Customer Reviews

The Portable Nineteenth-Century Russian Reader (Portable Library)

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This anthology is an excellent reader's companion to any modern Russian work--be it Nabokov's Pnin or Tolstoy's War and Peace. Not only does it provide excellent autobiographical coverage on all the major Russian authors of the period, but it has characteristic passages from works too big to be included that allow the dilettante and the serious reader alike to investigate Russian literature in as much depth as suits each. The book is comparable to the Norton's Anthology of English Literature, but on a smaller scale and less heavily footnoted. Authors covered include of course Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Gorky, but also Griboyedov, Lermontov, Gogol, Aksakov, Tyutchev, Karolina Pavlova, Goncharov, Turgenev, Herzen, Prutkov, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Solovyov and some Russian Folk Proverbs. A rare treat it provides is the chance to read some of Dostoyevsky's political non-fiction, Tolstoy's literary criticism, and eleven Pushkin poems. Plot summaries and brief literary analyses are included with the biographical information. Very readable and complete, though some translations are written in akwardly formal language (a flaw ubiquitous in Russian translations that does not detract from the diversity of selections or the beauty of included prose)

Nineteenth century Russia Literature is one of the great Literatures of Mankind. Consider 'War and Peace' and 'Karamozov' Tolstoy and Dostoevsky alone, two of the giants. But also in that century Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Chekhov other very major writers.
In this anthology there are also included Herzen,Solovoyev, Saltykov- Schedrin, Griboyedov, Goncharov, Tyutchev, and others.
The Tolstoy is 'Ivan Ilyich' and the Dostoevsky 'The Grand Inquisitor' .
There are clearly written introductions to each of the works.
This a an overabundantly rich anthology,an overabundance and richness which reflects the character of nineteenth century Russian Literature as a whole.

I'm not an expert on Russian literature so I can't comment on if this is better than other books like it. It does seem to be a good introduction - maybe a little advanced but I am enjoying it.

I disagree with stonechat's correction of the review by the New Orleans reader. I am holding this title in my hand and the contents listed by stonechat are incorrect ... maybe stonechat listed the contents of the Portable Twentieth Century Russian Reader? I dunno.. just trying to be helpful :)