…or at least as good as sex, which I think the two people pictured above would agree with: Omar Sharif as «Юрий Живаго» [Yuri Zhivago] and Julie Christie as «Лара Антипова» [Lara Antipova] in the 1965 movie based on the Nobel Prize winning novel by «Борис Леонидович Пастернак» [Boris Leonidovich Pasternak] «Доктор Живаго» [“Doctor Zhivago”].
The very intriguing – and funny, ‘cause it’s true – line “Russian literature is better than sex” was coined by Carl Proffer, whose publishing company Ardis helped Russian writers who were not allowed to publish in the Soviet Union to get their books printed in Russian in the USA. I tried for hours to find a picture of this phrase in its initial context by googling, but to no success. Supposedly, it was first used on a t-shirt about which Evgenij Popov writes the following here: “It depicts Lev Tolstoy, looking very strict. He is writing something epochal on a piece of paper, but at the same time he is being distracted from this important activity by very seductive, naked girls. In spite of the distraction, our national genius tells them: “RUSSIAN LITERATURE IS BETTER THAN SEX”!
The truth behind «Русская литература лучше секса» [that's how I think this bold statement looks when translated into Russian] is not entirely universal for it depends on at least two personal and thus highly subjective factors: a) «какую книгу ты читаешь» [what book you’re reading]; and b) «с кем ты занимаешься любовью» [to/with whom you are making love]. Even in Russian literature (or so I’ve heard anyway, I have yet to find this out for myself) there are «много плохих книг» [many (plural genitive) bad books]. And as goes for b) – you all probably have your own private opinion and personal experience when it comes to this. But nobody can deny the thrill and enjoyment that one experiences while reading a really, truly, splendidly good piece of Russian literature. And – unlike sex – reading Russian literature is something one can do «совместно» [together] with many people at the same time! Without anyone frowning or calling you ‘immoral’; because falling in love with both «Лара» [Lara] and «Тоня» [Tonya] when reading Pasternak’s «Доктор Живаго» [“Doctor Zhivago”] is not cheating like it is when «Юра Живаго» [Yura Zhivago] goes through that agony in the novel itself. Where am I going with this? I’m suggesting we – all of us who are either reading or writing this blog (that’s me & Yelena) – will spend the upcoming summer reading one and the same «русский роман» [Russian novel] together. We’d work out a schedule for our reading, decide a certain amount of pages for each week, and make a post every week about what we’ve learned from the «сюжет» [plot] as well as sharing «новые слова» [new words] with each other. We’d motivate each other and encourage each other to finish the book in the original Russian – which I think will be especially helpful to those readers who have not yet read a complete novel in Russian. What do you think about this idea?
I’m a strong believer in «демократия» [democracy], and that’s why I think the choice of what novel for us to read this summer should be decided «совместно» [conjointly], just like the reading itself. Even though I am personally almost dying from a desire to re-read “Doctor Zhivago” at the moment (afterwards we could watch the English 1965 movie and then the 2006 Russian TV-series and discuss them both in-depth… I’m just saying), here’s a list of what you have to choose from:
1. «Доктор Живаго» [“Doctor Zhivago”] by «Борис Леонидович Пастернак» [Boris Leonidovich Pasternak].
2. «Война и мир» [“War & Peace”] by «Лев Николаевич Толстой» [Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy].
3. «Идиот» [“The Idiot”] by «Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский» [Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky].
4. «Мастер и Маргарита» [“Master & Margarita”] by «Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков» [Mikhail Afanas’evich Bulgakov].
5. «Петербург» [“Petersburg”] by «Андрей Белый» [Andrey Bely].
The choice of these five titles was made entirely according to my own desires and subjective ideas at the moment. Both because these are all books that are considered «классики русской литературы» [classics of Russian literature] and because I have read all of them before and would gladly spend a summer re-reading together with someone else (or many other people for that matter!). But mainly because they are all excellent works of fiction and also ‘big’ enough to last us throughout all of June and July. If we pick “War & Peace”, then we’ll have to stretch all the way into August… Could be fun!
You can either vote here by leaving a comment with your choice or go to our page on Facebook and state your selection in the poll. The winner will be revealed together with a reading schedule for the summer of 2010 on June 1st. Now aren’t you all excited?!
11 Comments
I voted on facebook for “Мастер и Маргарита”. I love this novel, have read it many-many times, so I’d be happy to read and discuss it with you. This would be fun!
Already trembling of a thought of being able to go read through a novell of Cyrillic! you can cheat a little by movies and translatipns… Re-reading may diminish the motivating curiosity factor. Voting for St. P. (never heard of Levy)
I rather have a Learning Russian Language blog, even though, the The Russian Blog, does offer some insightful Russian Language learning is not a language learning course or blog. I need to mention the fact the YOU already SPEAK it , Russian , that is, and now you offer useful advice on grammer and words, and word usuage, I am wanting to do that which you already know. Where does one obtain a qualified, legitmate, and useful learning program, either online or elsewhere, I hear Moscow State University offers online learning courses, any suggestions to your readers? thanks
Valentin (BAJLEHTViH)
Here, in Brazil, «Доктор Живаго» is very famous, sometimes already presented on TV. I love it. But Tolstoy also is great for us, and I´ve never read his book «Война и мир». Then, now, I vote for «Война и мир». And I think this idea of yours is simply wonderful. Congratulations! I think this is going to improve a lot my understanding of the russian language.
I vote for Doctor Zhivago!
Oh, what a wonderful idea!
I’d love to join in! My Russian definitely won’t be good enough to read anything in Russian, really, but I’d love to follow along nevertheless while reading a translation.
I can hardly choose, I’ve never read “Doctor Zhivago”, but have been wanting to for some time!
I also should be reading “The Idiot” for school RIGHT now, so that one would also be great for me.
And I’ve been wanting to read “Master & Margarita” for some time, too. The book is on my table all the time (or beside the table sometimes…), so I’d be in!
Yes better than sex. But only if you have just made. Anyway the sentence seems to sound like the title of Hunter S. Thompson book. Better than sex. And then. Completely disageree with list, except for Bulgakov. I’m totally with Nabokov: Pasternak is better as poet. Zhivago is not a masterpiece at all. Then on Dostoevsky I’m not so enthusiastic. Good for Tolstoy. Would add Brodsky Less then one. And Dovlatov Puskin Park. The Cechov The lady and the little dog. And Oblomov.
I am now 49 and started reading novels after highschool, first in spanish and Swedish, but learned also to do it in English, French, German, Danish, Catalonian, Italian and Portuguese… because I believe that translations always take something away from the soul of the writer.
I started studying Russian in 1989, primarily thanks to Dostoievski and Andrei Tarkovski, have read many classics, and are now srarting with the post comunist literature,
I am also a great admirer of the Russian poetry of the silver age, where the big names are Achmatova, Mandelstam, Tsvetaieva and Pasternak, by this order. I was in Moscow four months at the end of 1992 and poetry was still a social issue with frequent public readings, so there are of course a lot of important poets in this country, and without forgetting Brodsky I would rather say that Bella Achmadulina has been the most important name from the sixties. Worth to mention are also Arseni Tarkovski and Maria Petrovich (Мария Сергеевна Петровых), both born in 1906 and unable to publish until the sixties for being too open minded.
Regarding Pasternak, much of his best poems are at the end of Doktor Zhivago, an irregular work with several highpoints for the people that are lucky enough to read it in Russian.
Another great novel is The Master and Margarita of Bulgakov. It has a great opening, but falls then down in an acceptabel level, too surrealistic regarding my taste. Heart of a Dog, of the same auther is shorter, better balanced and more revealing of the Soviet society during the years after Revolution.
Nowadays I prefer novels of maximum 300 pages and my favourite works so far from the XIX century are ПАЛАТА No 6 and ЧЕРНЫЙ МОНАХ, two short stories of Anton Chekhov.
From the XXth Century I would select Все течет of Vasili Grossmann and Медея и ее дети of Ludmila Ulitskaia.
I’m a fond reader & admirer of your podcasts and all stories, tips & hints you write, for improving my Russian but also, to understand better the Russian culture.
I would be much interested in finding any such good literature in double-language, i.e. Russian & English, German or French. If you do know if this exists, specifically for the literature you mention above,
then would much appreciate getting an email.
Thanks a lot, Alex.
Two contradictary postcards are currently in my posession that raise a slue of questions which I am having great difficulty reconciling. Below are copies of these postcards.
My researches have found a variety of dates for what I take to be the authentic photo (Tolstoy – Chekhov), and a variety of dates for what I take to be the manipulated picture which includes Gorky.
Any explanation would be greatly appreciated.
http://delcampe.com/page/item/id,119759211,var,119557-Writers-TOLSTOY-CHEKHOV-GORKY-Vintage-PHOTO-PC,language,E.html
http://delcampe.com/page/item/id,119776842,var,136335-Anton-CHEKHOV-Russian-WRITER-Lev-TOLSTOY-old-PC,language,E.html
This iofrnmation is off the hizool!
3 Trackbacks
[...] Russian Literature is Better than Sex, says Josefina. Good news, because I’ve got a long list of books to get through… [...]
[...] post titled somewhat provocatively Russian Literature is Better Than Sex… was destined to become the most read post of the year on our blog. Yes, our readers are that much [...]
[...] you, it is so worth it. Remember, «русская литература лучше секса» [Russian literature is better than sex]! BTW, let’s add «Доктор Живаго» [Doctor Zhivago] to the summer reading [...]