Looking for “Must Read” Books on Russia/Soviet Union?
Question by whoadude: Looking for “must read” books on Russia/Soviet Union?
Hello,
I’m looking for some books to put in my kindle. Hopefully the recommendations I receive are Kindle compatible.
Anyways, I have been studying Russian and want to know more about the culture. I’m VERY interested in politics and any history really.
Maybe some books on the rise/fall of the Soviet Union, post Soviet politics, or biographies on the greatest leaders. Or just any recommendations on must read/know topics of that region.
Best answer:
Answer by I Love Piano
Read Leo Tolstoy and Feodor Dostoevsky for 18th and 19th century Russia, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn for Soviet era writing. My favorite book by Tolstoy is “Anna Karenina”, by Dostoevsky “The Brothers Karamazov”, and for Solzhenitsyn “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch”.
Answer by j
Viktor Suvorov wrote a major book on the GRU, “Inside the Aquarium.” The GRU was a major player in the Soviet structure, however, few inside or outside Russia knew of it then.
Joseph Douglass’ “Red Cocaine” is a major book on the Soviet era of Khrushchev and beyond. Douglass testified before Congress on the topic, which is very significant (the second-most valued cold war weapon in the S.U., and therefore the most powerful one used against the West, as the first-valued “first strike” was never used).
Both of these books illuminate important areas of Soviet activity.
Would also suggest Gogol’s “Dead Souls” for a keen and entertaining look at the 19th century Russian bureaucracy.
The 19th century Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov was the major model for Dostoyevsky’s Alyosha and Ivan Karamazov, and Leo Tolstoy’s famous “The Kreutzer Sonata” was influenced by Solovyov’s “The Meaning of Love.”
Solovyov influenced the important Russian philosopher Nicolas Berdyaev, whose books include “The Russian Idea,” “Dream and Reality,” and “The Divine and the Human.”
Pitirim Sorokin, a great social theorist, has “The Crisis of Our Age.”
Nicholas Roerich’s work is currently enjoying a serious renewal in Russia. http://www.roerich.org shows some of his ground-breaking art and also his very interesting books, such as “Leaves from Morya’s Garden.”
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!