Question by : Russia: Of the classic Russian writers and poets, who are most famous in Russia?
Referring to names like Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekov, Pushkin, Lermontov ect.
Is there anyone who reins in popularity there? In the US…I would say Tolstoy is the most famous and beyond that–except those with a specific interest–do not know any of the other classic writers…
@Wave2012
Thanks, that was some of the insight I was looking for. I happen to personally like Dostoevsky’s style…but I can imagine why he wouldn’t be the MOST popular.
Answers and Views:
Answer by cupid
no.1 is Tolstoy
no. 2 is Dastoevsky
everywhere in the world
i love russian literature
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K2010 says
absolute bestseller:
Leonid Illich Brezhnev
Trilogy “Minor Earth”
each book had 15 millions copies
Furthermore, it was great for makulatura: it weighted a lot and was great.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25D0%25A2%25D1%2580%25D0%25B8%25D0%25BB%25D0%25BE%25D0%25B3%25D0%25B8%25D1%258F_%25D0%2591%25D1%2580%25D0%25B5%25D0%25B6%25D0%25BD%25D0%25B5%25D0%25B2%25D0%25B0&ei=ULLiTpD7MOO_0QH0rfm7BQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCgQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%25D1%2582%25D0%25B8%25D1%2580%25D0%25B0%25D0%25B6%2B%25D0%25BA%25D0%25BD%25D0%25B8%25D0%25B3%2B%25D0%25B1%25D1%2580%25D0%25B5%25D0%25B6%25D0%25BD%25D0%25B5%25D0%25B2%25D0%25B0%26hl%3Den%26qscrl%3D1%26nord%3D1%26rlz%3D1T4SKPB_enUS378US378%26biw%3D1288%26bih%3D459%26site%3Dwebhp%26prmd%3Dimvns
Антон says
In my observation abroad really is more popular Dostoevsky. As for his popularity in the post-Soviet space, then there should not be forgotten that a considerable number of citizens acquainted with his creation had on the lifetime of the Union. Where the attitude towards his work was known, himself a “great” Lenin verdict – “arhiskverny (worst) writer,” with all its consequences, and one of them was that the average Soviet citizen knew about Dostoevsky, only that he is the author of “Crime and Punishment” and “Netochka Nezvanova”, and such works of genius a writer as “Demons”, ” Idiot”, “The Brothers Karamazov” not heard. Thus a classic writer, Number 1 for Soviet citizens is clearly Tolstoy with his criticism of autocracy and orthodoxy. At present, despite the collapse of the Soviet ideology, Tolstoy’s image as of the greatest Russian writer remains of inertia.
As for the bleakness of Dostoevsky’s works, then swill it is greatly exaggerated. Much harder in my opinion read Bunin or Leonid Andreyev.
Wave, I seem not to say that in the post-Soviet countries are not familiar with the works of Dostoevsky. Perhaps you misunderstood me. The main idea of my response to new redaction is as follows: Despite the fact that the post-Soviet space among the conscious citizens (not schoolchildren) in the last twenty years has sharply increased the readability of Dostoevsky’s works, in the rating of Russian writers of the classics are still the leader Tolstoy, because of the inertia of public opinion, so to speak.
Что касается Неточки, не спорю, малость загнул в полемическом пылу
simon says
Trotsky
Lavarenty Beria
Val says
Wave2012 is right, but there’s one thing she forgot to mention: all classic writers and poets are unanimously hated in Russia 🙂
That’s because we study them all at school, at the age when we can’t yet appreciate them. Not only you read “Crime and punishment” when you’re 13 and “War and peace” when you’re 14; after that you have to discuss them, then make and justify all the right conclusions made for you by your schoolbooks. You don’t understand it or understand it the way you won’t admit to your teacher; it’s a waste of time, it’s boring, it’s murderous. After such experience, some resolve is needed to even think about reading them again. My father rediscovered Pushkin and Gogol when I was studying them at school – and he loved them. I read “Crime and punishment” 4 times over last 10 years, and all these times were different, as though I read 4 different novels. We study literature the wrong way.
So my answer is – most Russians are immune to classic Russian literature, which is a shame.
Wave2012 says
Pushkin is considered the best poet. Lermontov. probably, number 2 poet.
As for writers it is impossible to compare them. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Gogol, Turgenev, Chekhov etc… Everything depends on taste of reader!
And I also should add that Dostoevsky is more popular on the West than in Russia (I mean by many people outside Russia he is consedered the best Russian writer, while in Russia for many people he is too depressive). There are many discussions in Russian Internet why his gloomy and hard-to-read novels are so popular abroad Russia.
Anemona says
they are all ( and not only them) are equally popular in Russia.