Fiction the best works. The best books of Russian literature: “The Gulag Archipelago” by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
The jury of 'The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books', led by a New York Times columnist, included: famous writers like: Jonathan Franzen, recognized by Times magazine as the best American novelist, author of the novel “The Emperor's Children” Claire Mesud, Joyce Carol Oates, famous American novelist, and many others. Writers have compiled lists of 10 best novels and writers, reviewing 544 titles. The novels were scored from 1 to 10.
The ten greatest writers of all time, according to total points:
1. Leo Tolstoy – 327
One of the most widely known Russian writers and thinkers, revered as one of the world's greatest writers. Participant in the defense of Sevastopol.
A writer recognized during his lifetime as the head of Russian literature, whose work marked new stage in the development of Russian and world realism, becoming a kind of bridge between the traditions of classical novel XIX century and literature of the 20th century.
The most famous works of Tolstoy are the novels “War and Peace”, “Anna Karenina”, “Resurrection”, autobiographical trilogy“Childhood”, “Adolescence”, “Youth”, the stories “Cossacks”, “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”, “The Kreutzer Sonata”, “Hadji Murat”, a series of essays “ Sevastopol stories", dramas "The Living Corpse" and "The Power of Darkness", autobiographical religious and philosophical works "Confession" and "What is my faith?" etc.
2. William Shakespeare – 293
English poet and playwright, often considered the greatest writer in the English language and one of the world's best playwrights. Often called the national poet of England. The extant works, including some written jointly with other authors, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 4 poems and 3 epitaphs. Shakespeare's plays have been translated into all major languages and are performed more often than the works of other playwrights.
Most of Shakespeare's works were written between 1589 and 1613. His early plays mainly relate to comedies and chronicles, in which Shakespeare excelled significantly. Then came a period of tragedy in his work, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth, which are considered among the best in the English language. At the end of his career, Shakespeare wrote several tragicomedies and also collaborated with other writers.
3. James Joyce – 194
Irish writer and poet, representative of modernism, Joyce significantly influenced world culture. He remains one of the most widely read English-language prose writers in our time. In 1998, Modern Library compiled a list of "100 Best Novels Newest library", which includes all three of James Joyce's novels: Ulysses (number 1 on the list), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (number 3) and Finnegans Wake (number 77). In 1999, Time magazine included the writer in its list of “100 Heroes and Idols of the 20th Century,” saying that Joyce carried out an entire revolution. Ulysses has been called "a demonstration and summing up of everything modern movement[modernism]."
4. Vladimir Nabokov – 190
Russian and American writer, poet, translator and entomologist.
Nabokov's works are characterized by complex literary technique, deep analysis emotional state characters combined with an unpredictable, sometimes almost thriller plot. Among the most famous examples of Nabokov’s creativity are the novels “Mashenka”, “The Defense of Luzhin”, “Invitation to Execution”, “The Gift”. The writer gained fame among the general public after the publication of the scandalous novel “Lolita,” which was subsequently adapted into several film adaptations (1962, 1997).
5. Fyodor Dostoevsky – 177
One of the most significant and famous Russian writers and thinkers in the world. Dostoevsky's work has had great influence on Russian and world culture. Literary heritage The writer is assessed differently both at home and abroad. In the West, where Dostoevsky's novels have been popular since the early twentieth century, his work has had a significant influence on such generally liberal-minded movements as existentialism, expressionism and surrealism. Many see him as the forerunner of existentialism literary critics. However, abroad Dostoevsky is usually assessed primarily as an outstanding writer and psychologist, while his ideology is ignored or almost completely rejected.
“As the classics teach,” “I’ll go read the classics” - these phrases can be heard in everyday speech. However, we are unlikely to fully understand which writers have the right to be included in the golden fund belles lettres, and what this phenomenon actually is - a classic of world literature. This article will answer such questions.
Terminology problems
It is quite difficult to outline the concept of classical, because this definition is used in the most different meanings. For the average native speaker, it is akin to an ideal, a standard, something to strive for. However, it would not be an exaggeration to say that in relation to literature, the framework of these parameters is flexible and changes depending on a particular era. Thus, for Corneille and Racine, the classics of world literature are, first of all, works of Antiquity, while the Middle Ages did not welcome them at all. And in early XIX centuries, there were even those who liked to claim that all the best in Russia had already been written. Agree: to fans of Pushkin, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, such hypotheses seem extremely ridiculous.
A different point of view
Also under " classical literature“Sometimes they understand works created before modernism. Although now this view can be considered somewhat outdated, since the novels of Kafka, Joyce and Proust, the paintings of Dali and Malevich have long since become the golden fund of art, weeding out less talented contemporaries.
At the same time, despite historical modifications, the classics of world literature remain timeless, universal and talented. Even after hundreds of years, humanity turns to the works of Shakespeare, Goethe or Pushkin, interpreting them in various discourses. This becomes possible due to the depth of their content and relevance for everyone.
So, to summarize: what does classical literature include? whose works are still read today.
Are classical and “high” literature the same thing?
The division of literature into three “floors” - high, fiction and mass - appeared relatively recently. More precisely, when entertaining books began to be created specifically for the average reader. The classics of world literature largely correspond to “high” works. They are intellectual and require significant work on the part of the reader and his experience. However, the term “classical” also applies to samples of the so-called mass literature, however, in a slightly different meaning. An example of this is the detective stories of Agatha Christie and the fantasy of Tolkien. When their fans claim that this is a classic of world literature, they mean that “Ten Little Indians” or “The Lord of the Rings” served as a successful model for subsequent writers who worked within these genres. It is difficult to judge how much the named works will remain in the memory of readers; literary criticism does not give an exact answer to this question.
List of world classics
It has already become traditional to compile ratings of books that are required reading for those who want to be considered truly educated person. These lists open with the works of ancient Greek and Roman authors: Homer (Iliad), Aeschylus (Prometheus Bound) and Virgil (Aeneid). These works have the unconditional right to bear the honorary title of “classics of world literature.” became the cradle of the creativity of J. Chaucer and F. Villon, as well as an endless number literary monuments without an author.
The Renaissance gave us creators eternal images- Shakespeare and Cervantes. However, we must also remember Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Francois Rabelais and some others. The 17th century was marked by baroque (Pedro Calderon, Gongora) and classicist (Racine, Corneille, Moliere) art. Then came the enrichment of literature with the names of Voltaire, Rousseau, Goethe and Schiller.
19th century opens romantic creativity Byron, Scott, Hoffmann, Hugo, Poe. Somewhere in the middle of the century, romanticism gave way to the novels of Stendhal, Balzac, and Dickens.
The turn of the century is distinguished by the emergence of the first modernist movements - symbolism (Verlaine, Rimbaud, Wilde), naturalism (Zola) and impressionism. At the same time, the so-called new drama (Ibsen, Shaw, Maeterlinck), which seeks to completely rethink outdated dramatic techniques, is gaining popularity. The twentieth century enriched literature with the modernist novel (mentioned by Kafka, Proust and Joyce), a large number avant-garde movements - surrealism, dadaism, expressionism. The second half of the last century was marked by the work of Brecht, Camus, Hemingway and Marquez. We can also talk about modern postmodern works that have become classical (Pavic, Süskind).
Russian classic writers
Russian classics are, of course, a separate conversation. The 19th and 20th centuries revealed the names of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Fet, Goncharov, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Blok, Gorky, Yesenin, Bulgakov, Sholokhov... From their works the classics of Russian and world literature are formed.
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By Russian classical literature we mean the works of classics: writers who are not only exemplary, but also who have become symbols of Russian culture. Only the person who knows classical works, appreciates their virtues, feels them inner beauty, can be considered truly educated. Today you will find out by opinion women's magazine Charla.
10 best books of Russian literature: “The Brothers Karamazov”
"The Brothers Karamazov" was conceived as the first part of the novel “The Life of a Great Sinner.” The first sketches were made in 1878, the novel was completed in 1880. However, Dostoevsky did not have time to complete his plans: the writer died a few months after the publication of the book. Most of The Brothers Karamazov was written in Staraya Russa, the prototype of Skotoprigonyevsk, where the main action takes place.Perhaps this novel can be considered the most complex and controversial work of the great Russian writer. Critics have dubbed it an “intellectual detective story,” and many call it the best work about the mysterious Russian soul. This is the last and one of the most famous novels Dostoevsky, it was filmed both here and in the West, where, by the way, this work is held in special esteem. What is this novel about? Each reader answers this question differently. The author himself defined his great creation as “a novel about blasphemy and its refutation.” One thing is certain, this is one of the most profound philosophical works world literature about sin, mercy, the eternal struggle taking place in the human soul.
10 best books of Russian literature: “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
"Idiot"- Dostoevsky's fifth novel. Published from 1868 to 1869 in the Russian Bulletin magazine. This novel occupies a special place in the writer’s work: he is considered one of the most mysterious works Dostoevsky. Main character books - Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin, whom the author himself called a “positively wonderful” person, the embodiment of Christian goodness and virtue. Having spent most of his life in seclusion, Prince Myshkin decided to go out into the world, but he did not know what cruelty, hypocrisy, and greed he would have to face: for his unselfishness, honesty, philanthropy and kindness, the prince was contemptuously nicknamed “idiot”...10 best books of Russian literature: “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy
Epic novel by Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace" about the times of two wars against Napoleon - 1805 and 1812 - one of the most famous works not only Russian, but also world literature. This book is one of the eternal classics, because it reveals with deep skill the main components human life: war and peace, life and death, love and betrayal, courage and cowardice. The greatest epic work has great success all over the world: the book was filmed several times, plays and operas were staged based on it. The novel consists of four parts, the first part was published in 1865 in the Russian Messenger.The tragic novel about the love of married Anna Karenina for the handsome officer Vronsky is one of greatest masterpieces Russian literature, relevant today. "All happy families are similar to each other, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” - these lines are familiar to every person.
"Anna Karenina"- a complex, deep, psychologically sophisticated work that captures the reader from the first lines and does not let go until the end. The novel by the brilliant psychologist Tolstoy captivates with its absolute artistic authenticity and dramatic narrative, forcing the reader to watch intensely how the relationship will develop between Anna Karenina and Vronsky, Levin and Kitty. It is not surprising that this book captivated not only Russian readers, but also Europe and America.
10 best books of Russian literature: “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov
Bulgakov wrote this brilliant novel over the course of eleven years, constantly changing and adding to the text. However, Bulgakov never managed to see it published: a full thirty years passed before one of the greatest works of Russian prose of the twentieth century was allowed to be published. "The Master and Margarita"- the most mysterious and mystical novel Russian literature. This book has received worldwide recognition: many countries around the world are trying to comprehend its secrets.10 best books of Russian literature: “Dead Souls” by Nikolai Gogol
Gogol's immortal work "Dead Souls" about human tricks and weaknesses should definitely be in your home library. Gogol showed very clearly and colorfully human souls: after all, “dead souls” are not only those that Chichikov bought, but also the souls of living people, buried under their petty interests.The novel was originally conceived in three volumes. The first volume was published in 1842. However further events have a mystical connotation: having finished the second volume, Gogol completely burned it - only a few chapters remained in drafts. And ten days after that the writer died...
10 best books of Russian literature: “Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak
"Doctor Zhivago"- the pinnacle of Pasternak’s creativity as a prose writer. The writer created his novel over ten years from 1945 to 1955. This is a sincere and poignant love story against a backdrop of chaos. Civil War, which is accompanied by poems by the main character - Yuri Zhivago. These poems, written by Pasternak in different periods his life reveals in the best possible way the unique facets of the author’s poetic talent. For Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak received the Nobel Prize on October 23, 1958. But in the writer’s homeland, unfortunately, the novel became the reason huge scandal, besides the book on for many years banned. Pasternak was one of the few who defended freedom of speech to the end. Perhaps this is what cost him his life...10 best books of Russian literature: collection of stories “Dark Alleys” by Ivan Bunin
Stories « Dark alleys» - frank, sincere, exquisitely sensual stories about love. Perhaps these stories can be considered best example Russian love prose. Laureate Nobel Prize, brilliant writer was one of the few authors of his time (the stories were written in 1938) who spoke so openly, sincerely and beautifully about the relationship between a man and a woman, about beautiful love, which can last a lifetime... “Dark Alleys” will definitely appeal to all women and girls as one of the most poignant stories about love.10 best books of Russian literature: “Quiet Don” by Mikhail Sholokhov
Epic novel « Quiet Don» in four volumes was published in 1940 in Roman-Gazeta. This is one of the largest works of Russian literature, which brought Mikhail Sholokhov world fame. Moreover, in 1965 the writer was awarded the Nobel Prize “For artistic power and the integrity of the epic about the Don Cossacks at a turning point for Russia.” This is a grand novel about fate Don Cossacks, a fascinating saga about love, devotion, betrayal and hatred. A book about which controversy continues to this day: some literary scholars believe that the authorship does not actually belong to Sholokhov. In any case, this work deserves to be read.10 best books of Russian literature: “The Gulag Archipelago” by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Another Nobel Prize winner, classic Russian literature, outstanding writer 20th century - Alexander Solzhenitsyn, author of the world-famous documentary epic "GULAG Archipelago", which tells about repressions in Soviet years. This is more than a book: it is an entire study based on personal experience the author (Solzhenitsyn himself was a victim of repression), documents and testimonies of many eyewitnesses. This is a book about suffering, tears, blood. But at the same time, it shows that a person can always remain human under the most difficult circumstances.Of course, this is far from full list outstanding books of Russian literature. Nevertheless, these are books that every person who appreciates and honors Russian culture should know.
Alisa Terentyeva
Culture
This list contains the names of the greatest writers of all time from different nations, who wrote on different languages. Those who are at least somewhat interested in literature are undoubtedly familiar with them through their wonderful creations.
Today I would like to remember those who remained on the pages of history as outstanding authors of great works that have been in demand for many years, decades, centuries and even millennia.
1) Latin: Publius Virgil Maro
Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Marcus Tullius Cicero, Gaius Julius Caesar, Publius Ovid Naso, Quintus Horace Flaccus
You should know Virgil from his famous epic work "Aeneid", which is dedicated to the fall of Troy. Virgil is probably the most severe perfectionist in the history of literature. He wrote his poem at an amazingly slow speed - only 3 lines a day. He did not want to do it any faster, so as to be sure that it was impossible to write these three lines better.
IN Latin subordinate clause, dependent or independent, can be written in any order with a few exceptions. Thus, the poet has great freedom to define what his poetry sounds like without changing the meaning in any way. Virgil considered every option at every stage.
Virgil also wrote two more works in Latin - "Bucolics"(38 BC) and "Georgics"(29 BC). "Georgics"- 4 partly didactic poems about agriculture, including various kinds of advice, for example, that you should not plant grapes next to olive trees: olive leaves are very flammable, and at the end of a dry summer they can catch fire, like everything around them, due to a lightning strike.
He also praised Aristaeus, the god of beekeeping, because honey was the only source sugar for European world until sugar cane was brought to Europe from the Caribbean islands. Bees were deified, and Virgil explained how to get a beehive if the farmer does not have one: kill a deer, wild boar or bear, rip open their belly and leave it in the forest, praying to the god Aristaeus. In a week he will send bee hive to the animal carcass.
Virgil wrote that he wanted his poem "Aeneid" burned after his death as it remained unfinished. However, the Emperor of Rome Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus refused to do this, thanks to which the poem has survived to this day.
2) Ancient Greek: Homer
Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides, Apostle Paul, Euripides, Aristophanes
Homer, perhaps, can be called greatest writer of all times and peoples, but not much is known about him himself. He was probably a blind man who told stories that were recorded 400 years later. Or, in fact, a whole group of writers worked on the poems, who added something about the Trojan War and the Odyssey.
Anyway, "Iliad" And "Odyssey" were written in ancient Greek, a dialect that came to be called Homeric in contrast to the Attic that followed later and which replaced it. "Iliad" describes the last 10 years of the Greeks' struggle with the Trojans outside the walls of Troy. The main character is Achilles. He is furious that King Agamemnon treats him and his spoils as his property. Achilles refused to participate in the war, which had lasted for 10 years and in which the Greeks lost thousands of their soldiers in the fight for Troy.
But after some persuasion, Achilles allowed his friend (and possibly lover) Patroclus, who did not want to wait any longer, to join the war. However, Patroclus was defeated and killed by Hector, the leader of the Trojan army. Achilles rushed into battle and forced the Trojan battalions to flee. Without outside help, he killed many enemies and fought with the river god Scamander. Achilles ultimately kills Hector, and the poem ends with funeral ceremonies.
"Odyssey"- an unsurpassed adventure masterpiece about the 10-year wanderings of Odysseus, who tried to return home after the end of the Trojan War along with his people. Details of the fall of Troy are mentioned very briefly. When Odysseus ventures to the Land of the Dead, where he finds Achilles among others.
These are just two of Homer’s works that have survived and come down to us, however, whether there were others is not known for sure. However, these works underlie all European literature. The poems are written in dactylic hexameter. In memory of Homer Western tradition many poems were written.
3) French: Victor Hugo
Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Rene Descartes, Voltaire, Alexandre Dumas, Moliere, Francois Rabelais, Marcel Proust, Charles Baudelaire
The French have always been fans of long novels, the longest of which is the cycle "In Search of Lost Time" Marcel Proust. However, Victor Hugo is perhaps the most famous author French prose and one of the greatest poets of the 19th century.
His most famous works are "Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris" (1831) and "Les Miserables"(1862). The first work even formed the basis famous cartoon "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" studios Walt Disney Pictures, however in real novel For Hugo, things did not end so fabulously.
The hunchback Quasimodo was hopelessly in love with the gypsy Esmeralda, who treated him well. However, Frollo, an evil priest, has his eye on the beauty. Frollo followed her and saw how she almost ended up as the mistress of Captain Phoebus. As revenge, Frollo turned the gypsy over to justice, accusing him of murdering the captain, whom he actually killed himself.
After being tortured, Esmeralda confessed to having allegedly committed a crime and was supposed to be hanged, but at the last moment she was saved by Quasimodo. Ultimately, Esmeralda was executed anyway, Frollo was thrown from the cathedral, and Quasimodo died of starvation while hugging his lover's corpse.
"Les Miserables" also not a particularly cheerful novel, at least one of the main characters - Cosette - survives, despite the fact that she had to suffer almost all her life, like all the heroes of the novel. This classic story fanatical adherence to the law, but practically no one can help those who really need help most.
4) Spanish: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Jorge Luis Borges
Cervantes's main work, of course, is famous novel "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha". He also wrote collections of short stories, romantic novel "Galatea", novel "Persiles and Sikhismunda" and some other works.
Don Quixote is a rather cheerful character, even today, whose real name is Alonso Quejana. He read so much about warrior knights and their honest ladies that he began to consider himself a knight, traveling through the countryside and getting into all sorts of adventures, causing everyone who met him to remember him for his recklessness. He made friends with an ordinary farmer Sancho Panza who are trying to bring Don Quixote back to reality.
It is known that Don Quixote tried to fight with windmills, saved people who didn't usually need his help, and was beaten many times. The second part of the book was published 10 years after the first and is the first work modern literature. The characters know everything about the story of Don Quixote, which is told in the first part.
Now everyone he meets tries to ridicule him and Panso, testing their faith in the spirit of chivalry. He is eventually brought back to reality when he loses a fight with the Knight of the White Moon, is poisoned home, falls ill and dies, leaving all the money to his niece on the condition that she does not marry a man who reads foolish tales of chivalry.
5) Dutch: Joost van den Vondel
Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Peter Hoft, Jacob Kats
Vondel is the most prominent writer of Holland who lived in the 17th century. He was a poet and playwright and a representative of the "Golden Age" of Dutch literature. His most famous play is "Geysbrecht of Amsterdam", historical drama, which was performed on New Year's Day at the Amsterdam City Theater between 1438 and 1968.
The play is about Geisbrecht IV, who, according to the play, invaded Amsterdam in 1303 to restore the family's honor and regain the titled nobility. He founded something like a baronial title in these parts. Historical sources The Vondels were infidels. In fact, the invasion was carried out by Geisbrecht's son, Jan, who turned out to be a real hero, overthrowing the tyranny that reigned in Amsterdam. Today Geisbrecht is national hero due to this writer's error.
Vondel also wrote another masterpiece, an epic poem called "John the Baptist"(1662) about the life of John. This work is the national epic of the Netherlands. Vondel is also the author of the play "Lucifer"(1654), which explores the soul of a biblical character, as well as his character and motives, to answer the question of why he did what he did. This play inspired the Englishman John Milton to write 13 years later "Paradise Lost".
6) Portuguese: Luis de Camões
Other great authors who wrote in the same language: José Maria Esa de Queiroz, Fernando António Nugueira Pessoa
Camões is considered the greatest poet of Portugal. His most famous work is "The Lusiads"(1572). The Lusiads were a people who inhabited the Roman region of Lusitania, where modern Portugal is located. The name comes from the name Luz (Lusus), he was a friend of the god of wine Bacchus, he is considered the progenitor of the Portuguese people. "The Lusiads"- an epic poem consisting of 10 songs.
The poem tells the story of all the famous Portuguese sea voyages to discover, conquer and colonize new countries and cultures. She is somewhat similar to "Odyssey" Homer, Camões praises Homer and Virgil many times. The work begins with a description of the journey of Vasco da Gama.
This is a historical poem that recreates many battles, the Revolution of 1383-85, the discovery of da Gama, trade with the city of Calcutta, India. The Louisiades have always been watched greek gods, although da Gama, being a Catholic, prayed to his own God. At the end, the poem mentions Magellan and speaks of the glorious future of Portuguese navigation.
7) German: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Friedrich von Schiller, Arthur Schopenhauer, Heinrich Heine, Franz Kafka
Talking about German music, one cannot help but mention Bach, in the same way German literature would not be so complete without Goethe. Many great writers wrote about him or used his ideas in shaping their style. Goethe wrote four novels, a great many poems and documentary works, scientific essays.
Undoubtedly his most famous work is a book "Suffering young Werther" (1774). Goethe founded the movement German Romanticism. Beethoven's 5th Symphony is completely identical in mood to Goethe's "Werther".
Novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther" tells about the unsatisfied romanticism of the main character, which leads to his suicide. The story is told in the form of letters and made the epistolary novel popular for at least the next century and a half.
However, Goethe's masterpiece is still the poem "Faust", which consists of 2 parts. The first part was published in 1808, the second in 1832, the year of the writer’s death. The legend of Faust existed long before Goethe, but Goethe's dramatic story remained the most known history about this hero.
Faustus is a scientist whose incredible knowledge and wisdom pleased God. God sends Mephistopheles or the Devil to test Faust. The story of a deal with the devil has often been raised in literature, but the most famous is perhaps the story of Goethe's Faust. Faust signs an agreement with the Devil, promising his soul in exchange for the Devil to do whatever Faust wishes on Earth.
He becomes young again and falls in love with the girl Gretchen. Gretchen takes a potion from Faust that is supposed to help her mother with insomnia, but the potion poisons her. This drives Gretchen crazy and she drowns her newborn baby, signing her death warrant. Faust and Mephistopheles break into the prison to rescue her, but Gretchen refuses to go with them. Faust and Mephistopheles go into hiding, and God grants Gretchen forgiveness while she awaits execution.
The second part is incredibly difficult to read, as the reader needs to have a good understanding of Greek mythology. This is a kind of continuation of the story that began in the first part. Faust, with the help of Mephistopheles, becomes incredibly powerful and corrupted until the very end of the story. He remembers the pleasure of being good person and then dies. Mephistopheles comes for his soul, but the angels take it for themselves, they stand up for the soul of Faust, who is reborn and ascends to Heaven.
8) Russian: Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin
Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoevsky
Today Pushkin is remembered as the father of native Russian literature, in contrast to that Russian literature that had a clear connotation Western influence. First of all, Pushkin was a poet, but he wrote in all genres. Drama is considered his masterpieces "Boris Godunov"(1831) and poem "Eugene Onegin"(1825-32).
The first work is a play, the second is a novel in poetic form. "Onegin" written exclusively in sonnets, and Pushkin invented new uniform sonnet, which distinguishes his work from the sonnets of Petrarch, Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser.
The main character of the poem is Eugene Onegin - the model on which all Russians are based literary heroes. Onegin is treated as a person who does not meet any standards accepted in society. He wanders and plays gambling, fights duels, he is called a sociopath, although he is not cruel or evil. This person, rather, does not care about the values and rules that are accepted in society.
Many of Pushkin's poems formed the basis for ballets and operas. They are very difficult to translate into any other language mostly because poetry simply cannot sound the same in another language. This is what distinguishes poetry from prose. Languages often do not match the possibilities of words. It is known that in the Inuit language of the Eskimos there are 45 different words for snow.
Nevertheless, "Onegina" translated into many languages. Vladimir Nabokov translated the poem into English, but instead of one volume, he ended up with 4 volumes. Nabokov kept all the definitions and descriptive details, but completely ignored the music of poetry.
All this is due to the fact that Pushkin had an incredible unique style writing, which made it possible to touch on all aspects of the Russian language, even inventing new syntactic and grammatical forms and words, establishing many rules that almost all Russian writers use even today.
9) Italian: Dante Alighieri
Other great authors who wrote in the same language: none
Name Durante in Latin means "hardy" or "eternal". It was Dante who helped organize the various Italian dialects of his time into the modern Italian language. The dialect of the region of Tuscany, where Dante was born in Florence, is the standard for all Italians thanks to "Divine Comedy" (1321), a masterpiece by Dante Alighieri and one of greatest works world literature of all times.
At the time this work was written, the Italian regions each had their own dialect, which were quite different from each other. Today, when you want to learn Italian as a foreign language, you will almost always start with the Florentine version of Tuscany because of its significance in literature.
Dante travels to Hell and Purgatory to learn about the punishments that sinners serve. There are different punishments for different crimes. Those who are accused of lust are always driven by the wind, despite their fatigue, because during their lifetime the wind of voluptuousness drove them.
Those whom Dante considers heretics are responsible for splitting the church into several branches, including the prophet Muhammad. They are sentenced to be split from neck to groin, and the punishment is carried out by a devil with a sword. In this ripped up state they walk in circles.
IN "Comedy" there are also descriptions of Paradise, which are also unforgettable. Dante uses Ptolemy's concept of heaven, that Heaven consists of 9 concentric spheres, each of which brings the author and Beatrice, his lover and guide, closer to God at the very top.
After meeting with different famous personalities from the Bible, Dante finds himself face to face with the Lord God, depicted as three beautiful circles of light merging into one, from which comes Jesus, the incarnation of God on Earth.
Dante is also the author of other smaller poems and essays. One of the works - "On Popular Eloquence" talks about the importance Italian language as colloquial. He also wrote a poem "New life" with passages in prose in which he defends noble love. No other writer spoke the language as flawlessly as Dante spoke Italian.
10) English: William Shakespeare
Other great authors who wrote in the same language: John Milton, Samuel Beckett, Geoffrey Chaucer, Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens
Voltaire called Shakespeare "that drunken fool", and his works "this huge pile of dung". Nevertheless, Shakespeare's influence on literature is undeniable, not only in English, but also in the literature of most other languages of the world. Today Shakespeare is one of the most translated writers, his full meeting works have been translated into 70 languages, and various plays and poems into more than 200.
About 60 percent of all catchphrases, quotes and idioms English language coming from King James Bible (English translation Bible), 30 percent from Shakespeare.
According to the rules of Shakespeare's time, tragedies at the end required the death of at least one main character, but in an ideal tragedy everyone dies: "Hamlet" (1599-1602), "King Lear" (1660), "Othello" (1603), "Romeo and Juliet" (1597).
In contrast to tragedy, there is a comedy in which someone is sure to get married at the end, and in an ideal comedy all the characters get married: "Dream in summer night" (1596), "Much ado about nothing" (1599), "Twelfth Night" (1601), "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (1602).
Shakespeare was a master at heightening the tension between characters in perfect harmony with the plot. He knew how, like no one else, to organically describe human nature. Shakespeare's real genius is the skepticism that permeates all of his works, sonnets, plays and poems. He, as expected, praises the highest moral principles humanity, however, these principles are always expressed in an ideal world.
