New Russian Classics Series: TBR & Favorites // Carolyn(Marya)Reads // 2021

[@vasilisashakurova743]

As Russian, I am very pleased to see foreigners who are interested in Russian literature. Dostoevsky's «The Idiot» and Lermontov’s “A hero of our time” are my favorite

[@ronkrupovich7152]

I love "The Idiot," even though it doesn't receive the praise of Dostoevsky's other gems

[@Sterleva]

As a Russian, I heartily advise you to read Bulgakov's "Notes of a Young Doctor". A long time ago I watched a mini-series with Daniel Radcliffe. Yesterday I finished reading the stories. I liked it very much!

[@РатиборРодин]

Россиян нет есть русские они все в россии а не за бугром.

[@luzsalas7583]

I just read this a couple months ago and was a 5 stars for me. I really really liked. I can't quite pin point what was that I liked so much but I did. I would love to see the mini-series 🤭

[@igordetonador]

I'm currently reading War and Peace in Russian and i should say that, by being Brazilian and having some fluency in the Russian language, Tolstoy is incredibly the easiest author to read in the original. Since my favorite author is Dostoevsky, i started reading and learning Russian through his works, which wasn't the best idea, but helped me build a strong classic vocab. In my honest opinion, if duolingo is getting too boring or you're already comfortable with Russian, try diving into the originals using google translate or a dictionary in hands. It's worth the time and you start understanding everything faster than learning through different materials!!!

[@rosanaamira274]

Impressive! Congratulations for being hardworking with Russian!

[@vasilisashakurova743]

If you continue to read Dostoevsky, then I advise you to do it this way: start with "The Village of Stepanchikovo" and "Netochka Nezvanova", then the simplest of the great Pentateuch "Adolescent", then "Crime and Punishment", "Idiot" and "Demons". "It is better to read the Brothers Karamazov at the very end, because this is the last work of the author

[@dxluna5406]

Damn i straight up just went for crime and punishment

[@averyforeman5208]

Lol brothers Karamazov is the only one I own

[@ayahramy]

@@dxluna5406 It's a mistake that lots of people do , because it's the most famous work for Dostoevsky

[@SampsfaN]

@@averyforeman5208 lol same, I had ordered it a couple of days ago and it is going to be my first Dostoevsky book.🤣

[@dxluna5406]

@@ayahramy thats so true because i just stopped reading halfway and left it to read It by stephen king finished that and now im reading Rebecca by daphne

[@AnnManch]

As an avid reader of Russian classics (and a Russian myself), I am in love with your channel and in awe of your enthusiasm for Russian literature! Ivan Turgenev is my biggest love - reading his books feels like coming home after a long day of work. “Fathers and Sons” is an absolute fave, and I can also recommend “Home of the Gentry” and “On the Eve”. And when it comes to Fyodor Dostoevsky, I definitely recommend “The Idiot”. I adore all of Dostoevsky’s books, but “The Idiot” has a special place in my heart. No words can describe my love for this novel. And, to my mind, “The Idiot” is a bit easier to digest than, for example, “The Brothers Karamazov”. I am reading "The Brothers..." right now, and it's a lot, haha Can’t wait to watch more of your videos dedicated to Russian classics! Sending lots of love from Russia ♥

[@dxluna5406]

Im reading crime and punishment right now and I love it so far

[@frigginjerk]

C&P was my favorite for a long time (of anything, not just Dostoevsky or Russian lit), but it was recently dethroned by Karamazov. For Turgenev, I've only read Fathers and Sons, but I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. I figured it'd be somewhere in the pretty good/alright range, but I'd put it right up there with Dostoevsky and Tolstoy.

[@evie4655]

Привет Мария! It's amazing to see your excitement about Russian literature which I also share! I would recommend you to start your journey with going through works of Pushkin and Gogol first to see how they paved the way for future Russian writers, as many of them often reference Gogol's and Pushkin's works. For Dostoevsky, if you want your read to be as deep as possible, I would recommend studying a bit of history of socialist and nihilist movements at his time, the Russian Orthodox Christianity, a bit about the Russian Revolution and events leading to it to see how prophetic Dostoevsky's writing was (especially when reading "Demons") and maybe a bit about future existentialist movements that took inspiration from Dostoevsky's heroes. If you were to read Bulgakov and other Soviet writers I guess some knowledge about Stalinist era would be welcomed as well. Can't wait to see more of your future videos! Удачи! 😊

[@danielzamirbekov9545]

Hello from Russia! Спасибо, что читаете русскую классическую литературу 🖤

[@ariadna6040]

Oh, dear... You know what?! I'm from Russia and i really do love reading... BUT! Even for Russian people reading our literature quite complicated task :) I'm really proud of you! Thank you for such incredible video ❤️❤️❤️

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Thank you so much! I'm forever thankful to be able to read such amazing works of literature!

[@streetsympohny]

Just finished War and Peace and I’m currently reading Anna Karenina, so excited. I’m going to be reading Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamozov in a few months. War and Peace was so good. I’m also really enjoying Anna Karenina.

[@saranvdv2768]

Since reading war and peace, I definitely also want to read more Russian classics. This video is perfect!

[@mrodriguez377]

Your channel seems fun and interesting! I just subscribed lol :)

[@snowyhut5205]

I need to comment and clap in excitement even before watching the video! I am an all time fan of Dostoevsky: Karamazov Brothers, the 1st i read by him, got stuck on my heart (and for very intimate, personal reasons, not the moral issues described by scholars) and I went from there to everything; Lermontov, Pushkin, Tolstoy, Gogol, Gorky, you name them! I am so happy you are going to talk about them! 2 of my favorite things together (your vids and russian lit) ❤

[@abakutka4425]

It's so amazing to know a person who can be so sensitive to someone else's culture. I share your love for Russian literature and admire you, Carolyn (Maria)☺️✨

[@vasilisashakurova743]

My recommendations for Russian literature which weren’t mentioned : “The road to Calvary", "The Quiet Don", novels by Irina Odoevtseva ("The Angel of Death", "Isolde", "The Mirror") stories by Leonid Andreev ("The Story of the Seven Hanged", "Red Laughter", " Judas Iscariot»). By the way, "Red Laughter" is the scariest depiction of war you'll ever read

[@annaz2349]

Thanks a lot🙃

[@mirrorsaw]

Yes! Leonid Andreyev is dark and bleak (not sure if Carolyn would be into that, lol). Love him! Do you like Fyodor Sologub? The Petty Demon (S.D. Cioran translation) is a favorite of mine.

[@Ricky-es9vg]

The Brothers Karamazov is my favorite book I have ever read. I also want to learn Russian for the same reasons

[@taylorobannon8316]

I bought Anna Karenina a few days ago! You really inspire me to no longer be intimidated by books like these. Thank you!

[@christbianchi]

Tolstoy is still my favorite, but I'm excited for you doing this series on russian literature. The Doctor Zhivago movie from (1965) directed by David Lean is great! Also I just watched the epic 4 part War and Peace film directed by Sergei Bondarchuk (1966-1967) which is absolutely amazing, really epic on all levels of production!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Mine too! Yes, that's the one I mentioned my mom loves! I'll have to watch it after I read the book! I'm also planning on watching that adaptation of War and Peace soon as well! I've heard it's brilliant!

[@dheomodi]

4:30 "How Much Land Does A Man Need?" / "What Men Live By" - Leo Tolstoy 5:35 "Anna Karenina" - Leo Tolstoy 7:19 "Gooseberries" - Anton Chekhov 8:50 "The Meek One" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 8:57 "Crime and Punishment" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 10:00 "Childhood, Boyhood, Youth" - Leo Tolstoy 10:57 "War and Peace" - Leo Tolstoy

[@TheMasqerade]

I'm so excited to watch and take part in your incursion of reading Russian literature, and especially would love to see you learning Russian (or at least discussing books, history and literary research)! I will tag along and will prioritize the books on the checklist from your instagram, this should be a very interesting journey! Thank you so much Carolyn Marya and amazing video, as always!

[@amodiekka]

Well, I’m Russian and I already recommended some books to you, but I will say it now one more time. My favourite book is A hero of our time by Mikhail Lermontov and also I love his poems. Speaking about books, I would like to recommend you a play Woe from wit by Alexander Griboyedov. This book really means a lot for me, it was one of the first books of Russian classics that I liked. I hope you will enjoy it too. Also I can recommend you Captain’s daughter by Alexander Pushkin and his poems. To be honest, I have a very long list with Russian books. There are some of them: “Scarlet sails” by Alexander Grin, “Asya” by Ivan Turgenev, “Fate of a man” by Mikhail Sholokhov. I hope I wrote it right:) Sorry, if there are mistakes))

[@sashabear6408]

Hi, Carolyn! I'm so exciting you're doing this series and shares your love for Russian classics. I'm from Russia and, funny enough, but your videos helped me become curious about my country's literature! Thank you for that! After studying these books at school, for so long and without any interest in them, I was avoiding Russian classics last few years. I was very sceptical of all our authors and their work. But when I found out your vlogs of reading "Anna Karenina" and I saw how much you enjoyed it, that really interested me - what did I miss in the story? So, now I start my journey "Back to Russian Literature"! And you are the great inspiration for it!

[@CafeCynthia]

I absolutely love Russian literature and I am very interested in their culture as well. I'm American also. I just love reading the Russian novels!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I'm so glad you agree!

[@anastasia1391q]

Great collection of Russian classics! There are some that I haven’t read yet but after watching this video I want to and also I can’t wait to reread some of my favourite books that I studied on the literature classes at school (in Russia). Including War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Master and Margarita, Doctor Zhivago. A little note about Master and Margarita (which of cause might be applied to any other book): the story in Master and Margarita is very amusing and captivating but there is so much behind it, so much hidden meanings and even painful moments from Bulghakov‘s life and living situation during the Stalin‘s regime, which was influenced by the history of that time. So I really recommend reading a bit more about it before diving into reading:) Fun fact: this book was rewritten 5 times and the last version was not even the final one. The endings of these versions were very different as well. I didn’t know all about it when I was reading this book for the first time and I regret it now, and now I definitely need to reread it to understand it more. Though I am sure that you always research the history behind the story before reading:) just a friendly reminder:)

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

I was on holiday in Hay on Wye and bought Solzhenitsyn's 'Cancer Ward' in a second hand bookstore. When I put the book on the counter I smiled at the po-faced woman at the counter and said, 'Hello, just this this thank you. Nice to find some light holiday reading material'.

[@1siddynickhead]

Yes yes yes!! pls do vlogs for this series too! So exciting 😺 I'm obsessed with Russian classics and I recently read Lolita and was blown away by Nabokov. The writing style is the BEST I've ever come across! Just masteful! And don't worry, it's not graphic or explicit. The subject is disturbing for sure but it's still incredible. So far I've read War and Peace Anna Karenina Brothers Karamazov Gaito Gazdanov's The Buddha's Return Nina Berberova's The Book of Happiness Petersburg by Andrei Bely Technically Lolita is not Russian lit! But since Nabokov is a Russian born author I threw him in there:) Also, I also didn't enjoy Dostoyevsky as much as I loved Tolstoy so it could be a matter of taste. I prefer Tolstoy and his less digressive style

[@mashkarushka3800]

Hi, Carolyn! My name's Maria ( almost Marya, but not the same hah) and I'm from Russia :) I'm so glad to hear that you are interested in russian literature and culture. Happy journey to the world of russian classics!

[@katya.klimentenko]

So overwhelmed to see a foreigner eager to read something Russian 🤗 Personal favorites since school: all novels of Turgenev, a hero of our time and doctor zhivgo. Highly recommend, hope you’re going to enjoy them all! Btw, we also have a version for your first name - it’s Carolina 😉

[@tanyaschneider5419]

I am new to your channel and I am I'm love with how enthusiastic you are about Russian classics! I grew up on Russian classics and one that you might want to read is "The Idiot" by Dostoevsky. And definitely get your hands on "Fathers and Sons"! That was one of my favorites growing up!! Keep going and spreading the love for these beautiful books ❤️

[@luisa_zardo]

Hi Carolyn! First of all: thanks for all the Russian literature content! It’s so nice to feel all that enthusiasm together with you :) The Master and Margarita was my first Russian novel and it is still my favorite (Anna Karenina is a close second), it is DEFINITELY a ride! I read in that same edition that you have (isn’t that the most beautiful cover ever? I’m a book designer and my greatest aspiration is to one day achieve something as amazing as that) and the introduction is everything!!! I just started watching your videos so I don’t know if you came across Orlando Figes’ Natasha’s Dance yet. It is a non fiction book about the Russia’s culture and it gives A LOT of context to the most important Russian writers (he spends a lot of time talking about Tolstoy’s life, so I’m sure you’re going to enjoy it). Sending lots of bookish love from Brazil

[@maryrosenbergr7570]

Привет, I’m Russian and it’d be really interesting for me to now how you approach language learning☺️ Passion is key and you clearly have lots of it + your subscribers will always be happy to help you practice. Удачи!🍀

[@ДжонНовость]

Lermontov, Odoyevsky, Nikolai Leskov (Tolstoy said Leskov was the most Russian writer), Ivan Goncharov (trilogy), the smartest Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, aristocrat Ivan Bunin (Nobel Prize for literature), Silver Age of Russian Poetry, Maxim Gorky (The life of klim samgin), Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy ( The Road to Calvary). Mikhail Sholokhov (And Quiet Flows the Don ). All of these are unknown, unfortunately.

[@freshparchment]

I'm so glad that you're so excited about Eugene Onegin! I would also recommend reading Uncle Vanya and Turgenev close together. The adaptation on PBS Passport (starring Richard Armitage!) makes references to "living as though we're in a Turgenev novel", which is why I'm hoping to pick up two later this month.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

YES!!! Thank you so much again Heather! :) Ooowww I'll keep that in mind! :)

[@SophiaClef]

You should definitely read The Living Corpse by Leo Tolstoy. It has A LOT in common with Anna Karenina. I think the Kreutzer Sonata is his most polarizing work though, so if you want to find out about some of Tolstoy's more controversial side, it would be an amazing choice. I read it quite a long time ago, but I remember it being very tragic, yet entertaining. Father Sergey and The Devil are "hardcore", as well. They're all pretty short, too. For a more Dickensian Dostoevsky you could try Humiliated and Insulted. Memorable characters, wonderful atmosphere, a bit less philosophy than usual. For some more tragi-comedy Gogol is your guy. The Diary of a Madman is my absolute favorite. The Nose is nice, too. For something with less comedy and more tragedy, try The Overcoat. For something more "E.A. Poe"-The Portrait. There are obviously so many authors to choose from. these are just a few of them.

[@KatrissT]

I'm 28 and started learning Russian a couple of years ago, and it's been wonderful! Once you learn the alphabet it isn't as hard as people say. I have class once a week and we mainly focus on speaking and listening so we don't really read or write as much. Because of this my reading is still very slow, but I know it just takes time because of the different alphabet. Russian is a very logical language, so even if the language works a little differently from English, I would say at the end of the day it's quite easy to learn if you're motivated and interested. My first language is Finnish so I'm used to having cases with nouns, but the cases still must be the hardest thing so far. I would highly, highly recommend signing up for a beginners' class somewhere, it's a hundred times better than Duolingo!

[@amandalavelle2638]

Many moons ago I did a Theatre Studies and Writing degree and I fell in love with Chekhov’s plays then- but I haven’t read any of his prose that I can remember so I might have to check that out. A couple of suggestions- I recently read The heart of a dog by Bulgakov and I found that a good introduction to him (not read anything else yet by him) but it’s quite short and I think gives a good indication of his writing style and themes. I also at the beginning of the year discovered the poetry of Anna Akhmatova and her Requiem literally moved me to tears- it’s raw and honest and if you read a little bit into her life you’ll see exactly where that poetry has come from. Remarkable woman xx

[@SofiaPerez-jw3oy]

I love Russian literature but most of the novels that interested me were quite daunting (I’m lookin at you War and Peace), so I decided to ease into it through poetry, I’d recommend the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova

[@stephandlulu]

Your enthusiasm is contagious!

[@carbonc6065]

Great video ... Hope you enjoy Gogol--he's very funny.

[@user-kg6fc6in9c]

Hello, Carolyn Marya! Thank you for your videos! If you don`t mind, I would love to recommend you another russian writer from the 19th century, Ivan Goncharov. He is not as famous as Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, but I think he deserve attention too. He has three novels that are not directly related to each other, but are united by a single idea - "the transition from one period in history dominated by a landholding aristocracy to a second period in which capitalists and industrials have assumed a major role." These novels are "A Common Story"/ "The Same Old Story" 1847 (different translations), "Oblomov" 1859 (his most famous novel) and " The Precipice" 1869. We studied "Oblomov" at school as well as "War and Peace" or "Crime and Punishment". I love "A Common Story". It`s a tale for all times, I think. A young dreamer and romantic from countryside faces harsh life and inhospitality in St. Petersburg. This novel tells that no matter how unique and dreamy people are, many of them break down under the weight of a harsh life and their personalities disappear into the gray crowd. It`s a sad, sometimes funny story (Goncharov is really good at writing dialogs). I decided to read this novel after reading one girl`s words about it: "You should read this book to the last line, and then go to the mirror, look at yourself and say that this will never happen to you". Also, I really love the play "The Lower Depth" 1902 by Maxim Gorky. It can be devastating and depressing, but it truthfully shows the life of poor people in those times.

[@mirrorsaw]

Oblomov (Stephen Pearl translation) is an excellent read; it's also Tolstoy's favorite novel, so there's that. I have The Same Old Story and Malinovka Heights (The Precipice) sitting on my shelf next to Oblomov. I'm very looking forward to reading those as well.

[@polina5520]

CarolinaMariaReads maybe :) Carolina is a Russian-ish equivalent of Carolyn I think. Btw, I recommend reading Zuleikha opens her eyes and Laurus. These are interesting modern Russian books :)

[@IriPanning]

I’m currently listening to it, it’s called just ‘Zuleikha’ in English (by Guzel Yakhina)

[@henkbaas6892]

Anna karenina is my favourite aswell! Oblomov by Gontsjarow is amazing too, def worth checking out :)

[@katya.klimentenko]

Oh, Pushkin is a definite must! 😍 hopefully, it’s nicely translated, otherwise, I’m afraid you may not capture and fully appreciate the atmosphere and magic his works create 😔 that’s why his not that well known abroad compared to Tolstoy, Chekhov or Dostoevsky

[@dk2428]

Hi Carolyn, great to see someone who shares my enthusiasm to read all the Russian classics! Great video. Oh, btw i'm learning Russian on Duolingo and i think its an amazing app. Go for it! The Karamazov brothers is actually my nr1 book, took me forever, but its actually my favourite. Make sure to read Sakhalin Island by Chekhov.

[@benzedrineboy]

You and Emmie both make videos of great quality and I think that you channel will blow up similarly (or at least, it should, you deserve it for your hard work ❤️)

[@melquesilva3339]

The english pronunciation of Maria is soo interesting!

[@EricKarlAnderson]

This is such a great project and I'm looking forward to following your progress. It's such good advice to start with a story or short book by a Russian author before diving into their bigger, lauded classics. To my shame, I've never read Tolstoy before (other than some short stories) so you've excited me to read his bigger books. I'm one of those who loves Crime & Punishment so I'm hoping you'll be more in the mood for it when you read it again or another book by Dostoevsky. That edition of Bulgakov's novel is gorgeous!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Hi Eric! Firstly, I just want to say I've actually been a viewer of your videos for years, so it was wonderful to see this comment! :) I'm glad you think so too! No shame here! You and Tolstoy will meet (on the page) when the timing is right! I'd definitely recommend starting with Anna Karenina, if you're thinking of reading one of his bigger books! That's wonderful! I have a feeling I'll have a much greater appreciation for it on my re-read! Hearing so many people rave about Dostoevsky is really helping put me in the right mood to read his works! Isn't it? Penguin never ceases to amaze! I hope you're having a great day! :)

[@CourtneyReads]

War and Peace was my first Russian read and I loved it. I really want to read Resurrection! It sounds so interesting. And I love Brothers Karamazov! It's one of my favorites. The more Russian literature I read the more I want to read.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Starting out with the big guns!!! :D I've heard nothing but amazing things about Resurrection and The Brothers Karamazov! I feel the same!

[@carosbuecher]

It's been so inspiring to see your enthusiasm 😊 I haven't picked up a Russian classic for some time now but after watching your video i'll have to go through my shelves to see what's still there when it comes to Russian literature! I'm German but have fallen in love with Russia during my studies when I had the chance to spend a summer in Siberia. So I came back again to do the research for my master's thesis in Yakutsk and have worked after graduating at a university a couple hours north of Saint Petersburg. It's been a couple years since then though and my Russian is not as good anymore but I can only root for you and encourage you to learn Russian. One of the things I'm most proud of up until today is having read "The Idiot" by Dostoyevsky in Russian and discussing it with Russians in a local book club in Petrozavodsk 😄 And if you want to Russianize your name completely, you'd be Karolina (kah-rah-lee-na) Mariya 😉 We basically have the same name and I've been Karolina all this time 😉 Can't wait to follow you on your Russian journey 💓

[@ayahramy]

Carolyn marya ! liked it

[@mackenziewangberg2970]

I am currently reading Anna Karenina for the first time and I am absolutely loving it so far!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

YAY I'm so happy to hear that! :)

[@isidorag.k.8022]

I'm so excited about this new series! Definitely will be joining you with Anna Karenina next month with the debate ❤️ and also there's a very good book (non-fiction bc he was a professor as well) that Nabokov released about Russian literature, it's called Lectures on Russian Literature, and he goes through a lot of the books you mentioned, so I would 100% reccomend that one to you ❤️

[@May-bd6dv]

The quality, the content, everything beautiful ❤

[@algorithmimplementer415]

Yes, my experience with Lotita is also the same as yours. It is so beautifully written - each lines.

[@RetratodaLeitora]

OMG I'm so excited for this 😍😍😍 I'm in love with Russian literature right now, mostly because of Tolstoy 🥺

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Yay! Music to my ears :)

[@tessay.7445]

So proud to be Russian haha ❤️ Dostoevskys books are so good and i watched anna karenina yesterday (the one that’s on netflix) and literally fell in love with it so i started the book! So good! Your videos are great btw 😍

[@CarolynMarieReads]

That's wonderful! :) Isn't it gorgeous? I always say that it's a moving work of art! Thank you so much!!!

[@jesscoombs2176]

Currently reading We by Yevgeny Zamyatin haven’t seen anyone mention it here maybe bc it’s a sci-fi but it inspired George Orwell 1984

[@eleanorball7906]

The channel Man Carrying Thing did a really interesting video about Lolita a couple months ago from a book design/marketing perspective! I'm not very into Russian literature myself but I'm still excited to come along with you on this journey :)

[@1siddynickhead]

Thanks for this! I want to check it out:)

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I'll definitely watch that, sounds fascinating! :) I'm so excited too!

[@snowyhut5205]

Ok, commenting again after watching the video :) On the translations, I am quite the obssessive, and made intense research before buying one; comparing, reading passages, etc. One of my favorites for new translations is Ignat Avsey, and Constance Garnett's transpassing from Russian into English I find also enthrilling. The Maude's ones I like mainly for Tolstoy, because if I am not wrong, he himself gave approval to it. Generally I go for the one I feel more poetical, but of course it is my own view on it. :) About my favorites... One Lermontov's I love is his poem The Demon. It is very gothic, and romantic, on this devil falling in love with a mortal and the tragic consequences and implications of this love. I don't own a physical copy, but I would love to find a beautiful one to cherish, for it is such an intense, moving story for me. Eugene Onegin I also adore. It is quite fun to read, and the female character is intense, witty and deep, very ahead of her time. I don't know where to start with Karamazov Brothers... It was a life changing experience to me! My abusive father loved russian lit, and I grew up to hate, fear and being triggered by any mention of it, because all I knew was his interpretation of Russian Lit. Some years ago, I was adviced to try and break that fear, and the first russian book I read was Brothers K. A safe book, I thought, for it is about religion and morals. And indeed its views on religion and morals didn't speak soo much to me but oh! The insight into human psyche! How much I saw myself in a particular character! And my own father personality so well portrayed in Fyodor Karamazov! It blew out my mind, and I was moved to tears many, many times! There are 3 particular scenes that their mere memory make me weep with comfort, and regain faith in humanity. I admit I am pissed Dostoevsky died before writing the 2nd book! I am still not over Alyosha's unfinished tale. Well I better stop here, or I will never finish 😅 I am looking forwards for your views on the russians. ❤❤❤

[@liz-a_s]

Ты так интересно рассказываешь. Очень приятно тебя слушать 👍

[@islagirl]

Just discovered your channel and I super love your content and personality Carolyn!!

[@Nerdysreadingcorner]

I think a buddy read group wouldbe awesome I love this idea you are wanting to do

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I think so too! :) I'm so glad!

[@GabrielLopes-dz6xr]

The first classic not only russian but in general that i read was 'The Death of Ivan Ilich'. It was an undescribable thing! Then i went to others from Tostoy; but i still haven't read 'War and Peace', this one is on the horizon hahahah Then i went to Dostoiévsky. 'Crime and Punischment' as well as 'The Brothers Karamazov', and others, made me more of a "Dosto" person than a Tostoi one. Out of this two i only know some of Chekhov's Short Stories, and 'The Steppe'. But there are so many others to discover! This 19h century russian golden age is amazing! And obviously many other russian authors outside of that particular period. Many of the names you mentioned i had never heard of. Great video! I'll be watching for the next ones. Big Hug from Rio 🇧🇷✌🏾🤜🏾🤛🏾

[@alanshadastrokeanddiedinho2897]

I follow several people on my Instagram account that live in Russia. One person posted a list of homework that her fifth grader son had to do. A total of 30 stories plus ten more as a bonus. She also posted a list of 40 more stories her son had to read during the summer. Ten from American & British authors. I uploaded a video of all the Russian stories that the woman's son had to read.

[@AkaHeiwa]

Would be very nice to have vlogs including some Russian (language) studies!! I really like this idea, I feel like I can learn about Russian literature through you! :)

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I think I'm going to try my best to make some Russian language studies as part of the series! Fingers crossed it goes somewhat well hahaha! I hope we can all learn about Russian literature from one another as well! :)

[@ceechiha]

omg, all of these books are amazing!! i'm sure you are going to love every single one of them:)

[@ceechiha]

these are my recommendations: "notes of a young doctor" and "morphine" by bulgakov

[@CarolynMarieReads]

@@ceechiha I'm sure I'll love them too! :) Thank you for the wonderful recommendations!

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

I am really really excited about watching this video as i love reading these books 📖 about Russia love you and your amazing channel please stay safe love from John your Australia fan ❤️❤️❤️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

[@poetryandpaintbrushes7806]

carolyn marya reads!! thats so cute!! really looking forward to this. you've inspired me to try reading russian lit!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Thank you!!! I'm so glad! :)

[@КаринаПолякова-в3в]

Great translation of Eugene Onegin was made by Ch.Johnston (russian native recommend)

[@lukinaandreyev1900]

If you want to add more poetry to the list (and a woman haha!) I would highly highly recommend the work of Anna Akhmatova! I'd also recommend that you read Pushkin's fairytales, they were what I grew up on.

[@lukinaandreyev1900]

And also Teffi's short stories! I never hear anyone talk about them!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Thank you for the lovely recommendations! I'd absolutely love to read the works of Russian women writers! Anna Akhmatova is added to my list! :)

[@Vicious1ify]

Very nice video, thank you. I am Russian and you just made me want to read something from our classics. I will be looking forward to hearing your opinion on Onegin, it’s brilliant! Maybe one day you will want to read Woe from Wit by Alexander Griboyedov. Good luck!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Thank you! :) I'm so glad! You're so lucky to be able to read them in their original form! I can't wait to read Onegin!!! I added Woe from Wit to my list!

[@Mothchewedgirl]

Thank you for making this video :) I’ve been wanting to get into Russian literature but just not really sure where to start but definitely have an idea now so thank you!!! I hope you have a great day/night and congratulations on graduating university!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

You're very welcomed! :) I'm so happy to hear that! I hope you do too! Thank you very much!

[@thepagesofsamantha]

Carolyn!! I have the best name for the series: Rushin' to Read Russian Reads!!!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Love that!!!

[@theteenageangstpodcast5283]

White nights is my absolute favourite short story of all time!! The cat by Colette is a close second! Nonetheless I recommend both:)))

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I can't wait to read it! I'm so glad you love it! Thank you for the recommendations :)

[@Brutishandshort]

I have some Nikolai Gogol on my shelf I’m excited to get to.

[@zissizalana6850]

Your enthusiasm is catching! Because of you, I am starting War and Peace. Love Doctor Zhivago. Excited to see where your journey takes you. Not sure I will be able to keep up.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Aww that's wonderful!!! I hope you enjoy it! I think I'm going to be reading Doctor Zhivago very soon! :) Me too! Take all the time you need, there's no rush...in RUSSian...can't pass up a good pun! hahaha

[@esbileugagil3247]

I don't know why but every time when I watch your videos I jast inspired to read.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I'm so glad!

[@ayahramy]

Yes I love Russian literature and adore Dostoyevsky I think I have read 10 books from Russian literature ,most of them by Dostoyevsky,and two of them by Nikolai Gogol Exited so much for this series!

[@sarahsperusals]

can't wait to read doctor zhivago as well!!! when you reread anna are you going to read the maude translation again or a different translation? it would be cool to see how they're different

[@lavacaqueri5454]

Lolita isn't really Russian literature, imo. It was written in English, my an Russian American author and portraits American culture.

[@OferZivony]

Hi! I got here after seeing your response (which I enjoyed a lot) to The Lord of the Rings. I also have a lot of love for Russian literature - mainly Dostoevsky, Bulgakov and Gogol. Another really interesting one is Andrey Platonov. I've actually read and generally enjoyed Anna Karenina, but didn't like The Death of Ivan Ilyich and couldn't get through some other book I've had (didn't try War and Peace though). My main issue with Tolstoy is his preaching. Both he and Dostoevsky deal with God's existence and its meaning in a rather thorough way, but while you feel free to think what you will after reading Dostoevsky - Tolstoy seems to really try and drive you to his point. It's annoying in itself, but also hurts the story in my opinion, making it predictable. I'm from Israel and can't read Russian, and have been reading the books translated into Hebrew, but you might be surprised to hear that Hebrew is quite suitable from a historical standpoint for Russian. Hebrew is a recently (~150 years ago) revived language, and those who took the effort to revive it were mostly also Russian speakers. So they translated early on some of the great Russian classics (and had to make the Hebrew fit). So I feel fortunate in that aspect. Actually after putting Dostoevsky as my favorite author, I got to read books by the Hebrew author that translated him - He translated "Crime and Punishment" into something that translates back as "The Sin and Its Punishment", which sounds great and iconic in Hebrew and they kept it for all the newer translations - and now I like him even better than Dostoevsky. His name's Yoseph Haim Brenner and his book "Breakdown and Bereavement" has been translated into English, although I never got to read the translation. I think he can be considered as part of the Russian literature's tradition and would love it if you'll manage to get around to him as well one day...

[@CruelSpirit]

If you are looking for more obscure classics I would recommend looking into Northwestern University Press European Classics collection. They have translations from many cultures but a lot of interesting Russian books. Just read Time, Forward! by Valentin Kataev and just picked up Novel With Cocaine by M. Ageyev.

[@luciatrellu8959]

Please, please, please READ Doctor Zhivago! I can't recommend it enough, even more if you liked Tolsoy. The movie is good but it only talks about the love story, and I feel like in the book there are so much more things.

[@mattkean1128]

After reading War and Peace, my reading became really super charged. And yes, I fell in love with Russian literature too! I always push the Maude translations too, but next time around I've heard good things about Rosamund Bartlett. I was waiting to see if Eugene Onegin was among these. I read it in the Falen translation, it should be a quick read. Really beautiful writing in there. I picked up the complete Chekhov on ebook for a dollar or two. It's a Constance Garnett, which depending who you ask is old fashioned, but her Chekhov stands up really well, and she did so much of it I wish I could read Russian too. I hear it's such a descriptive language. That or french, for the Proust, Zola, Maupassant et al.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Yes I relate completely! I've heard the Bartlett translation is great! I'm so eager to read it! That's great! Yes, I've heard that too, but as long as you enjoy it that's all that matters! Yes! French, Italian, and Russian are the three languages I wish I knew!

[@lilaccottage]

I am currently reading Anna Karenina, which I bought on your recommendation, so "thank you". It is definitely the longest book I've ever read, but I am really enjoying it. I bought the Maude translation because I liked the fact that that translation was approved by Tolstoy himself.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

YAYAY!!! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! That's why I've always loved the Maude translation too!

[@TheLtoups]

I am reading The Brother’s Karamazov right now and loving it! I would love to hear what you think of it when/if you read it!

[@ordeal1117]

As a russian I am so excited to know your thoughts on these books in upcoming videos! I didn't like Pasternak though, too dense for me and I don't enjoy soviet setting as much as pre-revolution times. Definitely recommend you to start with Lermontov, Bunin (The light breath, Antonov Apples, Pure Monday), Chekhov (The cherry orchard, The lady with the dog) and of course Nabokov (his other works are so beautifully written but I am not sure about translation :( so Lolita is a good start for sure). These are perfect for the summer. Also I think you will love Kuprin's short stories (Olesya, The garnet bracelet, Yama).

[@divinedia]

Yes you could try learning russian that would be lovely.

[@annemontgomery3890]

You said in your videos that you love to feel things while reading books. Lolita and notes from the underground both, can make you feel repulsed by the main characters, but also feel pity for them at the same time. I loved both of those books and will be rereading Lolita soon. I'm also going to tackle the idiot by Dostojevski! I loved notes from the underground and crime and punishment, so I cannot wait!

[@IreniitaJonas]

so excited for you to continue this russian journey with us ^^ i'm reading Anna Karenina and really enjoying it :D i'm familiar with chekhov's plays and find them quite fascinating can't wait to know your thoughts on them and the rest of your list

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I am too! :) YAY that's so exciting! I can't wait to read more Chekhov too! Happy reading :)

[@nocturnal.literati]

i’m so anxious to read Anna in the Maude translation for Dickens vs. Tolstoy! i’ve read the Pevear & Volokhonsky translation (my favorite so far) several times. and the Garnett translation once. …Anna is also my favorite book of all time, if you couldn’t tell! (:

[@Роман-з7й2у]

In addition to story The meek one by Dostoevsky, you may like the stories The Eternal Husband and Notes from Underground. I would be glad to hear your feedback about these books. Thank you for your reviews

[@waseemhaydar]

Wow that is great video

[@martasgreatlibrary]

ahhh love this series idea! i almost joined a free basic russian course that my uni offered but i missed out on the deadline!! also have you heard of seasons of winer? it's a beast 20th century russian novel i recently got and people describe it as the soviet era war and peace! i bought a copy recently and i hope to read it not too far in the future

[@fabianschar77]

for your anna karenina read (or anyone's who reads this comment) i really, really recommend the Marian Schwartz translation published by Yale in 2014. Every Tolstoy academic agrees that it's a masterpiece which comes closest to Tolstoy's language, very rough and true. Also, the paperback edition is gorgeous.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

That's great! I'll definitely look into it!

[@polina5520]

I love Chekhov, he’s my favourite Russian author. Ivan Turgenev comes second

[@victorrossi2601]

Comrade Carolyn :) Good evening

[@mizuki0328]

I've realized that I've only read 2 Russian books, and they're both by Tolstoi: Anna Krenina and War and Peace. I've also read half of Brothers Karamazov and want to read Crime and Punishment by Dostoievsky. But I think the next one on the list (besides Tolstoi's books for the Dickens vs Tolstoi club) is going to be Doctor Jivago, by Boris Pasternak. Also Tchekov's stories. Very exciited to maybe share some more readings with you! Definitely will keep me motivated.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

That's wonderful! Two huge Russian classics! I can't wait to read Doctore Zhivago myself! I hope we both love it! Here's to the many fantastic Russian classics we have ahead of us! :)

[@jenm930]

I’m reading Anna karenina now in the penguin clothbound edition. I also have a free ebook download on my kindle which is a different translation. It’s CRAZY how different the two were! I read one page of the ebook version and couldn’t do it - it was a completely different vibe.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

YAY that's wonderful! Isn't it fascinating how they can take on such different moods???

[@bookswithpetra]

Crime and Punishment is probably my least favourite by Dostoyevsky. I appreciate it but didn't love it as much like The Idiot which is my favourite Dostoyevsky so far. I'm hoping to pick up The Brothers Karamazov this summer, alongside with Anna Karenina which is one of my all the time favourite book. I can't wait to see how this series developes because Russian literature is a passion of mine. I have studied Russian a bit in uni but I'm hoping to continue studying it on my own at some point now that I'm graduated.

[@linn.2881]

In A Hero of Our Time you're gonna meet one of the most hated characters in Russian literature.😁 The novel is great though. 💜

[@fabianarolando9782]

You are a genious!!!