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201 books · 269 voters · list created September 25th, 2009 by Pavel (votes) .
303 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Pavel 1237 books
296 friends
Susanna - Censored by GoodReads 3388 books
850 friends
Revolver 68 books
0 friends
Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
365 friends
Thom 6022 books
293 friends
Daisy 6771 books
138 friends
Mir 15109 books
449 friends
Bettie 15687 books
19 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-38 of 38 (38 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by [deleted user] (new)

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


message 2: by Pavel (new)

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


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

Susanna - Censored by GoodReads Absolutely right; I shall remove it.

Pavel - GR librarians can remove books from lists.


message 4: by Pavel (new)

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


message 5: by [deleted user] (new)

Pavel,

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


message 6: by Alberto (new)

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


message 7: by Pavel (new)

Pavel Done. Thanks for the find, Alberto


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

Alberto 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.


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

Pavel 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 :)


message 10: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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.


message 11: by Knoxann (new)

Knoxann Armijo Anyone read The Forgotten Soldier?


message 12: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 Yes, about a young German soldier in WW II?


message 13: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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.


message 14: by Knoxann (new)

Knoxann Armijo 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.


message 15: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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?”


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

Manray9 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...


message 17: by Knoxann (new)

Knoxann Armijo 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..."


message 18: by Knoxann (new)

Knoxann Armijo duly noted. Thank you.


message 19: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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."

Do you mean active on Goodreads? I'm on everyday -- and I would recommend Bunin.


message 20: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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.


message 21: by Knoxann (new)

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


message 22: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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."


message 23: by Knoxann (new)

Knoxann Armijo Thanks you -- I will --


message 24: by Pavel (new)

Pavel 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".


message 25: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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.


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

Pavel 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"


message 27: by Pavel (new)

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


message 28: by Jim (new)

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


message 29: by Pavel (new)

Pavel 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!


message 30: by Pavel (new)

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


message 31: by Pavel (new)

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


message 32: by Nente (new)

Nente 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...)


message 33: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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.


message 34: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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.


message 35: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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.


message 36: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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.


message 37: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 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.


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

Manray9 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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