Best Russian (Soviet 1917-1991) Literature (199 books)

See also: Best Post WWII Soviet Literature

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1	The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov 4.28 avg rating — 418,360 ratings score: 14,538, and 146 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 3.98 avg rating — 124,846 ratings score: 6,560, and 67 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	We by Yevgeny Zamyatin 3.88 avg rating — 112,061 ratings score: 6,009, and 62 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak 4.01 avg rating — 102,790 ratings score: 6,001, and 61 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov 4.08 avg rating — 72,027 ratings score: 5,188, and 54 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Twelve Chairs by Ilya Ilf 4.39 avg rating — 24,438 ratings score: 4,243, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	And Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov 4.11 avg rating — 13,209 ratings score: 3,565, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman 4.46 avg rating — 15,383 ratings score: 3,228, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4.33 avg rating — 34,608 ratings score: 3,035, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4.26 avg rating — 17,554 ratings score: 2,597, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova by Anna Akhmatova 4.42 avg rating — 7,542 ratings score: 2,454, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 16,128 ratings score: 2,039, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	A Country Doctor's Notebook by Mikhail Bulgakov 4.29 avg rating — 24,452 ratings score: 1,952, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Moscow to the End of the Line by Venedikt Erofeev 4.03 avg rating — 13,033 ratings score: 1,829, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4.26 avg rating — 10,190 ratings score: 1,795, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky 4.12 avg rating — 86,591 ratings score: 1,757, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Red Cavalry by Isaac Babel 3.98 avg rating — 4,413 ratings score: 1,595, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Children of the Arbat (Arbat Tetralogy, #1) by Anatoly Rybakov 4.22 avg rating — 4,679 ratings score: 1,571, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years by Chingiz Aitmatov 4.33 avg rating — 8,294 ratings score: 1,500, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Luzhin Defense by Vladimir Nabokov 3.94 avg rating — 16,005 ratings score: 1,338, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Amphibian by Alexander Belyaev 4.12 avg rating — 6,535 ratings score: 1,280, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Today I Wrote Nothing: The Selected Writings by Daniil Kharms 4.28 avg rating — 2,433 ratings score: 1,194, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Selected Poems by Marina Tsvetaeva 4.31 avg rating — 7,074 ratings score: 1,184, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Selected Poems by Osip Mandelstam 4.24 avg rating — 2,338 ratings score: 1,154, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Fate of a Man and Early Stories by Mikhail Sholokhov 4.11 avg rating — 1,414 ratings score: 1,129, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov 4.36 avg rating — 8,563 ratings score: 1,072, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Foundation Pit by Andrei Platonov 3.78 avg rating — 6,404 ratings score: 1,036, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Listen! by Vladimir Mayakovsky 4.29 avg rating — 707 ratings score: 1,027, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The Three Fat Men by Yury Olesha 4.01 avg rating — 3,008 ratings score: 972, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Sofia Petrovna by Lydia Chukovskaya 4.06 avg rating — 2,874 ratings score: 906, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Конармия. Одесские Рассказы. by Isaac Babel 4.12 avg rating — 1,043 ratings score: 892, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Fatal Eggs by Mikhail Bulgakov 3.75 avg rating — 12,179 ratings score: 805, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Moscow 2042 by Vladimir Voinovich 3.95 avg rating — 1,983 ratings score: 794, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Professor Dowell's Head by Alexander Belyaev 4.07 avg rating — 3,656 ratings score: 791, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Peter the First by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy 4.17 avg rating — 2,371 ratings score: 751, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Black Snow by Mikhail Bulgakov 3.71 avg rating — 4,792 ratings score: 750, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Sandro of Chegem by Fazil Iskander 4.28 avg rating — 506 ratings score: 701, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Collected Poems in English by Joseph Brodsky 4.38 avg rating — 1,085 ratings score: 697, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Het gouden kalf by Ilya Ilf 4.43 avg rating — 9,239 ratings score: 669, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Journey into the Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg 4.41 avg rating — 4,798 ratings score: 658, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Золотой Ключик, или Приключения Буратино by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy 4.05 avg rating — 5,265 ratings score: 615, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Selected Poems by Boris Pasternak 4.22 avg rating — 860 ratings score: 571, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Nervous People and Other Satires by Mikhail Zoshchenko 4.20 avg rating — 743 ratings score: 532, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Young Guard by Alexander Fadeyev 3.62 avg rating — 373 ratings score: 528, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Collected Stories by Ivan Bunin 4.22 avg rating — 710 ratings score: 500, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	The Zone: A Prison Camp Guard's Story by Sergei Dovlatov 4.07 avg rating — 2,731 ratings score: 499, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Cursed Days: Diary of a Revolution by Ivan Bunin 4.19 avg rating — 1,511 ratings score: 493, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	Envy by Yury Olesha 3.69 avg rating — 3,980 ratings score: 483, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Soul by Andrei Platonov 4.07 avg rating — 2,235 ratings score: 475, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Requiem by Anna Akhmatova 4.36 avg rating — 956 ratings score: 472, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	August 1914 (The Red Wheel, #1) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 3.94 avg rating — 2,821 ratings score: 471, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Two Captains by Veniamin Kaverin 4.34 avg rating — 4,121 ratings score: 458, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Plays 1: The Lower Depths / Summerfolk / Children of the Sun / Barbarians / Enemies by Maxim Gorky 3.69 avg rating — 59 ratings score: 451, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Het zware zand by Anatoly Rybakov 4.48 avg rating — 630 ratings score: 451, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Rabelais and His World by Mikhail Bakhtin 4.26 avg rating — 1,547 ratings score: 446, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	The Noise of Time: Selected Prose by Osip Mandelstam 4.04 avg rating — 517 ratings score: 446, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Farewell to Matyora by Valentin Rasputin 3.79 avg rating — 819 ratings score: 431, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	A Story about a Real Man by Boris Polevoi 4.31 avg rating — 1,677 ratings score: 430, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Bedbug and Selected Poetry by Vladimir Mayakovsky 4.20 avg rating — 3,093 ratings score: 424, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Backbone Flute: Selected Poetry by Vladimir Mayakovsky 4.23 avg rating — 333 ratings score: 375, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation III - IV by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4.49 avg rating — 3,503 ratings score: 375, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	The Case of Comrade Tulayev by Victor Serge 4.12 avg rating — 1,588 ratings score: 374, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Snail on the Slope by Arkady Strugatsky 3.88 avg rating — 4,721 ratings score: 370, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Harvest on the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov 3.99 avg rating — 574 ratings score: 369, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	The Semiotics of Russian Culture (Michigan Slavic Contributions, #11) by Yuri M. Lotman 4.33 avg rating — 21 ratings score: 357, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	The Living and the Dead (Живые и мёртвые #1) by Konstantin Simonov 4.33 avg rating — 391 ratings score: 348, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	Pushkin House by Andrei Bitov 3.78 avg rating — 405 ratings score: 312, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Incidences by Daniil Kharms 4.18 avg rating — 2,113 ratings score: 305, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	В окопах Сталинграда by Viktor Nekrasov 4.17 avg rating — 334 ratings score: 299, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Poem Without a Hero & Selected Poems by Anna Akhmatova 4.25 avg rating — 229 ratings score: 297, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Evening by Anna Akhmatova 3.93 avg rating — 369 ratings score: 289, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Unforgiving Years by Victor Serge 4.07 avg rating — 564 ratings score: 288, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Novel with Cocaine by M. Agueev 3.84 avg rating — 3,617 ratings score: 288, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	Обитаемый остров by Arkady Strugatsky 4.27 avg rating — 7,020 ratings score: 286, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	The Elagin Affair: And Other Stories by Ivan Bunin 4.17 avg rating — 66 ratings score: 285, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	The Dead Mountaineer's Inn by Arkady Strugatsky 3.81 avg rating — 5,573 ratings score: 284, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	A Part of Speech by Joseph Brodsky 4.44 avg rating — 652 ratings score: 282, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Mary by Vladimir Nabokov 3.71 avg rating — 8,943 ratings score: 281, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4.35 avg rating — 13,839 ratings score: 278, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	Summer in Baden-Baden by Leonid Tsypkin 3.66 avg rating — 1,427 ratings score: 277, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	Duck Hunting by Aleksandr Vampilov 3.91 avg rating — 179 ratings score: 276, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	The River Potudan by Andrei Platonov 4.25 avg rating — 287 ratings score: 276, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	Hard to Be a God by Arkady Strugatsky 4.12 avg rating — 18,339 ratings score: 276, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	November 1916 (The Red Wheel, #2) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4.14 avg rating — 325 ratings score: 274, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	The Faculty of Useless Knowledge by Yury Dombrovsky 4.23 avg rating — 401 ratings score: 260, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	The dingo: A story of first love by Ruvim Fraerman 3.79 avg rating — 572 ratings score: 259, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	Мартиролог by Andrei Tarkovsky 4.34 avg rating — 710 ratings score: 258, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Кладовая солнца. Рассказы о природе. by Mikhail Prishvin 3.94 avg rating — 244 ratings score: 251, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	How the Steel Was Tempered by Nikolai Ostrovsky 3.88 avg rating — 5,010 ratings score: 244, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Akhmatova Journals, Volume I: 1938-1941 by Lydia Chukovskaya 4.38 avg rating — 96 ratings score: 242, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	Days and Nights by Konstantin Simonov 4.17 avg rating — 157 ratings score: 234, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Sculpting in Time by Andrei Tarkovsky 4.50 avg rating — 6,499 ratings score: 233, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin by Vladimir Voinovich 4.02 avg rating — 2,660 ratings score: 232, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	Faithful Ruslan by Georgi Vladimov 4.06 avg rating — 1,192 ratings score: 215, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	February: Selected Poetry by Boris Pasternak 4.09 avg rating — 108 ratings score: 208, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	Memoirs by Andrei D. Sakharov 4.20 avg rating — 119 ratings score: 204, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	Por una causa justa (Estalingrado, #1) by Vasily Grossman 4.29 avg rating — 3,771 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	Град обреченный by Arkady Strugatsky 4.17 avg rating — 6,191 ratings score: 197, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	A School for Fools by Sasha Sokolov 4.08 avg rating — 2,090 ratings score: 197, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	From Two to Five by Korney Chukovsky 4.35 avg rating — 252 ratings score: 194, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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199 books · 268 voters · list created September 25th, 2009 by Pavel (votes) .

Tags: russia, russian, russian-history, soviet

300 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (268)

Pavel 1237 books
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Susanna - Censored by GoodReads 3386 books
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Revolver 68 books
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Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
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Thom 6022 books
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Daisy 6707 books
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Mir 15056 books
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Bettie 15675 books
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Post a comment »
Comments Showing 1-38 of 38 (38 new)

date

newest »

message 1: by [deleted user] (new)

May 25, 2011 11:06AM

Crime and Punishment should not be in this list.
It was published in 1866.

reply | flag

message 2: by Pavel (new)

May 25, 2011 11:14AM

Obviously. Any idea how to eliminate it? I've started this list at some point, but can't see any feature to edit it

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message 3: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited May 25, 2011 11:16AM) (new)

May 25, 2011 11:14AM

Absolutely right; I shall remove it.

Pavel - GR librarians can remove books from lists.

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message 4: by Pavel (new)

May 25, 2011 11:20AM

I'm also librarian, but only with option to remove books I''ve put on this list myself

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message 5: by [deleted user] (new)

May 25, 2011 02:01PM

Pavel,

you should click in edit, and then in "remove particular books".

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message 6: by Alberto (new)

Apr 24, 2013 01:48PM

My Great Predecessors was published long after 1991. All five volumes should be removed.

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message 7: by Pavel (new)

Apr 29, 2013 01:16AM

Done. Thanks for the find, Alberto

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message 8: by Alberto (last edited Apr 29, 2013 05:50AM) (new)

Apr 29, 2013 05:49AM

No to be a pest, but there's one left. Garry Kasparov on Fischer: My Great Predecessors, Part 4

This is an awesome list, by the way. I will be putting many of these on my to-read list. Thanks for putting it together.

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message 9: by Pavel (last edited Apr 29, 2013 06:08AM) (new)

Apr 29, 2013 06:07AM

Big part of it (including Kasparov's books) was brought in by other goodreaders. I was going to update the list and will do sooner or later, way more books can be added here. But thanks, Alberto :)

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message 10: by Manray9 (new)

Jul 06, 2013 01:29PM

Victor Serge was the son of Russian revolutionaries, but born in Belgium. He was active in the Russian Revolution and the "Left Opposition" during the Twenties. I believe he wrote "The Case of Comrade Tulayev" and "The Unforgiving Years" in French. The English editions listed above were translated from French. While I strongly endorse both novels, they are not Russian literature.

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message 11: by Knoxann (new)

Aug 05, 2013 09:39PM

Anyone read The Forgotten Soldier?

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message 12: by Manray9 (new)

Aug 06, 2013 01:20PM

Yes, about a young German soldier in WW II?

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message 13: by Manray9 (new)

Oct 03, 2013 04:36PM

I would be difficult to convince that Ivan Bunin wrote Soviet literature, even if in the 1920s. He was about as non-Soviet as a Russian writer could be.

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message 14: by Knoxann (new)

Oct 03, 2013 08:12PM

I will investigate...Just received your post. Are you not too active on this site? Thank you for your message. Shall I assume that I should find and read Ivan Bunin? Hope you are well.

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message 15: by Manray9 (new)

Oct 04, 2013 07:53AM

Bunin was of decidedly bourgeois origins. He fled the Bolsheviks at the first opportunity. Most of his best work preceded the revolution – including his famous story collection “The Gentleman from San Francisco,” which was published in 1916. Bunin’s style and subject matter owed nothing to the Soviet experiment. He is, however, the answer to the trivia question “Who was the first Russian writer to win the Nobel Prize?”

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message 16: by Manray9 (last edited Oct 04, 2013 08:11AM) (new)

Oct 04, 2013 08:00AM

Knoxann wrote: "I will investigate...Just received your post. Are you not too active on this site? Thank you for your message. Shall I assume that I should find and read Ivan Bunin? Hope you are well."

This list started as My Top Ten (others have added to it), but just Russian writers -- not restricted to Soviet. On the list, however, appear Zamyatin, Bulgakov, Babel, Sholokhov (also a Russian Nobel winner), Pasternak (him too) and Solzhenitsyn (him too) who are all undoubtedly Soviet -- some in style, all in subject matter. My point is that "Soviet" implies much more than a time frame. Nabokov would be spinning in his grave if he knew he was described as a "Soviet" writer.

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/30...

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message 17: by Knoxann (new)

Oct 04, 2013 10:14AM

Manray9 wrote: "Knoxann wrote: "I will investigate...Just received your post. Are you not too active on this site? Thank you for your message. Shall I assume that I should find and read Ivan Bunin? Hope you ar..."

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message 18: by Knoxann (new)

Oct 04, 2013 10:14AM

duly noted. Thank you.

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message 19: by Manray9 (new)

Oct 05, 2013 07:41AM

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message 20: by Manray9 (new)

Oct 05, 2013 07:43AM

Knoxann wrote: "duly noted. Thank you."

It was not my intention to appear didactic. I wanted to provide a thoughtful and relevant comment on the list.

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message 21: by Knoxann (new)

Oct 05, 2013 03:01PM

no problem. I appreciate your insight and comments. I will read Bunin and what should I begin with? I saw some things on Amazon.

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message 22: by Manray9 (new)

Oct 05, 2013 04:50PM

Knoxann wrote: "no problem. I appreciate your insight and comments. I will read Bunin and what should I begin with? I saw some things on Amazon."

Start with the Penguin collection of stories including "The Gentleman from San Francisco."

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message 23: by Knoxann (new)

Oct 05, 2013 05:12PM

Thanks you -- I will --

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message 24: by Pavel (new)

Jan 03, 2014 04:17AM

Just a quick reminder: This is is the list of Soviet Literature or, if you wish, list of books written by Soviet writers. Not in any way list of books about Soviet Union. (I'm writing this cause I removed several books miscategorized like that).
More complicated issue are Russian writers who wrote in Russian, but lived outside USSR and cannot be categorized as "Soviet Wiriters". Obvious examples from the list are Bunin or Nabokov's novels written in Russian. In my opinion they have to stay because having them here gives much broader picture for us. That is why I named the list like that "Best Russian (Soviet 1917-1991)" - putting "Soviet" behind the brackets and ephasizing on "Russian".

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message 25: by Manray9 (new)

Jan 03, 2014 07:57AM

Pavel wrote: "Just a quick reminder: This is is the list of Soviet Literature or, if you wish, list of books written by Soviet writers. Not in any way list of books about Soviet Union. (I'm writing this cause I ..."

Pavel: I apologize. I confused this with a similar list I started. I agree with your clarification, "Best Russian," but not necessarily Soviet, e.g. Bunin and Nabokov.

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message 26: by Pavel (last edited Jul 13, 2014 05:22AM) (new)

Jul 13, 2014 02:34AM

I've removed "Mother" by Maxim Gorky from the list. Of course this novel was written before the revolution, in 1906. Those who like Gorky, feel free to add some of his novels written after 1917, for example "Life of Klim Samgin"

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message 27: by Pavel (new)

Aug 07, 2015 11:42AM

I have removed several books by Dostoevsky and Leskov from the list for obvious reasons.

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message 28: by Jim (new)

Nov 28, 2016 09:33AM

I accidentally added a duplicate of "We" and don't know how to remove it. Sorry! Great list, btw!

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message 29: by Pavel (new)

Nov 28, 2016 02:25PM

Thanks, Jim, and no problem about We, I'll deal with it. In fact the book was in top-5 from the start of the list!

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message 30: by Pavel (new)

Nov 28, 2016 02:36PM

I have also removed several Chekhov's plays added by someone for obvious reason.

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message 31: by Pavel (new)

Nov 28, 2016 02:37PM

I have also removed several Chekhov's plays added by someone for obvious reason.

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message 32: by Nente (new)

Mar 01, 2017 11:38AM

Might be best to put an extended description in the, um, list's description? Most people won't read the comments before voting (unfortunately many people won't read anything before voting, but at least you've tried...)

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message 33: by Manray9 (new)

Dec 17, 2017 01:04PM

Marcy wrote: "I dont have its date at hand, but my favorite is OBLOMOV by Goncharov. I wish your list didnt have the date constraint but i enjoy it. Thanks!"

Marcy: You missed by about 70 years.

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message 34: by Manray9 (new)

Dec 17, 2017 01:46PM

Marcy wrote: "Is this about books or a timeline trivia game? No one has said a word about the books. Oh well. Oblomov is too tired to worry about it. No offense ."

The list is for Soviet literature. It's simply a fact that the Soviet period doesn't mean 1859. Make another list for 19th century Russian lit.

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message 35: by Manray9 (new)

Dec 18, 2017 07:53AM

Marcy wrote: "I will refer you to your own comment #16, where you state that Soviet Literature implies MUCH MORE THAN A TIME FRAME."

Oblomov was in no manner a precursor of Soviet literature -- either in its early avant-garde days or the era of socialist realism.

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message 36: by Manray9 (new)

Dec 18, 2017 07:54AM

Marcy wrote: "Ok. I only felt that your original response was a bit snarky. Good luck with your FACTS. I still dont see any thoughts about the literature itself, though, on this list. I hope my list will be welc..."

I try to restrain myself to a fact-based reality. Up is up, it's not down. 1859 isn't the Soviet era no matter how much someone may want it to be so.

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message 37: by Manray9 (new)

Dec 18, 2017 08:53AM

Marcy wrote: "Im actually starting to like you, Manray! Im really not trying to be so combative. I think its been fun. So anyway, I WIN, right?"

You win if you'll humbly acknowledge Oblomov has no connection whatsoever to Soviet literature -- not in time, not in substance, not in style.

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message 38: by Manray9 (last edited Dec 18, 2017 03:27PM) (new)

Dec 18, 2017 12:43PM

Marcy wrote: "I was just licking my wounds and thinking about your Realism...up is up, and not down....etc. BUT, what if you're in Bizzaro World?"

Then you're residing in a comic book invention.

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