World Classics: Reading List. Russian and foreign world classics: books (list of the best)

Anna Karenina. Lev Tolstoy

The greatest love story of all time. A story that has not left the stage, filmed countless times - and still has not lost the boundless charm of passion - a destructive, destructive, blind passion - but all the more bewitching with its grandeur.

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The Master and Margarita. Michael Bulgakov

This is the most mysterious novel ever domestic literature 20th 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 were dictated by the Forces of Light?

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Wuthering Heights. Emily Bronte

Mystery novel, included in the top ten best novels of all time! The story of a stormy, truly demonic passion, which excites the imagination of readers for more than a hundred and fifty years. Katie gave her heart to her cousin, but ambition and a 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 constantly repeated among writers and Russian readers, ”the writer, enterprising publisher and, by the way, the hero of Pushkin’s epigrams, Thaddeus Bulgarin, noted after the publication of the second chapter of the novel. For a long time ONEGIN has not been accepted to evaluate. In the words of the same Bulgarin, it is “written in Pushkin's verses. That's enough."

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The cathedral Notre Dame of 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 not allowed - by religious rank, physical weakness or someone else's evil will. The gypsy Esmeralda and the deaf hunchback bell ringer Quasimodo, the priest Frollo and the captain of the royal shooters Phoebe de Chateauper, the beautiful Fleur-de-Lys and the poet Gringoire.

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Gone With the Wind. Margaret Mitchell

The great saga of the American Civil War and the fate of the wayward and head-on Scarlett O'Hara was first published over 70 years ago and has not aged to this day. it the only novel Margaret Mitchell, for which she received a Pulitzer Prize. A story about a woman who is not ashamed to be equal to either an unconditional feminist or a staunch supporter of house building.

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Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare

This is the highest of love tragedies that human genius can create. A tragedy that has been filmed and will be filmed. A tragedy that does not leave the stage to this day - and to this day it sounds like it was written yesterday. Years and centuries go by. But one thing remains and will forever remain unchanged: “There is no sadder story 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 from nothing and yesterday’s criminals became millionaires overnight, this book lives outside of time, because, telling about the broken fates of the “Jazz Age” generation.

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Three Musketeers. Alexandr Duma

The most famous historical adventurous novel by Alexandre Dumas tells about 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 classic's most gripping adventure novels. French literature 19th century 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 the beautiful Joan Madu, entangled in the "unbearable lightness of being," takes place in pre-war Paris. And the disturbing time in which these two happened to meet and fall in love with each other becomes one of the main characters of the Arc de Triomphe.

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The person who laughs. Victor Hugo

Gwynplaine is a lord by birth, as a child he was sold to bandits-comprachikos, who made a fair jester out of a 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). Against all odds, Gwynplaine retained 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 hardships path to literary immortality ... By chance, finding himself in a secular society, Martin Eden is doubly happy and surprised ... and the creative gift awakened in him, and the divine image of the young Ruth Morse, so not similar to 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 led its creator into a severe depression. But further fate novel "Sister Kerry" 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 plunge into the vicissitudes of the fate of Caroline Meiber.

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American tragedy. Theodore Dreiser

The novel "An American Tragedy" is the pinnacle of the work of the outstanding American writer Theodore Dreiser. He said: “No one creates tragedies - life creates them. The writers only portray them.” Dreiser managed to depict the tragedy of Clive Griffiths so talentedly that his story leaves no one indifferent and modern reader.

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Outcasts. 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 has not decreased, the novel has not lost its popularity. A kaleidoscope of faces from all walks of French society in the first half 19th century, vivid, memorable characters, sentimentality and realism, tense, exciting plot.

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The adventures of the good soldier Schweik. Yaroslav Gashek

Great, original and hooligan novel. A book that can be perceived both as a "soldier's story" and as a classic work, directly related to the traditions of the Renaissance. This is a sparkling text that makes you laugh to tears, and a powerful call to “lay down your arms”, and one of the most objective historical evidence in satirical literature..

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Iliad. Homer

The attraction of Homer's poems is not only that their author introduces us to a world separated from modernity by tens of centuries and yet unusually real thanks to the genius of the poet, who preserved in his poems the beating of contemporary life. Homer's immortality lies in the fact that his brilliant creations contain inexhaustible reserves of universal human values ​​- reason, goodness and beauty.

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St. John's wort. James Cooper

Cooper managed to find and describe in his books that originality and unexpected brightness of the newly discovered continent, which managed to fascinate all of modern Europe. Each new novel by the writer was eagerly awaited. The exciting adventures of the fearless and noble hunter and tracker Natty Bumpo conquered both young and adult readers..

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Doctor Zhivago. Boris Pasternak

The novel "Doctor Zhivago" is one of the outstanding works of Russian literature, which for many years remained closed to a wide range readers in our country who knew about him only through scandalous and unscrupulous party criticism.

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Don Quixote. Miguel Cervantes

What do the names of Amadis the Gallic, the English Palmerine, the Greek Don Belianis, the White Tyrant tell us today? But it was precisely as a parody of the novels about these knights that “The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha” by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was created. And this parody outlived the parodied genre for centuries. "Don Quixote" was recognized best novel throughout the history of world literature.

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Ivanhoe. Walter Scott

"Ivanhoe" - key work in the cycle of novels by W. Scott, which take us to medieval England. The young knight Ivanhoe, who secretly returned from the Crusade to his homeland and was disinherited by the will of his father, will have to defend his honor and love lovely 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 you in suspense until the very last page. It is no coincidence that the exciting story of the noble mustanger Maurice Gerald and his beloved, the beautiful Louise Poindexter, investigating the sinister secret of the headless horseman, whose figure, when he appears, terrifies the inhabitants of the savannah, was extremely fond of 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 up”, the true morals of high French society are revealed, the spirit of venality that reigns in all its areas 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 release of the first volume of N. Gogol's "Dead Souls" in 1842 caused a heated controversy among contemporaries, splitting society into admirers and opponents of the poem. “... Speaking of “ Dead souls“- you can talk a lot about Russia ...” - this judgment of P. Vyazemsky explained main reason disputes. The author’s question is still relevant: “Rus, where are you going, give me an answer?”

Surely many people think that classical works by definition are long, boring, have a long period of limitation of writing, and therefore are not always clear to the modern reader. This is a common mistake. After all, in fact, the classic is everything that is not subject to time. The themes revealed in such works are relevant for any age. And if a 19th-century author were to write such a book now, it would again become a bestseller. The best classics are brought to your attention. They conquered millions of readers. And even those who claim to be dissatisfied with the creation of the author, believe me, did not remain indifferent.

1.
The novel consists of two different, but intertwined parts. The time of the first is modern Moscow, the second is ancient Jerusalem. Each part is filled with events and characters - historical, fictional, as well as scary and amazing creatures.

2. $
What forces move the people? They are the result of the actions of individuals - kings, generals - or such a feeling as patriotism, or is there a third force that determines the direction of history. The main characters are painfully looking for the answer to this question.

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The novel is based on the experience that Dostoevsky received in hard labor. Student Raskolnikov, who lived in poverty for several months, is convinced that a humane goal will justify the most terrible act, even the murder of a greedy and useless old money-lender.

4.
A novel that was ahead of its time and came out long before the emergence of such a cultural phenomenon as postmodernism. The main characters of the work - 4 sons born from different mothers - symbolize those irrepressible elements that can lead to the death of Russia.

5.
Whether to stay with her husband, who has always been indifferent to her inner world and never loved her, or to surrender with all my heart to the one who made her feel happy? Throughout the novel, the heroine, the young aristocrat Anna, suffers from such a choice.

6.
The poor young prince is returning by train home to Russia. On the way, he meets the son of one of the rich merchants, who is obsessed with a passion for one girl, a kept woman. In the metropolitan society, obsessed with money, power and manipulation, the prince turns out to be an outsider.

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Despite the name, the work itself has nothing to do with mysticism, which is mainly inherent in the work of this writer. In the tradition of "severe" realism, the life of landowners in the Russian provinces is described, where a former official comes to pull off his scam.

8. $
A young Petersburg rake, fed up with love and social entertainment, leaves for the village, where a friendship is struck up with a poet who is in love with one of the daughters of a local nobleman. The second daughter falls in love with the rake, but he does not return her feelings.

9.
The famous Moscow surgeon decides to conduct a very risky experiment on a stray dog ​​in his large apartment, where he receives patients. As a result, the animal began to turn into a human. But at the same time he acquired all human vices.

10. $
People come to the provincial town who, it would seem, cannot be connected with anything. But they know each other because they belong to the same revolutionary organization. Their goal is to arrange a political revolt. Everything goes according to plan, but one revolutionary decides to quit the game.

11. $
iconic work XIX century. In the center of the story is a student who does not accept traditional public morality and opposes everything old, non-progressive. For him represents the price only scientific knowledge which can explain everything. Except love.

12.
By profession he was a doctor, by vocation he was a writer, whose talent was fully revealed when creating short humorous stories. They quickly became classics all over the world. In them, in an accessible language - the language of humor - human vices are revealed.

13.
This work is on a par with Gogol's poem. In it, the main character is also a young adventurer who is ready to promise everyone what, in principle, is impossible to do. And all for the sake of a treasure, which a few more people know about. And no one is going to share it.

14. $
After a three-year separation, young Alexander returns to the house of his beloved Sophia to propose to her. However, she refuses him and says that she now loves another. The rejected lover begins to blame the society in which Sophia grew up.

15.
What should a real nobleman do if the life of a young noble girl depends on him? Sacrifice yourself, but do not drop the honor. This is what the young officer directs when the fortress in which he serves is attacked by the impostor tsar.

16. $
Terrible poverty and hopelessness suffocate the old inhabitant of Cuba. One day he, as usual, goes to sea, not hoping for a big catch. But this time, a large prey comes across his hook, with which the fisherman fights for several days, not giving her the opportunity to leave.

17.
Ragin selflessly serves as a doctor. However, his zeal is coming to naught, he sees no reason to change life around him, because it is impossible to cure the madness that reigns around him. The doctor begins daily visits to the ward where the mentally ill are kept.

18. $
What is more destructive - to do nothing and only indulge in dreams about how it is worth living, or to get up from the couch and start realizing your plans? The young and lazy landowner Ilya Ilyich at first occupied the first position, but after falling in love, he woke up from his sleepy state.

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You can write great works not only about life big city, but also about the life of a small Ukrainian farm. During the day, the usual rules apply here, and at night power passes to supernatural forces that can both help and at the same time destroy.

20.
A talented surgeon settles illegally in Paris, but at the same time he is not prevented from practicing medical practice. Before moving, he lived in Germany, from which he fled, but at the same time he let his beloved die. In the new place, he quickly begins another romance.

21. $
The Russian tutor goes on a journey with the family in which he serves. At the same time, he is secretly in love with the girl Polina. And so that she understands all his nobility, he begins to play roulette in the hope of getting big money. And he succeeds, but the girl does not accept the winnings.

22.
The world of family comfort, nobility and true patriotism is breaking down under the onslaught of a social catastrophe in Russia. The fleeing Russian officers settle in Ukraine and hope that they will not fall under the rule of the Bolsheviks here. But one day the defense of the city weakens, and the enemy goes on the offensive.

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Cycle small works, which are written in a different artistic manner. Here you can find both a romantic duelist and sentimental stories about eternal love, and a harsh picture of a reality in which money rules, and because of them, a person can lose the most important thing.

24.
What Pushkin did not succeed in his time, Dostoevsky succeeded. The work is completely a correspondence between a poor official and a young girl who also has a small income. But at the same time, the heroes are not poor in soul.

25. $
A story about the invincibility and resilience of a man who does not want to be someone's loyal soldier. For the sake of freedom, Hadji Murad goes over to the side of the imperial troops, but he does this in order to save not himself, but his family, which is held captive by the enemy.

26. $
In these seven works, the author leads us through the streets of St. Petersburg, which was built with the help of strength and ingenuity in a swampy area. Deception and violence hide under its harmonious façade. The inhabitants are confused by the city itself, giving them false dreams.

27.
This compilation short stories- the first major work that won recognition for the author. It is based on personal observations while hunting on his mother's estate, where Turgenev learned about abuse with the peasants and the injustice of the Russian system.

28.
The protagonist is the son of a landowner whose property was confiscated by a corrupt and treacherous general. After the death of his father, the hero becomes a criminal. To achieve the ultimate goal - revenge - he resorts to more cunning means: he seduces the daughter of his enemy.

29.
This classic war novel is written from the perspective of a young German soldier. The hero is only 18 years old, and he, under the pressure of his family, friends and society, enters military service and goes to the front. There he witnesses such horrors that he dares not tell anyone.

30.
Mischievous and energetic Tom enjoys childish pranks and games with his friends. One day, at the city cemetery, he witnesses a murder committed by a local tramp. The hero makes a vow that he will never talk about it, and so begins his journey into adulthood.

31.
The story of a miserable Petersburg official who was robbed of his expensive overcoat. No one wants to help him return the thing, from which the hero eventually becomes seriously ill. Even during the life of the author, critics adequately appreciated the work from which all Russian realism was born.

32.
The novel is on a par with another work of the author - "The Call of the Ancestors". Much of White Fang is also written from the point of view of the dog whose name appears in the title. This allows the author to show how animals see their world and how they see a person.

33. $
The novel tells the story of 19-year-old Arkady - the illegitimate son of a landowner and a maid - as he struggles to make amends and "become a Rothschild" despite Russia still being tied to its old value system.

34. $
A novel about how a hero who is very broken and disappointed due to bad marriage, returns to his estate and finds his love again - only to lose her. This reflects the main theme: a person is not destined to experience happiness, except as something ephemeral.

35. $
A dark and fascinating tale tells of the struggle of an indecisive, aloof hero in a world of relative values. The innovative work introduces the moral, religious, political and social themes that dominate the author's later masterpieces.

36. $
The narrator arrives in Sevastopol, which is under siege, and makes a detailed inspection of the city. As a result, the reader has the opportunity to study all the features of military life. We get to the dressing station, where horror reigns, and to the most dangerous bastion.

37. $
The work is partly based on the life experience of the author, who took part in the war in the Caucasus. A nobleman, disillusioned with his life of privilege, enlists in the army to escape superficiality. Everyday life. A hero in search of a full life. 38.$
The first social romance an author who is partly artistic introductory remarks for those who belonged to the previous era, but lived at a time when political and social movements began. This era has already been forgotten, but it is worth remembering.

39. $
One of the greatest and most successful dramatic works. A Russian aristocrat and her family return to their estate to see how the public auction is going, where their house and huge garden are put up for debt. The old masters lose in the fight against the new trends of life.

40. $
The hero was sentenced to death on charges of killing his wife, but was subsequently exiled to Siberian penal servitude for 10 years. Life in prison is hard for him - he is an intellectual and experiences the anger of other prisoners. Gradually, he overcomes disgust and experiences a spiritual awakening.

41. $
On the eve of his wedding, a young aristocrat learns that his fiancee had an affair with the king. It was a blow to his pride, so he renounces everything worldly and takes the vows as a monk. So pass long years of humility and doubt. Until he decides to become a hermit.

42.
A manuscript falls into the hands of the editor, which tells about a young and depraved man who worked as a forensic investigator. It becomes one of the "corners" in love triangle in which a married couple is involved. The outcome of the story is the murder of his wife.

43.
A work banned until 1988, in which, through the fate of a military doctor, the story of a people who perished in the turmoil of the revolution is told. From the general madness, the hero, together with his family, runs deep into the country, where he meets the one he does not want to let go.

44.
The protagonist, like all his friends, is a war veteran. He is a poet at heart, but works for a friend who runs a small tombstone business. This money is not enough, and he receives additional income by giving private lessons and playing the organ in a local mental hospital.

45. $
In a foreign war, Frederic falls in love with a nurse and tries to seduce her, after which their relationship begins. But one day the hero is wounded by a fragment of a mortar shell, and he is sent to a Milan hospital. There, away from the war, he is healed - both physically and mentally.

46. $
During breakfast, the barber discovers a human nose in his bread. With horror, he recognizes it as the nose of a regular visitor who bears the rank of collegiate assessor. In turn, the injured official discovers the loss and submits an absurd ad to the newspaper.

47.
The protagonist, a boy, striving for independence and freedom, escapes from his alcoholic father by faking his own death. And so begins his journey through the south of the country. He meets a runaway slave and they float down the Mississippi River together.

48. $
The plot of the poem is based on the events that really took place in St. Petersburg in 1824. The political, historical and existential questions that the author formulates with dazzling power and conciseness continue to be the subject of controversy among critics.

49. $
In order to save his beloved, who was forcibly taken away by an evil sorcerer, the warrior Ruslan will have to go on an epic and dangerous journey, facing many fantastic and terrible creatures. This is a dramatic and witty retelling of Russian folklore.

50. $
In the famous play describes a family of aristocrats who find it difficult to find any meaning in their lives. The three sisters and their brother live in a remote province, but they struggle to return to the sophisticated Moscow where they grew up. The play captures the decline of the "masters of life".

51. $
The hero is obsessed with an all-consuming love for one princess, who hardly knows about his existence. One day, a society lady receives an expensive bracelet for her birthday. The husband finds a secret admirer and asks him to stop compromising a decent woman.

52. $
In this classical literary representation gambling the author explores the nature of the obsession. Secret and otherworldly clues alternate with the story of a fiery Herman who wants to make his fortune at the card table. The secret of success is known to one old woman.

53. $
Muscovite Gurov is married and has a daughter and two sons. However, he is not happy in family life and often cheats on his wife. Resting in Yalta, he sees a young lady walking along the embankment with her little dog, and is constantly looking for opportunities to get to know her.

54. $
This collection is in some way the culmination of the work that he did throughout his life. The stories were written on the eve of a terrible world war in the context of a collapsing Russian culture. The action of each work concentrates on a love theme.

55. $
The story is told from the point of view of an anonymous narrator who reminisces about his youth, in particular his stay in a small town west of the Rhine. Critics consider the hero a classic " an extra person”- indecisive and not determined their place in life.

56. $
Four laconic plays, later known as "Little Tragedies", were written at the time of the rise creative forces and their influence cannot be overestimated. Being the author's transcription of plays by Western European authors, "Tragedies" offer readers topical problems.

57. $
This story takes place in Europe, in a hedonistic society during the Roaring Twenties. A rich schizophrenic girl falls in love with her psychiatrist. As a result, a whole saga of troubled marriages, love affairs, duels and incest unfolds.

58. $
Some scholars distinguish three poems in the work of this author, in which one original idea. One of them is, of course, Mtsyri. The main character is a 17-year-old monk who was forcibly taken away from his village as a child, and one day he escapes.

59. $
A completely young mongrel runs away from her permanent owner and finds herself a new one. It turns out to be an artist who performs in a circus with numbers in which animals participate. Therefore, for a smart little dog, his own separate number is immediately invented.

60. $
In this story, among many of its themes, such as Europeanized Russian society, adultery and provincial life, the theme of a woman, or rather, the planning of a murder by a woman, comes to the fore. The title of the piece is a reference to Shakespeare's play.

61. Leo Tolstoy - Fake Coupon
Schoolboy Mitya is in desperate need of money - he needs to repay the debt. Depressed by this situation, he follows the evil advice of his friend, who showed him how to change the denomination of the banknote. This act sets off a chain of events that affects the lives of dozens of other people.

62.
The most outstanding work of Proust, which is known for its length and the theme of involuntary memories. The novel began to take shape as early as 1909. The author continued to work on it until his last illness, which forced him to stop working.

63. $
The voluminous poem tells the story of seven peasants who set out to ask various groups village people, are they happy. But wherever they went, they were always given an unsatisfactory answer. Of the planned 7-8 parts, the author wrote only half.

64. $
The story of the sad life of a young girl who lived in extreme poverty and became an orphan in an instant, but she is adopted by a wealthy family. When she meets her new stepsister, Katya, she instantly falls in love with her, and both soon become inseparable.

65. $
Main character - classic hero Hemingway: a violent guy, an underground liquor dealer who smuggles weapons and transports people from Cuba to the Florida Keys. He risks his life to dodge the Coast Guard's bullets and manages to outsmart her.

66. $
During a train ride, one of the passengers overhears a conversation going on in the compartment. When one woman claims that marriage should be based on true love he asks her: what is love? In his opinion, love quickly turns into hatred, and tells his story.

67. Leo Tolstoy - Notes of the marker
The narrator is a simple marker, a person who keeps score and arranges balls on a billiard table. If the game goes well and the players come across not stingy, then he gets a good reward. But one day a very gambling young man appears in the club.

68. $
The protagonist is looking for peace in Polissya, which should cheer him up. But in the end he gets one unbearable boredom. But one day, having gone astray, he comes across a hut, where an old woman and her beautiful granddaughter are waiting for him. After such magical meeting, the hero becomes a frequent guest here.

69. $
In the center of attention is a janitor of high stature and powerful physique. He falls in love with a young washerwoman and wants to marry her. But the lady decides differently: the girl goes to the eternally drunk shoemaker. The hero finds his consolation in caring for a small dog.

70. $
One evening, the three sisters shared their dreams with each other: what would they do if they became the wives of the king. But the prayers of only the third sister were heard - Tsar Saltan marries her and orders her to a certain period give birth to an heir. But envious sisters begin to mischief.

Many of us from school have remained convinced that for the most part Russian classics are a rather boring and unthinkably drawn-out work for several hundred pages about the hardships of life, mental suffering and philosophical quest main characters. We have collected Russian classics that are impossible not to read to the end.

Anatoly Pristavkin "A golden cloud spent the night"

“A golden cloud spent the night” by Anatoly Pristavkin- a story that is poignant in its tragedy, which happened to orphans, the twin brothers Sasha and Kolka Kuzmin, who were evacuated along with the rest of the children from the orphanage during the war years to the Caucasus. Here it was decided to establish a labor colony for land development. Children turn out to be innocent victims of the government's policy towards the peoples of the Caucasus. This is one of the most powerful and honest stories about military orphans and the deportation of the Caucasian peoples. “A golden cloud spent the night” has been translated into 30 languages ​​of the world and is rightfully one of the the best works Russian classics. 10th place in our rating.

Boris Pasternak "Doctor Zhivago"

Novel Boris Pasternak "Doctor Zhivago" who brought him world fame and Nobel Prize- in 9th place in the list of the best works of Russian classics. For his novel, Pasternak was sharply criticized by representatives of the official literary world of the country. The manuscript of the book was banned for publication, and the writer himself, under pressure, was forced to refuse to present the prestigious award. After the death of Pasternak, she was transferred to his son.

Mikhail Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don"

In terms of the scale and scope of the period of life of the main characters described in it, it can be compared with Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace". This is an epic story about the life and fate of the representatives of the Don Cossacks. The novel covers three most difficult eras of the country: the first world war, the revolution of 1917 and civil war. What happened in the soul of people in those days, what reasons made them stand up different sides barricades of relatives and friends? The writer tries to answer these questions in one of the best works of Russian literature. classical literature. "Quiet Don" - on the 8th place in our rating.

Stories by Anton Chekhov

The universally recognized classic of Russian literature, occupy 7th place in our list. One of the most famous playwrights in the world, wrote more than 300 works different genre He passed away very early, at the age of 44. Chekhov's stories, ironic, funny and eccentric, reflected the realities of life of that era. They have not lost their relevance even now. Feature of it short works- do not answer questions, but ask them to the reader.

I. Ilf and E. Petrov "The Twelve Chairs"

The novels of writers with a wonderful sense of humor I. Ilf and E. Petrov "The Twelve Chairs" and "The Golden Calf" take 6th place among the best works of Russian classics. After reading them, every reader will understand that classical literature is not only interesting and exciting, but also funny. The adventures of the great strategist Ostap Bender, the protagonist of the books by Ilf and Petrov, will not leave anyone indifferent. Immediately after the first publication, the writers' works were ambiguously perceived in literary circles. But time has shown their artistic value.

In fifth place in our ranking of the best works of Russian classics - The Gulag Archipelago by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. This is not only a great novel about one of the most difficult and terrible periods in the history of the country - repressions in the USSR, but also autobiographical work based on personal experience the author, as well as letters and memoirs of more than two hundred prisoners of the camps. The release of the novel in the West was accompanied by loud scandal and persecution deployed against Solzhenitsyn and other dissidents. The publication of The Gulag Archipelago became possible in the USSR only in 1990. The novel is one of best books century.

Nikolai Gogol "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka"

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is a universally recognized classic of world significance. The novel "Dead Souls" is considered the crown of his work, the second volume of which was destroyed by the author himself. But our rating of the best works of Russian classics included the first book Gogol - "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka". It is hard to believe that the stories included in the book and written with sparkling humor were practically the first experience in Gogol's writing. A flattering review of the work was left by Pushkin, who was sincerely amazed and fascinated by Gogol's stories, written in a lively, poetic language without pretentiousness and stiffness.

The events described in the book take place in different time periods: in XVII, XVIII XIX centuries.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky "Crime and Punishment"

Novel "Crime and Punishment" by F. M. Dostoevsky ranks third in the list of the best works of Russian classics. He got the status cult book world importance. This is one of the most frequently filmed books. This is not only a deeply philosophical work in which the author poses the problems of moral responsibility, good and evil to readers, but also a psychological drama and a fascinating detective story. The author shows the reader the process of turning a talented and respectable young man into a murderer. He is no less interested in the possibility of Raskolnikov's atonement for guilt.

Great epic novel Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace", the volume of which terrifies schoolchildren for many decades, is actually very interesting. It covers the period of several military campaigns against France, the strongest at that time, led by Napoleon Bonaparte. This is one of the brightest examples of the best works of not only Russian, but also world classics. The novel is recognized as one of the most epic works in world literature. Here every reader will find his favorite topic: love, war, courage.

Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"

Topping our list of best classics is the marvelous novel. The author never lived to see the publication of his book - it was published 30 years after his death.

The Master and Margarita is such a complex work that not a single attempt to film the novel has succeeded. The figures of Woland, the Master and Margarita require filigree accuracy in the transfer of their images. Unfortunately, no actor has yet managed to achieve this. The film adaptation of the novel by director Vladimir Bortko can be considered the most successful.

In today's world, there are fewer and fewer people who read. Sad but true. If earlier meeting a person with a book in public transport was something in the order of things, now it is a real rarity. Gadgets are crowding out literature, leaving it somewhere in the background. After all, it is much easier to turn on a toy or climb on social networks than to immerse yourself in 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 from the mistakes of others, bring up humanity and compassion. None computer game or Facebook won't let you.

Therefore, to expand the boundaries of one's own consciousness, it is necessary to read. At least world-famous works, the so-called classic books that everyone should read.

Russian literature

Not everyone can make their way through the wilds of ancient Greek or ancient 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 that everyone should read. It can be like works known since school curriculum, but perceived in a completely different way in adulthood, when no one forces you to read under duress. So are books that are considered modern classics.

"Eugene Onegin"

First love, mental anguish, jealousy, choice - all this is on the pages of the famous novel in verse. And what used to slip away 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, which enjoys worldwide popularity, was written by Dostoevsky back in 1866. This work is included in the list of "100 classic books that everyone should read."

Any person can decide that he has the right to administer justice, but what is the price 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: following ideals or love for a woman, the desire to change the world and rebuild it anew, 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, pay attention to 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, based on it theatrical performances. And disputes around the meaning and the main characters are still ongoing.

Quiet Don

Which everyone should read are so diverse and diverse that you can find what you 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, see the events through the eyes of the participants.

"Not listed"

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

"We"

Now the dystopia genre has become popular, but few people remember that Russian authors have such works.

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

Thirty-second century. A society with strict totalitarian control over everything and everyone. No names - instead of them numbers. There is no freedom of choice, even in clothes - instead of it, a uniform. There is no personal space. Even in your own house it is impossible to find salvation from the all-seeing eye - the glass walls do not hide anything. There should be no place for love and attachment to anything. But what to do if they arise? Either deliver or join the opponents the existing system. However, will a small group be able to withstand a huge and well-functioning machine?

Foreign literature

"Romeo and Juliet"

A young girl and a young boy from opposing families were supposed to hate each other a priori, but instead they fell in love. Instead of dutifully following the parental will, they decided to go against the traditions and fight for their happiness.

"Dracula"

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

The protagonist travels to Transylvania to sell the house to his client - the 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, the beginning of which he himself initiated. But who could have guessed that his client is a 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 escape from 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 current? They disappear... And then they appear brainwashed. The protagonist tried to be like everyone else, allowing himself only a little dissent. Maybe because he knew a little more than others. Meeting an unusual girl completely changed his life. She brought new colors into it, became the catalyst for many events.

"The little Prince"

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

"Three Musketeers"

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

The young D'Artagnan comes to Paris from the provinces in search of a better life and finds her, having entered the military service in a privileged part. And at the same time, true friends for many years, no less loyal and insidious enemies, and, of course, adventure.

"The Catcher in the Rye"

Some refer to Salinger's novel, but not every teenager will be able to understand him.

The story is told from the perspective of an ordinary seventeen-year-old boy Holden, a student at a closed American school. One day he was kicked out for his behavior and had to spend a few days in New York alone.

It's hard to say what this novel is about. Everything and nothing in particular. The hero reflects on the meaning of life, his place in it, about goals and aspirations. His thoughts are mostly depressive. However, the story pulls you in and doesn't let go.

For kids

No point in reading or giving kids younger school age complex works, 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 are the books (classics) that every child should read?

"The Wizard of Oz"

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

"Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

Restless Tom brings only problems to his family, he is such a restless and resourceful boy. Even the punishment he is able to turn in a favorable direction for himself. Tom manages to find adventures even where they could not be! But along with his true friend Gek, he is able to overcome any difficulties. Even bring to light the terrible Indian Joe.

"The Adventures of Dunno and His Friends"

In the Flower City, everyone does their own thing: Znayka invents, Screw and Shpuntik repair, Tube draws, Dr. Pilyulkin heals ... One Dunno sits back and composes 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 get into trouble. But he's not from evil ... And he will try to correct what he has done.

For teenagers

The list of "books (classics) that every teenager should read" includes works recognized as the "gold 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 a plane crash and ended up on a desert island. At first everything was fine: the sea, palm trees, hunting, fruits, hope for salvation, organization of life in the image and likeness of Robinson Cruz. Two boys who want to be leaders and understand that there can only be one. From a tiny spark of enmity, a whole fire of hatred flared up, in which any idea of ​​humanity was burned.

"Treasure Island"

Pirates, treasures, dangers at every turn - this was not what the young man was looking for when he searched the chest of the guest in search of money. But in addition to what he was looking for, the young man finds a shabby map of the island, where the location of the treasure is marked. Enlisting the help of senior comrades, he goes in search of treasure. But along with them, 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 amazing work of art. At first it is not entirely clear what is at stake, but then it is impossible to tear yourself away, even realizing all the horror of what is happening on the pages.

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

"Chocolate"

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

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

"Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer

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

After the film adaptation was released, the book produced the effect of an exploding bomb: stunned, disgusted, delighted. There were no indifferent people.

Instead of an afterword

Classical books that every educated person should read are difficult to put together in a limited list. 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 “chewing gum for the brain”. Books that make you think and leave a mark on the memory are worth the time spent on them.

All the romantic pathos that shrouded the Middle Ages is presented in Ivanhoe. Valiant Knights, lovely ladies, castle sieges and the 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 historical events that cover the period in English history after the Third Crusade. Of course, there were some serious artistic improvisations and fiction, but this made the story only 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 highlight of the literature lessons.

Nikolai Gogol is one of the few classics who knew how to write about the problems of petty-bourgeois life and Russia as a whole in such a sarcastically direct tone. There is neither the epic heaviness of Tolstoy, nor the unhealthy psychologism of Dostoevsky. Reading is easy and enjoyable. 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 plot intricacies 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 heroes' imagination, or someone's insidious trick? You are unlikely to fall asleep until you get an answer to this question.

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

"Death notes Pickwick Club» - the most funny work Dickens. The adventures of English snobs who proclaimed themselves explorers human souls are full of ridiculous and comical situations. Social issues, of course, is present here, but it is presented in such a simple form that one cannot fall in love with English classic after reading it is simply impossible.

Madame Bovary is rightfully considered one of the greatest novels of the world classics. This title does not detract from the fascination of Flaubert's creation - a defiant story love adventures Emma Bovary is bold and bold. After the publication of the novel, the writer was even brought to trial for insulting morality.

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

The most famous work of Oscar Wilde touches the nerve with a deeply developed image of the protagonist. Dorian Gray, an aesthete and a snob, has an extreme beauty that contrasts with the inner ugliness that develops over the course of the story. You can revel in watching Gray's moral decline, allegorically reflected in the visual change in his portrait, for hours on end.

"American tragedy" - the wrong side american dream. The desire for wealth, respect, position in society, money is characteristic of all people, however, for the majority, the path to the top is closed by default for various reasons.

Clyde Griffiths - a native of the grassroots, who is trying with all his might to break into high society. He is ready to do anything for his dreams. But society, with its ideals of success as an absolute life purpose is itself a catalyst for the 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 textbook of morality.

Not so long ago, a continuation of the novel was published under the title " Go set a watchman". It's got so much inside out characters. classical work writers that cognitive dissonance when reading cannot be avoided.

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