All the romantic pathos that is shrouded in the Middle Ages is presented in "Ivanhoe". Valorous knights, beautiful ladies, castle sieges and political subtleties of vassal relations - all this found a place in the novel by Walter Scott.

In many ways, it was his creation that contributed to the romanticization of the Middle Ages. The author described the historical events that affect the period in the history of England after the Third Crusade. Of course, it was not without serious artistic improvisation and fiction, but this only made the story more exciting and beautiful.

It was impossible not to include in this selection the most famous creation of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. For many schoolchildren, the study of "Dead Souls" is the most striking event in literature lessons.

Nikolai Gogol is one of the few classics who knew how to write about the problems of philistine life and Russia as a whole in such a sarcastic and direct tone. There is neither the epic ponderousness of Tolstoy, nor the unhealthy psychology of Dostoevsky. Reading the work is easy and pleasant. However, hardly anyone will deny him the depth and subtlety of the observed phenomena.

The adventure novel "The Headless Horseman" is multi-layered: detective and love motives are intertwined in it. The intricacies of the plot create intrigue and keep you in suspense until the very last pages of the book. Who is this headless horseman? A ghost, a figment of the imagination of heroes, or someone's insidious trick? You are unlikely to fall asleep until you get the answer to this question.

Charles Dickens was extremely popular during his lifetime. People were waiting for his next novels in about the same way as we are now waiting for the release of some "Transformers". The educated English public loved his books for their inimitable style and plot dynamism.

The Pickwick Papers is the funniest piece by Dickens. The adventures of English snobs, who proclaimed themselves explorers of human souls, are full of ridiculous and comical situations. Social issues, of course, are present here, but they are presented in such a simple form that it is simply impossible not to fall in love with the English classics after reading them.

"Madame Bovary" is rightfully considered one of the greatest novels of the world classics. This title does not in the least detract from the fascination of Flaubert's creation - the defiant story of Emma Bovary's love affairs is bold and daring. After the publication of the novel, the writer was even prosecuted for insulting morality.

The psychological naturalism that permeates the novel allowed Flaubert to vividly reveal a problem that is relevant in any era - the convertibility of love and money.

The most famous work of Oscar Wilde touches the living with a deeply worked out image of the protagonist. Dorian Gray, an esthete and snob, has an extraordinary beauty that contrasts with the inner ugliness that develops throughout the plot. You can enjoy watching Gray's moral decline, allegorically reflected in the visual change of his portrait, for hours on end.

American Tragedy is the other side of the American Dream. The desire for wealth, respect, position in society, money is characteristic of all people, however, for the majority, the way up is closed by default for various reasons.

Clyde Griffiths is a lower-class man who is trying with all his might to break into high society. He is ready to do anything for the sake of his dream. But society, with its ideals of success as an absolute goal in life, is itself a catalyst for violation of morality. As a result, Clyde breaks the law in order to achieve his goals.

To Kill a Mockingbird is an autobiographical novel. Harper Lee described her childhood memories. The result is a story with an anti-racist message, written in simple and accessible language. Reading the book is useful and interesting, it can be called a moral textbook.

Not so long ago there was a sequel to the novel called "Go and Set a Watchman." In it, the images of the characters in the writer's classic work are turned inside out so much that cognitive dissonance cannot be avoided when reading.

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In the modern world there are fewer and fewer people who read. Sad but true. If earlier it was something in the order of things to meet a person with a book in public transport, now it is a real rarity. Gadgets are displacing literature en masse, leaving it somewhere in the backyard. After all, it is much easier to turn on a toy or crawl on social networks than to plunge into a complex fictional world. Reading has become a job, not an affordable pastime. It is sad. After all, books form a point of view on the world, religion, politics, art, love. They allow you to broaden your horizons and gain experience on other people's mistakes, foster humanity and compassion. No computer game or Facebook will give you such a thing.

Therefore, to expand the boundaries of your own consciousness, you need to read. At least world famous works, the so-called classics books, which everyone should read.

Russian literature

Not everyone can wade through the jungle of ancient Greek or Roman cultural heritage and understand the works of Socrates, Aristotle or Plutarch. Therefore, it is better to start with what is closer in mentality: books of Russian classics, which everyone should read. These can be like works known from the school curriculum, but perceived completely differently in adulthood, when no one forces you to read under a stick. So are the books recognized as modern classics.

"Eugene Onegin"

First love, mental anguish, jealousy, choice - all this is on the pages of the famous novel in verse. And what escaped before will sparkle with new colors and make you empathize with the heroes.

In addition, the novel perfectly conveys the spirit of its time and describes the realistic life of the nobility.

"Crime and Punishment"

One of the first psychological novels that enjoyed worldwide popularity was written by Dostoevsky back in 1866. This work is included in the list of "100 books of classics that everyone should read."

Anyone can decide that they have the right to administer justice, but what is the cost of these actions? Is it internal freedom or a crime? The lines between good and evil are so blurred that it is easy to stumble. And the hand will be given by the one who himself is already considered beyond the bounds.

"Fathers and Sons"

Turgenev's novel touches upon the issue of generations: “they are not like us” and the desire to prove that the new is better than the old. However, the ideological struggle fades when feelings come into play. What will the main character choose: adherence to ideals or love for a woman, the desire to change the world and rebuild it or a quiet life in his native village? After all, maybe the ideals of the fathers are not as bad as they seem.

"The Master and Margarita"

If you are interested in more modern novels with elements of mysticism and fantasy, take a look at Bulgakov. This is a classic that everyone should read. Everything is here: partings and meetings, atrocities and retribution, execution and resurrection. Several parallel lines, one more interesting than the other, ambiguous characters ... The novel has been repeatedly filmed, theatrical performances are staged on it. And disputes around the meaning and the main characters are still ongoing.

"Quiet Don"

The must-reads for everyone are so varied and varied that you can find something to like. Those who are interested in history will be interested in this work by Mikhail Sholokhov. Together with the main characters, the reader will live through the First World War and the Civil War, and will see the events through the eyes of the participants.

"Not on the lists"

The story of Boris Vasiliev tells about a simple Russian guy who, instead of the easy path, chose the difficult one and put his civic duty to the Motherland in the first place.

"We"

Now the genre of dystopias has become popular, but few people remember that Russian authors have this kind of work.

However, such a work was written by Yevgeny Zamyatin back in 1920 and has not lost its relevance to this day. It is also included in the list of books "classics that everyone should read."

Thirty-second century. A society with strict totalitarian control over everyone and everything. No names - numbers instead. There is no freedom of choice, even in clothes - instead of a uniform. There is no personal space. Even in your own home it is impossible to find salvation from the all-seeing eye - glass walls hide nothing. There should be no room for love and attachment to anything. But what if they arise? Either convey, or join the opponents of the existing system. However, can a small group be able to withstand a huge and well-functioning machine?

Foreign literature

"Romeo and Juliet"

A young girl and a young guy from warring families should have hated each other a priori, but instead fell in love. Instead of obediently following the parental will, they decided to go against tradition and fight for their happiness.

"Dracula"

The cult book has been repeatedly filmed, but nothing can overshadow the impression of the original printed source.

The main character goes to Transylvania to sell the house to his client - a strange eccentric old man Dracula. Not listening to the warning of random fellow travelers, the young man finds himself in the epicenter of terrible events, which he himself initiated. But who could have guessed that his client is the real Evil. Having miraculously escaped from captivity, the young man returns home. But the nightmare does not stop even in London.

1984

George Orwell's work is suspiciously reminiscent of Zamyatin's book. The same atmosphere of hopelessness, the same attempts to break out of control, doomed to failure in advance.

In a world where every step of a person is known almost in advance and the future is predetermined, it is difficult to resist the system. Difficult and scary. What happens to those who go against the tide? They disappear ... And then they appear brainwashed. The main character tried to be like everyone else, allowing himself only a little bit of dissent. Maybe because he knew a little more than the others. Meeting with an unusual girl completely changed his life. She introduced new colors into it, became a catalyst for many events.

"The little Prince"

The list of "books - classics - that everyone should read" also includes this unusual fairy tale for adults. Saint-Exupery talks about the adventures of the Little Prince, about his acquaintance with the Earth, but at the same time he talks about more important things: love, friendship, loyalty.

"Three Musketeers"

The adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas is known to many thanks to numerous film adaptations. But nothing can better convey the atmosphere of medieval France than a book. On its pages, favorite heroes come to life again and details are revealed that the films are silent about.

Young D'Artagnan come to Paris from the provinces in search of a better life and finds it by joining military service in a privileged unit. And at the same time, loyal friends for many years, no less loyal and insidious enemies, and, of course, adventure.

"Over Abyss in the Rye"

Salinger's novel is attributed by some to but not every teenager will be able to understand it.

The narration comes from the perspective of an ordinary seventeen-year-old boy Holden, a student of a closed American school. He was once kicked out for behavior and had to spend several days in New York alone.

It's hard to say what this novel is about. About everything and nothing, in particular. The hero reflects on the meaning of life, his place in it, goals and aspirations. His thoughts are mostly depressive. However, the narrative drags on and does not let go to the end.

For kids

It makes no sense to read or give complex works to children of primary school age, as many parents like to do. It is unlikely that they will be able to understand and appreciate them. In addition, there is a lot of excellent literature designed specifically for young readers. So what then are the books (classics) that every child should read?

"The Wizard of Oz"

The story of the adventures of little Ellie and Totoshka will not leave you indifferent. The girl, by chance, found herself in a magical land, adventure full of dangers awaits. The yellow brick road was not as easy as it seemed at first. However, new friends will help you overcome all difficulties and find your way home.

"Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

Restless Tom brings some problems to his family, he is so restless and resourceful boy. He is able to turn even punishment in a direction favorable to himself. Tom manages to find adventure even where it couldn't be! But together with his faithful friend Huck, he is able to overcome any difficulties. Even bring the terrible Indian Joe out into the open.

"The Adventures of Dunno and His Friends"

In the Flower City, everyone does his own thing: Znayka invents, Cog and Shpuntik are repairing, the Tube is drawing, Doctor Pilyulkin is treating ... One Dunno is messing around and composing fables. But on the other hand, he has the most beautiful hat and tie - no one else has such. Due to the carelessness of Dunno, the rest of the inhabitants of the Flower City often find themselves in trouble. But he is not out of spite ... And he will try to fix what he has done.

For teenagers

The list of "books (classics) that every teenager should read" includes works recognized as the "golden fund" of literature.

"Lord of the Flies"

Golding's novel should appeal to those who love young adult books. It is one of the first books written in this direction, and its echoes can be found in many authors.

A group of boys miraculously survived the plane crash and ended up on a desert island. At first everything was fine: the sea, palm trees, hunting, fruit, the hope of salvation, the organization of life in the image and likeness of Robinson Cruise. Two boys who want to be leaders and understand that there can only be one. From a tiny spark of enmity, a whole bonfire of hatred flared up, in which every notion of humanity burned out.

"Treasure Island"

Pirates, treasures, dangers at every turn - this was not what the young man was looking for, searching the guest's chest in search of money. But in addition to the sought-after young man finds a battered map of the island, where the location of the treasure is marked. Enlisting the help of senior comrades, he sets off in search of treasures. But together with them the pirates go to the island ... Who will get the found treasure?

Modern classic

"Do not let me go"

There are books (classics) that everyone should read. And this is one of them. created an amazingly atmospheric work. At first it is not entirely clear what it is about, but then it is impossible to tear yourself away, even realizing the entire horror of what is happening on the pages.

These children grew up without knowing their parents, not knowing love, but convinced that they have a special purpose. They were told about this since childhood, and they are used to considering it as something ordinary, not strange and not scary.

"Chocolate"

This is a very unusual story from the English writer Joanne Harris. Mystical, beautiful, with an indescribable sense of immersion in the Middle Ages, although the novel is set in the early 1960s.

A new resident arrives in a small French town with her daughter. She opens a shop of sweets, which she prepares herself according to old recipes. Everyone who has tried them will definitely come back for a treat, and this looks very suspicious in the eyes of the local priest. And a woman is not as simple as it seems. She and her daughter are hiding a big secret.

"Perfumer. The story of a killer "

The story of a genius who turned into a monster, wanting to create the perfect scent. Even if for this it was necessary to commit a crime, the protagonist did not hesitate for a minute. What does the life of a young innocent girl mean? Nothing. She is just a sought-after ingredient in a complex perfume composition.

After the release of the film adaptation, the book produced the effect of an exploding bomb: stun, disgust, delight. There were no indifferent people.

Instead of an afterword

The books of the classics, which every educated person should read, are difficult to put together in a list that is limited by any framework. There are too many worthy works, the tastes of all people are different, so you just need to read and look for your own, not limited to just "chewing gum for the brain." Books that make you think and leave a mark on your memory are worth the time you spend on them.

The best books of the classics of autumn 2018

Our new ranking of the top 100 best classics books has undergone significant changes. It's all to blame for the beginning of a new educational school, and the school curriculum, which clearly sets the tone in this category. Nevertheless, only the really best books of the classics, and not only Russian, but also foreign ones, got into it. After all, this list of the best classics was compiled on the basis of your requests on the Internet and reflects the interest of readers in our country in the best possible way.

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The story "Sunstroke" Author: Bunin IA Year of publication of the story: 1925 Bunin's story "Sunstroke" is considered by many to be one of the best works of the writer. He is included in the school curriculum, and has also been filmed more than once. The last film adaptation came out in 2014 and was very successful. This aroused even more interest in the story "Sunstroke" to read, and also allowed Ivan Bunin to borrow [...]

Now the current generation sees everything clearly, marvels at the delusions, laughs at the folly of their ancestors, not in vain that this chronicle is strewn with heavenly fire, that every letter shouts in it, that a piercing finger is directed at him, at him, at the current generation from everywhere; but the current generation laughs and arrogantly, proudly begins a series of new delusions, which the descendants will also laugh at later. "Dead Souls"

Nestor Vasilievich Kukolnik (1809 - 1868)
For what? As if inspiration
Will fall in love with the given subject!
As if a true poet
Sell ​​your imagination!
I am a slave, a day laborer, I am a huckster!
I owe you, sinner, for gold,
For your insignificant piece of silver
Pay with divine payment!
"Improvisation I"

Literature is a language that expresses everything that a country thinks, what it wants, what it knows and what it wants and should know.

In the hearts of the simple, the feeling of the beauty and grandeur of nature is stronger, more alive a hundred times than in us, enthusiastic storytellers in words and on paper."Hero of our time"

And everywhere there is sound, and everywhere there is light,
And all the worlds have one beginning,
And there is nothing in nature,
That would not breathe love.

In days of doubt, in days of painful thoughts about the fate of my homeland - you alone are my support and support, oh great, mighty, truthful and free Russian language! If it weren't for you, how not to fall into despair at the sight of everything that is happening at home? But one cannot believe that such a language was not given to a great people!
Poems in prose, "Russian language"

So, completing his dissolute escape,
Thorny snow flies from naked fields,
Driven by an early, violent blizzard,
And, stopping in the forest wilderness,
Gathers in silver silence
Deep and cold bed.

Listen: it's a shame!
It's time to get up! You know yourself
What time has come;
In whom the sense of duty has not cooled down,
Who is incorruptibly straight with his heart,
In whom is the gift, strength, accuracy,
Tom should not sleep now ...
"Poet and Citizen"

Really, here too, they will not allow and will not allow the Russian organism to develop nationally, by its organic strength, and certainly impersonally, servilely imitating Europe? But what to do with the Russian organism then? Do these gentlemen understand what an organism is? Separation, “split off” from their country leads to hatred, these people hate Russia, so to speak, naturally, physically: for the climate, for the fields, for the forests, for the order, for the liberation of the peasant, for Russian history, in a word, for everything, for everything they hate.

Spring! the first frame is exposed -
And the noise rushed into the room,
And the gospel of the nearby temple,
And the talk of the people, and the sound of the wheel ...

Well, what are you afraid, pray tell! Now every grass, every flower rejoices, but we are hiding, we are afraid, as if we are in trouble! The storm will kill! This is not a thunderstorm, but grace! Yes, grace! You are all thunderstorm! The northern lights will light up, one should admire and marvel at the wisdom: "the dawn rises from midnight countries"! And you are horrified and come up with: for war or for pestilence. Whether a comet is coming, I would not take my eyes off! The beauty! The stars have already taken a closer look, they are all the same, and this is a new thing; Well, I would look and admire! And you are afraid even to look at the sky, you are trembling! You scared yourself out of everything. Eh, people! "Storm"

There is no more enlightening, soul-cleansing feeling than that which a person feels when meeting with a great work of art.

We know to handle loaded rifles with care. And we don’t want to know that we must treat the word in the same way. The word can kill and make evil worse than death.

There is a well-known trick of an American journalist, who, in order to raise a subscription to his magazine, began to publish in other publications the most harsh, impudent attacks on himself from fictitious persons: some in print portrayed him as a swindler and perjurer, others as a thief and murderer, and others as a libertine on a colossal scale. He was not stingy to pay for such friendly advertisements until everyone thought about it - but you can see this curious and remarkable person when everyone is shouting about him like that! - and began to buy up his own newspaper.
"Life in a Hundred Years"

Nikolay Semenovich Leskov (1831 - 1895)
I ... think that I know a Russian person in the very depths of him, and I do not take any credit for this. I did not study the people by talking to Petersburg cabbies, but I grew up among the people, on the Gostomel pasture, with a cauldron in my hand, I slept with him on the dewy grass of the night, under a warm sheepskin sheepskin coat, and in the panin's wicked crowd behind circles of dusty habits ...

Between these two clashing titans - science and theology - there is a stunned public, quickly losing faith in the immortality of man and in any deity, quickly descending to the level of purely animal existence. Such is the picture of an hour illuminated by the shining midday sun of the Christian and scientific era!
"Isis Unveiled"

Sit down, I'm glad to see you. Throw away all fear
And you can keep yourself free
I give you permission. You know the other day
I was elected king by the people,
But it's all the same. Confuse my thought
All these honors, greetings, bows ...
"Crazy"

Gleb Ivanovich Uspensky (1843 - 1902)
- But what do you want abroad? - I asked him at a time when in his room, with the help of a servant, was packing and packing his things to be sent to the Varshavsky railway station.
- Yes, just ... to feel! - he said bewildered and with a kind of dull expression on his face.
"Letters from the Road"

Is it really the point to go through life so as not to hurt anyone? This is not happiness. To touch, break, break, so that life is in full swing. I am not afraid of any accusations, but I am a hundred times more afraid of colorlessness than death.

Verse is the same music, only combined with the word, and it also needs a natural ear, a sense of harmony and rhythm.

You get a strange feeling when, by lightly pressing your hand, you make such a mass rise and fall at will. When such a mass obeys you, you feel the power of man ...
"A meeting"

Vasily Vasilievich Rozanov (1856 - 1919)
The feeling of the Motherland should be strict, restrained in words, not spoken, not talkative, not "waving his arms" and not running forward (to appear). The feeling of the Motherland should be a great ardent silence.
"Solitary"

And what is the secret of beauty, what is the mystery and charm of art: whether in a conscious, inspired victory over torment or in the unconscious longing of the human spirit, which sees no way out of the circle of vulgarity, squalor, or thoughtlessness and is tragically condemned to seem complacent or hopelessly false.
"Sentimental Memory"

Since my birth I have lived in Moscow, but by God I don’t know where Moscow came from, why it, why, why, what it needs. In the Duma, at meetings, I, along with others, talk about the urban economy, but I do not know how many miles there are in Moscow, how many people there are, how many are born and die, how much we get and spend, how much and with whom we trade ... Which city is richer: Moscow or London? If London is richer, then why? And the jester knows him! And when a question is raised in the Duma, I shudder and the first to start shouting: “Transfer to the commission! To the commission! "

Everything is new in the old way:
The modern poet
Into a metaphorical outfit
Poetic speech is dressed.

But others are not an example for me,
And my charter is simple and strict.
My verse is a pioneer boy
Lightly dressed, bare-legged.
1926

Under the influence of Dostoevsky, as well as foreign literature, Baudelaire and Edgar Poe, my passion began not with decadence, but with symbolism (even then I already understood their difference). The collection of poems, published at the very beginning of the 90s, I titled "Symbols". It seems that I was the first to use this word in Russian literature.

Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov (1866 - 1949)
Running of changeable phenomena
Past the soaring ones, speed up:
Merge into one sunset of accomplishments
With the first brilliance of gentle dawns.
From lower reaches of life to origins
Observe in a single moment:
Into one face with a clever eye
Take your doubles.
Unchanged and wonderful
Gift of the Blessed Muse:
In the spirit, the form of slender songs,
There is life and heat in the heart of the songs.
"Thoughts on Poetry"

I have a lot of news. And all are good. I'm lucky". It is written to me. I want to live, live, live forever. If you knew how many new poems I wrote! More than a hundred. It was crazy, a fairy tale, new. I am publishing a new book, not at all like the previous ones. She will surprise many. I changed my understanding of the world. No matter how funny my phrase sounds, I will say: I understood the world. For many years, perhaps forever.
K. Balmont - L. Vilkina

Man - that's the truth! Everything is in a person, everything is for a person! There is only man, all the rest is the work of his hands and his brain! Human! It's great! It sounds ... proud!

"At the bottom"

I am sorry to create something useless and unnecessary to anyone now. A collection, a book of poetry at this time is the most useless, unnecessary thing ... I do not want to say that poetry is not needed. On the contrary, I argue that poetry is necessary, even necessary, natural and eternal. There was a time when everyone seemed to need whole books of poetry, when they were read completely, everyone understood and accepted. Time is the past, not ours. The modern reader does not need a collection of poems!

Language is the history of a people. Language is the path of civilization and culture. That is why the study and preservation of the Russian language is not an idle occupation with nothing to do, but an urgent need.

What nationalists and patriots these internationalists become when they need it! And with what arrogance they mock "frightened intellectuals" - as if there is absolutely no reason to be frightened - or over "frightened philistines", as if they have some great advantages over "philistines." And who, in fact, are these ordinary people, "prosperous bourgeoisie"? And who and what do the revolutionaries care about, in general, if they so despise the average person and his welfare?
"Cursed Days"

In the struggle for their ideal of "freedom, equality and fraternity", citizens must use means that do not contradict this ideal.
"Governor"

“Let your soul be whole or split, let the world outlook be mystical, realistic, skeptical, or even idealistic (if you are so unhappy), let the creative techniques be impressionistic, realistic, naturalistic, the content - lyrical or fabulistic, let there be a mood, an impression - whatever you want, but, I beg you, be logical - may this cry of my heart be forgiven! - logical in concept, in the construction of the work, in syntax. "
Art is born in homelessness. I wrote letters and stories addressed to a distant unknown friend, but when a friend came, art gave way to life. I'm talking, of course, not about home comfort, but about life, which means more art.
"You and me. Love diary"

An artist cannot do more than open his soul to others. You can’t show him the rules drawn up in advance. He is a still unknown world, where everything is new. We must forget what captivated others, here is different. Otherwise, you will listen and you will not hear, you will look without understanding.
From the treatise by Valery Bryusov "On Art"

Alexey Mikhailovich Remizov (1877 - 1957)
Well, let her rest, she was worn out - they tortured her, worried. And as soon as daylight rises, the shopkeeper starts to fold her goods, grabs the blanket, goes, pulls out this soft bedding from under the old woman: wakes the old woman up, raises her to her feet: not dawn, if you please get up. That's that. In the meantime - our grandmother, our Kostroma, our mother, Russia! "

"Swirling Russia"

Art never speaks to the crowd, to the masses, it speaks to an individual person, in the deep and hidden recesses of his soul.

Mikhail Andreevich Osorgin (Ilyin) (1878 - 1942)
How strange / ... / How many cheerful and cheerful books there are, how many brilliant and witty philosophical truths - but there is nothing more consoling than Ecclesiastes.

Babkin dared, - read Seneca
And whistling the carcasses,
Took it to the library
Noting in the margin: "Nonsense!"
Babkin, friend, is a harsh critic,
Have you ever thought
What a legless paralytic
A light chamois is not a decree? ..
"Reader"

The critic's word about the poet must be objectively concrete and creative; the critic, while remaining a scientist, is a poet.

"Poetry of the word"

It is only worth thinking about great things, only big tasks should a writer set for himself; put it boldly, without being embarrassed by your personal small forces.

Boris Konstantinovich Zaitsev (1881 - 1972)
“It’s true, there are both devil and watery ones,” I thought, looking in front of me, “and maybe some other spirit also lives here… A mighty northern spirit that enjoys this savagery; maybe real northern fauns and healthy, blond women wander in these forests, devour cloudberries and lingonberries, laugh and chase each other. "
"North"

You need to be able to close a boring book ... leave a bad movie ... and part with people who do not value you!

Out of modesty, I hesitate to point out the fact that on my birthday the bells were rung and there was general popular rejoicing. Evil tongues associated this jubilation with some great holiday that coincided with the day of my birth, but I still don’t understand why there was any other holiday?

That was the time when love, good and healthy feelings were considered vulgar and a relic; no one loved, but everyone was thirsty and, like poisoned, fell to everything sharp, tearing the insides.
"The Road to Calvary"

Kornei Ivanovich Chukovsky (Nikolai Vasilievich Korneichukov) (1882 - 1969)
- Well, what's wrong, - I say to myself, - at least in a short word for now? After all, the exact same form of farewell to friends is also in other languages, and there it does not shock anyone. The great poet Walt Whitman, shortly before his death, said goodbye to his readers with a touching poem “So long!”, Which means “Bye!” In English. The French a bientot has the same meaning. There is no rudeness here. On the contrary, this form is filled with the most amiable courtesy, because this (approximately) meaning was compressed here: be well and happy until we see you again.
"Alive as life"

Switzerland? This is a mountain pasture of tourists. I've traveled all over the world myself, but I hate these ruminant bipeds with a Badaker instead of a tail. They chewed up all the beauties of nature with their eyes.
"Island of the lost ships"

Everything that I have written and will write, I consider only mental rubbish and I do not honor my literary merits for anything. And I am surprised and perplexed why seemingly smart people find some meaning and value in my poems. Thousands of poems, whether mine or those of the poets I know in Russia, are not worth one chant of my bright mother.

I am afraid that Russian literature has only one future: its past.
The article "I'm afraid"

For a long time we have been looking for such a task, similar to lentils, so that the combined rays of the labor of artists and the labor of thinkers directed by it to a common point would meet in common work and could light even the cold substance of ice to turn into a fire. Now such a task - the lentils that channel your stormy courage and the cold mind of thinkers together - has been found. This goal is to create a common written language ...
"Artists of the World"

He adored poetry, in his judgments he tried to be impartial. He was surprisingly young in soul, and perhaps also in mind. He always seemed like a child to me. There was something childish in his shaved head under a typewriter, in his bearing, more gymnasium than military. He liked to portray an adult, like all children. He loved to play in the "master", in the literary leadership of his "humiliates", that is, the little poets and poetesses who surrounded him. Poetic kids loved him very much.
Khodasevich, "Necropolis"

I, I, I. What a wild word!
Is that one over there - is it me?
Did mom love this
Yellow-gray, semi-gray
And omniscient as a snake?
You have lost your Russia.
Did he oppose the element
Good for the elements of gloomy evil?
No? So shut up: led away
Your fate is not without reason
To the edges of an unkind foreign land.
What's the use of groaning and grieving -
Russia must be earned!
"What you need to know"

I never stopped writing poetry. For me, they are my connection with time, with the new life of my people. When I wrote them, I lived by the rhythms that sounded in the heroic history of my country. I am happy that I lived during these years and saw events that had no equal.

All people sent to us are our reflection. And they are sent so that we, looking at these people, correct our mistakes, and when we correct them, these people either also change or leave our lives.

In the wide field of Russian literature in the USSR, I was the only literary wolf. I was advised to dye the skin. Ridiculous advice. Whether a dyed wolf or a shorn wolf, he still does not look like a poodle. They treated me like a wolf. And for several years they drove me according to the rules of a literary cage in a fenced yard. I have no malice, but I am very tired ...
From a letter from M.A.Bulgakov to I.V. Stalin, May 30, 1931.

When I die, my descendants will ask my contemporaries: "Did you understand Mandelstam's poems?" - "No, we did not understand his poetry." "Did you feed Mandelstam, did you give him shelter?" - "Yes, we fed Mandelstam, we gave him shelter." - "Then you are forgiven."

Ilya Grigorievich Erenburg (Eliyahu Gershevich) (1891 - 1967)
Maybe go to the House of Press - there is one sandwich with chum caviar and a debate - "about proletarian choir reading", or to the Polytechnic Museum - there are no sandwiches, but twenty-six young poets are reading their poems about the "locomotive mass." No, I will sit on the stairs, shivering from the cold and dream that all this is not in vain, that, sitting here on the step, I am preparing the distant sunrise of the Renaissance. I dreamed both simply and in poetry, and it turned out boring iambics.
"The Extraordinary Adventures of Julio Jurenito and His Students"

(Russian) is a broad concept, and everyone puts their own meaning in it. If you ask readers what associations it evokes in them, the answers will be different. For some, this is the basis of the library fund, someone will say that the works of classical Russian literature are a kind of specimen with a high artistic merit. For schoolchildren, this is all that is learned at school. And they will all be absolutely right in their own way. So what is it - classic literature? Russian literature, today we will only talk about it. We will talk about foreign classics in another article.

Russian literature

There is a generally accepted periodization of the formation and development of Russian literature. Her story is divided into the following time periods:

What works are called classics?

Many readers are sure that classical literature (Russian) is Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy - that is, the works of those writers who lived in the 19th century. It's not like that at all. The epochs of the Middle Ages and the 20th century can be classic. What canons and principles should be used to determine whether a novel or a story is a classic? First, a classic work must have a high artistic value, be an example for others. Secondly, it must have worldwide recognition, it must be included in the fund of world culture.

And you need to be able to distinguish between the concepts of classical and popular literature. A classic is something that has been tested by time, and a popular piece can be forgotten quite quickly. If its relevance persists for more than a dozen years, it is possible that over time it will also become a classic.

The origins of Russian classical literature

At the end of the 18th century, the only established nobility of Russia split into two opposing camps: conservatives and reformers. Such a split was due to a different attitude towards the changes that were taking place in life: Peter's reforms, understanding of the tasks of the Enlightenment, the sore peasant question, attitude to power. This struggle of extremes led to the rise of spirituality, self-awareness, which gave rise to the Russian classics. We can say that it was forged in the course of the dramatic processes in the country.

Classical literature (Russian), born in the complex and contradictory 18th century, was finally formed in the 19th century. Its main features: national identity, maturity, self-awareness.

Russian classical literature of the 19th century

The growth of national consciousness played an important role in the development of the culture of that time. More and more educational institutions are opening, the social significance of literature is increasing, and writers are beginning to pay much attention to their native language. even more made me think about what is happening in the country.

Influence of Karamzin on the development of 19th century literature

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, a prominent Russian historian, writer and journalist, was the most influential figure in Russian culture in the 18th-19th centuries. His historical stories and the monumental "History of the Russian State" had a huge impact on the work of subsequent writers and poets: Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Griboyedov. He is one of the great reformers of the Russian language. Karamzin introduced into use a large number of new words, without which we cannot imagine modern speech today.

Russian classical literature: a list of the best works

Selecting and compiling a list of the best literary works is a difficult task, since each reader has his own preferences and tastes. A novel that will be a masterpiece for one person will seem boring and uninteresting to another. How can you compile a list of classic Russian literature that would satisfy the majority of readers? One way is to conduct surveys. On their basis, it is possible to draw conclusions which work the readers themselves consider the best of the proposed options. These methods of collecting information are carried out on a regular basis, although the data may change slightly over time.

The list of the best creations of Russian classics, according to versions of literary magazines and Internet portals, looks like this:

In no case should this list be considered a reference. In some ratings and polls, the first place may not be Bulgakov, but Leo Tolstoy or Alexander Pushkin, and some of the listed writers may not be at all. Ratings are extremely subjective. It is better to compile for yourself a list of your favorite classics and focus on it.

The meaning of Russian classical literature

The creators of Russian classics have always had great social responsibility. They never acted as moralizers, did not give ready-made answers in their works. Writers posed a difficult problem to the reader and made him think about its solution. They raised in their works serious social and social problems, which are still of great importance to us. Therefore, the Russian classics remain as relevant today.