Top writers of all time. Which Russian writers are popular abroad
The day before World day writer "Levada Center" wondered who in the minds of the inhabitants of Russia is worthy to enter list of the most prominent domestic writers ... The survey was conducted by 1600 residents Russian Federation over 18 years old. The results can be called predictable: a dozen leaders reflect the composition of the school curriculum in literature.
Human rights activist Solzhenitsyn (5%) joined her almost closely. Kuprin, Bunin and Nekrasov finished at the same time - each got 4% of the votes. And then, among friends from textbooks, new names began to appear, for example, Dontsova and Akunin took their place next to Griboyedov and Ostrovsky (3% each), and Ustinova, Ivanov, Marinina and Pelevin stood on the same level with Goncharov, Pasternak, Platonov and Chernyshevsky ( one%).
Top-10 of the most outstanding Russian writers are opened by the poet-misanthrope, full of contempt for the soulless light, the creator of demonic characters and the singer of Caucasian exoticism in the form of mountain rivers and young Circassians. However, even stylistic errors like “a lioness with a shaggy mane on a ridge” or “a familiar corpse” did not prevent him from climbing the Parnassus of Russian literature and taking tenth place in the rating with a score of 6%.
9. Bitter
In the USSR he was considered the ancestor Soviet literature and socialist realism, while ideological opponents denied Gorky his writing talent, intellectual scope, and accused him of cheap sentimentalism. Received 7% of the votes.
8. Turgenev
He dreamed of a career as a philosopher and even tried to get a master's degree, but he failed to become a scientist. But he became a writer. And a quite successful writer - his fees were among the highest in Russia. With this money (and income from the estate), Turgenev supported the entire family of his beloved Pauline Viardot, including her children and husband. In the poll, it scored 9%.
7. Bulgakov
Russia rediscovered this writer for itself only twenty-five years ago, after perestroika. Bulgakov was one of the first to face the horrors of communal apartments and obstacles on the way to a Moscow residence permit, which was later reflected in The Master and Margarita. His contribution to literature was appreciated by 11% of Russians.
6. Sholokhov
It is still unknown who exactly wrote " Quiet Don"- an unknown writer from the" white "camp, or a group of comrades from the NKVD, or Sholokhov himself, who later received the Nobel Prize for his novel. In the meantime, he is ranked sixth on the list of outstanding writers with a score of 13%.
5. Gogol
They love him not for moralizing, but for the door to the world of grotesque and phantasmagorias, fancifully intertwined with real life. He scored the same number of points as Sholokhov.
4. Pushkin
In his youth he loved to play pranks (for example, to shock the inhabitants of Yekaterinoslav with an outfit of translucent muslin pantaloons without underwear), was proud of his thin waist and tried with all his might to get rid of the status of "writer". At the same time, already during his lifetime he was considered a genius, the first Russian poet and creator of the Russian literary language... In the minds of today's readers, it ranks fourth with a score of 15%.
3. Chekhov
author humorous stories and the ancestor in Russian literature of tragicomedy in the world is considered to be a kind of " business card»Russian drama. The Russians give him an honorable third place, giving him 18% of the vote.
2. Dostoevsky
Five books by a former convict and an inveterate gambler were included in the list of the "100 best books of all time" according to the version of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. Dostoevsky knows more than anyone else and describes with utmost honesty the dark and painful depths human soul... In the ranking, he took second place with a score of 23%.
1. Leo Tolstoy
"Inveterate man" earned the fame of a genius writer and classic of Russian literature during his lifetime. His works have been published and republished many times in Russia and abroad and have appeared on the movie screen many times. One "Anna Karenina" was filmed 32 times, "Resurrection" - 22 times, "War and Peace" - 11 times. Even his life itself has served as material for several films. Perhaps it is thanks to the recent high-profile film adaptations that he earned the fame of the first writer in Russia, receiving 45% of the votes.
Anna Karenina. Lev Tolstoy
The greatest love story of all times and peoples. A story that did not leave the stage, filmed countless times - and still has not lost the boundless charm of passion - a passion destructive, destructive, blind - but all the more mesmerizing with its grandeur.
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The Master and Margarita. Michael Bulgakov
This is the most mysterious novel in history. domestic literature XX century. This is a novel that is almost officially called "The Gospel of Satan." This is “The Master and Margarita”. A book that can be read and re-read dozens, hundreds of times, but most importantly, which is still impossible to understand. So, which pages of The Master and Margarita are dictated by the Forces of Light?
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Wuthering Heights. Emily Brontë
A mystery novel, included in the top ten best novels of all times and peoples! The story of a stormy, truly demonic passion that has excited the imagination of readers for more than one and a half hundred years. Katie gave her heart cousin, but ambition and thirst for wealth push her into the arms of a rich man. Forbidden attraction turns into a curse for secret lovers, and one day.
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Eugene Onegin. Alexander Pushkin
“Have you read Onegin? What can you say about Onegin? These are the questions that are repeated incessantly in the circle of writers and Russian readers ”, - noted after the publication of the second chapter of the novel, the writer, an enterprising publisher and, by the way, the hero of Pushkin's epigrams Faddey Bul-garin. For a long time ONEGIN is not accepted to evaluate. In the words of the same Bulgarin, he “was written in the poems of Pushkin. That's enough. "
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The cathedral Notre dame de paris... Victor Hugo
A story that survived the centuries, became a canon and gave its heroes the glory of common nouns. A story of love and tragedy. The love of those to whom love was not given and was not allowed - by religious dignity, physical weakness or someone else's evil will. Esmeralda the gypsy and the deaf hunchback-bell ringer Quasimodo, the priest Frollo and the captain of the royal archers Phoebus de Chateauper, the beautiful Fleur-de-Lis and the poet Gringoire.
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Gone With the Wind. Margaret Mitchell
The great saga of Civil War in the USA and about the fate of the wayward and ready to go over the heads Scarlett O'Hara was first published more than 70 years ago and does not become obsolete to this day. This is the only novel by Margaret Mitchell for which she received a Pulitzer Prize. The story of a woman who is not ashamed to be equal to either an unconditional feminist or a convinced supporter of house building.
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Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare
This is the highest tragedy of love that a human genius can create. A tragedy that was filmed and filmed. A tragedy that does not leave the stage to this day - to this day it sounds as if it was written yesterday. Years and centuries go by. But one thing remains and will forever remain unchanged: "There is no story sadder in the world than the story of Romeo and Juliet ..."
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The Great Gatsby. Francis Fitzgerald
“The Great Gatsby” is not only the pinnacle of Fitzgerald's work, but also one of the highest achievements in world prose of the 20th century. Although the action of the novel takes place in the “turbulent” twenties of the last century, when fortunes were made literally out of nothing and yesterday's criminals became millionaires overnight, this book lives out of time, because, telling about the broken destinies of the generation of the “age of jazz”.
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Three Musketeers. Alexandr Duma
The most famous historical adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas tells the story of the adventures of the Gascon d'Artagnan and his Musketeer friends at the court of King Louis XIII.
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Count of Monte Cristo. Alexandr Duma
The book features one of the most gripping adventure novels by the classic French literature XIX century by Alexandre Dumas.
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Triumphal Arch. Erich Remarque
One of the most beautiful and tragic novels about love in the history of European literature. The story of a refugee from Nazi Germany Dr. Ravik and entangled in " unbearable lightness being "beautiful Joan Madou takes place in pre-war Paris. And the alarming time in which these two had a chance to meet and fall in love with each other became one of the main characters of the Arc de Triomphe.
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The man who laughs. Victor Hugo
Gwynplaine is a lord by birth, in childhood he was sold to gangsters-comprachikos, who made a fairground jester out of the child, carving a mask of “eternal laughter” on his face (at the courts of the European nobility of that time there was a fashion for cripples and freaks who amused the owners). Despite all the trials, Gwynplaine kept the best human qualities and your love.
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Martin Eden. Jack London
A simple sailor, in whom it is easy to recognize the author himself, goes a long, full of hardship path to literary immortality ... secular society, Martin Eden is doubly happy and surprised ... and awakened in him creative gift, and the divine image of the young Ruth Morse, so unlike all the people he knew before ... From now on, two goals relentlessly stand before him.
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Sister Kerry. Theodore Dreiser
The publication of Theodore Dreiser's first novel was so difficult that it left its creator severely depressed. But further destiny the novel "Sister Carrie" turned out to be happy: it was translated into many foreign languages, reprinted in millions of copies. New and new generations of readers are happy to immerse themselves in the vicissitudes of the fate of Caroline Mieber.
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American tragedy. Theodore Dreiser
The novel "American Tragedy" is the pinnacle of the work of the outstanding American writer Theodore Dreiser. He said: “Nobody creates tragedies - life creates them. Writers only portray them. ” Dreiser managed to portray the tragedy of Clive Griffiths so talentedly that his story does not leave indifferent the modern reader.
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Les Miserables. Victor Hugo
Jean Valjean, Cosette, Gavroche - the names of the heroes of the novel have long become household names, the number of its readers for a century and a half since the publication of the book does not decrease, the novel does not lose popularity. A kaleidoscope of faces from all layers French society the first half of the XIX centuries, bright, memorable characters, sentimentality and realism, tense, exciting plot.
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Adventures of the gallant soldier Švejk. Yaroslav Hasek
Great, original and bully romance. A book that can be perceived both as a "soldier's tale" and as a classic work directly related to the traditions of the Renaissance. This is a sparkling text, at which you laugh to tears, and a powerful call to "lay down arms", and one of the most objective historical evidence in satirical literature.
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Iliad. Homer
The appeal of Homer's poems is not only in the fact that their author introduces us into a world separated from modernity by tens of centuries and yet extraordinarily real thanks to the poet's genius, who has preserved in his poems the beating of contemporary life. Homer's immortality is that in his ingenious creations there are inexhaustible reserves of enduring universal human values - reason, goodness and beauty.
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St. John's wort. James cooper
Cooper was able to find and describe in his books that originality and unexpected brightness of the newly discovered continent, which managed to enchant the entire modern Europe... Everyone new romance the writer was eagerly awaited. The thrilling adventures of the fearless and noble hunter and tracker Natty Bumpo captivated both young and adult readers.
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Doctor Zhivago. Boris Pasternak
The novel "Doctor Zhivago" is one of outstanding works Russian literature, which for many years remained closed to wide range readers in our country who knew about him only from scandalous and unscrupulous party criticism.
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Don Quixote. Miguel Cervantes
What do the names of Amadis of Gaul, Pal-Merin of England, Don Belyanis the Greek, Tyrant the White tell us today? But it was precisely as a parody of the novels about these knights that Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha" was created. And this parody has survived the parodied genre for centuries. Don Quixote was recognized as the best novel in the history of world literature.
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Ivanhoe. Walter Scott
"Ivanhoe" is a key work in the cycle of W. Scott's novels that take us to medieval England. The young knight Ivanhoe, who secretly returned from the Crusade to his homeland and bequeathed by his father's will, will have to defend his honor and love of the beautiful lady Rowena ... King Richard the Lionheart and the legendary robber Robin Hood will come to his aid.
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Headless horseman. Reed Mine
The plot of the novel is built so skillfully that it keeps in suspense until the very last page... It is no coincidence that the fascinating story of the noble mustanger Maurice Gerald and his beloved, the beautiful Louise Poindexter, investigating the sinister mystery of the headless horseman, whose figure, when he appears, terrifies the inhabitants of the savannah, is extremely fond of the readers of Europe and Russia.
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Dear friend. Guy de Maupassant
The novel "Dear Friend" has become one of the symbols of the era. This is Maupassant's most powerful novel. Through the story of Georges Duroy, making his way upward, the true morals of high French society are revealed, the spirit of corruption prevailing in all its spheres contributes to the fact that an ordinary and immoral person, such as the hero of Maupassant, easily achieves success and wealth.
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Dead Souls... Nikolay Gogol
The publication of the first volume of "Dead Souls" by N. Gogol in 1842 caused a stormy polemic among his contemporaries, splitting society into admirers and opponents of the poem. “… Speaking about“ Dead Souls ”- you can talk a lot about Russia…” - this judgment of P. Vyazemsky explained the main reason disputes. The author's question is still relevant: "Rus, where are you rushing, give an answer?"
According to the UNESCO Index Translationum Internet database, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Lev Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov are the most translated Russian writers all over the world! These authors are ranked second, third and fourth, respectively. But Russian literature is also rich in other names that have made a huge contribution to the development of both Russian and world culture.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Not only a writer, but also a historian and playwright, Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a Russian writer who declared himself in the period after Stalin's death and the debunking of the personality cult.
In a way, Solzhenitsyn is considered the successor of Leo Tolstoy, since he was also a great lover of truth and wrote large-scale works about the life of people and the social processes that took place in society. Solzhenitsyn's work was based on a combination of autobiographical and documentary.
His most famous works- "The Gulag Archipelago" and "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich." With the help of these works, Solzhenitsyn tried to draw the attention of readers to the horrors of totalitarianism, about which modern people have not yet written so openly. Russian writers that period; I wanted to tell about the fate of thousands of people who were subjected to political repression, were sent to the camps innocent and were forced to live there in conditions that can hardly be called human.
Ivan Turgenev
Turgenev's early work reveals the writer as a romantic, who was very sensitive to nature. Yes and literary image"Turgenev's girl", which has long been presented as a romantic, bright and vulnerable image, is now something of a household name. At the first stage of his creative work, he wrote poems, poems, dramatic works and, of course, prose.
The second stage of Turgenev's work brought the author the most fame - thanks to the creation of "Notes of a Hunter". For the first time he honestly portrayed the landlords, opened the topic of the peasantry, after which he was arrested by the authorities, who did not like such work, and sent into exile in the family estate.
Later, the writer's work is filled with complex and multifaceted characters - the most mature period of the author's work. Turgenev tried to reveal such philosophical themes like love, duty, death. At the same time, Turgenev wrote his most famous work, both here and abroad, entitled "Fathers and Sons" about the difficulties and problems of relations between different generations.
Vladimir Nabokov
Nabokov's work completely runs counter to the traditions of classical Russian literature. The most important thing for Nabokov was the play of the imagination, his work became part of the transition from realism to modernism. In the author's works, one can distinguish the type of a characteristic Nabokov hero - a lonely, persecuted, suffering, misunderstood person with a touch of genius.
In Russian, Nabokov managed to write numerous short stories, seven novels (Mashenka, King, Queen, Jack, Despair and others) and two plays before leaving for the United States. From that moment, the birth of an English-speaking author takes place, Nabokov completely abandons the pseudonym Vladimir Sirin, with which he signed his Russian books. Nabokov will work with the Russian language only one more time - when he will translate for Russian-speaking readers his novel Lolita, which was originally written in English.
It was this novel that became the most popular and even scandalously famous work of Nabokov - not too surprising, because it tells about the love of a mature man of forty for a teenage girl of twelve. The book is considered quite shocking even in our free-thinking age, but if there is still debate about the ethical side of the novel, then it is simply impossible to deny Nabokov's verbal skill.
Michael Bulgakov
Bulgakov's career was not easy at all. Deciding to become a writer, he abandons a career as a doctor. He writes his first works, “ Fatal eggs"And" Diavoliada ", having got a job as a journalist. The first story evokes quite resonant responses, since it resembled a mockery of the revolution. Bulgakov's story " dog's heart”, Denouncing the authorities, they refused to publish at all and, moreover, took the manuscript from the writer.
But Bulgakov continues to write - and creates a novel “ White Guard", Based on which they stage a play called" Days of the Turbins ". The success did not last long - in connection with the next scandal because of the works, all the performances based on Bulgakov were removed from the screenings. The same fate will later befall the very last play by Bulgakov "Batum".
The name of Mikhail Bulgakov is invariably associated with "The Master and Margarita". Perhaps it was this novel that became the work of a lifetime, although it did not bring him recognition. But now, after the death of the writer, this work is popular with a foreign audience.
This work is not like anything else. We agreed to designate that this is a novel, but which one: satirical, fantastic, love-lyrical? The images presented in this work amaze and impress with their uniqueness. A novel about good and evil, about hatred and love, about hypocrisy, money-grubbing, sin and holiness. At the same time, during the life of Bulgakov, the work was not published.
It is not easy to recall another author who could so deftly and accurately expose all the falsity and filth of the philistine, the current government and the bureaucratic system. That is why Bulgakov was subjected to constant attacks, criticism and prohibitions from the ruling circles.
Alexander Pushkin
Despite the fact that not all foreigners associate Pushkin with Russian literature, unlike most Russian readers, it is simply impossible to deny his legacy.
The talent of this poet and writer truly had no boundaries: Pushkin is famous for his amazing poems, but at the same time he wrote excellent prose and plays. Pushkin's creativity has received recognition not only now; his talent was recognized by others Russian writers and poets are his contemporaries.
The theme of Pushkin's work is directly related to his biography - the events and experiences he went through during his life. Tsarskoe Selo, Petersburg, time in exile, Mikhailovskoe, Caucasus; ideals, disappointments, love and affection - everything is present in the works of Pushkin. And the most famous was the novel "Eugene Onegin".
Ivan Bunin
Ivan Bunin is the first Russian writer to become a laureate Nobel Prize in the field of literature. The work of this author can be roughly divided into two periods: before emigration and after.
Bunin was very close to the peasantry, life common people, which had a great influence on the work of the author. Therefore, among it, the so-called country prose, for example, "Sukhodol", "Village", which became one of the most popular works.
Nature also plays a significant role in Bunin's work, which inspired many great Russian writers. Bunin believed: she is the main source of strength and inspiration, spiritual harmony, that every person is inextricably linked with her and in her lies the key to unraveling the mystery of life. Nature and love became the main themes of the philosophical part of Bunin's work, which is mainly represented by poetry, as well as stories and stories, for example, "Ida", "Mitya's love", " Late hour" and others.
Nikolay Gogol
After graduating from the Nizhyn gymnasium, the first literary experience Nikolai Gogol's poem "Hans Kuchelgarten", which turned out to be not very successful. However, this did not bother the writer, and he soon began working on the play "The Marriage", which was published only ten years later. This witty, colorful and lively work smashes modern society, which made prestige, money, power its main values, and left love somewhere in the last place.
Gogol was deeply impressed by the death of Alexander Pushkin, which amazed others as well. Russian writers and artists. Not long before this, Gogol showed Pushkin the plot of a new work called "Dead Souls", so now he believed that this work was a "sacred testament" to the great Russian poet.
"Dead Souls" have become a magnificent satire on the Russian bureaucracy, serfdom and social ranks, and it is this book that is especially popular with readers abroad.
Anton Chekhov
Chekhov began his creative activity with writing short sketches, but very bright and expressive. Chekhov is best known for his humorous stories, although he wrote both tragicomic and dramatic works. And most often foreigners read Chekhov's play "Uncle Vanya", the stories "The Lady with the Dog" and "Kashtanka".
Perhaps the most basic and famous hero of Chekhov's works is a "little man", whose figure is familiar to many readers even after " Stationmaster»By Alexander Pushkin. This is not a separate character, but rather a collective image.
Nevertheless, Chekhov's little people are not the same: one wants to sympathize, others - to laugh ("The Man in a Case", "Death of an Official", "Chameleon", "Razmaznya" and others). The main problem of the work of this writer is the problem of justice ("Name Day", "Steppe", "Leshy").
Fedor Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky is best known for his works Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. Each of these works is famous for its deep psychology - indeed, Dostoevsky is considered one of the best psychologists in the history of literature.
He analyzed the nature of human emotions, such as humiliation, self-destruction, murderous rage, as well as states leading to insanity, suicide, and murder. Psychology and philosophy are closely related to each other in Dostoevsky's portrayal of his characters, intellectuals who “feel ideas” in the depths of their souls.
Thus, "Crime and Punishment" reflects on freedom and inner strength, suffering and madness, disease and fate, the pressure of the modern urban world on the human soul, and raises the question of whether people can ignore their own moral code. Dostoevsky, along with Leo Tolstoy, are the most famous Russian writers all over the world, and Crime and Punishment is the most popular of the author's works.
Lev Tolstoy
Who do foreigners associate with famous Russian writers, so it is with Leo Tolstoy. He is one of the undisputed titans of world fiction, a great artist and person. The name of Tolstoy is known all over the world.
There is something Homeric about the epic scale with which he wrote War and Peace, however, unlike Homer, he portrayed the war as a senseless slaughter, the result of the vanity and stupidity of the leaders of the nation. The work "War and Peace" seemed to be a kind of result of everything that has gone through Russian society for the period of the XIX century.
But the most famous all over the world is Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina. It is readily read both here and abroad, and readers are invariably captured by history. forbidden love Anna and Count Vronsky, which leads to tragic consequences. Tolstoy dilutes the second story storyline- the story of Levin, who devotes his life to his marriage to Kitty, housekeeping, and God. This is how the writer demonstrates to us the contrast between Anna's sin and Levin's virtue.
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Should you read fiction? Maybe this is a pointless waste of time, because such an activity does not bring income? Perhaps this is a way to impose other people's thoughts and program them for certain actions? Let's answer the questions in order ...
A good book is much more than a time waster. Wanting to get acquainted with unusual worlds, mysterious and powerful characters and incredible adventures, the reader should get acquainted with the work of the most popular contemporary writers... Below are the most striking and famous works last decades- top 10 the best modern books!
1.111/22/63 (Stephen King)
Topping our list of the best modern books science fiction novel by Stephen King 11/22/63. The first publication of the work took place in 2011.
The assassination of JF Kennedy has become one of the most powerful tragedies in American society. A popular politician was shot dead during a huge parade in front of thousands of Americans. Could the President have been saved? Surprisingly, the answer to this question remains to be seen simple teacher! Jake Epping is an ordinary resident of a small town who works at a school and is not much different from thousands of his fellow citizens. However, by the will of fate, it is he who gets the chance to go through the time portal, which is located in the back room of the cafe with his longtime friend Al. The owner of the device has long wanted to find Kennedy's killer, but illness upset all plans, so Jake must replace him! Go back straight to the 60s, live there for several years, figure out the future executioner and stop him on the day of a terrible tragedy! Will he be able to change the course of history and generally go back?
2. American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
American Gods is one of the best modern fantasy books ever written English writer By Neil Gaiman in 2001.
America. A haven for a huge number of migrants from all over the world. In search of a better life, people went to an unknown continent, hoping to settle there and find the long-awaited happiness. However, they did not travel alone: each visiting guest brought with him a piece of native culture... Gods, beliefs, rituals, customs - these are the true baggage of immigrants! Will different deities be able to get along together and what promises such a neighborhood? Shadow will have to find out, the protagonist, who has recently been released from prison. Once free, he finds himself straight into a series of strange events and mysterious crimes that need to be unraveled.
3. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
Closes the top three best book contemporary American writer Khaled Hosseini. The work was born in 2003.
What is real friendship? It is sometimes very difficult for adults to answer this question. Much easier for children. Amir and Hasan - two absolutely different boy who are bound by true friendship. Only one of them is an aristocrat, and the other is a poor servant! Coming from different social backgrounds, they do not pay attention to the differences that are so important to adults. Playing, joking, sharing secrets and impressions, experiencing failures and knowing grief, the boys gradually grow up, and their friendship only grows stronger. One day, serious changes are coming in the country, which will test their strength and scatter friends on different sides. Can childhood friendship survive?
4. A Song of Ice and Fire (George Martin)
A Song of Ice and Fire is one of the most famous and best contemporary fantasy books. This is a whole series of works, consisting of five already published volumes. Two more books in the project. The first publication took place in 1996. The book gained particular popularity after the release of the HBO TV series Game of Thrones based on it.
A unique fantasy world is inhabited by far from good fairies and funny gnomes. This is the world of several powerful powers that are desperately fighting for their best. Their goal is the throne of Westeros. Their means are weapons, machinations, murders and riots. The palace of Verteros is filled with vile and greedy people who are eager to seize the throne at any cost. There is no longer any place for honesty and nobility. Arranging serious intrigues and organizing coups, the conspirators will do everything to undermine the situation in the kingdom. However, one should be afraid not only of them, because the cunning rulers of neighboring states are also not averse to grabbing a "tidbit" during a cruel and blind turmoil! A real war for power is coming, ready to bury the old order forever.
5. The house in which ... (Mariam Petrosyan)
"The House In Which ..." is an interesting modern science fiction novel by the Armenian writer Mariam Petrosyan, published in 2009.
On the outskirts of the city there is a boarding school for abandoned children. This old and gray place seems very inhospitable and gloomy, but everything is not so simple ... Once inside, a person can discover a new one, unusual world in which there is more kindness and light than the bright city streets. The pupils of the house are divided into groups, each of which has its own leader. There are no names and surnames here - only bright nicknames. There is much that is unknown and very little that is familiar. These are miniature societies with their vices and virtues. Children learn about the world, growing up, changing and trying to find their place in it.
6. The Book Thief (Markus Zuzak)
"The Book Thief" - Fascinating modern novel Australian writer, written in 2006.
Liesel Meminger is a little German girl whose childhood fell on a truly monstrous time. In 1939, the Nazi regime reached its zenith, destroying the rebellious and preparing to subjugate the world. Horror, murder, robbery and terror became the daily companions of the life of those who did not suit new government... After the death of her husband, Frau Meminger moved, trying to find a more peaceful corner for her daughter. But in vain ... Looking around, Liesel sees the ongoing chaos through the eyes of an innocent child who does not understand this cruel and strange world adults. Growing up quickly, she has to learn and rethink a lot.
7. Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
Gone Girl is one of the best contemporary thriller books. The work was published in 2012 and became the basis for the film of the same name.
How hard it can be to recognize a person, even if you have lived with him for many years! An unusual incident turns the fate of the protagonist when his wife suddenly disappears. During the tumultuous celebration of their wedding anniversary, the woman mysteriously disappears. The arriving police find blood and traces of a struggle, deciding that the man had killed his wife and hid her body. Now the confused man has to solve this incredible puzzle himself. Who knows, maybe the clue will turn out to be even more monstrous than the disappearance itself ...
8. Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
The novel "Cloud Atlas" was written in 2004 by an English writer. Its plot is intricate weave stories and destinies that, at first glance, are not connected by anything. American lawyer stranded on a tropical island while repairing a ship; a young English musician forced to trade in music and body to earn a living; a brave Californian journalist fighting against a powerful corporation; a London publisher facing criminals after another best-selling book; a clone from a Korean anti-utopia and a Hawaiian old man watching the decline of human civilization. All events and characters pass difficult path gradually intertwining together at different times.
9. When I Was Real (Tom McCarthy)
Tom McCarthy's When I Was Real continues our top 10 best contemporary books.
A sudden catastrophe changed the life of a young man, erasing his past. He finds himself in a prolonged coma, from which he, fortunately, manages to get out. But such a long process did not pass without a trace: now he needs to learn to live anew. Walk, move, work with your hands and speak. All past life comes in the form of vague memories, and the hero endlessly wants to return himself to his former self. Moreover, some large corporation is ready to pay him a lot of money in order to keep the cause of the incident a secret. How are they related? What happened that day? And how do you become completely the same?
10. Anathem (Neil Stevenson)
And the top ten is completed by the modern science fiction book "Anathem", written by American writer By Neil Stevenson in 2008.
Arb - distant and mysterious planet resembling Earth. People who worship science live here. A science that completely replaced religion and managed to split society into two irreconcilable camps. The keepers of science are monks who were once scientists. They once worked and created for the benefit of progress, but their work led to something terrible. Now the monks live in the monastery, shutting themselves off from the outside, secular world. Their life is simple, calm and measured, but once every ten years a special date comes - the day when the two sides can switch places. The monks will see the outside world, and secular people will be able to join the monastic life and worldview. Once such a change led to dire consequences, and now the two sides need to unite to prevent an impending catastrophe!