Russian Language Mentor's
Cultural Literacy
Recommended Readings, Films and Websites

• Readings
• Films
• Websites

If you were to read just ONE work in English by each of the great 19th century Russian authors,
the RLM recommends the following:
• Alexander Pushkin - The Queen of Spades.
  
  
• Nikolay Gogol - The Overcoat.
  
  
• Mikhail Lermontov - The Fatalist, from Hero of our Time.
  
  
• Fyodor Dostoevsky - "A Propos of the Wet Snow", Part II of Notes from the Underground
  
  
• Leo Tolstoy - The Death of Ivan Ilyich.
  
  
• Anton Chekhov - The Lady with the Dog.
  
  
• Maxim Gorky - Twenty-six Men and a Girl

If you were to read just ONE novel in all of Russian literature,
the RLM recommends:
• Mikhail Bulgakov - The Master and Margarita.
  An online version of the Russian original is available HERE. You can also link to an English version HERE.

The following NON-FICTION books related to Russian culture and history
are highly recommended:
• Suzanne Massie - Land of the Firebird: The Beauty of Old Russia (Simon and Schuster, 1980.).
  Published in 1980, Ms. Massie's wonderful study of Russian culture remains the most readable and interesting work on Russian culture available.
  
  
• James Billington - The Icon and the Axe: An Interpretive History of Russian Culture. (Vintage Books, 1970.)
  Dr. Billington is the Librarian of Congress and a Russian scholar. This thick book is brilliant and the closest one has gotten to explaining the Russian mind and soul.
  
  
• James Billington - The Face of Russia.(Harper Collins, 1998.)
  The text that gave rise to the PBS series noted below in "Websites."
  
  
• Nicholas V. Riasanovsky, A History of Russia. (Oxford University Press, 1993.)
  There are a lot of Russian history books out there, some better than others. Riasanovsky's is one of the best, both for reading and for research.
  
  
• George Fedotov, The Russian Religious Mind (Harvard University Press, 1940.)
  Sixty-some years old and still the best work on the topic. You might find a copy at your library or online at a used book website. Worth reading and owning.
  
  
• John Fennel, A History of the Russian Church to 1448 (Longman, 1995.)
  Another important work on the Russian religious mind. This one is still readily available.
  
  
• Joanna Hubbs, Mother Russia: The Feminine Myth in Russian Culture (Indiana University Press, 1988.)
  A very important work on matriarchical themes in Russian culture. Also offers interesting insights into Russian pegan rituals.
  
  
• S. John Ross, Russia: Empire, Enigma, Epic (Steven Jackson Games, www.sjgames.com; ISBN 1-55634-258-6)
  In his quest to bring you the best, the RLM wandered into a Gen-X game/book/resource store in the basement of a shop on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, NC, and stumbled upon this "book." It's intended as a GURPS system resource for, I guess, playing some game. Who cares! It's a great resource, with excellent essays on the history, folklore and culture of Old Russia.
  
  
• Serge Zenkovsky, Medieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles, and Tales (E.P. Dutton, 1963.)
  The best anthology in English for works ranging from the "Primary Chronicle" to the "Life of the Archpriest Avvakum by Himself." Excellent introduction and notes supplement the translations.
  

The following FILMS are highly recommended by the RLM
and by your fellow users:
• Sergey Eisenstein -
  • The Battleship Potemkin (1925)
    
  • Alexander Nevsky (1938)
  • Ivan the Terrible, Part 1 (1943)
    
    
• Nikita Mikhalkov -
  • Oblomov (1979) - a wonderful picture of 19th century Russian life in general and of "Oblomovism" in particular.
  • Burnt by the Sun - Mikhalkov's classic film on Stalin and Stalinism.
  
  
  
• Andrei Tarkovsky -
  • Andrei Rublev - it might be about a Medieval monk icon painter but it is also one of the greatest films ever made!
  
  
  
• King Vidor -
  • War and Peace (1956) - you can read the 1500 page book or you can watch this 3 1/2 hour movie starring Audrey Hepburn (as Natasha).
    
    
• Sergei Bondarchuk -
  • War and Peace (VOINA I MIR) (1967) - you can read the 1500 page book or you can watch this 6 3/4 hour movie and work on your Russian to boot!
    
    
• David Lean -
  • Dr. Zhivago - based on Pasternak's novel on the Revolution and Civil War, this remains one of the greatest epic films on Russia. Of course, you'll come away from it humming "Lara's Theme," but it's a minor side effect that gradually fades away - until you open a music box.
    
    
• Woody Allen -
  • Love and Death (1975) - "the greatest parody of Russian literature ever made!" - V.T.
  
  
  
• Others -
  • Prisoner of the Mountains (Kavkazkij Plennik) - Leo Tolstoy's famous tale retold in a modern Chechen setting.
  • Zhizn' i neobychajnye priklyucheniya soldata Ivana Chonkina - based on Vladimir Voinovich's story, "possibly the funniest movie ever made!"- M.R.B.




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WEBSITES




(Link here to SEELRC Russian Webliography maintained by Bogdan Sagatov)

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