One of the most enjoyable things about learning Russian is an ability to read and appreciate some of the finest works of Russian literature.

Below is a list of some of highly recommended classic Russian literature pearls listed by author.

Anton Chekhov (1860–1904)
short stories author and playwright

• The Cherry Orchard/ Вишневый Сад
• Three Sisters/ Три Сестры
• The Seagull/ Чайка

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881)
novelist

• Crime and Punishment/ Преступление и наказание
• The Gambler/ Игрок
• The Idiot/ Идиот
• The Possessed/ Бесы
• The Raw Youth/ Подросток
• The Brothers Karamazov/ Братья Карамазовы

Mikhail Bulgakov (1891–1940)
playwright and author

• Master and Margarita/ Мастер и Маргарита

Aleksandr Kuprin (1870-1938)
short stories author and novelist

• Duel/ Дуэль

Mikhail Lermontov (1814–1841)
poet, playwright and novelist; оne of the major Russian writers

• A Hero of Our Time/ Герой нашего времени

Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
poet and novelist, wrote first in Russian then in English

• Lolita/ Лолита

Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883)
short stories author and novelist

• Notes of a Hunter/ Записки охотника
• First Love/ Первая любовь
• Torrents of Spring/ Вешние воды
• Rudin/ Рудин
• A Nest of the Gentry / Дворянское гнездо
• On the Eve/ Накануне
• Fathers and Sons/ Отцы и дети
• Smoke/ Дым
• Virgin Soil/ Новь

Ivan Bunin (1870-1953)
short stories author and novelist

• The Life of Arseniev/ Жизнь Арсеньева
• Dark Avenues/ Темные аллеи
• Lika/ Лика

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910)
novelist

• War and Peace/ Война и Мир
• Anna Karenina/ Анна Каренина

Aleksandr Pushkin (1799–1837)
poet, novelist and dramatist; considered to be the greatest Russian poet of all time

• Eugene Onegin/ Евгений Онегин