Who is your favourite Russian writer?

Who is your favourite Russian writer?
Copyright EuronewsBarry, Sinead
By Bahtiyar KucukSinead Barry
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Euronews went to Moscow and asked locals about their favourite Russian authors.

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Russian has always been renowned for producing literature of exceptional merit.

Names like Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Dostoyevsky have helped shape the modern consciousness of Europe, with their influence stretching far beyond Russia.

But what do Russians make of these literary giants, whose work has been met with such high esteem abroad?

Euronews went to Moscow and St Petersburg and asked locals about their favourite Russian authors:

Pushkin

"My favourite Russian writer is Pushkin. Why Pushkin? Pushkin is the great writer of his time. We can say that he is a true genius of his time. He has written many poems and novels. He is like the Shakespeare of his time," answered one Russian fan.

Considered by many the founder of great Russian literature, Pushkin was a multi-faceted author wrote everything from poetry to novels, short stories, to dramas.

Dostoyevsky

"My favourite Russian writer is Dostoyevsky. I think so because he was studying the nature of humans, not of society. Most Russian writers wrote about society, about global problems. They forget that the purpose of literature is to resolve the problems of a human…Dostoyevsky was focusing on the soul of human beings," said a Moscow resident.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky was born in Moscow in 1821 and is best known for his lengthy novels and short stories. His novels have been said by literary critics to have shaped countless academic traditions, from formalism The author has been praised by acclaimed writers like Virginia Woolf for his intense psychological realism, which penetrates the very essence of the human mind.

Tolstoy

"He describes the human experience sharply. He chooses opposing characters from different part of life and depicts them masterfully. You feel yourself in the book.”

As well as being celebrated as arguably the greatest author of all time, Tolstoy is perhaps better known for having written the most difficult book to read in history - War and Peace. Leo Tolstoy was born in Yasnaya Polyana in 1828. His lengthy novels are acclaimed for their searingly accurate depictions of society and humanity and sheer richness of literature.

Chekhov

“Anton Chekhov was a very talented writer. In his short life, he produced lots of short stories,” said one Russian.

Anton Chekhov is widely perceived as the master of the modern short story. Born in Taganrog, Russia in 1860 there was no aspect of life too trivial to escape Chekhov's realist pen. The writer also excelled at writing plays, informing theatre for years to come. 

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Video editor • Thomas Duthois

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