Why do I like Russian literature?

I try to read as often as possible, and I always have a book on the go. More often then not, it's a novel by a Russian author. There is an image around Russian literature, it's one of huge sombre tomes about serious issues and there is a hint of pretension surrounding the novels.

To be frank, this is somewhat true. The novels are often huge, although the Russians also traditionally are big fans of the short story, which will also be covered in this blog. They are rarely about cheerful subjects, and there is always tragedy and danger potentially on the next page. This reflects the history of Russia, especially in the Soviet Union era.

A quick digression - in this blog I'll be covering novels from all eras of modern Russia, from the the reign of the Czars to the days of the post Stalin rulers. I read mostly novels from during and after the rule of Stalin. 

But back to the title of this blog post. Why do I read Russian literature? Because of a variety of reasons. I am hugely interested in politics (having studied it at university) and history in general. Russian novels often have a political tone to them, and they are rich in history. The scope of the novels can be vast, as seen by Life and Fate which has a long list of characters and locations.

In this blog I'll look at both fiction and non - fiction, but I'll also keep an eye out for any exhibitions or articles that take my fancy.