs by Ilya Ilf. Peter the First by Tolstoy What time period are you interested in? I can try to remember all the books we had to read in school 🙂 Edited March 25, 2020 by SereneHome ETA: more books 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 We the Living Chekhov - short stories, like The Jewel. Or another Solzhenitsyn option is Cancer Ward. All the others I was thinking have been mentioned! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, SereneHome said: Try Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. ( I don't know if it was translated....should be...) It's set in after the revolution time. It's a bit mystical, but nice portrail of life in Russia I recently read City of Thieves - WWII - blockade of Leningrad. Wasn't written by Russian author but oh my, very accurately describes what happened there. Also, The Twelve Chairs by Ilya Ilf. Peter the First by Tolstoy What time period are you interested in? I can try to remember all the books we had to read in school 🙂 I read a translation by Mirra Ginsburg and enjoyed it. Is City of Thieves by David benioff? Edited March 25, 2020 by LMD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SereneHome Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 6 hours ago, LMD said: I read a translation by Mirra Ginsburg and enjoyed it. Is City of Thieves by David benioff? Yes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 9 hours ago, SereneHome said: Try Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. ( I don't know if it was translated....should be...) It's set in after the revolution time. It's a bit mystical, but nice portrail of life in Russia I'm almost finished with a translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhovsky, mentioned by @PattyJoanna. It is the Penguin Classic edition. Although the book is interesting and interweaves a telling of the crucifixion of Jesus, it may not inform you about Russian history beyond the idea that religion was so thoroughly forbidden in Stalin's time that when the devil came to Moscow, no one recognized him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulubelle Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 I really enjoyed War and Peace a couple years ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) Dd says it really depends on what you are looking for. She says it really depends on what time period you want to read about. In addition to some already mentioned she recommends Turgenev's Father and Sons (generational changes in the 1800s, Westerners vs Easterners) Lidiya Ginzburg's Blockade Diary (Siege of Leningrad: Story of a Survivor) Zamyatin's The Cave (a short story on Soviet Russia) Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, and also The Cherry Orchard In terms of some of the ones mentioned, she says Pushkin is considered one of the greatest authors but from the romantic time period. War and Peace gives a good view of Russian life during the Napoleanic Wars. Crime and Punishment is a psychological novel but gives an idea of Dostoevsky's view of Russian Orthodoxy. She says Master and Margarita is one of her favorite books she has ever read, but she doesn't think it gives a good historical perspective of Russia. Edited March 25, 2020 by 8FillTheHeart 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 5 minutes ago, 8FillTheHeart said: Dd says it really depends on what you are looking for. She says it really depends on what time period you want to read about. In addition to some already mentioned she recommends Turgenev's Father and Sons (generational changes in the 1800s, Westerners vs Easterners) Lidiya Ginzburg's Blockade Diary (Siege of Leningrad: Story of a Survivor) Zamyatin's The Cave (a short story on Soviet Russia) Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, and also The Cherry Orchard In terms of some of the ones mentioned, she says Pushkin is considered one of the greatest authors but from the romantic time period. War and Peace gives a good view of Russian life during the Napoleanic Wars. Crime and Punishment is a psychological novel but gives an idea of Dostoevsky's view of Russian Orthodoxy. She says Master and Margarita is one of her favorite books she has ever read, but she doesn't think it gives a good historical perspective of Russia. So nice to 'see' you! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 13 hours ago, gardenmom5 said: @Monica_in_Switzerland - how are things in Switzerland? the numbers I"m seeing look bad. my dd was supposed to go to Switzerland in may for a wedding, but we don't see her traveling now. Thank your or asking! Right now, we are on "modified confinement," which is to say, we are supposed to stay home, work from home if possible, all schools are closed, only grocery/pharmacy are open, and we may use common sense and "Swiss discipline" to walk in public spaces with appropriate social distancing. So far, people appear to be following the rules well. I went to the grocery store yesterday and felt like I was playing a very slow motion version of hide-and-go-seek as people would start to walk into an aisle, see someone was already there, and then immediately dart away again. 🙂 Our most current data is positive tests at 8800 and deaths at 86, so approximately 1% mortality for tested cases. This has been holding steady at 1% since I started looking at the statistics 14+ days ago. The military is reinforcing cantons with borderline hospital capacity, but so far there is no talk of bed shortages or similar. We are all hoping that the confinement period started in time to keep us below that critical level of ICU/vent cases. We won't know for another 10 days or so when the effects of confinement will be seen. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 Thank you for all of the suggestions. I guess I'm particularly looking for why Russia is what it is today. So whatever threads and themes have brought Russia to its current state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 18 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said: Slightly off topic but related to your OP, have you read the sequels to The Good Earth? I enjoyed them. Sons drags on a bit, but you need it to set you up for the climax in A House Divided. https://www.amazon.com/Good-Earth-Trilogy-House-Divided-ebook/dp/B00CLVB9CY They are on my "to read" list. Right now I'm reading Musashi, which is Japanese. And it's a long one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) 21 minutes ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said: Thank you for all of the suggestions. I guess I'm particularly looking for why Russia is what it is today. So whatever threads and themes have brought Russia to its current state. She says Grossman's Everything Flows The 2 in the earlier post Lidiya Ginzburg's Blockade Diary (Siege of Leningrad: Story of a Survivor) and Zamyatin's The Cave (a short story on Soviet Russia) And most Alexandr Solzhenitsyn's works Edited March 25, 2020 by 8FillTheHeart 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 11 hours ago, SereneHome said: Try Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. ( I don't know if it was translated....should be...) It's set in after the revolution time. It's a bit mystical, but nice portrail of life in Russia 🙂 The Master and Margarita was very popular in English departments in the '80s. I first learned about it when I asked a fellow student what his t-shirt, which showed a scruffy cat holding a pistol, was all about. Great recommendation! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SereneHome Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 2 hours ago, SusanC said: I'm almost finished with a translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhovsky, mentioned by @PattyJoanna. It is the Penguin Classic edition. Although the book is interesting and interweaves a telling of the crucifixion of Jesus, it may not inform you about Russian history beyond the idea that religion was so thoroughly forbidden in Stalin's time that when the devil came to Moscow, no one recognized him. Well, I can't speak about various translations bc I read it in Russian, but it does show you the life in Moscow during that time, and not just the part about religion, What was really in charge and who wasn't, the hierarchy of society, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SereneHome Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 45 minutes ago, Violet Crown said: The Master and Margarita was very popular in English departments in the '80s. I first learned about it when I asked a fellow student what his t-shirt, which showed a scruffy cat holding a pistol, was all about. Great recommendation! By far my favorite book!! It really pains me that my kids won't be able to read the original bc i failed miserably in teaching them Russian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SereneHome Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 1 hour ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said: Thank you for all of the suggestions. I guess I'm particularly looking for why Russia is what it is today. So whatever threads and themes have brought Russia to its current state. Then you really need anything that was written after the Revolution. Bc what happened in 1917 is the reason why it is what it is today. At least in my opinion 🙂 As much I enjoyed Chechov and some of the Tolstoy, and a few others, they were writing before the revolution, so won't really explain today's Russian Full disclosure, I haven't really read anything published after 1990 so can't recommend anything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahbobeara Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 12 hours ago, LMD said: We the Living LOVE this book. May have to add it to my Amazon list with the hopes of reading it again. OP: I got excited just opening this thread! At one time I wanted to craft an elective for my oldest about Russia. Then I realized that she didn't really care about Russia (AT ALL!) and I was just wanting someone to learn along with me and have long bookish discussions together. I will make a myself Russia list from these recommendations and go from there 🙂 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 2 hours ago, SereneHome said: By far my favorite book!! It really pains me that my kids won't be able to read the original bc i failed miserably in teaching them Russian Not your fault! I have so many international homeschooling friends who have struggled to pass on their native language to their children, and it's seldom succeeded into the teen years. I haven't yet brought myself to read Pushkin because it feels like not reading poetry in Russian would not be reading it at all. Any recommended translations? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SereneHome Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 13 minutes ago, Violet Crown said: Not your fault! I have so many international homeschooling friends who have struggled to pass on their native language to their children, and it's seldom succeeded into the teen years. I haven't yet brought myself to read Pushkin because it feels like not reading poetry in Russian would not be reading it at all. Any recommended translations? Oh how I wish I could help, but of course, I only read the original so.... If you are interested in Russian poets, I really do like Zvetaeva, although I didn't like her as a person lol. But Pushkin and Lermontov are def the classics 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 Now I've had to dig out my aging copy of The Master and Margarita. Maybe it's time for a re-read. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingeborg Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) I am not sure if this was mentioned, but I would highly recommend Moscow Saga by Vasily Aksenov. It covers the life of one family from 1920s to I think 1960s. It’s a trilogy, the first book is called The Generation of Winter. Another suggestion is Leningrad under Siege: the first hand account of the ordeal. This book is the documentary of the interviews with the survivors of 900 days siege of Leningrad (St Petersburg) during the WWII. Warning: it is shocking, but definitely gives you a lot of insights into how Russians lived before and during the war and what impact it had on their lives and subsequent generations. Update: forgot one more: And Quiet Flows the Don. The author got Nobel prize for this book in 1965. Edited March 25, 2020 by Ingeborg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 This came across my feed and i thought of this thread. They may not fit what you're looking for, but you never know: 10 Most Important Russian Books for the 2010s 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 On 3/25/2020 at 9:52 AM, Monica_in_Switzerland said: Thank you for all of the suggestions. I guess I'm particularly looking for why Russia is what it is today. So whatever threads and themes have brought Russia to its current state. It's nonfiction, but I'd recommend Masha Gessen's The Future is History. It's sort of a group biography/contemporary history that traces how Russia became autocratic again under Putin. In the same vein, Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev is an excellent study of how Russian media slowly became completely dominated by pro-Putin propaganda. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 I learned a lot from The Good Earth and Wild Swans too. Wow. Some Russian books I've read and felt I learned from: Crime and Punishment One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich I have the book "Caught in the Revolution" which looks good ~ I haven't gotten to it yet but it's coming closer to the top of my pile! I also read a great book on the Romanov family -- written like a novel. I'm sorry, I can't find the name now... I'll keep looking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 I saw an play of Master and Margarita last year that was sublimely weird in the best way. I love Anna Karenina and Fathers and Sons and a number of the other suggestions here, but I feel like if you're reading for pleasure to just get an historical sweep, that the Edward Rutherford book Connie suggested way up thread is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 14 minutes ago, Patty Joanna said: My mom gave me The Good Earth to read when I was an early teen. It did not "take." I tried again twice, once in my 20s, once in my 40s...and it still didn't take. I tried again last year, and *could not put it down.* Read the series back to back. I wonder why it didn't take, and then it did. I'm still waiting for that with the Russian novels, which people whom I respect read with great enthusiasm. :0) I think I came across The Good Earth at a thrift sale in 6th or 7th grade and then read it without putting it down. It is interesting how certain books speak to one. I had forgotten about it until now. I didn't know about the series... But I don't think I'll put it in the hands of my middle-schooler just yet, and I don't think I could read it in the same way now as I did then, with a different set of life experiences. Maybe I'll put it on a counter in a few years and see what happens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 I wonder how many of us are now going to read Russian novels? 🖐️ I'm on a wait list for some and ready to go on others. This will be a fun way to spend quarantine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 (edited) A little update: I finally put together my list and have started reading (actually mostly audible listening) 1. The Romanovs, 1613-1918 by Monteliore 2. And Quiet Flows the Don 3. Life and Fate, and Everything Flows 4. We the Living 5. The Master and Margarita Thank you all for your help! edit- forgot a title Edited June 20, 2020 by Monica_in_Switzerland 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 The Translator by John Crowley can give an interesting glimpse into the frustrations of translating Russian poetry into something meaningful for the a English ear. The book is about a lot more than a translation and has a compelling story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 11 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said: A little update: I finally put together my list and have started reading (actually mostly audible listening) 1. The Romanovs, 1613-1918 by Monteliore 2. And Quiet Flows the Don 3. Life and Fate, and Everything Flows 4. We the Living 5. The Master and Margarita Thank you all for your help! edit- forgot a title I forgot about We the Living. That's the only book by Ayn Rand that I've read. It did make an impression on me! I haven't heard of several that you've listed... Will have to check them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 9 hours ago, KungFuPanda said: The Translator by John Crowley can give an interesting glimpse into the frustrations of translating Russian poetry into something meaningful for the a English ear. The book is about a lot more than a translation and has a compelling story. That sounds super interesting. I took a class on Pushkin in college, and ever since then have wondered how the English translations were even possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 More recent but have you read “a gentleman in Moscow”? I’m not sure about historical accuracy but it’s a good read. We’ve also had some of the Gloria whelan ones for school (the angel on the square) and they were ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said: More recent but have you read “a gentleman in Moscow”? I’m not sure about historical accuracy but it’s a good read. We’ve also had some of the Gloria whelan ones for school (the angel on the square) and they were ok. I've got that one, Endless Steppe, and 1-2 others on my list for the kids to read, but when I'm really unfamiliar with something, I read books on my own time for "teacher's ed". I've learned a ton with homeschooling! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 2 hours ago, J-rap said: I forgot about We the Living. That's the only book by Ayn Rand that I've read. It did make an impression on me! I haven't heard of several that you've listed... Will have to check them out. I actually did my junior year high school big research paper on Ayn Rand and read a few of her books, but somehow not this one. I did Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 On 3/25/2020 at 8:16 AM, Violet Crown said: The Master and Margarita was very popular in English departments in the '80s. I first learned about it when I asked a fellow student what his t-shirt, which showed a scruffy cat holding a pistol, was all about. Great recommendation! The Master and Margarita inspired Mick Jagger to write Sympathy for the Devil (1968). Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 On 3/31/2020 at 4:56 PM, Patty Joanna said: My mom gave me The Good Earth to read when I was an early teen. It did not "take." I tried again twice, once in my 20s, once in my 40s...and it still didn't take. I tried again last year, and *could not put it down.* Read the series back to back. I wonder why it didn't take, and then it did. I'm still waiting for that with the Russian novels, which people whom I respect read with great enthusiasm. :0) I had a similar experience with The Good Earth and ended up really liking it. I haven't read the trilogy, just the first novel. OTOH, I keep trying to read The Brothers Karamazov and The Master and Margarita but just can't seem to get far in either one. I've pretty much given up on Brothers K but will try TM&M one or two more times. I mostly love Russian novels and some short stories (I don't generally like short stories) but can't seem to get into either of those two. On 3/31/2020 at 7:37 PM, stephanier.1765 said: I wonder how many of us are now going to read Russian novels? 🖐️ I'm on a wait list for some and ready to go on others. This will be a fun way to spend quarantine. ::Raises hand:: 🖐️ See below. 😄 On 6/20/2020 at 1:43 PM, Monica_in_Switzerland said: A little update: I finally put together my list and have started reading (actually mostly audible listening) 1. The Romanovs, 1613-1918 by Monteliore My library had the Kindle version available and thanks to this thread I'm now reading it. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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