Discovering Russian Literature discussion

Hi All! I thought of starting a new thread for introductions since the last moderator stepped down. Those who have already introduced themselves don't have to introduce themselves here once again.

New members! You can use this thread for introductions. So please tell us about yourselves here!

To start, no I'm not Russian, like the name of the group I'm someone discovering Russian Literature. I began to read Russian works because my sister is a huge fan so I went through her books and started to read when I was around 14. I mainly love Russian short stories.

Hi Amalie, I just joined. I am not Russian either. I hail from Hawaii, have read Tolstoy, but have not read Vladimir Nabokov. Have seen the movie though. I work at an elementary school close by, not as a teacher, but I help supervise the children during lunch and recess. I love to read. I want to read War and Peace. Now is the perfect opportunity, yeah!!

Okay, I am still reading N&S. Will start as soon as I am done, and can locate a copy. Thanks. I like these mind broadening views of groups. Thanks for inviting me.

Hi, my name is Oksana, I am Russian but I've been living in England for 12 years. It's always interesting to see how people view our litreture and our culture from outside. It's like seeing it from a different angle.

Hi Oksana, and Patrice. Welcome to the group.

It's kinda funny. I helped get the old moderators to reissue the group to pull people in. It was going well and I thought it'd stay that way until I had free time again....sadly that didn't happen. I'm glad though that a few people stayed and hopefully more people come 'round to join.

I'm Val and I'm currently in a Russian Lit class since it's one of my intended minors. Hope to discuss various stories with you all.

Hello, my name is Aubrey. I read Russian Literature in high school and enjoyed it, but that was over 10 years ago. I am hoping that this group helps me get back into it.

New blood! It's nice to have someone fresh participating Aubrey :) Don't forget to give a shout in the poll for June.

Hello, I'm Damion. New to Russian literature. I have only read 2-3 books so far, but I have plenty on my shelf for when I feel like attacking them. I'm looking forward to getting them read and joining some discussions.

Hello Aubrey and Damion! Welcome to the group.

Hi everyone. I'm Pranay, and I'm 24. I belong to a hill station named Shimla in northern part of India. I have been reading Russian literature, mostly Tolstoy though, since some time now. Was mighty impressed by Anna Karenina, and I believe War and Peace is one of the greatest works ever. Also The Death of Ivan Ilyich left me mesmerized with the subtle way in which the notion of death has been dealt with. Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground was very deep and disturbing. Looking forward to read Crime and Punishment and Lolita. Also, I'm interested in the likes of Gorky, Pushkin and Gogol.

Hello!I'm Elene,i'm not russian but know russian language very well,so i have read them in original and i'am very happy. I adore Russian literature and confess that they have the best writers. I like Dostievsky and Bulogakov.Pushkin,Lermontov,Gogol,Kuprin,Turgenev.i wil take part in your discussions, thanks for creating this group.

I see here is a new chapter for making introduction of the new members. I'll do it for the second time. My name is Natalie, and I'm Russian. Like all of you, I love Russian literature, however, as well as any high-quality one.I'm into Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Dostoyevsky,Bulgakov, Nabokov, Platonov, Solzhenitsyn, Kuprin, and many more.

Oh I like this slow growth of the club! Hello Pranay, Elene WELCOME! Glad to have you here! and Natalie welcome back :) I have a friend call Natalie and no, she's not Russian. Actually Russian Lit is so famous in my country there is even a publishing house which translate only Russian novels to the native languages!

Pranay and Elene we are currently reading Lolita so we look forward to hearing what you think!

P.S. New members please make sure you'll take a peek at the "Group Reading Nominations! (June)."

Hi, my name is Juan, I am Spanish but I'm currently living in Belgium. As Damion, I'm new to Russian literature. I have only read "Crime and Punishment" so far but I was quite fascinated by it. I have also begun to read some books of Dostoievsky and Tolstoy, but I haven't yet achieved to finish them. I'm looking forward to read great books such as "The Brothers Karamazov", "Anna Karenina" of "War and Peace". I thought that reading them together with another "Russian literature freaks" would be much more enjoyable.

Hello! *awkward wave*

My name's Tesni, I'm fourteen years old, and I live in England. I've been studying Russian for two years, and German for four, but I've read embarassingly little Russian fiction. Some Bulgakov, Zamyatin, Solzhenitsyn, Kurkov [does that count, if it's Ukrainian? Russian language, I guess] and, uh, that's it so far. Hopefully joining in this group will help me get into reading more of it. :-)

Outside Russia, my favourite authors are Haruki Murakami and Victor Hugo.

I am Leonard and although couldn't read Russian, love Russian literature. Some of my favorite books are
The Brothers Karamozov
War and Peace
Crime and Punishment
On Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Fathers and Sons
The Master and Margarita
Oblomov

Wonderful to have some new members that love the idea of our liitle group! - Tesni I think you are the youngest member here so far, I hope you teach us a new things or two :) and Leonard, I'm glad you decided to introduce yourself and let us know what your favourites!

"The Master and Margarita" is at the top of polls for now and I hope you enjoy our choices - make sure you're involed in helping us to choose our June reads by voting in the subsequent poll. Jump right into the discussions too, we're a friendly bunch!

Hello, I am Ali. I'm a 24 year old going to college in the United States. I am not Russian nor do I speak the language. I developed an interest in Russian history and only recently forayed into Russian literature. I have just started War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. So far it has provided me with an intriguing look into the Russian history and culture. I would love to hear advice on what to read next.

I'm Christine, a just-graduated English major, with a minor in Russian literature. I don't know Russian, but adore the literature and have been lucky enough to take classes on Chekhov, Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Nabokov at my university, plus a 19th century lit survey class. I adore the Russian sense of humor and appreciate everything about their culture! I just can't get enough of it!

Hello! I'm Ileana and I'm 16 years old, I am romanian.
I didn't read many russian books, by I enjoyed all of them nonetheless so that's why I decided to join this group.
The russian book that impressed me the most is "Notes from the Underground" by Fiodor Dostoievski.
^-^

Hello Ali, Christine and Ileana, you're all very welcome to the group. Any light you can shed on these fascinating authors, from your studies will delight the group and me in particular - I'm always on the lookout for new insights and a good debate!. Please make yourself at home here - I look forward to your comments.

P.S. Ali post a massage of the recommendation thread and someone will be there to recommend you some good-reads. Enjoy!

I don't know much about Russian literature beyond the few very common classics (War and Peace, Anna K, some Chekhov, etc.), and at the moment am very limited by vision problems in what I can read, so I will be minimally active for the time being, but I'll enjoy looking in on the discussions, and when things improve will hope to become more active.

Hello All! I am Prashant from India and 23 years old. I am a great fan of Russian literature and the austerity of the Russian writers. In school days we were exposed to the works of Tolstoy and Chekhov. But then I cam across few works of Gorky, Dostoevsky, Pushkin. All of them are legends. Apart from reading ,I like travelling and sleeping. I work in Research and Development ,in the area of artificial intelligence.
I am looking forward to some good discussions and deeper insights of the work done buy these great people, and for some recommendations as well.
Yes, one more thing,Ayn Rand, she was born in Russia too.She is also a great writer.
Russians have it in their veins.

Hi everyone! My name's Jess, I'm 20 and English. I haven't read much Russian literature, just some of Tolstoy's short stories and some Solzhenitsyn, but I loved them and have been wanting to read some more for a while. I've just finished my first year of an English degree, so I should have plenty of time for reading.

welcome Daisyjess. I hope we can create an environment here that can trigger and revive this authentic and amazing literature among us once again.

Hello, I was glad to discover this group as Russian lit is my latest obsession. My name is Emily, I live in the US and I'm currently unemployed, staying at home with my young children so I have been spending lots of time catching up on books I have always wanted to read. Last fall I picked up "Android Karenina" at the library and that was my intro to Tolstoy! I thought it was a really funny book, but I also enjoyed the style of writing so much that I decided to move on to the real thing. Since then I've also read Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, which I loved. Right now I'm reading War and Peace. Many years ago I read some Nabakov and enjoyed it very much. Although I have read extensively my whole life, I find it very difficult to express what it is about literature that I like. I've never been in a book group before, so I'm hoping that I can gain some skills and experience in discussing literature. I usually cannot come up with much more to say about a book than "it sucked" or "I loved it," haha, and that frustrates me so much! I'm not sure to what degree I'll be able to add to discussion, but thanks for having me!

Hi, I'm Chloe! I'm an 18-year-old junior in college, about to take intensive Russian next semester. I love Russian culture--literature, art, and architecture alike.
I'm new to GoodReads and just found this group and I'm really excited that the Master and Margarita is next up! I've been told that it's incredible and I've owned it for a couple of years but have been intimidated to start it, and now that it's summer and this group will be reading it, I'm finally pulling it out of my shelves.
Feel free to add me as a friend, I'd love to see all of your lists and get some recommendations from you guys!

ooh - I'm so glad there are many members looking forward to our next group reading and many are students which means you have many new ideas to offer. I'm looking forward to hearing your views on The Master and Margarita

Daisyjess, Lindsay, Emily and Chloe you are all very welcome to Discovering Russian Literature! We are currently reading "The Overcoat" (under short fiction) which is, I'm sure, not new to anyone who decide to join in. so come and share your thoughts.

Hello everyone,
My name is Donna. I have a fondness for Russian poetry and decided to join this group. I like the exposure to various authors this group provides. I am currently reading the short stories, and can't wait to start The Master and Margarita.

Welcome Donna!

Amalie wrote: "Prashant wrote: "Hello All! I am Prashant from India and 23 years old. I am a great fan of Russian literature and the austerity of the Russian writers. In school days we were exposed to the works o..."
Hi Amalie, I cant find the discussion thread of The Overcoat by Gogol.

Prashant, it's in "Group Reads - Short Fiction." and thank you for welcoming the new members, when I'm not around. Enjoy!

Welcome Donna, it's good to meet you. I never really much thought of Russian poetry - Hmm... care to share some you like with us? Just look around you'll find the place to post it, if not use the recommendation thread. I can't wait to see you all at "The Master and Margarita" discussion.

hi,

I have read and enjoyed Russian lit as a kid.

I won't be able to name big names as my favourites, more like short stories and YA fiction in general rather than maybe great recognised works of thought ...(hope it sounds really complicated!)

Nice to know you all.

Hi, all! I'm from California. I fell in love with Russian literature in high school and have continued my love affair into adulthood. I've mostly read Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, but I would like to venture into new territory!

Hello, everyone! I stumbled on Russian literature a few years ago when our book club read The Death of Ivan Ilych. I was impressed and encouraged our reading a Chekhov collection, About Love and Other Stories. Since then I have been a big fan of Russian literature,and particularly of Chekhov. There was an interesting book review in the Economist about people that read Russian literature. There certainly is something special about it. I have worked in Russian for short stints several times and find the Russian character portrayed in literature is very alive. Hope I can keep up with you all in exploring.

Hello, everyone! Robin, Great to see a familiar face here! My name's Ian, and I'm a huge fan of Russia's greatest poet, Vladimir Vysotsky. I'm Russian but I've written a novel in English -- wonder if that makes an American author? :D

Prashant wrote: "Hello All! I am Prashant from India and 23 years old. I am a great fan of Russian literature and the austerity of the Russian writers. In school days we were exposed to the works of Tolstoy and Che..."

Ayn Rand! I haven't read much of her stuff, but I read Anthem a couple of weeks ago and it was pretty awesome.

Ian wrote: "Hello, everyone! Robin, Great to see a familiar face here! My name's Ian, and I'm a huge fan of Russia's greatest poet, Vladimir Vysotsky. I'm Russian but I've written a novel in English -- wonder ..."

Hello Ian and welcome to the group! Glad to know there will be more active members who are Russians. We do have questions about the character names and stuff.
Hmm...about you being an American author? Jhumpa Lahiri is considered as an American author right? :)

Hello friends!

My name is Jordan and I am currently in the throes of getting a BA in English lit! I love reading, and have recently been introduced to Russian lit and am absolutely fascinated. So far I have only read The Idiot and Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. But I am highly impressed and look forward to much more in the future!

@Tesni: I love Ayn Rand! Though I don't subscribe to her philosophy, she creates some wonderful characters. Atlas Shrugged was my favorite, and the Fountainhead is definitely worth a read!

Hi everyone! My name is Sarah and I've been wanting to start reading some Russian Literature, so this group looked interesting to me. War and Peace has been on my bedside table for awhile. Maybe it is time to pick it up!

Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone! My name is Sarah and I've been wanting to start reading some Russian Literature, so this group looked interesting to me. War and Peace has been on my bedside table for awhile. Maybe it..."

Hi Sarah!You are definitely on the right page here, we all long for Russian literature.

Hi all,
I'm Lisa and I live in NewEngland. What a joy to have found this group! I read "Doctor Zhivago" many years ago as a teenager and have been intrigued with Russian lit ever since. Though I haven't read much of it, I did manage to read "Anna Karenina" when it was an Oprah pick.
And, my curiosity grew as I read my son's college papers -- he was a Russian lit major in college!
Looking forward to chatting about the many great works that you all have read.

E.K. wrote: "@Tesni: I love Ayn Rand! Though I don't subscribe to her philosophy, she creates some wonderful characters. Atlas Shrugged was my favorite, and the Fountainhead is definitely worth a read!"

I concur with you!

Lisa wrote: "Hi all,
I'm Lisa and I live in NewEngland. What a joy to have found this group! I read "Doctor Zhivago" many years ago as a teenager and have been intrigued with Russian lit ever since. Thou..."

Welcome Lisa! Doctor Zhivago was amazing. you are on the right page and its a good platform for discussing the colossal and anachronistic Russian literature, which is full of gems like Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gorky, Dostoevsky, Pushkin etc

E.K. wrote: "@Tesni: I love Ayn Rand! Though I don't subscribe to her philosophy, she creates some wonderful characters. Atlas Shrugged was my favorite, and the Fountainhead is definitely worth a read!"

Yeah, I'm not sure about her philosophy either- maybe I just haven't read enough about it. But she does tell a good story.

Welcome aboard, Jordan,Sarah and Lisa! I'm so pleased you're all here - Have a wonderful time and jump right into any discussions that take your fancy!

Lisa, it's amazing to hear your son is Russian lit major in college and thanks for reminding me again of Doctor Zhivago.

We have quite a lot of students in the group don't we? and I just realised this place is not so small anymore! Anyway I hope you'll all love it here.

@Tesni: it's a fascinating concept, I'm just not sure how plausible it is! But you're right, it makes a great story.

And welcome Sarah and Lisa!