Some people often say, “Oh, this book is an important book, you have to read it.” In your opinion, what is “important books”? So why a book can be called as an important book?
There are several reasons why a book in a country is called an important book. Likewise, in Russia. Do you know the most important books from Russia? If you don’t know it yet, let’s look at the most important books from Russia that you have to know.
Important book … Is there a book like that? The answer is … yes, of course there is.
Around the world there are certainly many books that are considered to be important books for the country. Of course, for its own reasons. For example, because the book tells the history that has not been revealed before, or because the book contains descriptions of rumors in the community, and many other reasons that are possible.
Such books also exist in Russia. There are several famous writers from Russia whose work is considered an important book. In order for you to know more about this important book in Russia, this article will discuss the 5 most important books from Russia that you have to know.
- Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol (1842)
Dead Souls is a novel written by Nikolai Gogol. This novel was first published in 1842. Dead Souls is considered a novel that is an example of 19th century Russian literature. Dead Souls’ novel was inspired by a conversation between Nikolai Gogol and Alexander Pushkin about rumors of no deaths being registered except for soldiers since Moldovian City Bender joined Russia.
In the Dead Souls novel, Nikolai Gogol changes the story of the results of the conversation into a novel with humor in the story. Rumors in the conversation turned into the story of a middle-class man named Chichikov. He pretended to be a wealthy landowner to buy the rights of dead farmers.
Nikolai Gogol’s Dead Souls novel reveals a picture of a sick social system in Russia after the failure of the French invasion. Social criticism also appears in the form of absurd and funny satire but also provides a solution rather than just describing the problem.
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1869)
War and Peace is a novel written by Leo Tolstoy. The novel was first published in 1869. War and Peace is one of the best and most famous novels written by Leo Tolstoy. The War and Peace novel consists of four volumes.
War and Peace tells of a picture of Russian society during the Napoleonic wars. The war years from 1805 until 1812. In this novel is also told about the history of the French invasion of Russia. There are more than 550 characters introduced in the War and Peace novel. All the characters are not all real, there are also fictional characters that appear in the novel.
War and Peace which consists of four volumes really describes in detail about history in Russia through the thoughts and morals of the characters in it. War and Peace can be said as a challenging novel to read. Are you interested in reading War and Peace novels?
- Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin (1833— complete edition)
Eugene Onegin is a novel written by Alexander Pushkin. This novel was first published in the complete version in 1833. Eugene Onegin is a novel written in poetry. The novel Eugene Onegin is considered to be Russian classical literature. Even Alexander Pushkin, the author, calls the Eugene Onegin novel he wrote “heroic action”.
Eugene Onegin tells about the reflection of society in Russia in the 19th century. Through this Eugene Onegin novel, novel readers can know and have views about life in Russia. The place setting used in the Eugene Onegin novel moves around. Ranging from simple countryside to the luxurious capital of St. Petersburg.
Eugene Onegin consists of 389 verses of fourteen lines, so the total line in this novel is 5,446 lines. Eugene Onegin’s rhyme scheme is unusual rhyme scheme.
- A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov (1840)
A Hero of Our Time is a novel written by Mikhail Lermontov. The novel was first published in 1840. A Hero of Our Time novel was revised in 1841. It was nicknamed “the first psychological novel in Russian history.” The A Hero of Our Time novel is divided into six parts with a non-chronological order.
The storyline A Hero of Our Time tells Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin, a young officer who is sensitive and cynical. He was a young officer stationed in the Caucasus. Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin’s character was introduced through the memoirs of one of his friends. The character that is in him is the collective picture of the community at that time.
- Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev (1862)
Fathers and Sons is a novel written by Ivan Turgenev. This novel was published in Moscow in 1862. The novel Fathers and Sons has another title translation is Fathers and Children.
Fathers and Sons has a simple storyline. Although the plot is simple, but it actually relates to the title of this novel. Fathers and Sons told about the relationship between two generations. The generation between father and son. The first generation, the father, is an old landowner and live with tradition. While the second generation, the child, is the heir who lives by giving new energy and ideas. These new ideas opposed the old regime. One of the young characters in the Fathers and Sons novel has the purpose of “breaking the old one.” The purpose was to be an example of young people at the time.
I hope this article can really help you to find out the 5 most important books from Russia that you have to know.