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15 Greatest Russian Authors you should Know about

Literary publications from Russia, have revolutionized literature and different societal concepts worldwide. Some notable authors, such as Nikolai Gogol popularized the use of satire to publicly condemn atrocities in society. Others like Isaac Babel faced exile, torture and death, for publicizing the social injustices Russians faced under the Soviet Union. Through their efforts, many readers have seen Russia post the Civil War, onto the Soviet Union Era, and into the current government. The authors featured here, write in different eras and their impact on literature has helped shape modern literature.

1.      Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy’s early life was one of misfortune following the death of his parents at a tender age. He was a young man from an aristocratic family and received the best education accorded to nobles. Later on, he joined the army where he grew in rank; however, he left the army as his ideology regarding war shifted.

Tolstoy is known for his radical views that influenced popular movements such as those of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther. His literary works include three novels, 16 novellas, more than 50 short stories, six plays, several fables and parables, and nonfiction works. Tolstoy is most known for his novels, War and Peace, Anna Karenina and Childhood.

2.      Nikolai Gogol

Born Nikolai Vasilyevich Yanovsky in 1809, Nikolai is known for his grotesque style of writing. From a tender age, he had a talent for literature and was a comical dramatist. Before taking up his place as a writer, he tried out different vocations such as civil service and acting. These were not well suited for him but on occasions, he would write and found his calling as an author.

His style was far from the norm at that time. Nikolai could twist the real world into a dark multi-spectre universe through a flare of drama and humour. His works include an extended list of plays, novels, poems and short stories. One of his most famous works is the novel Dead Souls, which was only the first part of a series Nikolai was working on. At the time of his death, he left the second part unfinished, which was a tragedy to his readers.

3.      Alexander Pushkin

Alexander was a novelist, playwriter, and poet. He was born to a noble family; thus, it was easy to make a standing in the poetry society. His work brought him immense success and he was a distinguished name in the Romantic era. He wrote in French, as he was deeply interested in the French language and culture.

He is well known for his skill in capturing the readers’ attention through regaling stories based on his passions. Pushkin wrote about romance, racism, political satire, and social injustice. The Russian authorities were not often fond of political humour and he was exiled for it. Some of his most notable works include The Captain’s Daughter , a novel, Boris Godunov  that is a play and Eugene Onegin  which is a poem.

4.      Anton Chekhov

Chekhov worked as a doctor for a living and pursued writing as a pleasure. He is frequently cited as one of the key figures in the rise of early modernism in theatre. His writing career saw the production of four classic plays and short stories that are highly regarded by writers and some world-renown reviewers.

Unlike most of the authors featured in this list, he did not come from the nobility. On the contrary, his early life is one of great turmoil that influenced his writing. He often drew characters from his own life in his writing. Some of his acclaimed works include; Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Cherry Orchard, and The Three Sisters.

5.      Maxim Gorky

He was born Alexei Maksimovich Peshkov, but later took on the name Gorky which translates to the bitter one. This was a result of the misfortunes that befell him in his early life. Gorky, who supported the Marxist movement’s goal of overthrowing the government, was repeatedly imprisoned before being forced into exile for a number of years. He was attacked for supporting some of Stalin’s policies, yet he is recognized for having saved the lives of several writers.

A few of Gorky’s plays and books are Yegor Bulychov (1931), Summer Folk (1903), Barbarians (1906), Enemies (1906), The Last Ones (1908), The Counterfeit Coin (1926), and an autobiographical trilogy called My Childhood (1914), In the World (1916), and My Universities (1923).

6.      Anna Akhmatova

One of the best poets in Russia is Anna Akhmatova. Akhmatova lived in both pre-revolutionary and Soviet Russia during her career, but despite this, her verse preserved and extended classical Russian culture during eras of avant-garde radicalism and formal experimentation as well as the oppressive ideological confines of socialist realism.

She published literature, including autobiographies, memoirs, and literary analyses of Russian authors like Alexander Pushkin. She also interpreted poetry from Italian, French, Armenian, and Korean. Many of Akhmatova’s contemporaries received praise, including the Requiem, Poema bez geroia which translates to Poem without a hero. She had a long life, but it was filled with grief and tragedy.

7.      Fyodor Dostoevsky

Russian author, journalist, essayist, and short story writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky also wrote novels. His written works analyse human psychology in the radical political, social, and spiritual contexts of 19th-century Russia and engage with a range of philosophical and religious concepts. He is regarded as a theologian and philosopher as a result. The Brothers Karamazov, Demons, The Idiot, and Crime and Punishment are some of his most well-known works.

Given that several of his works are regarded as profoundly impactful classics, many literary critics believe him to be one of the greatest authors in the history of literature. One of the earliest pieces of existentialist writing is his book Notes from Underground, published in 1864.

8.      Mikhail Bulgakov

He was born in Russia and was a trained physician. When the Russian Civil war broke out, he was spared for his physician skills. Post-war he turned to playwriting as a source of income. Mikhail lived in the Soviet Union, and due to the nature of his works, he was often turned away by theatres that refused to let his plays run, for fear of the dictator Stalin.

He committed to writing one of the greatest 20^th-century literature works, in secrecy. While most authors are known for their works published when they are still alive, Mikhail’s greatest work was published posthumously. More than 25 years after his death anniversary, the novel The Master and Margarita was published in 1966.

9.      Ivan Bunin

The first author from Russia to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature was Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin. He was renowned for the rigorous skill with which he upheld the traditional prose and poetry forms of classical Russia. It is thought that his poetry and short stories have one of the richest textures in the language.

Many of his fellow writers, European critics, and anti-communist White emigrants held Bunin in high regard as the true disciple of the tradition of realism in Russian literature started by Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov.

10.  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

He was an author of short stories, novels, and history from Russia. He helped spread knowledge of the Gulag system of forced labour camps around the world and was an outspoken opponent of the Soviet Union and its tyranny. Aleksandr was awarded a Nobel Prize for the stance he took against the Soviets and his role in sensitizing the people with his novel The Gulag Archipelago.

11.  Lyudmila Ulitskaya

She is one of the few women on this list. Lyudmila is a modern novelist, who also writes short stories. Her writing career began when she acted as a consultant in a Jewish drama theatre. She produced two movie scripts and a novel in the early 1990s and has never looked back, since then. Lyudmila is best known for her fictional vivid works such as; Sonechka, The Big Green Tent, and The Funeral Party.

12.  Isaac Babel

Apart from doing journalism, and translation, Babel was a play and short story writer. He was a loyal citizen of the Communists during the reign of the Soviet Union. However, he also criticized some of the government’s activities. He is well known for his literary works; Tales of Odessa, and Red Cavalry. Despite his loyalty, when Stalin enforced the Great Purge, which saw the fall of great men and women, Babel was shot in 1940. His work still remains one of the greatest literary works published in Russia.

13.  Mikhail Shishkin

Mikhail is one of the most famous Russian authors, having won all three major book awards in Russia. He is known for his contemporary style of writing, and his critics of the current Russian government. He has been known for openly rebuking the government’s policies and advocating for change in the current regime. His most acclaimed novels are Taking Izmail, Maidenhair and The Light and the Dark.

14.  Tatyana Tolstaya

Tatyana descends from a line of great literary figures, and she is associated with some great names such as Leo Tolstoy, Alexei Tolstoy and Natalia Krandievskaya. She does not live under the shadow of her ancestors, rather her work has gained immense popularity. Some of Tatyana’s famed works are The Slynx, On the Golden Porch, Aetherial Worlds: Stories and White Walls.

15.  Nikolai Leskov

He was an acclaimed Russian novelist, playwright, and short-story writer. Some of his most notable works include Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, The Enchanted Wanderer, The Cathedral Clergy and The Tale of the Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea. Some of his works have been turned into films to reach more audiences.