I started reading The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky again. This time I'll actually finish it! I have read some of his short stories, as well as short stories by Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Gogol.

Do any of you like classic Russian authors? What are your favorite works?

I've being meaning to read Brothers Karamazov for a while but it's... daunting hahaha.

Which translation are you reading? I somehow ended up with the both the Constance Garnett translation, and I think a newer one by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

Hahah, at least with the e-book I don't have to see how massive it is. I have the Dover Thrift edition, not sure who did the translation. It would probably be better if I tried to find the "best" translation, but this one was free.

I have to go with "Crime and Punishment." I had read it in high school and decided to revisit it. Now I remember how much I loved it.

From a quick googling it looks like it's probably Constance Garnett. I don't know which one's the best but the Garnett one is probably the "classic" translation, if that counts for anything haha.

Dostoevsky is one of my favorite authors. I'm really glad I came across this thread. I'm rather partial to The Idiot myself, though of course Crime and Punishment is a classic. Tolstoy's Death of Ivan Ilych was also a good read (and far easier than finishing up War and Peace or Anna Karenina, as it's a short story). I really like Chekov's short stories, and I have Gogol's Dead Souls on my shelf to read. It's been a while since I've read Pushkin, but I recall rather loving his poetry. Huzzah for reading The Brothers Karamazov. I haven't yet gotten through that one.

I actually haven't read many Russian authors! The ones that come to mind are Nabokov (Lolita, Pale Fire), Dostoevsky (Notes from the Underground), and Bulgakov (The Master and the Margarita). I've enjoyed all three, but the problem with The Master and the Margarita is that it was unfinished, as well as the translation I had wasn't particularly outstanding. I've also read a bit of Chekhov and his short stories, which I've enjoyed. I really need to read some Tolstoy... one of these days... (:

Awesome! I think Crime and Punishment will be the next big Russian book I tackle.

I love Dostoevsky. His characters are so colorful and fascinating. I'm sure at some point I have read some of Chekov and Pushkin's work, but I can't really remember it. I need to revisit them.

Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Gogol's Dead Souls are two of the greatest books I've ever read, and I adore both authors. I'd also recommend to anyone interested in Russian lit the works of Pushkin, Chekhov, Turgenev, and Goncharov.

The Brothers Karamazov is a wonderful book! It's a bit slow to start but once you're familiar with the characters it goes by quickly. It only took me a week or two to finish. Personally, between the two I would recommend the Constance Garrnett translation, I can't stand Pevear and Volokhonsky's. They make the work less readable and ruin the flow of the original. Most people complain that Garrnett's translations are too classical for modern audiences, but I think she does a wonderful job.

Andrew R. MacAndrew's translations are also good and Sidney Monas' translation of Crime and Punishment is the best I've read so far. Finding the right translation is important, nothing is worse than reading a poor translation of a good book and having to give up halfway through. I'm so happy I found this thread! There are not enough fans of Russian literature around these days.

Ah yes, I definitely want to check out Dead Souls soon! I agree that The Brothers Karamazov is wonderful, it is hard to put down. If I wasn't reading so slowly because of some cognitive problems I'd probably be done already. I looked it up and mine is in fact the Constance Garnett translation. I haven't compared it to others, but I think it's great and can't imagine trying to read a more "modern" translation.

Brothers Karamazov is actually one of my favorite books, though I have to finish it as well. I read it halfway in high school and then had to turn it back in, and never finished it.

I'm in the process of reading the rest of the Wheel of Time books, but it's on my list of classics that I hope to finish someday.

As a sidenote, I find e-books incredibly hard to read.. maybe it's the non-pages, but I've been reading Les Miserables forever, and part of the reason is that I just find reading it as an e-book unexciting and a lot slower so yeah, I'll stick with regular books. I just find them a lot faster to read than e-books.

As for Russian authors, I remember really liking War and Peace and Crime and Punishment mostly.

Dead Souls is great and it's a comedy as well! The only problem with the book is its unfinished, and ends mid-sentence. He threw the manuscript for part two into a fire before he died, and only a few fragments could be saved. But if you like his short stories I'd recommend it highly. Diary of a Madman, The Overcoat, Nevsky Prospect, and Viy are also really good, and he's done some great plays.

Yeah I can't stand reading e-books. It'd be okay for a short story, but I can't imagine trying to read an entire novel on one. It's really hard to concentrate for me and you can't keep track of where you are or flip through the pages as easily? I love finding old used books, especially ones which are nicely bound, and sometimes have notes left in them, or highlights, or small messages. I think that's wonderful. It's as if you've found a little piece of the past, of history.

Oh haha I forgot about Master and Margarita! I don't remember it very well but the copy I read had a cool cover (it was a Grove Press edition).

Cool, I think I'll start with the Garnett version then!

Ugh I really LOVE real books too. I like to flip through to see how long every chapter is before I start, I love seeing what has been noted/highlighted/underlined in used books. And the delightful smell! Unfortunately the smell of old books is usually from a mold that makes me sick, so I'm resigned to non-moldy ebooks, le sigh.

Oh and I finished The Brothers Karamazov today. Amazing. But I immediately felt lost wondering what in the world to read next!

I like the Idiot by Dostoevsky and various works by Tolstoy :)

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