The 25 best books of classic literature

*Review of the best according to the editors. About the selection criteria. This material is subjective, not intended as an advertisement, and is not intended as a guide to purchase. You should consult with an expert before buying.

The world’s literature is proud of its representatives, who, despite the differences of eras, have one thing in common: talent and dedication. The great writers made an invaluable contribution to its development, reflecting the peculiarities of their countries and the times in which they lived. Their works are immortal, and every new generation reads with rapture the stories and novels, novels and essays by authors whose names are familiar to everyone, and they need no introduction.

Our magazine experts have selected a rating of 20 works of classical literature, many of which are included in the school curriculum, and some simply recommended for reading.

Ranking the best books of classic literature

The Best Books of Russian Classical Literature

“War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Rating: 5.0

The novel by Russian writer Lev NikolaevichTolstoy, which is considered one of the greatest classic works, tops the list. It covers the time period from 1805-1812. The epic novel consists of 4 volumes. In the first one, the action takes place in 1805-1807. The second volume depicts the peaceful life of Russian society in 1806-1812. The last book begins with the invasion of Napoleon’s army.

War and Peace presents many chapters and parts, some of which have plot completeness. The author moves the reader in space and time, but it is so filigree that it does not confuse, but rather enhances the impression and adds interest. The main idea of the book is revealed to the end: the Russian people are invincible, as evidenced by the complete defeat of Napoleon’s army.

Many of us in our youth have read the work, noting the most interesting moments. The boys were fascinated by military action, the girls by descriptions of dresses, carriages, palaces. Many of them wanted to resemble Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky. Older people were able to appreciate the subtleties and complexities of the characters’ relationships. Even minor characters are not deprived of the author’s attention. In total, there are 550 of them in the work. The epochal book leaves no one indifferent, many reread it several times.

“The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov

Rating: 4.9

Second place in the rating goes to the mystical novel “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov, which is considered to be the most enigmatic work of Russian classical literature. Beginning in 1966, it was published three times, and its title changed. The book belongs to the unfinished works of the author. Bulgakov’s widow did the putting together of the drafts. The final version was introduced to readers in 1990.

The action of the book begins on a sunny day in May when the writer Mikhail Berlioz and the poet Ivan Bezdomny, walking on Patriarchal Ponds, meet a strange man who looks like a foreigner. None of them suspects that it is the devil himself – Woland. His prophecies about Berlioz’s death come true; the literary man is hit by a streetcar and has his head cut off. Satan and his servants play all kinds of practical jokes and hoaxes in Moscow.

The story of the Master and Margarita captures the essence of the time. He ends up in a psychiatric hospital due to misunderstanding of his novel and refusal to publish, harassment in the press. She is ready to lay her soul to the devil, just to find out where the beloved man is. The book can be reread several times, and each time becomes more interesting than the previous one.

“Dead Souls” Nikolai Gogol

Rating: 4.8

The great Russian classic Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol and his immortal work – in third place in the rating. His acquaintance with him begins in his school years. It does not lose relevance as you grow older, and rereading it at a more conscious age, reveals new details that you did not notice in your youth. The work was supposed to be published in three volumes. But if the first book was published in 1842, the second book was left with only a few draft chapters, and the third was never begun.

The main character is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. A former collegiate counselor arrives in the town of N, where he cleverly poses as a landlord. He confidently rubs himself in the trust of the locals, who are unaware that the adventurer’s true goal is to get rich by any means possible. The scam was to register the deceased peasants who were still alive in his own name, thus raising his social status.

In humorous form, Gogol describes the inhabitants of the town, their habits and vices. Many of the names have become common nouns. Manilovshchina was called an inactive attitude toward everything around. Plyushkin became an example of greed and avarice. The classic work provides an opportunity to look at life in the Russian provinces through the prism of the author’s satire and enjoy an interesting and distinctive style, unlike others.

“Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Rating: 4.7

The social and psychological work first saw the light of day in 1866 in a magazine version. The book, published a year later, was modified and had a number of corrections from the author. Despite the years that have passed, the story is still relevant, as it touches on human thoughts and emotions rather than specific time spaces.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky very subtly described the main character’s delusions before the crime and the mental anguish after the murder of the old money-lender. Former student Rodion Raskolnikov, forced to leave university because he cannot pay his tuition, becomes addicted to his thoughts. For himself, he had a clear division of people into “trembling creatures” and “entitled. Having decided that he is allowed to do anything, he goes on the crime, justifying himself with good intentions. But this does not bring him relief.

At the end of the work, the hero finds the only right way out for himself and surrenders to justice. The epilogue shows Raskolnikov in the penitentiary, where he is visited by Sonechka Marmeladova, who, in order to save her loved ones, has been forced to sell herself. The book ends on a positive note. The reader is assured that the rebirth of these two men is possible, thanks to love, compassion, and self-sacrifice.

“Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak

Rating: 4.6

“Doctor Zhivago” is an undeniable Russian classic. This rating novel was created during one decade and is the pinnacle of Russian writer and poet, Nobel Prize laureate in 1958. The author himself considered the book his life’s work. In it, Pasternak shows the experiences of the difficult life of the intelligentsia, beginning in 1900 until the Great Patriotic War.

The work was banned because of the author’s ideological disagreement with the position of the authorities on many significant events in the country. After the novel was published abroad, Pasternak was accused of anti-Soviet propaganda and harassed. It was only thirty years later that the novel was published in the author’s homeland, which eventually brought him acclaim and fame not only abroad but also in his own country.

The life of the protagonist begins in his childhood, when his mother dies suddenly and he is forced to move from one relative to another. Having grown up, the young man shows a talent for poetry. The dramatic story of Yuri Zhivago’s life is a kind of biography of the author, only unreal, but one that Boris Pasternak himself would like to live. The once forbidden book was rewritten by hand. Today it is possible to enjoy the work of the author and find their own answers to the questions raised in the novel.

“Eugene Onegin” Alexander Pushkin

Rating: 4.5

In our country there is no one who would not be familiar with the brilliant creation of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. The novel in verse is recognized as the most significant work of Russian literature. It influenced its further development. It took seven years to create, and the author describes the work on it as a “feat. Pushkin began to write his work in exile in Kishinev. He immediately abandoned romanticism, preferring realism.

The reader gets a glimpse into the life of the nobility at the beginning of the 19th century. The book covers events after the defeat of Napoleon in the Patriotic War, beginning in 1819 and ending with the Decembrist uprising in Senate Square. The story is told on behalf of an unknown narrator, who was a good friend of Onegin.

The work of A. s. Pushkin is included in the school curriculum and is the national heritage of Russia. It is not for nothing that V.g. Belinsky called it “an encyclopedia of Russian life”. Our experts could not leave the poem without attention, including it in the rating of the best world classics, and recommend reading it at a more mature age.

“A hero of our time” Mikhail Lermontov

Rating: 4.5

“A Hero of Our Time” was published in 1840 and captured the minds of the people of the time. After almost 180 years the work has not lost its novelty; both schoolchildren and people of old age read it with great pleasure. It is recognized as the first lyric-psychological novel in history and has gained fame no less than poetic works.

Pechorin’s first encounter is universally disliked, but gradually, as the unknown aspects of his soul unfold, you begin to understand and even sympathize with him. m. Lermontov raises several problems that can be related to real time: happiness, the search for the meaning of life, immorality. But he does not condemn Pechorin, but admits that he was influenced in this way by circumstances.

“Fathers and Children” by Ivan Turgenev

Rating: 4.5

Ivan Vasilievich Turgenev – publicist, prose writer, poet, one of the brightest representatives of classical literature of the 19th century. After the publication, Bazarov’s image was taken by young people as a symbol of the time and an example to follow. This rating work is about the conflict between two generations, about the eternal confrontation between fathers and children. This problem is relevant at any time, and ours is no exception. Young people want to move forward, disregarding conventions and habits. The older generation is more conservative and does not want to change anything.

By the example of the protagonist, the writer wanted to show the enigmatic soul of the Russian intellectual. Evgeny Bazarov is a student, a revolutionary democrat who accepts neither liberal ideas nor conservative views. But his nihilistic principles crumble and fail the test of love. Bazarov realizes that after all, he is not a rebel and a rebel who denies everything, but an overt romantic.

“Woe from Wit” by Alexander Griboyedov

Rating: 4.5

In the rating of the best books of Russian classics the greatest work of Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov and the apotheosis of his creativity – the famous comedy “Woe from Wit” takes a worthy place. The play in verse has become one of the few that is regularly staged in Russian and foreign theaters. Numerous quotations and expressions have long had their own, separate life. The story is set 10 years after the Russian army’s crushing victory over Napoleon.

The book describes the life of the secular Moscow society. It shows all the vices of the aristocratic class, and the presence of satire in the description of the characters is of genuine interest. The main idea the writer wanted to convey to the reader: the protest of a free personality against reality. It was not by chance that the play was enthusiastically received among the Decembrists.

Alexander Chatsky is a smart, educated young man who is inspired by freedom and brotherhood. Having returned from abroad to Moscow, he realizes that the winds of change have not touched society, that ignorance and hypocrisy are just as prevalent. And even love leads to disappointment. The work will appeal to young people as well as the middle and older generation.

“Anton Chekhov The Cherry Orchard

Rating: 4.5

At the bottom of the ten list of the best Russian classics is a brilliant creation by Anton Chekhov, written in 1903. It was the writer’s last work, completed on the eve of his early death. A year later the play was staged at the Moscow Art Theater. The audience applauded it. A century later, “The Cherry Orchard” is in the repertoire not only of Russian theaters but also of foreign ones.

The action takes place on the estate of landlady Ranevskaya, who has returned from France back to Russia. She has no money left, and the house with its magnificent cherry orchard may soon be sold for debt. The work has a deep philosophical meaning. The characters of the principal and secondary characters are vividly brought out in the play. Although the play begins as a comedy, at the end it becomes a tragicomedy.

The Cherry Orchard was the author’s idea – a symbol of the Russian nobility. Trees are cut down, ancestral nests are dissolved, and a time of change is coming. The author foresaw many events, but never got to see them in connection with his death. It is noteworthy that the greatest actress of the 20th century, Faina Ranevskaya, got her pseudonym from this very work, in honor of the landowner Lyubov Andreyevna.

“Oblomov” by Ivan Goncharov

Rating: 4.5

Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” is mandatory reading for school. Many people will probably find themselves in this work, most of them in the person of the main character, Ilya Ilyich, or among the other protagonists, of whom there are many in the novel. Oblomov is a typical homebody, accustomed to dreaming. But there is so much life going by, and if you only fantasize, diligently running away from any of life’s challenges, what will come of it?

The novel was written in the middle of the nineteenth century, in 1847-1859, and according to some critics it reflected the social and political situation of the time. Contemporaries, however, see in the work a unique social phenomenon called “Oblomovshchina”-people becoming increasingly inert. Perhaps to avoid this kind of bias, the book is read while still in school. Definitely recommended to read and refresh your memory.

“The Fate of Man” by Mikhail Sholokhov

Rating: 4.4

The collection of stories “The Fate of Man”, published in 1957, is one of the newest books in our rating. The short stories tell about the lives of soldiers who went through the Great Patriotic War. Chauffeur Andrei Sokolov goes to the front, fate takes him through combat battles, fascist captivity, the loss of his family, but he manages to keep the will to live. Mikhail Sholokhov managed to create a work that pierces to the very core – for many modern people it is simply difficult to read the stories in this collection without tears, there is so much pain in the lines describing these terrible events, which convey the feelings of adults and children. “The Fate of Man” is not about heroism. It’s about the will to live, no matter what.

“The Pomegranate Bracelet” by Alexander Kuprin

Rating: 4.4

The story “The Pomegranate Bracelet” is also a classic of Russian literature. The modest official Georgy Zheltkov, secretly in love with Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, writes her letters on holidays, and once sends her a golden bracelet with rare pomegranates as a gift. The heroine’s husband finds Zheltkov and returns the jewelry. This becomes a turning point in the lives of both the official and the princess.

Sometimes it is only through severe, and sometimes fatal, trials that people realize they are missing out on something important in life. Vera Nikolayevna realized it too late. But could there be a happy outcome to this work??

Best books of foreign classical literature

“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare

Rating: 5.0

The adolescent love of Romeo and Juliet still excites young people, and makes the mature generation think. The first place rating among books of classic foreign literature undoubtedly goes to the immortal work of William Shakespeare, the world’s most famous playwright. The tragic story, written in 1595, leaves no one indifferent. It is staged in theaters, filmed and performed as music.

The play has become one of the most circulated in the history of literature. The quotations are firmly in our colloquial speech. In the city of Verona, where the events of half a century ago unfold, couples from all over the world come together to swear eternal love and fidelity. The action takes place against the backdrop of the centuries-long feud between the Italian Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo and Juliet’s forbidden love leads to a tragic finale. And though the lovers knew they were not meant to be together, they could not resist the feeling they carried to their deaths.

“There is no sorrier tale in the world…”. It really is. But the symbolism of the work lies in the fact that true love overcomes all obstacles, despite the age of man and woman, prohibitions and prejudices.

“Don Quixote” by Miguel Cervantes

Rating: 4.9

In second place in the ranking is a novel by a Spanish writer, published in two volumes: The Clever Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha and The Second Part of the Genius Knight Don Quixote of La Mancha, published in 1605 and 1615, respectively. It has become one of the most popular works of world literature, and has been translated into all European languages. The impetus for writing was a novel that mocked a farmer who went mad after reading a lot of stories about knights.

The main character is an impoverished nobleman. He is convinced that the purpose of knights is to protect the disadvantaged and weak. Don Quixote decides to repeat their exploits, dedicating them to the beautiful Dulcinea. Throughout the narrative, he finds himself in various comical and ridiculous situations. Always by his side is the faithful page, the peasant and now servant, Sancho Panza. Soon Don Quixote realizes that for everyone he was just a laughing stock and forever renounces the image of the wandering knight.

The book will be a wonderful and entertaining pastime. The reader will laugh and cry as the hero battles windmills, mistaking them for monstrous giants, or clashes with a flock of sheep, thinking they are a wizard-turned army.

“The Count of Monte Cristo” Alexandre Dumas

Rating: 4.8

The French writer’s novel has entered the treasury of world literature and takes third place in our ranking. It was published in 1844 and immediately had a resounding success, surpassing all other works of the author. Before writing, Alexandre Dumas had studied police archives and stumbled across the case of François Pico, a shoemaker, who became the prototype of the main character. And while traveling around the Mediterranean Sea he saw the island of Montecristo and learned the legend of the riches buried there.

Edmond Dantes, a Marseille sailor, finds himself in the Chateau d’If by slander and libel. After a long stay in solitary confinement, he decides to die, but an encounter with Abbot Faria changes his whole life. He vows revenge on his abusers and prepares an escape, which he succeeds in. After being on the island for 14 years, he, having found the treasure, returns home and generously rewards all those who were kind to him, even the smugglers who saved him, and takes revenge on his enemies. He soon realizes that he himself becomes a criminal and stops, realizing what he has done.

The novel has been adapted several times, and musicals and plays based on it have been staged. Incredibly entertaining storyline has appealed to all generations of readers. The book is a board book, it can be reread many times.

“Faust” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Rating: 4.8

“Faust” is a philosophical work by the German poet and thinker Goethe, on which he worked for almost his entire life for 60 years. It has become the closest to real life story of the 16th century alchemist and necromancer Johann Faustus. Many legends and incredible stories have led writers at different times to create books about him, but only Goethe was able to rise to such heights and enter the golden fund of world classics.

Goethe’s book reflects not only legends, but also ancient myths, stories from the Bible, philosophical ideas, and folklore. It made more than one generation of mankind think about the meaning of life. Modern people are offered an amazing and fascinating reading, which is always relevant, pleasing to the novelty and bored, just do not have to.

“Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell

Rating: 4.7

The novel is set during the American Civil War, against a backdrop of all the sharp political and social phenomena and values based on commodity-money relations. Scarlett is a very flighty person, an egoist, she is protected from the problems of the outside world by her own armor of indifference to others and, strange as it may seem, simple stupidity. A carefree childhood in the family of a wealthy landowner comes to an abrupt halt with the coming of war, the death of his mother, and the illness of his father-all at the same time.

One day Scarlett falls in love with Ashley, but faced with unrequited feelings, she locks her emotions inside and can’t accept that events may not unfold according to her own made-up scenario. Over time, the girl is completely lost in his feelings, even as if discerning in Rhett Butler his destiny, but missed him.

Gone with the Wind was so successful that it was made into a movie starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. The film won eight Academy Awards in various categories. The book itself is read in the same breath and doesn’t get old – it was of interest to audiences in the last century and in the present day.

“Martin Eden by Jack London

Rating: 4.7

The well-deserved place in the ranking is occupied by the work of Jack London, published in 1909. It never loses its popularity and today ranks among the top 100 books of world classic literature. The action takes place in the early years of the 20th century. The main character is an ordinary working man from a poor class. An accidental acquaintance with a girl from a wealthy family develops into love.

The boundless social abyss does not stop Martin Eden, and he wants, no matter what, to become worthy of his chosen one and part of high society. Taking up self-education, he intends to become a writer when he learns of the royalties paid to authors by print publications. Ruth actively helps him along the way. A young man learns to write and pronounce words correctly, and reads books.

Soon, after unsuccessful attempts to sell his stories, essays, and poems to magazines, one publication agrees to publish his work. But success does not lead to happiness. Disappointed in everything and even in love, Martin leaves the city by boat to live isolated on a small island in the ocean. But the will to live leaves him, and he jumps in. The work is very dynamic, tragic, but after reading it, you must wonder what the main thing in this life: a well-fed, rich existence or a quiet life in harmony with his conscience.

“The Headless Horseman” by Mein Reed

Rating: 4.7

The enigmatic story, written by Mein Reed in 1865, ranks next in the. It was based on the author’s own adventures in America. The action takes place in the middle of the nineteenth century, when the United States invaded Texas and began the conquest of its vast territory. A once rich but broke planter and his family move to a new home on the wild prairies of the southwest.

An acquaintance with the mustachioed Maurice Gerald leads to feelings between him and Louise, daughter of the settler Woodley Poindexter. His nephew also has designs on the girl, especially since his uncle has a large monetary debt to him. Cowardly and arrogant, ridden with the throes of jealousy, Calhoun resolves to destroy his adversary by devising a cunning plan. But he was not destined to succeed, and soon found himself in the dock for the murder of Louise Henry’s brother.

The story ends with a happy ending. Maurice receives a large inheritance, marries his sweetheart, and pays off all the debts of her family. A gripping read from the first page. People of all genders and ages will enjoy the book. Boys and girls, their mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers will enjoy rereading the work about love and hate, friendship and betrayal.

“Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables

Rating: 4.7

The greatest novel of all time was written in 1862. It received instant critical acclaim and rave reviews from readers. The book raises the question of good and evil, morality and immorality, callousness and responsiveness. The righteous man and the rebel appeared as two opposing features of the same individual.

The example of Jean Valjean shows the path of moral purification. A former convict becomes a righteous man, engages in industrial production, caring for his workers. The other characters are naturalistic and accurately reproduce the society of the time: the street boy Gavroche, the bandits of the Cock Hour community, the dwellers of the very bottom of the Tenardier family. In Les Miserables, Hugo managed not only to accurately create psychological portraits of the characters, but also to describe in detail the houses, streets, landscapes of the city.

“Three Comrades” by Erich Maria Remarque

Rating: 4.7

“Three Comrades” is a book worthy of inclusion in the rating of the best foreign classics. This is a tragic novel about friendship and love, complicated human relationships. It was published in 1936., and 22 years later translated into Russian and instantly earned the love of domestic readers. Today, millions of people around the world consider the novel to be one of the finest works of the 20th century, which has subsequently been adapted dozens of times and staged in theaters, making it even more popular.

The action begins in postwar Germany in 1928. Three friends Robert, Otto and Gottfried open a repair shop. They are all very passionate about automobiles. On one of his trips, Robbie meets a charming girl and falls in love with her at first sight. They are very different, and, despite their social inequality, they begin a touching and tender romance.

Terrible memories torment the main characters, the echoes of war do not leave in peace. The book shows very deeply the problem of the “lost” generation. The young men could not forget all the horrors of war time, which left its imprint on each of them, and could not adapt to civilian life, becoming unnecessary members of society.

“The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway

Rating: 4.7

His last work, published during his lifetime, was published in 1952. A year later, the American writer and journalist Ernest Hemingway is awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and two years later he receives the Nobel Prize for his skills demonstrated in “The Old Man and the Sea”. Santiago, a Cuban fisherman, is at the center of the narrative. For almost three months now, he has had no catch. The people around him think he’s unlucky, and he begins to think so, too.

The only friend and support for the old man remains the boy Manolin, who is forbidden to fish with Santiago, but he helps in everything: bringing tackle, preparing food, having conversations. One day an old man goes out to sea and incredible luck smiles on him: he catches a giant marlin more than five meters long. For two days and two nights he tries to bring the fish ashore. He speaks to her, understanding her pain and helplessness, calling her brother. On the third day, marlin blood attracts sharks. The old man kills five of them, but the others completely eat the fish carcass.

Santiago makes his way to shore, convinced that he is indeed unlucky. A skeleton left by the boat attracts the attention of locals. Movies and television series, cartoons, and plays have been based on the work. It touches the reader to the core, making him want to reread it over and over again.

“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Rating: 4.6

Rounding out our ranking is a favorite work of millions of people around the world. “The Little Prince” is the French writer’s most famous book, which was published in 1943.It was prompted by editor Kurt Hitchcock, who once saw Antoine in a restaurant displaying a boy figure on a table. It turned out that the writer imagined the friend he kept in his heart. The editor offered to write a fairy tale for children. The result is a parable that has captured the minds of adults.

All of the illustrations are by Antoine de Saint-Exupery himself and are part of the work. A philosophical tale tells of a mysterious boy from another planet who meets a pilot who makes an emergency landing in the sweltering Sahara.

The Little Prince tells of his adventures. He set out to explore the galaxy and on his way met different characters: a geographer, a king, a drunkard, a lanternman. The prototype of the prince was the author himself as a child. He liked to look at the stars for a long time, for which he was nicknamed “Lunatic. The writer’s main idea: “All adults were children, but few people remember it.

“The Mysterious Island,” Jules Verne

Rating: 4.5

When the U.S. Civil War was raging, four men and one young man from the North escape captivity in a hot air balloon, but a sudden storm changes their route and takes them to an uninhabited island. The friends are not confused and begin to explore the wild shore. All was going well until the danger of a pirate attack.

“The Mysterious Island” is a poignant work, which is considered one of the best among the works of Jules Verne.