Women writers of the 21st century. Top best contemporary Russian writers

Literature connoisseurs have ambivalent opinions about the work of modern Russian writers: some seem uninteresting to them, others - rude or immoral. One way or another, they raise in their own current problems of the new century, which is why young people love and read them with pleasure.

Movements, genres and modern writers

Russian writers this century prefer to develop new literary forms, completely different from Western ones. In the last few decades, their work has been represented in four directions: postmodernism, modernism, realism and post-realism. The prefix “post” speaks for itself - the reader should expect something new that has replaced the old foundations. The table shows various directions in the literature of this century, as well as books by the most prominent representatives.

New ideas of Sergei Minaev

"Duhless. The Tale of fake person" is a book with an unusual concept that modern writers of the 21st century in Russia have not previously touched upon in their work. This is the debut novel by Sergei Minaev about the moral flaws of a society in which debauchery and chaos reign. The author uses swearing and obscene language to convey the character of the main character, which does not confuse readers at all. The top manager of a large canned food production company turns out to be a victim of scammers: he is offered to invest. a large sum into the construction of a casino, but are soon deceived and left with nothing.

"The Chicks. A Tale of False Love" talks about how difficult it is to maintain a human face in an immoral society. Andrey Mirkin is 27 years old, but he has no intention of getting married and instead starts an affair with two girls at the same time. Later he learns that one is expecting a child from him, and the other turns out to be HIV-infected. Mirkin is alien quiet life, and he is constantly looking for adventure in nightclubs and bars, which does not lead to good things.

Popular and critics do not favor Minaev in their circles: being illiterate, he achieved success in as soon as possible and made Russians admire his works. The author admits that his fans are mainly viewers of the reality show "Dom-2".

Chekhov's traditions in Ulitskaya's works

The characters in the play “Russian Jam” live in an old dacha near Moscow, which is about to come to an end: the sewer system is faulty, the boards on the floor have long since rotted, and there is no electricity. Their life is a real “nail”, but the owners are proud of their inheritance and are not going to move to a more favorable place. They have a constant income from the sale of jam, which contains either mice or other nasty things. Modern writers of Russian literature often borrow the ideas of their predecessors. Thus, Ulitskaya follows Chekhov’s techniques in the play: the characters’ dialogue does not work out because of their desire to shout over each other, and against the background of this one can hear the crackling of a rotten floor or sounds from the sewer. At the end of the drama, they are forced to leave the dacha because the land is being purchased for the construction of Disneyland.

Features of Victor Pelevin's stories

Russian writers of the 21st century often turn to the traditions of their predecessors and use the technique of intertext. Names and details that echo the works of the classics are deliberately introduced into the narrative. Intertextuality can be seen in Victor Pelevin's story "Nika". The reader feels the influence of Bunin and Nabokov from the very beginning, when the author uses the phrase " easy breathing". The narrator quotes and mentions Nabokov, who masterfully described the beauty of a girl’s body in the novel “Lolita.” Pelevin borrows the manners of his predecessors, but discovers a new “technique of deception.” Only in the end can one guess that the flexible and graceful Nika is actually a cat. Pelevin brilliantly manages to deceive the reader in the story “Sigmund in the Cafe,” where the main character turns out to be a parrot. The author drives us into a trap, but we get more pleasure from this.

Realism by Yuri Buida

Many modern writers of the 21st century in Russia were born decades after the end of the war, so their work is focused primarily on Yuri Buida was born in 1954 and grew up in the Kaliningrad region - a territory that previously belonged to Germany, which was reflected in the title of the cycle of his stories.

"The Prussian Bride" - naturalistic sketches about the difficult post-war times. The young reader sees a reality that he has never heard of before. The story "Rita Schmidt Anyone" tells the story of an orphaned girl raised in terrible conditions. They say to the poor thing: “You are the daughter of the Antichrist. You must suffer. You must atone.” A terrible sentence was pronounced because German blood flows in Rita’s veins, but she endures bullying and continues to remain strong.

Novels about Erast Fandorin

Boris Akunin writes books differently from other modern writers of the 21st century in Russia. The author is interested in the culture of the past two centuries, so the action of the novels about Erast Fandorin takes place from the mid-19th century to the beginning of the 20th. Main character- a noble aristocrat leading investigations into the most notorious crimes. For his valor and bravery, he is awarded six orders, but he does not remain in public office for long: after a conflict with the Moscow authorities, Fandorin prefers to work alone with his faithful valet, the Japanese Masa. Few modern foreign writers write in the detective genre; Russian writers, in particular Dontsova and Akunin, win the hearts of readers with crime stories, so their works will be relevant for a long time.

Modern Russian literature is books from the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. The culture and art of our day is usually called the postmodern era. The number of Russian postmodernist authors included many talented writers. We have prepared a selection of eight significant names of modern Russian and, in many ways, world literature.

1. Victor Pelevin – This is an author mysterious to the media and the public, who wrote the cult novels “Generation P”, “Chapaev and Emptiness”, “Omon Ra” and others. Awarded many literary prizes, including " Big book», « National bestseller" and "Small Booker". Feather classic modern prose paints surreal pictures art world, where post-perestroika space is combined with mythological space, forming a new chaotic super-reality.
2. Zakhar Prilepin - author of modern military prose and a representative of neorealism, contributing to the establishment of a new type of hero in Russian literature. Prilepin's character comes from the writer's autobiography. He is a brutal boy, an outcast with many contradictions, one of which is most often the search for God. The author is a laureate of such literary awards as the Russian Government Prize in the field of culture, “Big Book”, “Super-Natsbest”, as well as a member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
3. Lyudmila Ulitskaya - representative of women's modern Russian prose. The first woman whose novel was nominated for the Russian Booker Award. Ulitskaya’s books, which focus on family, children’s and Christian issues, have been translated into many languages ​​of the world.
4. Tatiana Tolstaya - writer, whose name was included in the list of “100 most influential women Russia”, won the hearts of readers with a special narrative style, replete with the author’s comparisons and metaphors. Tolstaya actively uses the mythical and poetic tradition. The main character of her works is “ little man“, a sick person, a fool - always faces harsh reality and reveals his own “I”, exposing the existing contradictions in himself and in the world. Business card Tolstoy’s novel “Kys”, written in the original dystopian genre of our generation.
5. Alexey Ivanov - author of a number of books about the Ural land, such as “The Heart of Parma”, “Cherdyn-Princess of the Mountains”, “The Geographer Drank His Globe Away”, who turned his work into a sociocultural phenomenon. The promotion of Ivanov’s works influenced the formation of a unique brand Perm region and for the development of tourism in it: the ethno-cultural festival “Heart of Parma” appeared, was filmed documentary“Ridge of Russia” with Leonid Parfenov, as well as everyone familiar feature film Based on Ivanov’s book “The Geographer Drank His Globe Away.”
6. Lyudmila Petrushevskaya. The work of this writer is considered as complex phenomenon in Russian literature. As a continuer of the traditions of A.P. Chekhov, Petrushevskaya writes in the genre a short story accessible to every reader. However, her author's style is characterized by the fusion of many genre and thematic components, which is also characteristic of writers of the postmodern era.
7. Vladimir Sorokin - one of prominent representatives Sots art movements in Russian literature. Sorokin’s works are scandalously naturalistic, physiological, ridiculing and parodying the Soviet and post-Soviet system and its leaders. The language of Sorokin’s text arouses interest among both researchers and readers. Incredible complex designs, filled with references, allusions, metaphors, combined with naturalism, require reader effort in order to get through the externally ugly and disgusting narrative to the meaning intended by the author.
8. Mikhail Shishkin. Characteristic features of Shishkin’s work are fragmentation and polyphony of the chronotope. His works are built on the principle patchwork quilt, where all parts are sewn with a single thread. The author makes the interaction of his characters possible, despite temporal and spatial boundaries. The specificity of the writer’s prose is attractive because he himself never manages to indicate the place of action, because “it happens always and everywhere.”

Do you think your favorite author should be on this list? Suggest your options in the comments!

Looking for something to read? This problem is relevant both for those who rarely read and for avid bookworms. There are always moments when you want to discover something new: to find interesting author or get acquainted with a genre that is unusual for you.

If your favorite authors haven't released new works for a long time or you're just new to literary world, our site will help you find best contemporary writers. It has long been known that when choosing to read in a great way There were always recommendations from friends or acquaintances. You can always start with best writers to develop your own taste and understand your literary preferences. However, if your friends don’t read or your tastes differ radically, you can use the KnigoPoisk website.

Identify the most popular book authors

It is here that everyone can leave a review of the book they have read, give it a rating, thereby compiling a special list “ Most Popular Writers" Of course, the final verdict is always yours, but if a lot of people think the work is good, chances are you will like it too.

This section contains popular contemporary writers, which received the highest rating from resource users. A user-friendly interface will help you understand the literature and will be the first step to structuring this entire vast world in your head.

The best book authors: choose yours

On our website you can not only be guided by the opinions of others about best authors books, but also to contribute to the formation and filling of this list. It's very simple. Vote for the authors you consider brilliant, and later they will also be in the top popular writers. Introduce people to beauty with us! Popular book authors are waiting for you!

Alexey Ivanov

Yes, I had big discoveries, which can be called fiction, although the books are non-fiction. One of them is the laureate’s book Pulitzer Prize Daniel Yergin "Prey"(M.: Alpina Publisher, 2016), history of the world struggle for oil. It reveals the secret economic mechanisms of world history, and a lot of what, it turns out, was “standing on its head” in your mind is turned “on its feet.”

Another discovery - a book by Dmitry Karasyuk "History of Sverdlovsk rock"(Ekaterinburg: Cabinet Scientist, 2016). It is written in beautiful language, and inside this book I see true novel with plots, dramas, climaxes and resolutions. I haven’t decided on reading for the holidays yet. Yes, I don’t even have holidays.

Alpina Publisher press service

Leonid Yuzefovich

• Sebastian Hafner "The Story of a German"(St. Petersburg: Ivan Limbach Publishing House, 2016). Written in the late 1930s, this autobiographical novel is a moving reflection on the origins and nature of the Nazi regime in Germany. An excellent translation by the initiator of the publication, critic Nikita Eliseev.
• Varvara Malakhieva-Mirovich “The pendulum of my life. Diary. 1930-1954"(M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2015). A wonderful document of the era and colossal work of the publisher, literary historian Natalya Gromova.

On New Year's holidays I'm going to read a book by Ivan Prosvetov just published by the author himself. "Ten Lives of Vasily Yan". I know that this writer, beloved by me since childhood, lived extraordinary life, and I hope to learn a lot of new things about him.

Sukhbat Aflatuni

• Vladimir Martynov "Book of Changes"(M.: Classics XXI, 2016) - one and a half thousand pages of immersion in history, philosophy, music, life.
• New book of poems by Gleb Shulpyakov "Samet"(M.: Vremya, 2017) - the kingdom of air and meaning, multi-layered and minimalist style.
• "Great Lightness" Valeria Pustova (M.: RIPOL Classic, 2015) - literary criticism, which writes—and reads—like captivating prose.

From the nearest “must-read” - Mark Z. Danilevsky, "House of Leaves"(Ekaterinburg: Gonzo, 2016), which was disturbing at the first glance. Fragments, a cacophony of fonts...

press service of “Classics XXI”

Roman Senchin

I can’t say that I read any new books this year. But there were many important ones. I will name three, although I am aware that my choice may seem unoriginal.

Firstly, « winter road» Leonid Yuzefovich (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016). This book received several awards, which caused complete approval among some and irritation among others. Nevertheless, it sounded, and not without reason. The book is based on the campaign of Anatoly Pepelyaev’s detachment against Yakutsk in 1922-1923... Even in detailed history civil war in Soviet textbooks only a few lines were devoted to this event, always mentioning the word “adventure”. Yuzefovich reveals to us the reasons for this campaign, and it no longer seems like an adventure. History is not chronology, it is much, much more complicated. This complexity is what the author is trying to show – in my opinion, excellently – in the format of the declared “literary and artistic publication.” "Winter Road". Plus, it returns us a row interesting personalities that era.

press service of the Elena Shubina Editorial Office

Secondly, Anna Kozlova’s “film novel” "F20", published in the magazine "Friendship of Peoples"(N10, 2016). This is very heavy work- frank, cruel, scary. In general, it’s traditional for Kozlova. No wonder the critic Lev Danilkin called her the author of “ultra-shock novels.” But Anna Kozlova writes so brightly, captivatingly and talentedly that it is impossible to tear yourself away from this horror.

Thirdly, the book "Shadow of Mazepa" Sergei Belyakov (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016). I do not undertake to evaluate this work. It seems to be very controversial, but to argue, you need deep knowledge of the history of Russia, the history of literature... The book did not come out yesterday, it has not yet caused much controversy, and this is bad. Such books can help us understand something important. Although, do we want to understand this something?..

However, equally important were "Crystal in a transparent frame" Vasily Avchenko, "Girl in the Garden" Oleg Ryabov, "In the footsteps of Dersu Uzala" Alexey Korovashko, "The Trumpeter at the Gates of Dawn" Roman Bogoslovsky, "Shukshin" Alexey Varlamov, "Valentin Kataev" Sergei Shargunov, "Holomyana Flame" Dmitry Novikov, “I want miracles” Elena Tulusheva, "Untranslatable pun" Alexandra Garros...

I want to dedicate New Year's days to reading books by Alexey Ivanov "Pitchfork" And "Tobol"(M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016).

Members of the jury of the literary award " Yasnaya Polyana»

Marina Moskvina

In Penza on book festival I bought a volume of Roland Barthes "Fragments of a love speech"(translated by V. Lapitsky, M.: GARAGE & AdMarginem, 2015). Essay on the speech of lovers. Or rather, this speech itself is intermittent, rough, impulsive. The plot is assembled from scraps. Here are the words of Goethe, mystics, Taoists, Nietzsche, many passing phrases and something accidentally read, friendly conversations and memories. All this splashes in a blurry imperfect stream, narrative voices come, go, fall silent, intertwine, it is generally unknown who is speaking - no images, nothing except this confused speech, no bibliography, no taxonomy, just a racing heart, and you and all the lovers you feel how reality recedes in the face of this world.

GARAGE & AdMarginem

I enjoyed reading the collection (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016) - good modern writers talk about places that are important to them in Moscow, where they were born or were simply happy. There is also my story about the Nirnzee House in Bolshoy Gnezdnikovsky Lane; I spent my childhood on the roof of this house.

And like a person who has had his head in the clouds since birth, for the New Year holidays I prepared for myself "Entertaining cloud science"(translated by O. Dementievskaya, M. Falikman, M.: Gayatri, 2015). Pure poetry, a unique guide to the clouds by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Lovers Society.

Alexander Grigorenko

There have been many books in the past year, including new and good ones, for example, Evgenia Vodolazkina (M.: AST, Edited by Edena Shubina, 2016). But the main discoveries were "Winter Road" Leonid Yuzefovich (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016) and "Stoner" John Williams (Translated by L. Motylev, M.: AST, Corpus, 2015), who made the same impression on me as he did many, many years ago "The Death of Ivan Ilyich".

Life ordinary person really worth looking at under a microscope. I also really liked the book “At the Origins of the World: Russian Etiological Tales and Legends”(M.: ISl RAS; Forum; Neolit, 2014). And during the holidays it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to read anything, because work has unexpectedly piled up - I’ll catch up later.

Corpus press service

Marina Stepnova

Of the new products this year, I especially like strong impression produced "Animator" Andrei Volos (M.: EKSMO, 2016) - an intense, subtle novel in which reality magically interferes with fiction. Andrey Volos is generally an extraordinary author, each of his books seems to be written by a different writer, and all these writers have only one thing in common - amazing talent.

Alexander Garros "Untranslatable pun"(M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016). A clear, intelligent, piercingly honest book, as if it had come together spontaneously from many articles and essays. Garros is one of the few modern critics, who honestly tries to understand what is happening in modern Russian literature (and in modern life at the same time). He does not make friends, does not quarrel, does not settle scores. He thinks and observes. And following his train of thought is a great pleasure.

press service of the Elena Shubina Editorial Office

Hanya Yanagihara "Little Life"(Translated by A. Borisenko, A. Zavozova, V. Sonkin, M.: AST, Corpus, 2016). A sensational novel that has attracted an equal number of rabid fans and equally rabid detractors. An amazing example of how skillfully and according to all the rules a book can make a lively and vivid impression even on sophisticated readers. It’s not easy reading in every sense, sometimes even annoying, but the book is undoubtedly a success.

On New Year holidays I finally want to read it Narine Abgaryan(M.: AST, 2016). This book has been at the top of my book wish list for a long time. In general, I really like Narine - she is a wonderful writer and wonderful person. I just wanted to find as much time as possible for this book.

Evgeniy Vodolazkin

Among the new publications, I would highlight the story by Alexander Grigorenko "Lost the blind dudu"(magazine "October", No. 1, 2016) - bright and tragic. Alexander Grigorenko, whom we know from wonderful novels "Mabeth" And "Ilget", discovered a completely new face as a writer. He showed himself to be a musician capable of playing in different registers.

I would also name the story by Narine Abgaryan "Three apples fell from the sky"(M.: AST, 2016). This is a wonderful text about an Armenian village, alive, real, and at the same time existing in a powerful literary tradition, presented primarily by the great Hrant Matevosyan.

AST press service

To these two stories I would add one more short text - a novel by Julian Barnes (Translated by E. Petrova, St. Petersburg: Azbuka-Atticus, Inostranka, 2016). This is a book about Shostakovich, but not only. With typical Barnes subtlety, it explores the nature of despotism.

I'm going to read a novel by John Williams over the New Year holidays. "Stoner"(Translated by L. Motylev, M.: AST, Corpus, 2015) - somehow everyone never got around to it. And also - a novel by Mikhail Gigolashvili « Secret Year» , which, according to my information, should be released soon.

Vasily Golovanov

This year I only read three books that could be called relatively new. The first is a novel by Chinese writer Mo Yan "Tired of being born and dying"(Translated by I. Egorov, St. Petersburg: Amphora, 2014). A grandiose epic, all like Marquez’s, built on the history of one village - only not Macondo, but Ximentun. This is truly powerful literature.

The second book is a novel by Sergei Solovyov "Adam's Bridge"(M.: Russian Gulliver, 2013). I don't know how many people have read it. Personally, I met Solovyov at the Krasnoyarsk Book Fair, and he shocked me with his stories about India. And the book he wrote is amazing. This is not a travel novel, it is the author’s attempt to regain his beloved through remembering their journey together, everything that they found there that was beautiful and important for the future existence of both of them. This is a bridge of love along which the beloved will unmistakably find her way to the one who is waiting for her. Crazy, but beautiful and very brightly written book!

2016 Boslen

The third book is a study by Andrei Baldin “New Bookvoskop, or the Beyond Travel of Nikolai Karamzin”(M.: Boslen, 2016). Andrey is one of the most original thinking people that I've ever known. And I’m interested in his argumentation when he derives the modern Russian language from the long foreign voyage Karamzin. In fact, almost everything was ready for the birth of the language in which Pushkin, Zhukovsky and everyone after Karamzin later wrote. But abroad, he was the first to catch some kind of wave, some kind of rhythm of a modern literary legend and, returning to Russia, wrote the first modern story « Poor Lisa» . This taking of language out of its journey was extremely curious to me.

In general, this year my old dream came true - I acquired a twenty-volume edition of Leo Tolstoy. And here I really read... All the novels, all the stories and short stories again - and everything was the same as the first time... I read Bunin with the same voraciousness in the spring. I’m not at all convinced that you should only read new things. That’s why I reread so much of what was published a long time ago. We had the highest, first world class literature. I think things are not so optimistic now.

During the holidays I will read the autobiography of Vasily Vasilyevich Nalimov "Rope Walker"(M.: Progress, 1994) - outstanding, although still only relatively famous philosopher. I hope I have to great job according to Nalimov next year: we must somehow “get used to” the atmosphere and the meanings by which this amazing person- mathematician, freethinker, anarchist, mystic, who made a real revolution in philosophy, which philosophers themselves are only just beginning to understand.

Lyudmila Saraskina

• Vasily Aksenov. “Catch the pigeon mail...” Letters (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2015). The rich correspondence with parents, friends, comrades in the literary profession, extracted from the American archive, provides valuable material not only for understanding the fate of the Russian writer, forced to become an emigrant, but also for the perception of the Russian emigration of the “third” wave.

Vladimir Ermakov "In Search of the Lost Metaphysics. Book of Doubts"(Eagle: Spring Waters, 2016). A book of deep reflections from a man for whom philosophizing is akin to breathing.

• “Butterflies and chrysanthemums. Japanese classical poetry of the 9th-19th centuries". Translated by A. Dolin, V. Markova, A. Gluskina, T. Sokolova-Delyusina. (SPb.: Arka, 2016). An amazingly beautiful book to read and contemplate. “It’s so good / When you turn it around at random / An ancient book- / And in combinations of words / You will find your dear soul". Haiku and tanka are juxtaposed with color photographs and woodcuts of birds, flowers, animals, rivers and waterfalls from ancient albums. Magic lantern.

"Arka" press service

Guzel Yakhina

The beginning of the outgoing year was successful - it gave two very good books. In winter I read the long-awaited Lyudmila Ulitskaya (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2015) - a large multi-layered parable novel, where fiction discreetly bound with original documents from family archive Lyudmila Evgenievna - letters from her grandfather. What was unexpected in the text was that Ulitskaya acted not only as a writer, but also as a production designer - on behalf of main character Nora described stage keys to solving several plays. You read it and it’s as if you’re watching performances staged by Ulitskaya.

press service of the Elena Shubina Editorial Office

In the spring bookshelves appeared Evgenia Vodolazkina (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016). I bought it immediately and read it in two days. While reading, I never ceased to be amazed at how masterfully the author speaks the Russian language, how subtle shades of personal sensory experience he can convey in words.

I hope that the coming year will be rich in interesting new books. I'm looking forward to the novel more than others "Sinologist" Elena Chizhova (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2017). I trust this author - at one time I was shocked by her "Women's Time"(M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2009).

Evgeny Chizhov

• Irakli Kvirikadze "The boy walking behind wild duck» (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2015). A collection of stories, scripts and memories. Remarkably capacious, concise, outwardly simple and unexpected texts, striking with the ease of transitions from funny to tragic, from farce to parable, from everyday authenticity to absurdity.
• Antoine de Becque « New wave: portrait of youth"(Translated by Irina Mironenko-Marenkova, M.: Rosebud Publishing, 2016). A fascinating study of the revolutionary movement in French cinema, which preserved for us the image of “the greatest decade in the history of mankind”, as in one later film ( "Withnail and I", 1987) were named the sixties. And in many ways, he shaped this image.
• Igor Levshin "Parsley and the mosquito"(M.: Russian Lessons, 2015). Tough absurdist stories, some of which are very successful. Others you simply don’t know which way to approach: puzzling, unsettling, irreconcilably opposed to the inertial flow of descriptive literature.

press service "Russian Lessons"

Over the holidays I plan to finish reading Oliver Sacks' amazing autobiography. "On the Move" ("On the Move") (NY.: Knopf, 2016) - who would have thought that such abysses would open up in the life of the famous doctor and writer?! And, if there is time left, I will start "The Thirteenth Apostle" Dmitry Bykov (M.: Young Guard, 2016). Of all the heroes of his biographies, Mayakovsky is the most interesting to me.

Alisa Ganieva

This year, the lion's share of my reading energy went into reading more than seventy recent novels nominated for the award « . I will highlight the text here, which is not yet very widely famous Sergei Lebedeva (M.: Alpina Publisher, 2016). It's part detective story, part historical fiction and investigation. family secrets. The starting point is August 1991, the anticipation of freedom and reading my grandmother’s diary, which suddenly destroys the protagonist’s illusions about his own roots. Can our unpredictable past explain the present, who we are and where it is taking us? These questions are posed, probably, in every second novel of 2016, but Lebedev, in my opinion, turned out to be fascinating, sincere, and disturbing.

I was pleased with the charming collection of essays by Evgeniy Lesin “And he drank immediately. Viktor Erofeev and others.”(M.: RIPOL Classic, 2016). The book is not only about the author "Petushkov", but also about Arkady Severny, the Marquis de Sade, Edgar Poe, Yuri Olesha, Tatyana Bek, editor Alexander Shchuplov and others. There is also an amazingly lyrical history of alcoholic local history - a guide to drinking glasses, indicating prices and related details. And funny, and serious, and, as they say, atmospheric.

But for the upcoming ones New Year's holidays I'm going to have a nice enlightening read "Dark Matter and Dinosaurs" physics by Lisa Randall (M.: Alpina non-fiction, 2017) The title is promising.

Thank you literary prize Yasnaya Polyana for assistance in preparing the material.

After the collapse of the USSR, its successor Russia experienced several very hard years which led to negative consequences, including impairment writing work And sudden change taste of many readers. Low-grade detective stories, tearful and sentimental novels, etc. became in demand.

Until relatively recently, it enjoyed enormous popularity Science fiction. Now some readers prefer the fantasy genre, where the plot of the works is based on fairy tales, mythological motives. In Russia the most famous writers, working in this genre are S.V. Lukyanenko (most of all his fans are attracted by a series of novels about the so-called “watches” - “ Night watch", "Day Watch", "Twilight Watch", etc.), V.V. Kamsha (cycles of novels “Chronicles of Artia”, “Reflections of Eterna”) and other works). It should also be mentioned N.D. Perumov (pseudonym - Nick Perumov), author of the epic “Ring of Darkness” and many other works. Although after the economic crisis of 1998, Nik Perumov moved with his family to the USA.

The most famous Russian detective writers

The series of novels about the amateur detective Erast Fandorin, created by the writer G.Sh., is very popular among readers. Chkhartishvili ( creative pseudonym- Boris Akunin). Fandorin first appears in the novel “Azazel” as a very young man, a petty official who, thanks to the will of fate and his brilliant abilities is on the trail of a powerful secret organization. Subsequently, the hero steadily rises in rank and takes part in the investigation of more and more complex cases that threaten the very existence of the Russian Empire.

The genre has a huge readership of so-called people who find themselves in the most ridiculous, tragicomic circumstances and unravel crimes (often without meaning to). In this genre, the undisputed leader is the writer A.A. Dontsova (pseudonym - Daria Dontsova), who created several hundred works. Although critics almost unanimously believe that quantity has come at the expense of quality, and that most of these books cannot be called literature, Dontsova’s work has many fans. There are many other popular ones in this genre, for example, Tatyana Ustinova.