Favorite Russian Authors (after Dostoyevsky)

[mvr_moorthy]

 It is a toss off between Turgenev and Chekov. I name Turgenev as he has a more subtle artistry that can transform simple rustic scenes into memorable nostalgic sketches.

[lineup]

I'm a big fan of Tolstoi.  "War and Peace" is in a class of its' own   in the historical novel category.
What I really like about Tolstoi was the way he lived his life.  His generosity and his love for the serfs even though it came later in his life.  

[monika]

Alexander Pushkin, i just loved Eugene Onegin
and Gogolj perhaps

[monika]

oh and i also loved the death of ivan ilich by tolstoj, but i didt like ana karenina so much, i know its a clasic and all, but i just didnt like all that much

[ivans_nightmare]

My favorites after Dostoevsky are (in order): Andrei Platonov, Daniil Kharms, Mikhail Zoshchenko (actually Ukrainian), Lev Tolstoi, Sasha Sokolov, Venedikt Erofeyev, and Anton Chekhov. There are others that I'm forgetting right now.

[Oblomov]

Voted for Gogol, but also honourable mentions for Goncharov (obviously, though to be fair I've only read Oblomov), Lermontov (A Hero of Our Time was excellent, shame he died so young), Bulgakov & Solzhenitsyn.

Tolstoy is one I could never get my head round. I had to stop reading Anna Karenina after a few chapters (I very rarely don't finish a book I've started) because I found the main characters so unsympathetic, and it just generally boring. Maybe I'll pick it up again later; I'm trying a book of his short stories including Ivan Ilyich atm, but not overally impressed so far...

Surprised Kharms hasn't had more of a mention- as a taster, I particularly like the story about the man who was 'innoculated' against boulders continually falling on his head despite his brains seeping out because he already had a pebble in his eye   He get's a lot more surreal than that too..

[dfmil]

such a strange list   

well, i don't like no one of russian authors so much as Fedor Mihaylovich. maybe that's because he's really overshadows them all  agreed with myself and voted for Gogol'