Russian Literature Book Haul

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

Picked up a batch of Russian books at a charity shop very cheaply last year and have been adding to them. So far up to 43 books. So far I have read A hero of our time by Lermontov and 5 books by Turgenev. I love the book of short stories, Sketches from a hunter's album. Brilliant. Will be reading Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov and Anna Karenin. Best wishes to you and your channel.

[@TheActiveMind1]

Wonderful, you sound like you’ve got your hands full with some stellar books!

[@krzysamm7095]

War and Peace was a wonderful read. I know a lot depends on the translation you choose. Love the idea of a book club.

[@MarinaMacca-i2t]

So here I am! I have read war and peace and kolyma tales but I own all the other books except for victor serge. I have studied russian for one year but then I gave up. Thanks for your advice!

[@magnumopus7502]

"War and Peace" is the king novel of all time, as time goes by, I am more convinced of it!

[@TheActiveMind1]

I can’t wait to crack into it!

[@koli5645]

Best day of the week is when you upload! Been waiting for it!

[@TheActiveMind1]

That means a lot! Thank you!

[@tonybennett4159]

My abiding memory of War and Peace is the character of Natasha. I think it is she who makes the novel work, and for me she outshines the male characters. Some people have trouble with the names and the use of patronymics, but with your Russian, that should present no problem. I'm involved in my local theatre group (behind the scenes, not acting as I think I'd freeze) and Chekhov is central to anyone who loves theatre. We have produced both The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard and not so long ago I saw a production of the latter at the Theatre Royal Windsor with Ian McKellen playing the part of the old retainer. Though seemingly light, the plays are imbued with a sense of wistfulness and of the ephemeral nature of life. I'm now well on with "My Universities" and hopefully you will track down "My Apprenticeship" so that you too can complete the Gorky journey. That wouldn't break your book haul ban!

[@russianliteraturegirl]

The Kolyma Tales live in my mind rent free. Berries? Lend Lease?? Truly unforgettable.

[@Ricky-es9vg]

Glad you picked up some Chekhov, one of my favorite writers of all time, without a doubt. The one I have certainly read the most from too. You made a good choice! His short stories are my favorite, I think no one else comes close, but the plays are wonderful too. I also began my Chekhov journey with them. I believe the first I read was from my grandfather’s copy- The Cherry Orchard.

[@kaggsysbookishramblings]

That’s a great haul. Teffi has only recently been rediscovered and is insanely good. There are a number of collections of her short stories and other works available in the UK and they’re definitely worth you tracking down. As for Platonov, translator Robert Chandler has made it a mission to translate so many of his works and I think Platonov was a genius. His Chevengur is an epic work and Chandler should be applauded for his work on it. As for Serge his fictions are incredible as are his Notebooks, which NYRB also publish. He was a truly great writer. Happy reading!

[@so2627fia]

thank you for the video ❤️ really love russian literature, currently reading “humiliated and insulted” by dostoevsky. and book club sounds cool, id love to join

[@TheActiveMind1]

I need to read that book myself! I hope you are enjoying it

[@BobkidMcconville]

You've got the most beautiful smile. God bless you.

[@burke9497]

That’s a sharp-looking copy of War and Peace! I like your idea of a book club. 🎉🎉🎉

[@haa8408]

Great ideia regarding the book club . You should do it .

[@analuizacardoso44]

I'm all in for the read along

[@marciajohansson769]

I was not surprised when you said the illustrations in War and Peace got your attention. As you were leafing through the pages the illustrations immediately piqued my interest. I do have a copy that I hope to delve into someday. When I was in a bookclub we read Crime and Punishment. I had challenges with the reading the physical copy. I ended up listening to the audio version narrated by Anthony Heald. Anthony Heald played Dr Chilton in the Silence of the Lambs and has played in several Broadway roles. I was totally captured by his narration of Crime and Punishment. I have enjoyed the few books by Russian novelists. Read Anna Karenina the year before last and quite enjoyed it.

[@TheActiveMind1]

My friend recently posted to The Brothers Karamazov audiobook and found enjoyment as well. I hope you give War and Peace a try with me next year!

[@marciajohansson769]

@@TheActiveMind1 I will keep it in mind even though I feel like I am a preschooler instead of at the ranks of your participants.!

[@mitchell6327]

recently purchased a collection of Dostoevskys books im quite excited to dig into them. I got into russian literature from my mom who actually taught russian literature

[@TheActiveMind1]

That’s wonderful! Hopefully she’ll be a valuable guide as you work your way through them. Happy Reading!

[@theYankss]

I'm interested in the book club! Just finished Quiet flows the Don (Le Don paisible in french), loved it!

[@jjshepherd7670]

Shalamov's stories are great. Pretty miserable stuff, but sometimes his stories are actually beautiful. In the second volume the nyrb published his stories almost turn into essays on other writers, and those are great too.

[@dragoscbutuzea]

I am reading Oblomov😉You reminded me that it was a Russian masterpiece that I had not read

[@hatethenewyou]

Those war and peace editions are super neat, which translation is it? Also, as you mentioned, I would love to be a part of a Patreon book club. The most unfortunate thing about my reading life is that I have almost no one to discuss my reading with so that would be so nice.

[@albertwastaken]

I’d recommend "A Story about a Real Man" by Boris Polevoy. It's a great story, and when I think of good Russian books, this one comes to my mind.

[@TheActiveMind1]

I’ll try to grab a copy!

[@BobJacobs10]

Nice haul!n It's only the beginning of October, surely this won't be the last... I've been buying too much myself! Book club sounds fun.

[@TheActiveMind1]

Yeah I'm not sure why I thought my book buying would pause for long, but I do need to spend this fall clearing most of what I've bought already!

[@BobJacobs10]

@@TheActiveMind1 Same here, though there is value in having plenty of choices on your shelves when starting something new.

[@kurtgroner3360]

I would be interested in the book club!

[@richardt583]

You need to read "The Petty Demon" "(sometimes translated as "The Little Demon") by Sologub. There's an excellent Penguin edition with Ronald Wilkes as translator. One of the best books I've ever read. A wild ride- you will love it! It's one of the best Russian novels of the Silver Age--the other being Bely's "Petersburg".

[@richardt583]

I would also note that Platonov is just superb in every way. He is a truly unique and fascinating writer. Another commenter mentioned Chandler's translations. Check out the long short story "The River Potudan" translated by Chandler. Speaking of Teffi, there's a great Penguin compendium called "Russian Emigre Short Stories from Bunin to Yanovksy". It's a very intersting collection, introducing one to sundry Russian emigre writers through their shorter works. If you want to just go totally crazy, try some early Soviet literature like "The Twelve Chairs" by Il'f and Petrov or "Two Captains" by Kaverin. I watched your video on Gorki- he is quite interesting. For him, I like "My Universities"- incidentally, Lenin's favorite Gorki work and the play "The Lower Depths". Cheers!

[@richardt583]

Also, I would absolutely be down with reading War and Peace together. Love the idea, and I'm loving your Russian lit hauls. Speaking of this video on particular, Chekhov's plays are just great. I recently saw Vanya in NY at the Vivian Beaumont. It was a little updated for my taste, but still entertaining. My favorite Chekhov play by far is "The Three Sisters". There is an excellent BBC production from the 1970's with Janet Suzman and a young Anthony Hopkins that is worth seeking out. Two other Chekhov recs just for fun: Kashtanka (short novel/story) and the novella "The Duel"- also made into a film recently, and a beautiful one. The Duel is really interesting- something that stays with you after reading it. Chekhov has a way of dropping you into situations, and he also manages to cover very deep topics with a minimum of fuss. I read many of the stories from "Kolyma Tales" at university in the original Russian and found them very moving. I'm embarassed to say that I've never finished "War and Peace"- I would welcome a reading club that would give me a reason and motivation to get through it. I've read many other Tolstoy works and was lucky enough to visit his estate about 5 years ago (just outside of Tula). AK is just superb in every way, as are many of the shorter works. I love the Sevastopol sketches as well as Hadji Murat. A lot of people think the short story "Alyosha the Pot" gets to the heart of the Russian character. I already mentioned my love of Platonov above. I found "Reka Potudan" terribly moving and thought about the story long after finishing it. I read "The Foundation Pit" in college and remember finding it very strange but also absorbing. It is a very different kind of novel- both of its time and also critical of its time. It probably tells one more about early Soviet industrialization than any history book ever could. I need to reread this one soon. Love your work! Bам здоровья!

[@TheActiveMind1]

@@richardt583 Thank you for the support and extensive list of recommendations! It definitely sounds like the book club is a go for next year

[@richardt583]

@@TheActiveMind1 Absolutely.

[@jackwalter5970]

Tolstoy is the master of literary realism. I would be interested in the book club, but I already plan to read War and Peace this December.

[@TheActiveMind1]

Shoot, well there will be plenty of other books. I'm thinking we could squeeze 6-8 books within the year while giving each book a reasonable pace for everyone. We'll see!

[@jackwalter5970]

@@TheActiveMind1 sounds great!

[@kingdomcomevideos9701]

The party scene at the beginning of War & Peace is not an easy read. Don't let that discourage you, it will get better.

[@BardSonic]

Time for a video on a deep read of one text!

[@Postmailer]

Shalamov is a contender for one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. I think it’s a shame he gets talked about as a footnote or companion to Solzhenitsyn. Solz doesn’t come close to the horror like Shalamov does. The second volume also confirms this rep. He puts down Chekhov, Gogol, Dostoyevsky ect. and claims a deeper and unique knowledge of Gulag life. Shalamov makes a sole claim to understanding the true depths of the criminal world. It is a miracle he had the strength and courage to survive and write about his experience. Other Russians I recommend: Osip Mandelstam Sergei Dovlatov Victor Serge Vasily Shukskin Gaito Gazdanov

[@Alex-xd5df]

Just want to highlight that oftentimes people were thrown in camps or killed not for their crimes or because they showed some signs of opposition. NKVD and Cheka (secret police of the soviets) were given quotas to fill of the amount of people which should be repressed in a certain period of time, no matter if they did something wrong or not. So lots of innocent people suffered during that time. As well as their families, because if one family member was arrested, others became pariahs and most people turned their backs on them. Sorry for the long message! The thing is, that particular part of Russian and Soviet history always pains me. This was and still is a great tragedy and I’m really glad seeing people from other countries learning and talking about this. Love your channel, Brock! Thank you for the content ❤

[@TheActiveMind1]

Tragically true, thanks for expanding upon that aspect of the GULAGs and political oppression. Appreciate the support!

[@МихаилКарпов-ч7ж]

Reading now Nikolai Baikov's The great Wang. A piece of fiction about life of a tiger from Manchurian wildlife lover and hunter. With some ecological vibes and animal psychology and overwhelming nature description.

[@TheActiveMind1]

Haven’t heard of that one and seems to not be available in translation. I’m (im)patiently waiting for the day I can read these works in Russian. С нетерпением жду читать книги на русском

[@MIH47CH]

О, хороший выбор, парень)

[@L-u-nalight]

Я не прочитала Войну и мир 😀. В школе она казалась слишком сложной и потом я больше не возвращалась к этому произведению.😊

[@TheActiveMind1]

Ты должен прочитать это вместе со мной)

[@faustus3506]

Hey! I’m from Russia and I really appreciate that you are interested in our literature. However, due to my preferences, I like Russian literature from the middle of the 20th century, because due to the cold war a lot of great books were written secretly and in immigration. So, if you are interested, I could give some names of my fav authors and I will be happy to share their best books with you)

[@TheActiveMind1]

Замечательно! Please share some recommendations. I'd love to hear them!

[@faustus3506]

@@TheActiveMind1 you can start from these 3 books and then, if you like some of these authors, I can advice what else you can read from them. E.Limonov “it’s me Eddie”; Y.Mamleev “The Sublimes”; V.Sorokin “The blizzard”.

[@TheActiveMind1]

@@faustus3506 Спасибо! Unfortunately, besides Sorokin, the other two authors seem incredibly hard to find and rarely printed in English. I'll still keep my eyes open if copies appear and will certainly read NYRB's translations of Sorokin

[@faustus3506]

@@TheActiveMind1 It is kinda fun that it is hard to find Limonov and Mamleev in english, because both of them lived in NYC for almost 10 years and Limonov published in english earlier than in USSR. maybe you can find pirate copy in the internet👀🙈

[@DhariaLurie]

"The Future Is in Your Hands Though we know not one another The Creator mercifully protects us all Though we may have different cultures Our values are the same at heart We all ultimately await His deliverance Humanity is at the end of its time Knowing this inspires me to share these truths Modern thought and ways corrupt us Atheism has turned us from the Divine The theory of evolution devalues our lives The Divine is sifting the good from the evil And the Saving Ark shall sail without delay January 2, 2015" Master Li Hongzhi (Hong Yin V, from Falun Dafa teachings)

[@alimuse06]

Всегда забавляет, когда Льва Николаевича называют Лео . Он ведь не ДиКаприо 😂

[@TheActiveMind1]

хаха верно!

[@MIH47CH]

Хорошо, что не как льва - того, что из мира животных.. )

[@MadiCovington]

you & i are going on a book buying ban after this

[@TheActiveMind1]

You can’t make me!!