Top classical prose - top books. Classic books everyone should read

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In Russia, literature has its own direction, different from any other. The Russian soul is mysterious and incomprehensible. The genre reflects both Europe and Asia, therefore the best classical Russian works are unusual, amaze with sincerity and vitality.

Main actor- soul. For a person, the position in society, the amount of money is not important, it is important for him to find himself and his place in this life, to find truth and peace of mind.

The books of Russian literature are united by the traits of a writer who possesses the gift of the great Word, who has completely devoted himself to this art of literature. Best Classics saw life not flatly, but multifaceted. They wrote about the life of not random destinies, but expressing being in its most unique manifestations.

Russian classics are so different, with different destinies, but they are united by the fact that literature is recognized as a school of life, a way of studying and developing Russia.

Russian classical literature was created best writers from different corners Russia. It is very important where the author was born, because this determines his formation as a person, his development, and it also affects writing skills. Pushkin, Lermontov, Dostoevsky were born in Moscow, Chernyshevsky in Saratov, Shchedrin in Tver. Poltava region in Ukraine is the birthplace of Gogol, Podolsk province - Nekrasov, Taganrog - Chekhov.

Three great classics, Tolstoy, Turgenev and Dostoevsky, were absolutely different people, had different fates, complex characters and great gifts. They made a huge contribution to the development of literature, writing their best works, which still excite the hearts and souls of readers. Everyone should read these books.

Another important difference between the books of Russian classics is the ridicule of the shortcomings of a person and his way of life. Satire and humor are the main features of the works. However, many critics said that this was all slander. And only true connoisseurs saw how the characters are both comical and tragic at the same time. Books like this always touch my soul.

Here you can find the best works classical literature. You can download Russian classic books for free or read online, which is very convenient.

We present to your attention 100 best books Russian classics. IN full list The books include the best and most memorable works of Russian writers. This literature known to everyone and recognized by critics from all over the world.

Of course, our list of top 100 books is just a small part that has collected best work great classics. It can be continued for a very long time.

One hundred books that everyone should read in order to understand not only how they used to live, what were the values, traditions, priorities in life, what they aspired to, but to find out in general how our world works, how bright and pure a soul can be and how valuable it is for a person, for the formation of his personality.

The top 100 list includes the best and most notable works Russian classics. The plot of many of them is known from the school bench. However, some books are difficult to understand at a young age, and this requires wisdom that is acquired over the years.

Of course, the list is far from complete and can be continued indefinitely. Reading such literature is a pleasure. She not only teaches something, she radically changes lives, helps to realize simple things that we sometimes do not even notice.

We hope you enjoyed our list of classic Russian literature books. Perhaps you have already read something from it, but something not. Great opportunity to make your own personal list books, your top, which you would like to read.

Ancient Greece

Homer "Odyssey" and "Iliad"

Did Homer really write these poems? Was he blind? And did it exist at all? These and other questions still remain unanswered, but pale in the face of eternity and the value of the texts themselves. The epic Iliad tells about Trojan War, for a long time was better known than the Odyssey, and in more influenced European literature. But the wanderings of Odysseus, written plain language, is almost a novel, perhaps the first one that has come down to us.

Great Britain

Charles Dickens "The Adventures of Oliver Twist"

An innovative novel that shows real life without embellishment, Dickens composed at the age of 26. He did not have to strain his imagination strongly: main character who lived in poverty is the author himself, whose family went bankrupt when future writer was just a child. And even the name of the main villain Feygin Dickens took from life, borrowing, however, from his best friend.

The release of "Oliver Twist" had a bombshell effect in England: society, in particular, vied with each other to discuss - and condemn - child labor. Through the novel, readers learned that literature can act as a mirror.

Jane Austen "Pride and Prejudice"

Cornerstone for British literature a text as classic as "Eugene Onegin" in Russia. Quiet home young lady Austin wrote "Pride" quite young, but published only 15 years later, after the success of the book "Sense and Sensibility". Austen's phenomenon, among other things, is that almost all of her novels are classics, but Pride and Prejudice stands out against the general background with the presence of one of the most amazing couples in world literature - Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Darcy is a household name, without him Britain is not Britain. In general, “Pride and Prejudice” is the very case when the sign “ female romance”causes not a smirk, but admiration.

Germany

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "Faust"

The 82-year-old Goethe completed the last, second part of Faust six months before his death. He began work on the text when he was twenty-five. Goethe put all the scrupulousness, efficiency and attention to detail inherited from the pedant-father into this ambitious work. Life, death, world order, good, evil - "Faust", like "War and Peace", in its own way is an exhaustive book in which everyone will find answers to any answers.

Erich Maria Remarque "Arc de Triomphe"

“One of the two always abandons the other. The whole question is who will get ahead of whom”, “Love does not tolerate explanations. She needs deeds ”- Remarque’s novel from those books that diverge into quotes. The love story in Paris besieged by the Germans turned the heads of more than one generation of readers, and the author's romance with Marlene Dietrich, and persistent rumors that it was Dietrich who became the prototype of Joan Mado, only add to the charm of this beautiful book.

Russia

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"

Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote this novel by force, because of the need for money: gambling debts, the death of his brother Mikhail, which left his family without funds. The plot of Crime and Punishment was "inspired" by the case of Pierre François Lacière, a French intellectual murderer who believed that society was to blame for his deeds. Dostoevsky composed parts, each of which was published in the journal Russkiy Vestnik. Later, the novel was released as a separate volume, in a new edition, abridged by the author, and began independent life. Today, Crime and Punishment is part of the world classics, one of the symbols of Russian literature and culture in general, translated into many languages and filmed many times (up to the manga comic of the same name).

Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace"

The epic four-volume masterpiece, written in several passes, ended up taking Tolstoy nearly six years. "War and Peace" is inhabited by 559 heroes, the names of the main ones - Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Bolkonsky, have become household names. This novel is a large-scale (many people think that it is completely exhaustive) statement about everything in the world - war, love, the state, etc. The author himself quickly lost interest in War and Peace, a few years later calling the book "wordy", and at the end of his life - just "nonsense".

Colombia

Gabriel Garcia Marquez "One Hundred Years of Solitude"

The saga of the Buendia family is the second most popular Spanish text in the world (the first is Cervantes's Don Quixote). An example of the "magic realism" genre, which has become a kind of brand that unites completely different authors, such as Borges, Coelho and Carlos Ruiz Safon. One Hundred Years of Solitude was written by 38-year-old Marquez in a year and a half; To write this book, a father of two quit his job and sold his car. The novel came out in 1967, at first it was sold somehow, but in the end it gained world fame. The total circulation of "One Hundred Years" today is 30 million, Marquez is a classic, winner of everything in the world, including Nobel Prize, a symbolic writer who has done more for his native Colombia than anyone else. It is thanks to Marquez that the world knows that in Colombia there are not only drug lords, but also

Foundation of Classical Literature in different times replenished the outstanding geniuses of their peoples and their era. We love them for the opportunity to plunge into the world of the distant past, so classical literature remains popular at all times.

Classical Literature: General Description

It happens that a certain mood makes us pay attention to classic books, because the most famous works often the best. Not in vain, because these the best works inspired by others famous authors- representatives of subsequent popular generations in literature. golden classic, an eternal series of books, will be a salvation for those who are not attracted by modern literary works, because it was the authors from this list of classics who were genre pioneers long before the postmodern era came, and literary world flared up with all genre diversity, which was difficult even to imagine in the conditional XIX century. Nevertheless, all this became possible thanks to the classics, as evidenced by numerous reviews.

Books of world classics: list

As you know, classical works are not just books, but also markers of the era, which are considered exemplary examples of how the best of writers saw their literary heritage. Moreover, most often the problem classical works resonates with the worldview of a whole generation, which makes the mass reader love these books with all his heart. This is also the reason why these books are often included in school curriculum different countries, because such works help to understand what a whole section of society was thinking about and breathing in a specific time frame.

This list contains only a few the best samples classical literature. But if you are wondering what to read from the literature included in the golden fund of world culture, then here you will definitely find something for yourself.

If you decide to engage in self-education and fill in your gaps in literature, then you should turn to reading the masterpieces of world classical literature. What is considered a masterpiece and what is not? Everyone will answer this question for himself. Many people get lost in huge number books and do not know how to choose something really worthwhile. They come to the library or bookstore with the question: what to read interesting from the classics? We will make your choice easier and in the article we will present a list of recognized works that have stood the test of time and won the love of readers around the world. In the list you will see names like domestic writers, as well as foreign ones. Read these books and you will see Magic world literature.

You can start reading at chronological order, that is, starting from ancient literature, mythology, works of ancient authors. But keep in mind that this literature is quite difficult to understand, and without some preparation it is quite difficult to read and understand it. Therefore, you can start with more late works which are closer to our time and easier to understand modern reader. The list includes both poetry and prose. Works of various genres: tragedies, comedies, historical, philosophical, romance novels etc. In a word, there are works for the most demanding taste.

Mythological poems and epics: Elder and Younger Edda, Beowulf, The Tale of Igor's Campaign, Kalevala, Song of the Nibelungs, Epic of Gilgamesh
Ancient Literature: Homer of the Odyssey and the Iliad, Esphilus Agamemnon, Sophocles Myth of Epides, Euripides Medea, Aristophanes Birds, Aristotle Poetics, Herodotus Stories
Bible
Tales of the peoples of the world: , Russian folk tales, Tales of a thousand and one nights, etc.
Dante Alighieri: The Divine Comedy
Giovanni Boccaccio: The Decameron
William Shakespeare: Sonnets, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Richard III
Thomas More: Utopia
Nicolo Machiavelli: Sovereign
Charles Dickens: Oliver Twist
Jean-Baptiste Molière: Doctor involuntarily, Misanthrope, Tartuffe, Don Giovanni
Victor Hugo: Notre Dame Cathedral
Gustave Flaubert: Madame Bovary
Johann Goethe: Faust
Miguel Cervantes: Don Quixote
Honore de Balzac: Shagreen leather, Human Comedy
Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin: Eugene Onegin, Tales, Poems
Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev: Fathers and Sons
Arthur Conan Doyle: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov: Hero of our time, Mtsyri, poems
Mark Twain: The Adventures of Huckelbury Finn
Margaret Mitchell: Gone with the Wind
Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina, War and Peace
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol: Dead Souls, Auditor
Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mikhail Bulgakov: The Master and Margarita
Antoine de Saint-Exupery: The Little Prince
Erich M. Remarque: Three Comrades
Garcia Marquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Alexander Green: Scarlet Sails
Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice
Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe

Here sample list what to read from the classics. Of course, many more wonderful works and talented authors are not included in this short list, but nevertheless, you can start your enlightenment today by choosing the work you like from the list. We wish you happy reading!

22 fascinating books that will keep you awake

If you suffer from insomnia, or just don't know what to do in the evening before going to bed, then start reading! But be careful, because some books are so interesting that you won't notice how the morning comes!

Photo: goodfon.ru

So, a list of fascinating books that will interest both "avid readers" and novice "book lovers":

"Come in large numbers", Narine Abgaryan

This is a tragicomedy about a young and ambitious girl who, at the beginning of the difficult 90s, decided to leave her native small mountainous republic and conquer the capital. And she immediately realized that every visitor, whom the author calls "come in large numbers", has his own Moscow. Someone sees it in the millions of people scurrying through the streets, and someone gets the opportunity to get close to such people. And some of them protect, protect, care for, help, support and just love. The author of the book talks about his small piece of the very "come in large numbers" life of a visitor, which many indigenous residents of big cities do not know about. And there is a place for feats in it, the most important of which is to decide to emigrate and accept a new place as it is, and sincerely love it. And then Moscow will certainly reciprocate.

The Collector, John Fowles

This is the debut story of the author, and for many it almost freezes the blood, because this is a real psychological thriller that stirs the mind. The plot is the fate of two people connected with each other. He is a butterfly collector. There is a void in his soul, which he seeks to fill with beauty. And one day Ferdinand finds himself a wonderful victim - the girl Miranda. It is as if she was created in order to create and enjoy freedom. And he understands that he will give everything to possess her. And so, Miranda becomes a prisoner of Ferdinand. But can he keep within the walls of the castle real life, Beauty, Freedom and all the most beautiful that can be in the human soul?

The story is built on the subtle relationship of the victim and the villain and allows you to rethink many of the stories of world classics that seemed to have long been worn out.

"Forrest Gump", Winston Groom

This is the story of a mentally retarded guy, which he himself outlined on the pages of the legendary book, which formed the basis of the film of the same name. The plot can be called practically the embodiment of the myth about the very american dream”, which disturbed the minds of millions of young people who lived in the second half of the last century. But at the same time, this is a sharp and even slightly cruel satirical parody of the society of that time, which was not ready to accept people who were somehow different from the main mass. Forrest Gump was different, and therefore became the object of ridicule. But this boy is not crazy at all. He is different, and he can see and feel what others cannot see and feel. He is special.

Amsterdam, Ian McEwan

The author of the book is one of the representatives of the "elite" of modern British prose. And for a work that has become a real world bestseller, he received the Booker Prize. Victor Golyshev, who translated this creation into Russian, also got around to the award. It would seem that the story is simple and very relevant. But how many nuances are in it, how many thoughts, how many doubts! The main characters are two friends. One of them is a successful editor of a popular newspaper. Second - brilliant composer modernity, who is writing the Millennium Symphony. And they enter into an agreement on euthanasia, under the terms of which, if one falls into a state of unconsciousness and ceases to understand what he is doing, then the other will take his life.

Amendment 22 by Joseph Heller

Although more than half a century has passed since the publication of the first book, this work is still legendary and one of the most popular, and many publications have included it in the list of the best novels.

This is not an ordinary story about US Air Force pilots who took part in World War II. All of them get into absurd situations, face awkward people and thoughtless actions, they themselves commit incomprehensible acts. And all this is connected with a certain amendment No. 22, which actually does not exist on paper, but states that every military man who does not want to perform a combat mission is quite normal and therefore fit for service. But in fact, in this story one can see not so much an anti-war novel as a deep and global mockery of modern everyday life, of society and the laws in force.

"Collusion of Dunces", John Kennedy Toole

The author of this book, who, by the way, lived to see the Pulitzer Prize for this creation, was able to create literary hero, unlike any described in satirical literature. Ignatius J. Riley is creative, imaginative and eccentric. He fancies himself an intellectual, but in reality he is a glutton, a spendthrift and a quitter. He is similar to the modern Don Quixote or Gargantua, who despises society for its lack of geometry and theology. He is reminiscent of Thomas Aquinas, who launched his own hopeless war against everything and everyone: gay people, the excesses of the century, and even intercity buses. And this image is so interesting, unusual and, unfortunately, relevant that everyone can see a part of themselves in it.

"Monday Starts on Saturday" Strugatsky Brothers

This book is a real masterpiece of Russian science fiction, a kind of embodiment of the utopia of the Soviet era, a kind of artistic fulfillment of the dream of possibilities. modern man learn, create, learn and solve the mysteries of the Universe.

The main characters of the book are employees of NIICHAVO (Research Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry). They are masters and magicians, real pioneers. And they will face many amazing events and phenomena: a time machine, a hut on chicken legs, a genie and even an artificially grown man!

"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

This book has become a real bestseller. It's mysterious and fascinating story the girl Rachel, who, from the train window, watches, as it seems to her, the ideal spouses. She even gave them names: Jason and Jess. Every day she sees the cottage of a man and a woman and understands that they probably have everything: well-being, happiness, wealth and love. And Rachel had all this, but not so long ago she lost all this. But one day, approaching the already well-known cottage, the girl realizes that something is going wrong. She sees frightening, mysterious and disturbing events that disturb her consciousness. And after that perfect wife Jess is missing. And Rachel understands that it is she who must solve this mystery and find a woman. But will the police take her seriously? And, in general, is it worth interfering in someone else's life? This is for the reader to find out.

The Book of Life: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

IN recent months In his lifetime, the old professor managed to make several important discoveries.

He realized that death is not the end at all. This is the beginning. And, therefore, dying is the same as preparing for something unknown and new. And it's not scary at all, but even interesting.

Before leaving for another world, the old man passed on such knowledge to everyone who was next to him in last minutes his earthly life. What's next? Will we know it?

The Process, Franz Kafka

The author is one of the most beloved, mysterious, read and popular writers last century. He managed to create a unique artistic Universe in which everything is completely different from real life. She is sad, dreary and almost absurd, but incredibly and bewitchingly beautiful. Her characters constantly become participants in strange adventures, they are looking for the meaning of life and trying to get answers to questions that have been tormenting them for a long time. The novel "The Trial" is the work that will most clearly understand the mysterious nature of Franz Kafka's work.

"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

This book can be called strange, scary and incredibly attractive.

According to the plot, boys brought up in the best traditions find themselves on a desert island. The author told the readers a philosophical parable about how fragile the world is and what can happen to people who have forgotten about kindness, love and mercy. This is a dystopia with some symbolic overtones, which explores the behavior of children who find themselves in war time on a desert island. Will they be able to maintain humanity or will they obey natural instincts?

Rita Hayworth, or the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

The plot of this book is the story of a man whose horrible dream suddenly became a reality. He, innocent of anything, was thrown into prison, into a real hell, in which he will spend the rest of his life. And no one has been able to get out of this terrible place yet. But the main character does not intend to give up and put up with what was destined for him by fate. He went to desperate step. But can he not only escape, but also get used to freedom and the new world, survive in it? By the way, this work of the real fantasy king Stephen King served as the basis for the film of the same name, which starred Morgan Freeman and Tim Robinson.

The events unfold in England in 1960. Jennifer Sterling wakes up after a terrible car accident and realizes that she cannot remember who she is, what happened to her. She does not remember her husband either. She would have continued to live in ignorance if, by chance, she had not found letters addressed to her and signed with the letter "B". Their author confessed his love to Jennifer and persuaded her to leave her husband. Further, the author takes readers to the XXI century. Young reporter Ellie finds one of the letters written by the mysterious "B" in a newspaper archive. She hopes that by taking up the investigation, she will be able to unravel the mystery of the author and recipient of the messages, restore her reputation and even sort out her own personal life.

“Lady with glasses with a gun in a car”, Sebastien Japrisot

The main character of the book is a blonde. She is beautiful, sentimental, sincere, deceitful, restless, stubborn and stupid. This lady, who has never seen the sea, gets into a car and tries to escape from the police. At the same time, she constantly repeats to herself that she is not crazy.

But people around here disagree. The heroine behaves more than strangely and constantly gets into ridiculous situations. She believes that wherever she is, she can be harmed. But if she escapes, she can be alone with herself and free herself from what she hides, from what worries her so much.

Goldfinch, Donna Tartt

The author has been writing this book for ten whole years, but it has become a real masterpiece. It talks about the fact that art has the power and power, and sometimes it can radically change and literally turn our lives upside down, and quite suddenly.

The hero of the work, 13-year-old boy Theo Decker, miraculously survived after the explosion that killed his mother. His father abandoned him, and he is forced to wander through foster families and completely strange houses. He traveled to Las Vegas and New York and almost despaired. But his only consolation, which, by the way, almost led to his death, is the masterpiece of the Dutch old master, which he stole from the museum.

Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell

This book is like a complex mirror maze in which seemingly completely different and unrelated stories echo, intersect and overlap each other in an amazing way.

In total, there are six main characters in the work: a young composer who is forced to sell his soul and body; 19th century notary; revealing a conspiracy big company a journalist working in California in the 70s of the last century; clone servant working in modern enterprise fast food; a modern petty publisher and a simple goatherd living in the decline of civilization.

1984 George Orwell

This work can be attributed to the genre of dystopia, it describes a society in which a harsh totalitarian regime reigns.

There is nothing more terrible than the imprisonment of free and living minds in the fetters of social foundations.

"Blackberry Winter" Sarah Gio

Events unfold in 1933 in Seattle. Vera Ray kisses her little son before going to bed and goes to work at night in a hotel. In the morning, a single mother discovers that the whole city is covered with snow, and her son has disappeared. In a snowdrift near the house, Vera finds the boy's favorite toy, but there are no footprints nearby. A desperate mother is willing to do anything to find her child.

The author then takes readers to present-day Seattle. Reporter Claire Aldridge writes an article about a snowstorm that literally paralyzed the city. By chance, she learns that similar events have already occurred 80 years ago. Starting to study mysterious story Rae's faith, Claire realizes that she is somehow mysteriously intertwined with her own life.

"Blindness" José Saramago

The inhabitants of a nameless country and a nameless city are facing a strange epidemic. All of them rapidly begin to go blind. And the authorities, in order to stop this incomprehensible disease, decide to introduce strict quarantine and relocate all the sick to the old hospital, taking them into custody.

The main characters of the work are an infected ophthalmologist and his wife pretending to be blind. They are trying to collect the world bit by bit and find order in this gradually embracing chaos.

“Three apples fell from the sky”, Narine Abgaryan

This book is the story of a small village, which is somewhere high in the mountains.

Its inhabitants are all a little grumpy, a little eccentric, but at the same time, real treasures of the spirit are hidden in each of them.

This is a witty, sublime and unusual dystopia about modern society consumption, which is programmed at the genetic level. And in this world unfolds sad story The savage, whom the author regards as the Hamlet of modernity. It still retains the remnants of humanity, but people divided into social consumption castes do not want to recognize it or simply cannot do it.

If you list noteworthy books contemporary authors, it is impossible not to mention the work “Social network “Kovcheg” by Evgeniy Vetsel which consists of three parts.

The main character falls from the roof, but is reborn again. Having lived a little in the XI century, he finds himself in the distant future - in the XXXVI century in Moscow. The author touches on many interesting devices, techniques of psychology and sales, modern reflections on life and reasons to seriously think about rhetorical questions. The second book describes life in America and the theory of one of the options for a worldwide conspiracy. And the third part tells about the adventures of the hero on another planet, where white angels live.

These were the most interesting books worth reading even for those who think they don't like to read. They will turn your views and even ideas about the world.

P.S. What books do you remember the most?