This year in Russian literature was a big round zero for me. I am not even sure how this happened - I love Russian authors? But it did happen and something needs to be done, so I will join o's Russian Literature 2014 challenge.
There are four levels of participation available, I'll go with number two, 4-6 books.
Here is the list of what I'm planning to read (in alphabetical order):
1. The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoyevski - a re-read of one of the best books ever.
2. Dead Souls, Nikolai Gogol - I'll read it in Estonian, as I have a very old copy (from 1949) on my shelf.
3. Invitation to a Beheading, Vladimir Nabokov - I am so excited for this, I think Nabokov writes so beautifully and the premise of Invitation to a Beheading seems to bear resemblances to the world of Kafka (and I love Kafka!), so this could possibly turn out really good for me.
4. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - tackles a tough topic, I'm hoping for a powerful read out of this one.
4. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - tackles a tough topic, I'm hoping for a powerful read out of this one.
5. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy - yep, 2014 will be the year for this.
6. We, Yevgeni Zamyatin - a sci-fi classic from 1924.
I *loved* Invitation to a Beheading. I remember reading it - particularly looking forward to see what you think!
ReplyDeleteThe Idiot is amazing, too. I loved Prince Myshkin (hence one of my budgies is called Myshkin)
Oooh, knowing you loved Beheading makes me immensely more excited! I think I'll have to read it soon!
DeleteAlso Myshkin is a lovely name for a budgie. Not directly related but we once had a cat named Pushkin (or Puškin as spelled locally) :))
Yay, I'm doing this too (when I get around to writing the post, anyway)! Anna Karenina really put me in the mood for Russian lit this year so I'm going to fully embrace it. Although I'm going to go for the lower level (for now). I've read some of Gogol's short stories and really enjoyed them so I may just plan for Dead Souls also.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your year of Russian reading, you have a really interesting list of choices - I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Joy! I'm so glad you liked Anna Karenina and that it inspired you to try more Russian works. :)
DeleteI am also doing this challenge and considering reading War and Peace this year as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat! I have a feeling it might be a bit of a challenging book, but hopefully all the more rewarding in the end.
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