Russian vs American Lit

[omahaha]

Writers such as Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Proust, Kafka, Joyce, Hardy and Mann are all in their own class. Nevertheless, American writers such as Hawthorne, Melville, Emerson and Dickinson write with candor and grace. Writers need to be evaluated on an individual basis. Although, many American writers succumbed to become Minimalists during the 20th century.

William Faulkner is less minimalistic. His stream of consciousness can be hard to follow, but what I've read - A Light in August; and The Sound and the Fury - have been worth it. Also, The Reivers is a good read. Less psychological and more witty. Kind of reminded me of Mark Twain.

[woland]

In literature and poetry I love the 19th century for the US, though there have been some good 20th century writers..
  Cooper is absolutely amazing, "Last of the Mohicans" is wonderful.. Irving is quite good.. I don't like Hawthorne's style too much though "The Scarlet Letter" deals with a powerful subject and idea... Melville's "Moby Dick" is one of the best books of all time.. Poe is quite good and Upton Sinclair is good as well.. Thoreau and Emerson also.. American fiction had it's golden era in the 19th century..
    In poetry Whitman, Dickenson, Longfellow, Crane, and then a plethora of 20th century poets headed by Eliot, Pound, and Wallace Stevens.. Whitman though is probably the most influential poet of the 19th Century, considering he basically reinvented poetry with the advent of free verse and also influenced 20th century poets such as Neruda, Rimbaud, Lorca, Pessoa, Lawrence, Williams, Levine, Borges (in his poetry), and even Eliot and Pound who tried to distance themselves from this influence somewhat...

[PointCounterPoint]

Russian lit. is good, yes, but I think you make a Jupiter out of moon. American literature, what I have read, has it's gems. Henry Miller, Vonnegut, Faulkner, Salinger, Steinbeck... Don't be hard on yourselves, you are young country. hmm You need to produce someone worthy of Viktor Pelevin though.

I recommend you all check out two great authors from my country. Danilo Kiš and Milorad Pavić.

[tzar]

russian and american cultures are totally uncomparable because that of america is disposable by it's very nature, whereas russian culture is not even rooted in everyday life.

[Secret Smile]

Interesting, I've never read that poem of Frost's before. Reminds me that I have to read more Frost eventually.

As far as Russian and American lit goes, I agree with a few others in this thread: I can't stand 19th century American lit. I never connected with the heavyweights from this period, like Whitman or Dickinson (notice that they were both poets, not novelists). Poe was the shining grace here, since he reminds me of Dostoevsky (or, rather, the other way around). 20th century American lit is an entirely different story for me. You get a lot of great authors. There's Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Arthur Miller, Langston Hughes, William Carlos Williams, and the list continues.

[durochka]

I  love Russian literature, cinema and culture so much although I`m not a Russian. Dostoevsky, Tarkovsky, Vysotsky and so on... Does it sound strange?

[Lise]

I think that quote is silly.  Faulkner could match any Russian misery for misery.  Also I was wondering does T.S Eliot count as an American?  
 Because don't think most would think of him as british.  

[Secret Smile]

I think that quote is silly.  Faulkner could match any Russian misery for misery.  Also I was wondering does T.S Eliot count as an American?  
 Because don't think most would think of him as british.  

The British hail him as a great British author, and the Americans hail him as a great American author.

[highseas]

   I think everyone has their own favorites whether it's Am. Russian,French......I think it varies depending on one's psychological make-up.  Twain is great, Hemingway is no slouch but I prefer FD & Hugo.