{Blog #9} The Russian Literature Madness Continues... so here's my TBR

This is probably the most un-curated list you'll find on the whole of the internet, but hey! It has links.

On my last entry, I wrote about my obsession with Tolstoy's incredible Anna Karenina, which I've since finished and still can't get over (you'll get a fuller review on my June ideal month wrap-up). This obsession quickly morphed into a fascination with all classic Russian literature which in turn became an all encompassing madness when I said to myself "hey, I wonder what these guys are up to now..." Thus, began my search of every interesting booklist I could find—classics you can't die without reading, underrated classics, well-known contemporary authors, obscure contemporary authors... this rabbit whole prompted some impulse buys and plenty of additions to my "want to read"  shelf on Goodreads. Almost a month later, this is where I stand.

As I stated above, this is a very un-curated list. It reflects only personal interests with no regard of cultural/literary significance (other than these being relevant enough to have appeared during my feverish research) or sensible reading order (if there is such a thing). Still, as un-authoritative as my position is, I believe there are some benefits to devouring books without apparent logic: one is open to whatever comes, more receptive to surprise and discovery. After a while, I (hope I) will gain enough knowledge and background for deeper rereads, and more informed searches and recommendations for you all. 

Meanwhile, I hope this chaotic journey can be as fun and interesting for you as it is being for me. Even better, why don't you join me? (I'm very open to buddy reads and just discussing books in general, duh. So don't hesitate to contact me!)

Owned 

(Some of these are recently bought, meaning on their way from ~abroad~. Some of them I have ~here~ either as physical books or ebooks. A couple of others I own but are not ~here~, although hopefully I'll have access to them before the year ends...)

1. Bulgakov, Black Snow
2. Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita
3. Chekhov, Gooseberries
4. Dostoyevski, Crime and Punishment 
5. Dostoyevski, Short Stories
6. Dostoyevski, The Eternal Husband 
7. Dostoyevski, The Meek One
8. Gogol, Dead Souls
9. Gogol, The Nose
10. Goncharov, Oblómov
11. Grushin, The Dream Life of Sukhanov
12. Leskov, The Steel Flea
13. Nabokov, Ada, or Ardor
14. Nabokov, Complete Short Stories
15. Nabokov, Lolita (Read, loved)
16. Nabokov, The Gift
17. Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (Read, loved)
18. Tolstoy, How Much Land does a Man Need? (Read, Liked)
19. Tolstoy, War and Peace
20. Turgenev, Fathers & Sons
21. Shinshkin, Calligraphy Lesson: The Collected Stories
22. Shinshkin, The Light and the Dark

Bonus: An anthology of Russian short stories in Spanish, of which I've only read the first story by Pushkin (yes, I know of Pushkin). 

Upcoming reads...

1. The Nose by Nikolai Gogol
2. Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol 
3. The Master by Vladimir Nabokov
4. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov 
5. The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin
6. War and Peace by Lev Tolstoi

Please feel free to DM me on twitter on insta if you think I should prioritize any other reads.

Three books I'm thinking of acquiring but I haven't because I want to pretend I have some semblance of self control

1. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
2. There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill her Neighbor's Baby by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya 
3. The Kreutzer Sonata by Lev Tolstoy

Plus I'm thinking of maybe purchasing a Chekhov short story collection but I still haven't made up my mind re edition, so I'm putting that on the back burner for now. 

What do you think? I reckon by February next year I might be somewhat knowledgeable on the topic. To add some spice to this endeavor, I'm thinking of kicking off next year (or finishing this one) with Sara Wheeler's Mud and Stars and Elif Batuman's The Possessed. As you can see, this new love is not a sprint but a marathon!

Note: I have not listed any specific translations here (and the GR links are to any random edition) because I own a lot of them in Spanish, plus I want to highlight the books themselves. When I review them, however, I'll always mention the translator(s).
Note 2: In case you're interested, Olive from A Book Olive made a quick video on how to pronounce popular Russian authors' names. I know I'll refer back to it quite a lot so I am less butchery when I talk about these reads on my own booktube channel.