What interesting things can you read from modern times? Book Review: Contemporary Books Worth Reading

novel

Saniye Parinush
"Book of Destiny"

The story of an Iranian woman who experiences all the circles of the patriarchal hell that triumphs around her - the inability to get an education, the inaccessibility true love, beatings and humiliation, forced marriage with a stranger. The narrative is aggravated by the fact that the book's action stretches over five decades of political turbulence with the well-known attempt at revolution at the end. The book was banned, then for some reason it was allowed, now the national bestseller about the horrors of traditional society is being actively translated into other languages.

stories

Alice Munro
“More expensive than life itself”

A collection of life stories from a wise, pretty old lady from Canada, who also won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. Among her heroes are broken soldiers avoiding their brides, guilt-ridden fathers of families, women with complex internal structures - and she clearly succeeds in the latter better than anyone else. Critics note in Munro's works the importance of the religious component, the warmth of childhood memories and the triumph of inner experiences over the plots. According to the writer, “More expensive than life itself” is her latest work in literature.

biographical notes

Pavel Basinsky
"No violinist needed"

Basinsky is a literary historian and philologist, widely known primarily for his high-quality non-fiction about Yasnaya Polyana on the eve of Tolstoy’s departure and Gorky’s impeccable ZhZL. His new work is also a collection of biographical and critical notes about Russian writers, only now Prilepin or Grishkovets could easily appear next to the recognized classics.

women's novel

Jojo Moyes
"One plus one"

A well-written women's novel about a single mother forced to work two jobs in order to feed her restless, “special” children. The habitually unbearable life begins to fall apart until a stranger appears in it, doomed to help deal with all adversity and build a family eden together. Despite the banal synopsis, this is most likely a kind and positive book that sometimes everything works out and happiness comes at the very end. The main confirmation of quality is the endless wave of positive reviews from female users of the site Goodreads.

stories

Robert Sheckley
"Ancient Curiosity Shop: Stories"

A selection of stories by a classic of the fantasy genre, known for his often surreal, ironic and mocking style. Sheckley gravitated towards short forms and, despite hundreds of published works, at the later stage of his work he turned out to be more popular in Russia than in his homeland. It is unlikely that his texts will be suitable for fans of “high-brow” science fiction: the author was often accused of being “unscientific,” but at the same time was praised for his fascinating plots and unique language.

story

Alexey Varlamov
"Mental Wolf"

Philologist and historian, like Basinsky, noted in last years strong ZhZL publications, apparently, decided to collect all his favorite heroes under one cover and reflect on the possible history of ideas between the catastrophes of 1914 and 1918. Sectarians, writers and intellectuals with well-traced historical prototypes discuss Nietzsche, Russia and the end of the world, which is personified through the chimera of a “mental wolf” gnawing at their interlocutors from the inside.

novel

Benjamin Lital
"Map of Tulsa"

A much-praised debut novel from a young author who bookstore marketers sometimes tout as a Salinger follower. The main character is an impressionable young man, exploring his native outback during the holidays and painfully experiencing a strange love for a girl whom he accidentally met at a party. The momentary space around him is shrinking, provoking important and simple questions, the main one of which is how to break away from this gentle mirage and is it worth doing it at all?

stories, novellas and essays

Tatiana Tolstaya
"Light Worlds"

Tatiana Nikitichna's first book in ten years, which includes accumulated essays, short stories and novellas. Most of the stories are of a personal nature, scattered across cities and countries, new places of residence and settlement, decorated with corrosive observations from life and memory. This change of perspective is perhaps the main value of the collection.

A spy novel where the double life of the characters and flashbacks from their mysterious past come into conflict with the monotony of an improving family life. The main character has to give up 15 years of unreported work for the American government and move to Luxembourg: her husband has a new assignment. The main idea of ​​the book, apparently, is that spouses usually know as little about each other as employees of opposing intelligence services, and disorder is a chronic and even unifying condition for the modern world. Sometimes it is not entirely clear what the heroine is actually doing - unraveling a network of spy intrigues or trying to understand her own values. In any case, this most often makes critics go into joyful convulsions.

What

Perhaps the main bestseller of the decade is a psychological thriller, in which there are more unexpected plot twists than even the most demanding reader could wish for.

Plot

On their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne's wife Amy goes missing under suspicious circumstances, leaving him the prime suspect in her possible murder.

Context

Critics have called Flynn's book a "novel of mirrors": nothing can be trusted here and on every page everything turns out to be not what it seems. It seems that the reader opens the book for this reason, so that he is thoroughly taken aback, but not only. Flynn writes, as it were, a fascinating read on the most favorite topic of a great novel - about family. She takes two absolutely glossy main characters, rips off all the covers from them, so what kind of marriage is it, it’s uncomfortable to stand next to them, but at the same time it implies that such an impossible union of unpleasant people is the ideal formula for a strong marriage.

Screen adaptation

Young, successful, beautiful and, most importantly, distinctly Hollywood protagonists are begging to be seen on the screen - it’s as if Flynn is writing a novel about the secret lives of American stars. In the novel, by the way, it is repeatedly emphasized how blonde they are - and it seems that the very choice of Ben Affleck for the main role hints that Fincher is up to something to spite the text. In any case, it will not be difficult for this film adaptation to become better than the original - there is nothing in the text except the plot, and Fincher is known for his ability to do beautiful things.

Tom McCarthy "When I Was Real"

What

An avant-garde novel, delightfully different from all other novels before and after it.

Plot

The main character, waking up in a hospital after an unnamed disaster, receives compensation of several million for damages and paranoid uncertainty about the reality of today - and spends a fortune on recreating the “real” pictures that lie dormant in his mind. It all starts with the construction of an entire house, in which a team of special people recreates the smell of fried liver, the sounds of music from a pianist from above, and cats walking on the roof. But it doesn’t end there - behind the house the scene of a street robbery is recreated, and then something worse.

Context

Tom McCarthy came to literature from contemporary art, and his novel is not about fortune modern society, but rather about the state of contemporary art. Like an attempt to find out how far the art of actionism can go in its pursuit of reality. That is, what is important here is not only the fantasies of the hero, who suffers from the inability to light a cigarette with the ease of De Niro in “Mean Streets,” but also the fact that a whole army of professionals helps him fulfill any whim: from casting to literally choosing wallpaper. This alienation of the process from the result is reminiscent of cinema - is it worth adding that it was this book that Charlie Kaufman was inspired by when writing “New York, New York”.

Screen adaptation

It is logical that the adaptation of the novel was also undertaken not by a director, but by an artist, and not the last one: video artist Omer Fast became famous precisely for his works that groped the line between art and reality - in “Spielberg’s List” (2003) he interviews the team of the film “Schindler’s List” On the site of a concentration camp built outside Krakow as a film set, in "Casting" a soldier talking about serving in Iraq turns out to be an actor auditioning for the role of a soldier. The author of the book and the director wrote the script for the film together - and, it seems, understood each other: the film, where Tom Sturridge, with the help of artistic reconstructions, tries to reach his own forgotten past, Fast describes as the story of an artist devoid of talent.

Laura Hillenbrand "Unbroken"

What

One of the main non-fiction bestsellers of the decade, the 2010 Time magazine book of the year is about a man who survived.

Plot

The incredible biography of Louis Zamperini, a street boy who was raised to be an Olympic runner and sent to the Games in Berlin. Then he became a pilot during World War II, survived a plane crash, drifted on a raft in the ocean for a month - all to be captured by the Japanese.

Context

Incredible and absolutely real story, which was found by Laura Hillenbrand; our time needs heroes and, not finding them in the present, finds them in the recent past.

Screen adaptation

The script for Angelina Jolie's film, which we will see at the end of the year, was written by the Coen brothers, a photograph of her together with the main character, taken shortly before his death, went around the Internet, but it may turn out that the desire to make socially responsible films will play a bad joke on her: this It’s easy to kill an already pathetic story with brutal seriousness.

Jeannette Walls "The Glass Castle"

What

A wonderful book about a difficult childhood in a strange family.

Plot

Dad drinks, mom draws pictures, no one works, there is often no food at home and never money, the children don’t go to school, but dad can tell them the best fairy tale in the world, and mom can teach them to play the piano - and everyone is happy.

Context

In fact, “The Glass Castle” is almost the best thing that happened to young adults literature this decade: instead of the fictional suffering of teenagers from dystopias, here is a real complex childhood, where the bohemian life of parents is not always a joy for their four children.

Screen adaptation

The main name of the upcoming film adaptation is already known - this is Jennifer Lawrence, for whom this book will be a chance to finally get out of the swamp of The Hunger Games somewhere closer to the arthouse. With all the love for Lawrence, a lot depends on her in this film adaptation: the whole book is built on very subtle details, and this should turn out well as “Tideland”, and not just another teenage thriller.

Colm Toibin "Brooklyn"

What

Irishman Colm Toibin, one of the most serious modern authors, tragically (for us) not translated into Russian, and his novel, which received the Costa Prize in 2009.

Plot

A young Irish woman leaves her native village for America for better life- and although things are already difficult for her in Brooklyn, everything becomes even more difficult when tragic events in her homeland force her to return home.

Context

Colm Tóibín is one of the few authors capable of writing long, slow, unhurried texts and following his characters with close attention and exceptional sympathy, who have been forgotten by world literature for more than a hundred years. His novel, however, can be read more simply - as a novel about emigrants in reverse, where America becomes a place from which it is necessary to leave.

Screen adaptation

Saoirse Ronan, the apprentice pastry chef from The Grand Budapest Hotel, will play the lead role in John Crowley's upcoming - very Irish - film adaptation: it looks like the heroine's inability to take life into her own hands will be the main plot here.

Kevin Powers "The Yellow Birds"

What

A novel about returning from war, written by an Iraq war veteran, became for Americans something like “On Western Front without change” in the 21st century.

Plot

Private John Bartle went to Iraq with his school friend Murph. At the beginning of the war, they swear to each other not to die - but the hero returns alone. Surviving is only half the battle: adapting back to peaceful life turns out to be completely impossible.

Context

Kevin Powers' novel filled the empty niche of the Great Novel about Iraq; here, for the first time in literature, all soldiers’ injuries are fully described - both in the fields and after the fields: why they leave, what they experience and how they return.

Screen adaptation

Benedict Cumberbatch, who has been cast in the lead role in David Lowery's upcoming film, says too much about the upcoming film adaptation: he doesn't look much like an Iraqi mercenary, which means that in a text that is half poetry and the other half the call of blood, it has been decided only poetry was left.

Sebastian Barry "Tables of Fate"

What

A century of Irish history in notes from a madhouse.

Plot

A hundred-year-old woman, sitting in a madhouse, keeps a diary in which the tragedy of her own life is inseparable from the tragic history of Ireland - and her attending physician sits around the corner and also keeps a diary, a little simpler. Sooner or later they meet.

Context

The 2008 Costa Prize, the Man Booker Prize shortlist and a host of other awards prove, if not the importance, then the literary excellence of the text, authored by one of the best living Irish writers and playwrights.

Screen adaptation

It’s a rare case when already at the stage of preparation of the film it is clear that it will pay tribute to the original: Jim Sheridan in the directors, in the roles of the patient and her doctor Vanessa Redgrave and Eric Bana - and a whole sea of ​​famous names in flashbacks.

Elizabeth Strout "Olivia Kitteridge"

What

A collection of stories from the life of the American province, in which the main character manages to remain a minor character almost to the end.

Plot

13 stories from a small town in New England, from which the main character gradually emerges - an inconvenient, overbearing, aging high school math teacher. We meet Olivia Kitteridge as a middle-aged woman, and see her off as an old one - in general, this is a story, if not about aging, then about the loneliness that inevitably accompanies it.

Context

2009 Pulitzer Prize - and a whole bunch of other awards: Elizabeth Strout managed not only to find a new hero, but also to complete the more difficult task of telling the story of an inconvenient heroine with empathy.

Screen adaptation

Frances McDormand, who is starring in the HBO miniseries that will be released this fall, is not a good choice for the role of Kitteridge: in the novel we are repeatedly pointed out what a large, physically awkward body she has. By making the heroine miniature, television cut off the novel itself, turning it into a story about what happens to a marriage after children grow up - a line that turns out to be far from the main one in the novel.

Jojo Moyes "Me Before You"

What

A sad story of impossible love that sells very well.

Plot

A girl at a crossroads loses her job and gets a job as a nurse for a smart, handsome man who is completely paralyzed after an accident.

Context

The social rom-com genre, which Jojo Moyes invented with this novel and has been exploiting with might and main since then, is an undoubted success. Here, in general, it’s the same Jane Austen plus the problems of the first world in the 21st century. That is, the poor beautiful girls have nothing to pay for loans, Mr. Darcy also cries, in between there are many details of the hard life of the working class, laughter through tears, but still more tears. This is not required reading, just a good girl's novel, but it proves that literature can be in in a good way left, even without being too smart.

Screen adaptation

Estimated release - August 2015. Sentimental prose of this kind, as a rule, in film adaptations becomes something moderately marginal: it reaches its strong one hundred million (three times the budget), after which everyone tries to forget it as an annoying misunderstanding. Without counting on anything in particular, the studio gave itself the freedom to play a little: it invited Thea Sharrock, known more for her theatrical work, to the director’s chair (this will be her debut in a feature film, but she, as they say, is widely known on Broadway, in particular to her we owe it to Daniel Radcliffe naked with a horse), and Emilia Clarke aka Khaleesi was called to play the main female role. And Sharrock seems determined not to knock tears out of the audience, but to show them the injustice of the British class system.

To make it easier for you now and in the future to find a book “to suit your mood,” we have started making monthly selections of interesting books for every taste.

They may contain literature of various genres, published either 10 days or ten years ago. It’s not a fact that you will meet sales record holders here (“You can’t wait for Fifty Shades of Grey”), because these reviews will not be done by a store that has the goal of “getting away with it,” but by a passionate reader who loves to write about books.

“This column will never contain anything that I didn’t like (at least in evaluating books, I will try to be frank), and it will also not contain reviews of books that I have not read. But, perhaps, you shouldn’t expect too much objectivity, because all markers have different tastes and colors, and the lists of books are not recommended by any important government bodies.

Sometimes this section will be thematic, sometimes it will just be a list of books read during the month that I am preparing this text; there are no rules here - only books. And one more small introductory point: I will write quite a lot about some books, less about some, but this absolutely does not speak about the quality or volume of the book, but simply about how the letters formed into words personally me".

All the books you love were published decades, or even centuries ago, but are you afraid to take on something modern because you don’t want to be disappointed?

Then here is a selection of modern books that you should definitely include in your personal library!

Anne Tyler - "A Spool of Blue Thread"

This is a family saga about three generations of the Whitshank family, told exactly the opposite way: from the end to the beginning.

A story connected with the family home, the local way of life, morals, customs, habits, with a constant desire to break out of the boundaries of what surrounds us.

Like any family, the Whitshanks are united by joy, laughter, holidays, as well as grief, misunderstandings, conflicts and, of course, secrets and family secrets.

Tyler writes measuredly, in detail, showing a simple life without any complications, and wins over not with a fascinating plot, but with an honest, quiet, as if in a whisper, story.

John Thorne, Joanna Rowling - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The long-awaited continuation of the Harry Potter saga is a play staged on stage in London.

You shouldn’t expect a repeat of a fairy tale from childhood: the style, manner of presentation, construction of the plot - everything is different. But this is such a “hello” from the past, thanks to which you are immersed for several hours in the world of childhood and youth, remembering a little forgotten heroes and plunging with interest into their new adventures.

19 years have passed since the last events described by JK Rowling, and the children of the main characters are already the main characters of the story, forming the most unexpected alliances.

Narine Abgaryan - “Zulali”

These are simple stories about life, about Berd, about Armenia, about people, about recipes, about air, about parables... Narine Abgaryan invariably manages to create something amazing and completely beyond the usual description.

So “Zulali” absorbed all the love, all the tenderness, national flavor and simple human joys and sorrows.

Tears well up while reading, but a bright smile remains on your face, and you yourself somehow feel life in a special way.

Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini's gripping novel is largely autobiographical. It tells about the life of a boy in pre-war Kabul and his journey to the USA.

Children's life is not yet overshadowed by the war, but it has its own troubles and joys. For example, the father, it seems to the boy, does not love him enough and pays more attention to the servant’s son. And he himself grows up not as a worthy successor of the family, but as a coward and weak-willed. But is this really so?

A novel about Afghanistan, about nationalism, about friendship, about childhood, about the vicissitudes of fate. This is another world, sometimes incomprehensible, but existing in real time, very close to us, which sometimes makes it creepy...

David Mitchell - "The Hungry House"

Unnoticeable from the street, a quiet lane in the center of London, a small black Iron door, which not everyone will notice, much less be able to open, and behind it is a huge Victorian house, which is unclear how it fit there.

All this is the beginning of a chilling story that you simply cannot tear yourself away from until the last page is turned.

Time passes, people change, but after a cycle the house receives its victim every time. Will this last forever? You can only find out by reading the book.

Stephen King called The Hungry House "a rare, magnificent thing"! And it’s impossible to disagree with him.

Dina Rubina - “Indian Wind”

Dina Rubina's new book is wonderful, as always. The story, which fits on 317 pages, tells about the fate of a woman in exile. Ordinary, perhaps, absolutely any woman, in whose life there was an indelibly bright childhood, great love, unbearable pain, and now only work, hard, exhausting, sometimes disgusting work, and this “diary” that she keeps for her “writer” .

And, of course, in her life there was and remains freedom, freedom of flight, balloons and an incredible love for the sky, she just forgot about it a little...

Rubina’s stunningly figurative language makes you not only empathize with the characters, but also feel completely immersed in the story.

Donna Tart - "The Goldfinch"

The wildly twisted plot immerses you in the completely unrealistic jungle of the narrative: there are explosions, murders, drugs, and childhood problems. But it’s 828 pages, and therefore you sway on the waves of the text, immersing yourself in incredibly beautiful and naturalistic images.

Donna Tart is, first of all, about language and enjoying the process of reading itself, even if the story is about a drug addiction. True, the immersion into it occurs so sharply and deeply that you want to quickly break through it.

But when it comes time for a text about art, I want to stretch out the chapters ad infinitum...

The world-famous picture runs like a red thread through the entire novel and the life of the main character, but it is impossible to say for sure whether it is a curse or a guiding thread.

The book is about many things, and it is simply worth reading for yourself.

Rune Belsvik - "Prostodursen"

The stories of a modern Norwegian writer about Prostodursen and his friends are becoming increasingly popular. Simple stories about simple things, which are so necessary in childhood to distinguish good from evil, friendship from pretense. These books teach you how to live and make friends, and also answer questions about why the sky is blue, the grass is green and the wind blows. And most importantly: they talk about the fact that each person is individual and has the right to his own life.

I am me, this is me, this is me,

This is who I am.

Others are completely different

Who are they, who are they?

Each of us is more than we seem

There is something hidden in each of us.

Mikhail Shishkin - “Coat with a tab”

Not Shishkin’s main book, but in the absence of his new books, “Coat with a Flap” is a sip fresh air for fans of the author's work.

On the pages of the book you can find sketches from life, historical chronicles, and journalistic investigations. But all these seemingly incompatible texts have one thing in common - the author’s unique style. Mikhail Shishkin remains true to himself and, like no one else, precisely defines his prose: “The writer has no choice but to perform a miracle and resurrect dead words, make them alive again. And only with these revived words will we be able to talk about love. For me, the only way to resurrect words is to write them incorrectly. I sniff every phrase, and if it smacks of the manual “We speak and write correctly,” I cross it out. To say something correctly is to say nothing.”

Modern literature should not only be interesting, but also give food for thought. There are many examples of worthy literature, as well as talented authors. However, in a bookstore, due to the rich variety, one’s eyes run wide: what to choose? Walk between the shelves, leaf through books, read excerpts from them. So you can choose what you like.

If you want a book of a specific genre, the task is simplified - just go to the stand with detectives, science fiction or romance novels, and take what you haven't read yet. Look at what genres are recommended for familiarization and reading by the younger generation - this is written in the article.

Be sure to get acquainted with new things, discover unfamiliar genres. Perhaps you will find something interesting in the examples of modern books we have presented - foreign and modern prose.

Foreign literature - for thought and relaxation

Gillian Flynn "Gone Girl" This story will quickly captivate the reader, riveting his attention to the incomprehensible events taking place in the life of a young couple. The plot is intriguing from the very beginning. A husband returns home after discovering clue notes - part of a game his wife prepared for him for their anniversary. Only he doesn’t find his wife herself. No one understands what happened, and the evidence found only leads to confusion. A fascinating story does not let go until the very end, which turns out to be very unexpected.

Kira Kass "The Selection", "Elite", "The One". If you want to read something relaxing, light and at the same time enjoy an interesting plot, the Kira Kass trilogy is for you. The plot tells about the Selection - a competition among girls, during which the young prince chooses the future queen - the bride. This is the story of a talented, attractive girl belonging to the lower strata of society who gets such a chance. She not only ends up in the palace and learns the intricacies of royal life, but also thinks about the future of her country - what if she manages to change it?

Carlos Ruiz Zafon "Prisoner of Heaven" You may have already become acquainted with the work of the Spanish writer. The author penned “Shadow of the Wind” - a fascinating story that develops in mystical Barcelona; The first book in the "Cemetery" series Forgotten books." And "Prisoner of Heaven" is the third book - no less interesting continuation stories. The author envelops readers in an atmosphere of mysticism, the rustle of book pages, riddles and secrets that require quick solving.

Stephen King "11/22/63". In the new novel of the famous author there are amazing events- a teacher from a small town gets the opportunity to travel back in time and save President Kennedy, whose assassination is still shrouded in mystery. Intriguing, isn't it?

Jojo Moyes "Silver Bay" A bright and kind story from a British writer that sticks in your soul for a long time. The plot is simple, but has its own twist - the events take place on the deserted coast of Australia, in a peaceful town. It is here that the main character arrives in search of peace of mind, to take a break from the difficulties that have befallen her. However, everything, as usual, did not go according to plan - the girl had a chance meeting with a man who wants to turn a cozy place into a fashionable, noisy resort.

Russian prose - for every taste

Lyudmila Ulitskaya "The Case of Kukotsky." This book is a reflection on topical issues, which sooner or later every person asks himself. The plot is also interesting and covers the life of a doctor who has the gift of diagnosing people's illnesses using a special inner feeling. This gift helped him save his future wife and find a family with her and her daughter Tanya. At first they live without any special worries, but then difficulties begin. The book raises important questions - the depth of relationships between people, love, perseverance, patience, life, birth, death.

Dina Rubina "On sunny side streets." In contrast to the previous book, Dina Rubina's story is a warm story-journey, soaked in the sun and the aroma of spices. It will take the reader to hot eastern countries, will introduce you to different people and tell about their destinies. This book about love, family, and creativity will cover you headlong and leave a pleasant impression for a long time.

Anna Korosteleva "Plum flowers, aroma of cinnamon." The plot tells the story of a foreign student Xueli, who by chance was sent to study in Russia. With surprise and, at times, humor, he notices the peculiarities of this country, its culture and society, which is not entirely clear to him. There is also a detective element in the story - a Chinese student wants to find his grandfather, who disappeared during the war years.

Victor Pelevin "Numbers". The novel is about a businessman with digital addiction. Interested? The hero completely trusts the magic of numbers and makes important and not so important decisions taking into account lucky and unlucky numbers. The novel is written in a lively, somewhat harsh language, and will not leave you indifferent.

Olga Gromyko "The Witch" (tetralogy). There is a lot of humor in this wonderful book. The reader is guaranteed a lot of laughter, healthy and deafening. In a light form, the author tells about what adventures await the graduate of the Starmin school of Mages, Pythias and Herbalists - the talented, smart, courageous, and at the same time wayward and daring Volkha Rednaya. Also in the book you will meet other inhabitants of Gromyko’s world - friendly vampires, rude trolls, mermaids, gnomes and ghouls - in a word, you won’t be bored.

The most best books- a relative concept. A good printed publication at the moment is a work that brings a person comfort, advice, knowledge, wisdom, and vivid impressions. Thus, the determining factor is whether the book satisfies the needs of a particular reader.

For some people, only specialized literature is valuable: documentary, scientific, technical, medical, industrial. But this is rather food for thought. However, most readers are still interested in fiction books. They are the ones who contribute to the formation of a spiritual image. They will be discussed in this article.

A fiction book is a unique invention. A galaxy of thinkers from different times and eras trusted paper with their hopes, observations, understanding of truth, life, and humanity. It’s wonderful when the vivid images created by these authors, together with deep and unique quotes (sometimes decades ago, and sometimes centuries ago) illuminate the lives of our contemporaries!

The role of the Russian Book of the Year competition

The current literary process in Russia is unusually fruitful and has character traits, inherent in decadence:

Directing it in a constructive direction, avoiding erosion of the national and stimulating truly talented beginnings in it is an extremely important task of modern Russian culture. An indicator of the success of the books written by our contemporaries are the annual national competitions of the “Book of the Year” type. They are organized with the aim of stimulating both writers and publishing houses.

For example, in the Russian competition in 2014, traditionally held in mid-September, 150 publishing houses participated, submitting more than half a thousand books to the competition. Winners were announced in 8 categories:

• prose works - the novel “The Abode” (Zakhar Prilepin);
• poetic work - translation of Shakespeare's "King Lear" (Gigory Kruzhkov);
• fiction for children - the story “Where is the cock's horse galloping?” (Svetlana Lavava);
• art book - “Kargopol Journey” (prepared by the local architectural and art museum);
• Humanitas nomination - artistic and documentary album “Lermontov” (State Archive of Arts and Literature);
• e-book - media project “Yasnaya Polyana” and “Yaroslavl Temples” (project bureau “Sputnik”);
• nomination “Printed in Russia” - album “Vetka. Book culture";
• the main prize of the “Book of the Year 2014” competition is the three-volume “Russia in World War I” (a team of 190 researchers from universities, museums, and archives).

To summarize: the objectives of the above-mentioned competition are to improve the status of the book in the current public life; stimulating the best authors and publishing houses. Over the sixteen years of its existence, this event has proven in practice its motivating role in the development of Russian literature.

At least, they nominated Russian writers who can rightfully be called classics:

• 2004, nomination “Prose” - “Sincerely yours, Shurik” (Lyudmila Ulitskaya); nomination “Bestseller” - “Night Watch” (Sergei Lukyanenko);
• 2005, nomination “Prose” - “Voltairians and Voltairians” (Vasily Aksenov);
• 2011, nomination “Prose” - “My Lieutenant” (Daniil Ganin).

International book ratings

As we have already mentioned, the best, most popular books, thanks to the thoughts crystallized in them, become real friends, advisers, and joy for their readers. And the authors who wrote them are called classics.

The best books created by talent are studied in schools and universities. educational institutions, they are widely quoted in everyday life.

At the very least, browsing the Internet reveals dozens of variations of the “Top 100 Books.”

Lists like these have some value. Thanks to them, it becomes much easier for a novice reader to find the truly best books to read among tens and hundreds of thousands of works. If a person feels his gaps in knowledge of world culture (an integral part of which is domestic and foreign literature), then such a rating can become a route map.

What direction should you choose for such a landmark? If you are really interested in world literature, then we would recommend using one of the ratings by version:

• English Broadcasting Company (BBC);
• The Observer;
• Union of Writers of Russia;
• French newspaper Le Monde;
• American publishing house Modern Library;
• Norwegian book club.

Of course, the news agency of each country, listing the best books, tries to give leading places in the compiled lists to fellow countrymen authors. And this is justified. After all, the talents of the recognized classics, who created their masterpieces from the times of the ancient world to the present day, are in fact incomparable. Each of them finds a path to the hearts of readers in their own way.

A phenomenon that has come down to us thousands of years later: the literature of the ancient world

The list of books that have come to us through millennia and inherited from other eras is quite limited. However, they also appear in modern ratings. That's why we write about them. Unfortunately, history has not preserved ancient libraries: Gentiles fought with books as well as with enemies. For example, the richest library of Alexandria, containing up to 700,000 papyrus scrolls, was destroyed.

Which books of our classical ancestors should be mentioned first when talking about the ancient world? Of course, glory in Latin deserves Publius Virgil Maro, author of the Aeneid, and in ancient Greek - Homer, author of the Odyssey and Iliad. Guided by Virgil's theory, the Russian scientist and poet Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov developed a syllabic-tonic system of versification, which served as a launching pad for the further development of Russian poetry.

However, not only Virgil and Homer are considered ancient classics. Horace, Cicero, and Caesar also wrote in Latin, and Aristotle, Plato, and Aristophanes wrote in ancient Greek. However, it is precisely the two names mentioned earlier that best represent the literature of the ancient world.

Books from Europe during the emergence of capitalism

Foreign literature, of course, is represented by a much richer list of authors than Greece and Ancient Rome. This was facilitated by the rapid development of European states.

France, with its Great Revolution, awakened romantic human aspirations for freedom, equality, and fraternity. In the literature of Germany, which began to create its statehood, in unison with the French, romanticism also prevailed.

In contrast, industrialized, urbanized and politically stable Britain - ruler of the seas - exhibited the most powerful and mature literary process, leaning towards realism.

It is generally accepted that the most famous writers who worked in French at that time, it was Victor Hugo (“Les Miserables,” “Notre Dame”) and George Sand (“Consuelo”).

However, speaking about the French contribution to world literature, the names of Alexandre Dumas the Father should be mentioned (“ Iron mask", "The Three Musketeers", "The Count of Monte Cristo"), Voltaire (the poem "Agathocles"), Charles Baudelaire (collections of poems "The Parisian Spleen", "Flowers of Evil"), Moliere ("Tartuffe", "The Bourgeois in the Nobility" , “The Miser”), Stendhal (“The Perm Monastery”, “Red and Black”), Balzac (“Gobsek”, “Eugene Gande”, “Godis-Sar”), Prosper Merimee (“Chronicles of the Times of Charles IX”, “Tamango” ").

Let us continue the list of romantic books characteristic of early bourgeois Europe by mentioning the works of the Spaniards and Germans. A brilliant representative of Spanish classical literature is Cervantes (“The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha”). Among the German classics, the most famous were Johann Wolfgang Goethe (“Faust”, “Wild Rose”), Heinrich Heine (“Journey to the Harz”), Friedrich Schiller (“The Fiesco Conspiracy in Genoa”, “The Robbers”), Franz Kafka (“The Missing Man”) ", "Process").

Romantic adventure books discarded the entourage of real life; their plot was based on the actions of exceptional heroes in unusual conditions.

The Rise of British Literature

In the 19th century, British writers were rightfully considered the trendsetters of “book fashion” on the European continent. French authors, initiated by the Great Revolution, were less favored after the collapse of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The British had their own literary tradition. Back in the 14th century, the whole world recognized the genius of William Shakespeare and the innovative social ideas of Thomas More. Developing their literature in the conditions of a stable industrial society, British authors already in the 18th century began an evolutionary transition from the classic chivalric romance (romanticism) to social and psychological works.

More pragmatically than the French, they tried to answer the philosophical question: “What is Man and what is Society?” Such new thinkers were Daniel Defoe (“Robinson Crusoe”) and Jonathan Swift (“Gulliver”). However, at the same time, Britain marked a new direction of romanticism, as demonstrated by George Gordon Byron, author of Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.

The literary tradition of realism in the first half of the 19th century was powerfully developed by the following famous writers:

Brilliantly talented (whom F. M. Dostoevsky later called his teacher);

Intellectual to the point of uniqueness, stoically enduring hunger and poverty, Charlotte Bronte, known for the novel “Jane Eyre”;

The creator of the world famous Sherlock Holmes is Arthur Conan Doyle;

Kneeling and persecuted by the corrupt press (“Tess of the Dabervilles”).

Russian golden literature of the 19th century. The biggest names

The classics of Russian literature are associated in the world primarily with the names of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. Although in general in the 19th century (which is generally recognized), Russian literature turned into the most striking cultural phenomenon on a global level.

Let us illustrate the above. Tolstoy's style of writing novels has become an undisputed classic. Thus, the American writer Margaret Mitchell wrote her famous epic “Gone with the Wind”, imitating the style of Lev Nikolaevich.

The piercing psychologism of the highest standard inherent in Dostoevsky’s work was also generally recognized throughout the world. In particular, the famous scientist Freud argued that no one in the world could tell him anything new about the inner world of man, no one except Fyodor Mikhailovich.

And Chekhov’s innovation inspired authors to begin writing works based on the world of human feelings. In particular, the venerable British playwright Bernard Shaw recognized himself as his student. Thus, foreign literature in the 19th century received both powerful ideological support and a new vector of development from Russian literature.

A note about literary ratings

The fact remains: among hundreds best works significant part occupied by books written in the 19th century. It is these writers who are usually studied in schools, for which inertial and unreasonably stable educational programs have been developed.

Is this fair? Not at all. It is more expedient to change the curriculum, taking into account the tastes of the real advanced reading audience. In our opinion, no less than the works of the 19th century, curriculum should be occupied by the works of writers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The classics of Russian literature today are not only the works of Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, but also the books of Mikhail Bulgakov, Victor Pelevin. We deliberately express our thoughts figuratively, mentioning only individual names of famous poets and writers.

Raising the topic: “Which books are the best?”, it is reasonable to talk in more detail about the works of the classics of the present and past centuries.

Best book according to the BBC. Critical view

According to the BBC, the first place is occupied by John Ronald Tolkien's novel-trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”. Let us pay special attention in this article to this fantasy work. Books with such depth of plot development, based on ancient legends, are very rare.

What motivated the rating experts to give such a high rating? Indeed, the Oxford University professor has done Britain a great service with his fascinating work. Having deeply and comprehensively studied the folklore of Foggy Albion (hitherto scattered and fragmented), figuratively speaking, he unraveled it by thread and wove it into a single concept of the struggle between Good and Evil. It’s not enough to say that he did it with talent. An interesting fact testifies to the uniqueness of the trilogy. One day, an angry scientist colleague came to the author of “The Lord of the Rings” after his lecture and accused the writer of plagiarism.

Modern fiction, perhaps, has never had such associations before. The writer’s opponent turned out to be demonstrative; he brought to the confused author of “The Ring” copies of drawings from ancient British chronicles, unknown to the latter, which seemed to illustrate Tolkien’s work.

It happens! One person managed the impossible - to unite, systematize and, most importantly, presentably present the ancient folklore of his homeland. It is not for nothing that Queen Elizabeth II awarded the writer the honorary title of Knight of Britain.

Some other BBC rated books

• Children's fantasy trilogy "His Dark Materials" (Philip Pullman).
• To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee).
• "1984" (George Orwell).
• "Rebecca" (Daphne Du Maurier).
• "The Catcher in the Rye" (Jerome Salinger).
• "The Great Gatsby" (Francis Fitzgerald).

Opinion of Russian readers

What assessment is given to the fairness of the British rating on Russian book lovers forums? The short answer is: ambiguous.

The work of the writer George Orwell is given a fairly high rating. For many readers, their favorite book has become an exciting novel with an unpredictable plot - “Rebecca”. For children to read, we can recommend the story of the journey of the girl Lyra Belacqua from Oxford through fantastic worlds from Philip Pullman.

However, there are also quite motivated comments. For example, for the domestic sophisticated reader who loves such books-novels as Bulgakov’s realistic-mystical novel “The Master and Margarita”, the work “Doctor Zhivago” from Boris Pasternak, as well as “Picnic by the Road” and “The Doomed City” from the Strugatsky brothers, To put it mildly, the BBC's rating priority criterion is not entirely clear.

Please understand correctly: we are by no means trying to lower the artistic value of a number of talented novels like “Catch 22”, “The Great Gatsby”, “The Catcher in the Rye” when we state a fact: their genre is an ideological novel. Can they, objectively speaking, compete with the voluminous and multi-problem work “The Master and Margarita”?

Such novel books, which consistently reveal only one idea of ​​the author, should be rated lower! After all, their depth of meaning is initially limited by design, devoid of volume, multidimensionality. Therefore, in the opinion of our readers, the dubious positioning of novels-ideas in the list of books in positions higher in rating than “War and Peace” or “The Master and Margarita” is completely absurd.

Modern postmodern books

Postmodernist books today are perhaps at the peak of their popularity, since they represent an ideological antithesis to the stagnating society of mass consumption. Contemporary postmodern writers dissect the consumer lifestyle around them, filled with soulless advertising and primitive glossy glamor.

There are such ideological authors even in well-fed America. Recognized in his homeland as a true expert on problems consumer society writer of Italian origin Don DeLillo (novels Underworld, White Noise). Another Italian scientist, professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna Umberto Eco, immerses the reader in such an intellectually rich outline of his work (“Foucault’s Pendulum”, “The Name of the Rose”) that his creations are in demand by an intellectual audience.

Another author demonstrates a softer postmodern. One of the representatives of Russian modern literature of this movement is Boris Akunin. The books of this modern classic (“The Adventures of Erast Fandorin”, “Azazel”, “The Adventures of Sister Pelageya”) are in demand among mass readers and have even been filmed. Many note the strength of the author’s talent, his masterful style, and ability to create fascinating stories. In his reasoning, he demonstrates a special personal philosophy of an eastern character.

The latter is especially noticeable in his “Jade Rosary” and “Diamond Chariot”.

It is noteworthy that, while captivating the reader with detective stories taking place in the general outline of historical events in Russia, the modern classic Akunin does not shy away from the problems of poverty, corruption and theft. His books, however, are not kept within the strict framework of a historical plot. In the West, this genre of prose is called folk-history.

The chronological point that determines the start of the concept of “modern Russian literature” is 1991. Since that time, hitherto closed works by sixties authors have become available to the general public:

• “Sandro from Chegem” by Fazil Iskander.
• “Island of Crimea” by Vasily Aksenov.
• “Live and Remember” by Valentin Rasputin.

Following them, modern writers came into literature, whose worldview was initiated by perestroika. In addition to the above-mentioned Boris Akunin, other Russian literary stars of the first magnitude shone brightly: Viktor Pelevin (“Numbers”, “The Life of Insects”, “Chapaev and Emptiness”, “T”, “Empire V”) and Lyudmila Ulitskaya (“The Case of Kukotsky ", "Sincerely yours, Shurik", "Medea and her children").

Modern fantasy books

Perhaps a sign of the era of decadence was the remake of the romantic genre, revived in the form of fantasy. Just look at the phenomenon of popularity of the series of novels about Harry Potter by JK Rowling! This is really so: everything is returning to normal, romanticism is regaining lost ground from realism!

No matter how much they say that realism once (in the 30s of the 20th century) crushed romanticism to death, no matter how much its crisis is hidden, but it is again on horseback! It's hard not to notice. Let us recall just one of the classic definitions of this literary style: “Exceptional heroes act in unusual situations.” Isn't that last statement in keeping with the spirit of fantasy?! What else can I add...

• “Night Watch”, “Day Watch” (Sergei Lukyanenko).
• “Forbidden Reality”, “Gospel of the Beast”, “Catharsis” (Vasily Golovachev).
• The cycle of novels “The Secret City”, the cycle “Enclaves” (Vadim Panov).

Let us also recall the popularity in Russia of the fantasy series “The Witcher” by the Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. In a word, adventure books are now again in favor with readers.

Looking through the forums of domestic readers, we discovered that among the outstanding writers of the 20th century, non-European and non-American books are much less often mentioned. However, among them there are some very bright and talented works:

• “One Hundred Years of Solitude” (Colombian Marquez).
• “Woman in the Sands” (Japanese Abe Kobo).
• “Waiting for the Barbarians” (South African John Coetzee).

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the average person a priori will not be able to read the bottomless literature of its authors (meaning the best) throughout his life. Therefore, navigation in the boundless book “sea” is extremely important. “Why do you need to read this purposefully?” - an uninitiated person will ask...

We will answer: “Yes, to decorate your life, to make real friends! After all, books are advisers, inspirers, and comforters.

In conclusion, we note that if in the future you are lucky enough to find at least a dozen books, each of which, like a tuning fork, is ideal for you, your soul in a certain life situation, then we will consider that it was not in vain that we worked on this article. Happy reading!