“Call me Ishmael” - with these words Herman Melville began his novel Moby Dick - probably the most important novel in the history of American literature of the 19th century. But this great writer was largely forgotten even before his death and was referred to as Henry Melville in obituaries in the New York Times.
The decline of his writing career occurred, in fact, precisely thanks to Moby Dick. Melville had previously written quite successful books about sea adventures, but this ambitious tale of a mad sea captain obsessed with chasing a white whale proved too much for the readers of the time, who never understood it.
Even critics were taken aback by Melville's poetic, almost biblical, style. And only after his death the book was recognized as a masterpiece of world literature - a truly powerful work that touches on serious themes of the place of the ordinary person in nature, the need to find the meaning of life and American nature in general.

2: Dead Souls

Although the name is familiar to many from an early age, it can be frightening with its gloominess. In fact, Dead Souls is one of the wittiest books of the 19th century, written Nikolai Gogol, who had a great influence on the work of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.
Dead Souls is the writer's only novel that tells the story of an enterprising young man traveling around Russia and buying up "dead souls" - deceased peasants who were still listed as living by landowners according to registered census data. By buying them and registering them in his name, he hopes to create the illusion of being the owner of many peasants, which would allow him to receive large loans from the state, become rich and achieve high social status.
A broad, brilliant satire of society (Gogol satirizes everyone from gossipy housewives to cruel landowners and pompous officials), Dead Souls is considered the first novel of Russian literature.

3: Bleak House

Although not as famous as Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, Bleak House is still the greatest novel Charles Dickens. He crammed it with everything he knew about Victorian London, and reading it is like traveling back in time.
On the surface it is a satirical (but still meaningful) critique of British law - corrupt lawyers, aristocrats and merchants who use the court for their own selfish ends. But this satire forms only one layer of the novel. It is also a story of forbidden love, family secrets and intrigue.
Well, since this is Dickens, then, of course, the book is simply stuffed with unforgettable characters, including London itself. The chaotic development of the city and the swirling tendrils of fog have never been described with such artistic force by anyone. This is the most compelling escapism in literature.

4: Moll Flanders

Daniel Defoe's most famous work will forever remain Robinson Crusoe, but his other novel, Moll Flanders, is much grander and more exciting.
Moll is the daughter of a convict, born in prison, and firmly determined to become a decent, rich lady. This decision is followed by a series of often funny and sometimes tragic events, as Moll marries repeatedly, one of them to her own brother, commits incest purely by accident, becomes a whore, a con artist and a thief, and becomes too familiar with the walls of a prison cell.
Offering a breathtaking journey through the glitz and glitz of the 18th century, the novel also gives us one of the most charismatic female protagonists in literature. Beautiful, witty and ruthless, Moll is ahead of her time. And with all this, she is charmingly sweet and vulnerable, making you want to help you figure out your life.

5: Pride and Prejudice

Many people are only superficially familiar with the novel Pride and Prejudice, and only thanks to Colin Firth, who played in one of his film adaptations. But, if you know the work only from television screens, then it’s worth getting to know it much closer.
Jane Austen's most beloved novel is funny from the first page, and is as comedic as it is romantic. Austen has managed to capture everything about romance, love and courtship: awkward flirting, confused messages and how love can fool even the smartest and strongest among us.
Of course, everyone knows Darcy, one of literature's greatest romantic heroes, which is quite an achievement considering his prudishness and lack of humor. But the novel also has a whole gallery of delicious characters, starting with the grotesque Lady Catherine de Bourg, ending with the main character - Elizabeth Bennet - a lively, witty girl who could easily fit into the 21st century. This is the best women's urban novel of its time!

6: The Stranger of Wildfell Hall

Anne Bronte never became as popular as her sister Charlotte, which is not entirely fair, since The Stranger from Wildfell Hall- one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
With this book, Anne Brontë launched the early women's rights movement. The novel tells the story of a beautiful woman who leaves her unfaithful and depraved husband to find her own path in life. The main character, Helen Huntingdon, is one of the most powerful female characters in English fiction.
Although there is a huge difference between this novel and the distorted, ordered world of Jane Austen. Helen's story is about alcoholism, decadent sex and social scandal, and the novel's emotional power almost rivals Wuthering Heights.

7: Vanity Fair

Charles Dickens may be the king of literary London in the mid-19th century, but one of his main rivals and contender for the throne was William Makepeace Thackeray.
Determined to outdo Dickens, Thackeray created a riotous, energetic epic novel about life in Britain, gave it a scoundrel heroine, and named it Vanity Fair. While Dickens was undoubtedly a writer of greater scope and greater generosity, Thackeray was cruel, cold-blooded and completely unsentimental.
Vanity Fair is the story of Becky Sharp, a deliciously amoral social climber who uses looks, charm and a fair amount of cunning to charm men and amass as much money as possible. It is a biting satire on British society and the hypocrisy of the upper classes. This Victorian era novel is for those looking for a decent drama with a fast-paced comic plot.

8: Middlemarch

At first glance, a novel with the subtitle "A Study of Provincial Life" may not seem like the most exciting read in the world. But writer George Eliot's Middlemarch is a strong contender for the title of greatest British novel of the 19th century.
Eliot uses a small fictional town as a model for an entire civilization, exploring the nature of love, integrity, family, virtue and vice. The central character, Dorothea, is a real angel, or at least wants to be one. But the irony is that choosing the right path to do the right thing is what gets her into a lot of trouble.
This is truly an English novel. And if the great Leo Tolstoy had been born in Great Britain, he would definitely have written something similar. But fortunately, Eliot did it, giving the world what Virginia Woolf would later call “one of the few English novels written for adults.”

9: War and Peace




10: Madame Bovary

The French novelist, Gustave Flaubert, was shy, self-confident and irritated by society. But this misanthrope is also behind one of the most sensual and moving images of women's lives ever written.
Emma Bovary's husband is the classic nice guy - reliable, supportive and completely boring. And so Emma, ​​desperate for passion and excitement, enters into a series of heated romances, the inevitable result of which is tragedy. When this exquisite book was published, it sparked a scandal and a demand from French prosecutors to ban it for obscenity. But instead it became a bestseller, and its clean, fresh style influenced many later writers.
This style was the result of Flaubert's manic perfectionism. He could write one page for a week, rewriting every sentence until everything seemed perfect to him. The result was a story about adultery and the reasons that push people to treason and betrayal.

9: War and Peace

Here it is, the father of the classic novel, the epic tale that many call the greatest book of all time. Don't let its size and reputation scare you. You should definitely like him, even though he caused awe and disgust at school.
Set in the early years of the 19th century, Leo Tolstoy's masterpiece describes a group of Russian aristocrats facing the invasion of Napoleon's army. Although the novel's many battle scenes are quite graphic and bloody, the book excels in its depiction of conflict in human relationships. In the end, Tolstoy was most interested in one assumption - how it is possible not to affect morality when faced with the defects of this vicious world.
With such a vast novel, it is not surprising that so many writers have compared Tolstoy to Shakespeare (even though Tolstoy himself never liked Shakespeare). War and Peace is one of those novels that you live, and not just read. Find time for it, and you will understand that it is not in vain that it is so praised, and it is in vain that you did not read it at school.

12: Daniel Deronda

Unsatisfied with creating the stunning masterpiece that is Middlemarch, Eliot ended her career with another great novel, Danielle Deronda. Today it is known as one of the first and most sympathetic novels about British Jews.
Sweet and handsome Daniel Deronda saves a charming singer from suicide by preventing her from jumping into the Thames, which leads to him meeting and joining the Jewish community in London. Eliot deftly weaves Daniel's self-development with the story of Gwendolyn, a young woman who initially appears as a spoiled girl by society but gradually recovers by helping others.
For a story about the society of Victorian England, the book is strikingly relevant to events in the modern world. One of the themes is the migration of Jews to the part of the Middle East where Israel was later formed. But this is only a love story, and Eliot does not allow political and philosophical ideas to overshadow the characters she creates.

13: Red and black

The French writer Stendhal knew how to treat the ladies of the 19th century. He was actually obsessed with romance and seduction, which may explain the character of the classic novel's protagonist Red and black. The book follows an unscrupulous young lout, Julien Sorel, who uses his looks and intelligence to force his way into French society in the years following the fall of Napoleon. Unfortunately, he made the wrong choice in his method of conquest, and his affair with the Mer's wife sets off a chain of events that somewhat temper his quest for wealth and power. But is Julien worth admiring? It is this question that makes the novel so intriguing. The book challenges our own assumptions, showing a man who is deceitful and selfish, but at the same time no worse than those he manipulates. By analyzing his motives, you may reconsider your own perception of the world.

14: Reason

All of Jane Austen's novels are incredibly popular. Everything except this. For some reason, Persuasion never attracted the same adulation that Pride and Prejudice, Emma or Feelings and sensitivity. But to some extent, this is her most intense work.
This may be because the book was her last and was published after her death. Unlike Austen's other novels, which focus on up-and-coming society ladies experimenting with first love, this one explores the life of a more mature woman. The main character, Anne Elliot, convinces herself to turn down a suitor because he is not “respectable” enough. Many years later, Anne's old flame returns as a rich and respectable man, but is it too late?
Persuasion is a thought-provoking, nostalgic novel. It's nice to see how Austen deals with themes of regret over lost love instead of straight-up courtship. That is why the novel is an ideal complement to her other masterpiece - Pride and Prejudice.

15: Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad created many true classics, but his best work, the relatively short novel Heart of Darkness, is perhaps his only subtle critique of colonialism.
The book follows Marlow, an Englishman who needs to smuggle a shipment of ivory down the Congo River in an area of ​​Africa occupied by Belgium. During his journey, he witnesses many atrocities against native Africans at the hands of the colonialists, and also learns of an ivory trader named Kurtz, who has revealed himself as a demigod among the tribes of the region.
Together with Kurtz, Conrad demonstrates how the idea of ​​"civilizing" other races can ignite a backfire and corrupt the occupiers. This is a powerful tale that can be applied to many other historical moments. Francis Ford Coppola, for example, used this story to explore the Vietnam War in his film Apocalypse Now.

16: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. There was nothing before it, there was nothing as good after it.”
I thought so Ernest Hemingway, and while he may have gone a little overboard, it says a lot about the importance of the piece. Twain intended it as a simple adventure story, but the book turned out to be a real call for freedom and resistance.
Written from Huck's point of view (and American slang is one of the book's many phenomena), the story follows a teenager and a runaway slave named Jim as they travel on a raft on the Mississippi River. Along the way, they encounter many undesirable people and situations that only strengthen their decision to reject mainstream society.
It is this merciless critique of the destructiveness of slavery that gives the book such power. But it is also a beautiful tale of childhood, contrasting the innocent idealism of youth with the violence and depravity of the adult world. Try to see Hemingway's reverence with your own eyes...

17: The Picture of Dorian Gray

This is the only novel published by the legendary Oscar Wilde, which is every bit as deliciously wonderful as you'd expect it to be. Dorian is a strikingly handsome and narcissistic young man who does not want to grow old. His wish came true, and instead his portrait ages, and then traces of Dorian’s growing cruelty and depravity appear on it.
This is Wilde's interpretation of the old Faust myth. This is a classic example of Victorian literature, full of debauched dandies smoking opium and discussing art, sex and morality. Undoubtedly, the novel was considered somewhat shocking in its time, especially for its hidden theme of homosexuality.
This is a great book, but it's worth reading just to arm yourself with a few killer one-liners to use at your next social gathering.

18: Life and opinions of Tristram Shandy, gentleman

When a priest named Laurence Stern published Life and opinions of Tristram Shandy, gentleman in the mid-18th century, the sheer originality (and strangeness) of the text caused many critics to roll their eyes. Even Samuel Johnson said that “Tristram Shandy will not last long!”
But he did last, perhaps precisely because the book's sense of humor was surprisingly modern, filled with so many clever antics, obscenities and depravedly stupid interludes that you would think the novel was written by a drunken group of Monty Python show creators.
The plot itself is quite simple. This is the story of the life of little Tristram Shandy, as told by himself. But what makes the book unusual is its surprisingly chaotic style. Shandi begins with the story of his conception, and continues through so many strangely related stories that he is born only after hundreds of pages have passed.
Packed with sly jokes, strange asides and crazy accidents, the novel is the most eccentric and strange literary classic of all time. But it was also Virginia Woolf's favorite book.

19: Dracula

This book may not be as beautifully written as some of the others on this list, but it is clearly the most famous of them all. After all, Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula, gave us a truly iconic character who can be seen in numerous films, television shows, comics, cartoons, musicals, computer games and other books.
But the book is much more than the story of a bloodsucker count. This is a fascinating depiction of Victorian morality and sexuality. Dracula himself is a tempter who completely corrupts the sweet Victorian virgins, and only a group of heroes in doublets can send this wild creature out and restore proper etiquette and order.
Dracula is still a great horror novel that takes us on a journey from Transylvania to England and back again. So forget Buffy, Interview with the Vampire, Twilight and other pathetic imitations. Sit back in your chair with Bram Stoker's original novel in your hands and meet the vampire who started it all...

20: Wuthering Heights

And finally... Of course, it was impossible to ignore the amazing tale of passion, love, tragedy and uncontrollable anger of Emilia Brontë...
Unfortunately, this novel also did not become as popular as numerous works by the writer’s sister, Charlotte Bronte, but personally, in my opinion, the book more than deserves a place in the school curriculum on foreign literature, not to mention the fact that every lover of reading, I must read it more than once in my life.
In the center Wuthering Heights– Heathcliff is the original literary bad boy, whose love for the Yorkshire girl Cathy is the only thing that balances his hatred of everything else. And when Cathy chooses another, more respectable man for marriage, Heathcliff flies into a rage, which destroys both of their lives.
But that's only half. Everyone thinks that Bronte's novel is the story of Catherine and her rude, dangerous, treacherous admirer. But the book also describes the lives of the second generation, which was influenced by Heathcliff's thirst for revenge. It's an epic, powerful and quite complex story.

Summer is in full swing, and you need to spend time with benefit not only for the soul and body, but also for the brain. The best food for the mind is books. Only, mind you, real ones - paper ones! Take them with you to the beach, open them in the evenings in outdoor cafes, read them in bed while the rain sounds, and don’t forget to put them in your suitcase when you go on a trip. Reading will become not only fashionable for you, but also a truly useful habit if you use our list of 11 books that you should definitely read this summer!

Robin Sharma, "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari"

We have all heard stories about how a successful and successful entrepreneur or employee gave up everything, sold his property and went to some distant land in search of spiritual truth. Robin Sharma's work, which has been recognized more than once as a bestseller, tells the story of one of these characters: a very wealthy lawyer, experiencing a spiritual crisis, leaves his former life for the sake of immersion in ancient culture, in order, thanks to Eastern wisdom, to awaken his soul and overcome the melancholy that has settled in it. . Let's see what he can learn!

Alice Munro, "More Than Life"

The Canadian writer, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013, is considered a continuator of the traditions of A.P. Chekhov for her simplicity, purity and, of course, brevity. “More expensive than life itself” is literally Munro’s last work: according to the writer, she does not plan to continue her literary works. The book is a collection of short stories telling about the life stories and destinies of the heroes. If you love descriptions of the subtle inner world of characters, this book is definitely for you!

Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

For some, this summer will not be complete without a magnificent book by the famous writer, which makes you think about the transience of time, kindness, and fleeting moments of happiness that need to be noticed. Full of warm and sunny memories, this work will help you enjoy the nostalgia of childhood and feel every moment associated with the most beautiful time of the year. If you haven’t read this book yet, it’s time to rectify the situation!

Marcus Buckingham, Kurt Coffman, "First Break All the Rules"

If your summer is spent in a stuffy office, it's time to give yourself a break and distract yourself with a rather interesting book that will convince you that “the best managers in the world do things differently.” Tens of thousands of interviews that the authors conducted with the most effective managers of our time reveal the secrets of success and efficiency: it turns out that sometimes you just have to break the rules. Try!

Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram

One of the best books for the holidays - fascinating, exciting, and will not leave any reader indifferent. The novel, which broke many sales records, is a confessional tale of a hero who was forced to hide from the law for years. This book contains everything that normal people would prefer never to encounter in their lives, but which is so interesting to read about from your cozy and safe nest. Divorce, deprivation of parental rights, drug addiction, robbery, sentence - 19 years in a maximum security prison, escape, counterfeiters, smugglers, Indian mafia, struggle for love... In a word, everything that will not let you get bored this summer!

Anna Gavalda, “35 kilos of hope”

Another story by a French writer, this time written from the perspective of a 13-year-old boy who stubbornly hates school. But you shouldn’t think that the book is intended for the younger generation - it absolutely surprisingly resonates in the hearts of both older children and adults themselves. And if you have already acquired offspring, then this book is simply a must-read: thanks to it, you will remember your youth and learn to better understand growing children. “35 Kilos of Hope” is a reminder of how to be good parents, as well as the importance of not giving up and believing. Reading will take you no more than one or two hours, and we can say with confidence: your time will not be wasted!

Eckhart Tolle, Live Now!

This book will become your little friend and a real salvation if suddenly on a rainy summer evening you feel lonely, sad and, perhaps, a little anxious, if you are entering a new period of your life - by your own will or by chance. A great expert on wounded human souls, Eckhart Tolle will reveal to you the true state of affairs in your life, give you consolation, tell you how to find spiritual harmony and perspective, help you return to the “assemblage point” and pave the path of your own path, so that the next morning you can again enjoy a new day !

Jojo Moyes, One Plus One

Touching and incredibly exciting until the last page is the story of Jess, a single mother who works two jobs and at the same time tries to guide her two children on the right path. Unexpectedly for the heroine, but expected for us, a man appears in her life who awakens to the desire to help Jess and her children. Modern and original, full of irony and positivity, this story ends as it should in a romance novel!

Jennifer L. Scott, Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Style Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris

If you want to learn the traditions of French families, as well as the secrets of French women on how to look not just beautiful, but elegant in any situation, how to instill healthy habits in yourself, how not to deny yourself your favorite dishes and not gain weight, as in the ever-accelerating rhythm of life to preserve not only beauty, but also health, then this book is for you! The narration is told on behalf of the author - a purebred American woman who ended up in a French family through an exchange program and, willy-nilly, was forced to learn something...

Peter Mayle, France. A year in Provence"

You can travel while sitting without leaving the room: right in the office or at home, sitting comfortably between the sofa cushions. This book will take you to the sun-drenched province of Provence, which seems quite eccentric to any visitor. The main character of the novel buys himself an old farmhouse to start a new life here, tries to accept the local way of life and integrate into the environment. When you look from the window of your house at the traffic jams and concrete walls of high-rise buildings, what is happening in the novel seems like some kind of unknown miracle that is located far away in a parallel Universe. And after reading the book, you begin to understand where you want to spend your next vacation...

Daphne Du Maurier, "Rebecca"

If you like a book that not only thrills your heart, but also excites your nerves, “Rebecca” is definitely for you! The novel, written in the first half of the last century, was included in the list of 110 best works according to the BBC. Four directors, each in his own time, did not disdain to film it, including A. Hitchcock himself. This is a work that came out largely from Jane Eyre and continued in the novels of Hesse and King. According to the plot of the novel, a young woman meets an aristocrat who is much higher in position than her, and is also the owner of the luxurious Manderley estate. After the imminent wedding, the main character moves to her husband’s estate, where his former wife Rebecca, now deceased, previously ruled. Very soon the new young wife begins to suffer from the fact that she cannot outshine her predecessor, who, it seems, even after her death continues to be the mistress of the situation. Or doesn’t it seem so?.. “Rebecca” will certainly become a decoration in your library and will remain in your memory for a long time. The narrative is so captivating that they say reading this book is like hypnosis. A must read!

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If you have loved reading since childhood, you are a person with a developed imagination, erudition, outlook and independent thinking. You know for sure that you will spend this time on your own development: spiritual or intellectual, emotional or analytical, depending on the topic and genre of the book. Because knowledge gained from books makes our consciousness self-sufficient, independent and free from prejudice and the will of others.

Only a person with a limited, undeveloped consciousness and a closed worldview can be instilled with any false “truth” and someone else’s, obviously false, view of the truth can be imposed.

The level of social success is directly dependent on the level of reading, and therefore horizons and erudition, one’s own full understanding of the world and developed imagination. In addition to this - a sharp mind and light humor, the ability to ironize, support or even initiate any conversation.
Where does developed figurative and associative thinking come from if there is no wide range of images of various types and associations with this or that book character, with this or that event, with this or that feeling, perception?

It is not without reason that in the communication of educated people, enriched with knowledge and culture, the technique of identifying with a certain literary character, such as Ivan Karamazov, or even the concept of “Karamazovism”, Sonechka Marmeladova, Prince Myshkin, Pierre Bezukhov, Dorian Gray, Scarlett, Woland, Azazello is often used , cat Behemoth...

To understand the language of directors, writers, actors, culturally developed people who develop us, and maybe even speak the same language with them, read the main books of world literature.

The authors, not only the heroes of their books, but also us, the readers, guide us through a labyrinth of trials, often suffering and, as a result, shape our soul, lay down spiritual values ​​and instill the correct attitude towards such important categories of human relationships as friendship, love, kindness, nobility , faith…

There are many more examples in books than life offers us. We get the opportunity to learn and improve.

It's never too late to develop. We suggest using the advice in this article, and recommend a selection of fiction books for mandatory reading.

What kind of “necessary” books are they?

Remember the words from Vladimir Vysotsky’s song: “...that means you read the right books as a child...”

Necessary books are books related to the main cultural heritage, educating the soul and shaping consciousness.

The article presents books belonging to different genres, but to one category - “necessary” books, required reading. Read it. You will have something to compare other literary works with. You will be able to independently distinguish high-quality literature from second-rate or even empty low-grade reading material.

Russian classics for general development

It is in the works of Russian classical literature that a whole gallery of psychological portraits of the most diverse types is presented, in which you recognize yourself and the people who surround you. They will be in search of themselves and truth, happiness and love, make mistakes, betrayals and even crimes, suffer and elevate their soul or cannot endure suffering and die, atone for guilt or destroy their soul, learn to accept life and love people.

  • Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky "The Brothers Karamazov"

“The Brothers Karamazov” is Dostoevsky’s most significant work in terms of its versatility and study of many spheres of human life and categories of human relationships: from passions to criminal passions, and then to true faith to self-denial - the whole palette of human feelings and impulses.

  • Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy "Anna Karenina"

Provided that you have mastered the programmatic work “War and Peace” at school - Tolstoy’s most valuable literary work, in which the lives of the heroes and their personal tragedies unfold against the backdrop of the historical tragedy of Russia in 1812. Together with all the people, they survive what happened with dignity and are reborn for life and love.
To continue your acquaintance with the legacy of a beloved and revered writer all over the world, start reading the novel “Anna Karenina”.

Do not treat this work as a women's novel. Although the female audience can learn many valuable lessons from female psychology, including behavioral mistakes that are detrimental to relationships with the man they love. In general, one can discern a man’s view of a woman’s behavior, of women’s weaknesses and complexes.

And for a male audience, the emphasis of the work should be on observing Levin’s personal development, in which the author himself, Lev Nikolaevich, can be discerned, his search for himself and his place in the world of people and life in general.

  • Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin - a cycle of 5 stories “Belkin’s Tale”:
  1. "Shot".
  2. "Blizzard".
  3. "Undertaker".
  4. "The young lady-peasant."
  5. "Stationmaster"

This collection contains lyrics, vaudeville, realism, and the tragedy of the “little man.”

  • Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. Storybook:
  1. "Jumper."
  2. "Lady with a dog".
  3. "Drama on the hunt."
  4. "Anna on the neck."
  5. "Darling."

Chekhov is best known for his plays and their theatrical productions. But in literature he is considered a master of the short story, which accurately conveys the whole essence of a person and his life. Read collections of stories in which sadness and deep psychological overtones are visible through subtle irony and satire.

  • Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"

A deep mystical psychological phantasmagoria, an encrypted reality that everyone understands in their own way and finds their own truths for themselves.

All presented works have been filmed, and you can make a comparative analysis of your perception of the work with the director’s reading. Or maybe yours is more successful?

  • Oscar Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

A psychological and mystical excursion into the dark and light beginnings of man, into the struggle between good and evil in the soul of one person.

  • O.Henry. Storybook:
  1. "Gifts of the Magi."
  2. "Last page".
  3. "Noble rogue."
  4. "Four million".
  5. "Burning Lamp"
  6. "Russian sables".

O'Henry is an American master of short stories about the destinies of a wide variety of people: happy losers, honest swindlers, but all his characters deserve understanding and sympathy. Moreover, they all show, sometimes unexpectedly, their nobility.

  • Jack London "Martin Eden"

Books by top-rated American writer Jack London about the destinies of strong people with courageous hearts. These people face severe trials, where the real sides of a person’s character are easily revealed, where black cannot be disguised as white, where strong people preserve themselves, no matter what.

  • Margaret Mitchell "Gone with the Wind"

An American bestseller, the narrative of which unfolds against the backdrop of the historical events of the Civil War. The main character, Scarlett O'Hara, is recognized as almost a role model for any American for her inflexibility of will and healthy selfishness.

Many readers are saved by her phrase: “I won’t think about it now..., I’ll think about it tomorrow.”


Although Margaret Mitchell herself did not agree with this attitude towards the heroine as a national hero.

If you want to get acquainted with women's classical English literature, which can be described as follows: subtle, lyrical, romantic, ironic, sometimes sad, we recommend getting acquainted with its famous representatives:

  • Jane Austen "Pride and Prejudice".
  • Charlotte Bronte "Jane Eyre".
  • Emily Bronte "Wuthering Heights"

There are many “necessary” historical works in the literary library, but there is one very large-scale, multifaceted one, on the pages of which you will meet and get to know many famous historical characters: Grigory Potemkin, Empresses Catherine the Great and Elizabeth Petrovna, Count Alexei Razumovsky, the great scientist Lomonosov , Orlov, commanders Suvorov and Rumyantsev, admirals Ushakov, Spiridov and Greig, impostors Emelyan Pugachev and Princess Tarakanova...

  • Valentin Pikul "Favorite".

You need to dive into science fiction without preambles, figure it out on your own, and compose a thoughtful and heartfelt afterword yourself; everyone will have their own.

One generalization can be announced - there are many analogies with reality. If everyone read and analyzed these books, perhaps reality would be different.

  • Arkady and Boris Strugatsky “It’s hard to be a god.”
  • Ray Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451"

John R.R. Tolkien "The Lord of the Rings".

Tolkien’s works belong to “high fantasy” and the classics of this genre, and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy is considered to be the cult books of the twentieth century.

Frequently asked questions and answers

    What do smart people read?

    High-quality books - psychological and scientific literature, memoirs and biographies of great people, of course, classics, modern works of art (only good ones - do not drag gangster detective stories and flat romance novels into this), encyclopedic publications.

    Classic and fiction literature for self-development?

    The best examples: M. Mitchell “Gone with the Wind”, L. Tolstoy “War and Peace”, G. Flaubert “Madame Bovary”, W. Shakespeare “Romeo and Juliet”, A. Ostrovsky “Dowry”.

    Books to increase IQ (IQ)?

    The best books for “simulators” of the thinking process: E. de Bongo “Teach yourself to think”, R. Sipe “Brain Development”, S. Muller “Unblock your mind: become a genius”, D. Chopra “The Perfect Brain”, T. Buzan “Memory Maps”, M.J. Gelb “Learn to Study or Juggle”, S. Hawking “A Brief History of Time”, O. Andreev “Memory Development Techniques”, etc.

    The point is not the number of books. It’s important to just read a lot, experiment with genres and styles, re-read hundreds of works, choose your own, and most importantly, communicate about them in order to use new words, retell plots, and reflect on the actions of the characters.

    Books for spiritual development?

    When inspiration and support dry up, and the questions arise “Who am I?”, “What is the meaning of life”, the answers can be found on the pages of these books: P. Yogananda “Autobiography of a Yogi”, G. Cutler “The Art of Being Happy”, J. Rinpoche “Buddha, the brain and the neurophysiology of happiness”, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, G. Hesse “Siddhartha”, G. Mortenson “Three Cups of Tea”, etc.

    Literature that instills beautiful, literate, rich speech: N. Gal “The Living and the Dead Word”, V. Khrappa “From Adam’s Apple to the Apple of Discord”, K. Chukovsky “Alive as Life”, L. King “How to Talk to Someone whatever you like...", N. Brown "Oddities of our language."

    What psychology books are must-reads?

    You can start with M. Labkovsky’s book “I Want and I Will” - interesting, easy and with many examples. Next - V. Frankl “Man in Search of Meaning”, N. Taleb “Black Swan” (helps make the right decisions for the future), G. Altshuller “How to become a genius” (about human capabilities and choosing a goal in life), R. Kiyosaki “Rich Dad” (correct financial thinking), D. Gray “Men are from Mars, women are from Venus” (relationships between the opposite sex), A. Jackson “10 secrets of happiness”, V. Sinelnikov “Textbook of the owner of life” (how to be responsible for his life), L. Viilma “Spiritual Light” (about internal fears), R. Cialdini “Psychology of Influence” (about the manipulation of people).

    Instructive books about life?

    Instructive, brilliant books: G. Marquez “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, W. Wolfe “To the Lighthouse”, J. Orwell “1984”, D. Salinger “The Catcher in the Rye”, C. Dickens “Great Expectations”, H. Lee “To Kill a Mockingbird”, S. Bronte “Jane Eyre”, F. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment”, D. London “The Call of the Wild”, W. Golding “Lord of the Flies”.

    What should a person know for general development?

    It’s individual for everyone, but the basic knowledge that you will need in life is proper time management, how to use money, how to maintain health, correct communication skills, self-awareness and self-understanding.

    It is worth choosing literature based on the internal question: “What do I need to be happy?” Popular aspects of development are personal life, career, personal improvement. The best books: L. Lowndes “How to make anyone fall in love with you”, G. Chapman “Five Love Languages”, B. Tracy “Get Out of Your Comfort Zone”, S. Kronna “The Bitch Handbook”, S. Melnik “Stress Resistance”, S. Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

    Books to learn to overcome your shortcomings: H. Elrod “The Magic of the Morning” - unlock your success immediately after waking up, K. McGonigal “Willpower” - training willpower like a muscle, M. Ryan “This year I...” - how change habits and keep promises, D. Allen “How to put things in order” - how to manage your life, E. Larssen “At the limit” - personal development exercises.

    Books for developing imagination?

    Any book develops imagination, as it forces you to visualize what you read. For those who need a rich imagination in life, we can offer: D. Chassapakis “Diary 29” - develops non-standard thinking, G. Snyder “In Search of Ideas” - a comic book about thinking and creativity, the McLeod brothers “Create your Universe” - a book about how to create stories and develop imagination.

    The smartest book in the world?

    It is impossible to say that any one book is the smartest. Everyone chooses for themselves something in literature that they lack for a certain period of their life, and at that moment the work becomes the best storehouse of knowledge. Only ABC can compete for this title - without it we would not be able to read a single book.

    Articles to improve erudition?

    Important for increasing erudition are analytical articles, critical reviews, specialized sites - about the planet as a whole, about music and cinema, about the latest news from around the world, “trainers” for the horizons, and, of course, books, for example: M. O’Hair “Why don’t penguins’ paws get cold and 114 more questions that will baffle any scientist” (all parts), D. Mitchinson “The Book of General Delusions”, S. Juan “Oddities of our Body” and others.

Conclusion

Conclusion

The article does not touch on all genres and, of course, not all the “best of the best” writers who can serve as our spiritual guides and illuminate the path of life. Get acquainted with new works and their authors, choose them as friends and enjoy educational and exciting communication. Don’t forget, all works presented have been filmed. Extend your enjoyment by watching movie versions of your favorite books.

No matter how unusual it may sound, in the modern world of various gadgets, applications and IT technologies, our youth still read books, many modern authors with a new style and approach to writing books speak about this.

What kind of books are these, or rather, stories that excite the modern reader?

Let's find out what they are - the most interesting modern books. Although it will not be easy to make a choice among the huge amount of interesting literature, we will still try to do it.

E.L. James - Fifty Shades of Gray

Well, how can we remember the most sensational and scandalous book under the intriguing title “Fifty Shades of Gray”? This half-romantic and half-erotic story of the touching and hot relationship between a journalist and a successful businessman created a real sensation, and also had the effect of an exploding bomb.

For the first time in many years, someone dared to write not only about sex, but also about the capabilities and desires of a person during times of lust and passion.

What a fitting title for this love story, as this is the problem with the modern world. Yes, yes, the Internet is a destructive web; it gives as many opportunities as it takes away. People get to know each other, meet and communicate in the virtual world, forgetting about real emotions and experiences. And when, having met in the real world, they are not suitable for each other, they cannot understand what is the matter and why virtual love and sympathy are so different from the real world, because everything was perfect on social networks...

George R.R. Martin A Song of Ice and Fire. Game of Thrones"

We couldn’t ignore the most discussed and popular novel of the 21st century. A whole series of fantasy novels captivated the minds of young people and made an entire generation fans of this trilogy. The plot of the book unfolds around the fictional continent of Westeros and its mysterious, and I would even say, slightly mystical inhabitants. A mysterious saga about the life of seven kingdoms, where love reigns, hate reigns and the war for the Iron Throne never stops. Here, as is customary in science fiction novels, there are dragons, magicians and fearless warriors. If you are no longer a child, but still love fairy tales, then this series of books about the Magic Kingdom is just for you.

Markus Zusak - "The Book Thief"

A very touching story about a girl who was adopted as an adult. The plot takes place during the Second World War in a small German town, where everyone is afraid of death and repression. But a strong girl named Liesel finds strength and a great desire to comprehend science and read books that are interesting and beyond her age. Although she gets them in a not very honest and humane way, and simply put, she steals from the library of a person respected by everyone, but the end justifies all the means, doesn’t it? This book is a must read for everyone, it's easy to read and the plot is amazing.

John Green - "The Fault in Our Stars"

Love is the most important and primary feeling in our lives and throughout the world. At the same time, a very romantic and sad love story between two terminally ill people. Hazel Grace and August Waters meet at a cancer support group and fall in love. They know that imminent death will separate them, but they are happy that before leaving they experienced tender feelings and found happiness. An unusual love story, where pain is intertwined with tenderness and happiness, and which is a must read.

Pavel Sanaev “Bury me behind the baseboard”

A touching and very life story about how love turns into hatred and tyranny. The story is autobiographical, it is told by a little boy who was abandoned by his own mother, leaving him in the care of his grandparents. And they, in turn, are not too happy about this prospect, but are ready to fulfill this duty of conscience without unnecessary feelings and emotions. The strict grandmother is confident that she will raise the boy to be an obedient and emotionless robot. Only Sasha Savelyev doesn’t think so and has his own opinion on everything... Yes, you wouldn’t even dream of such a childhood... This story is on the list of books that are definitely worth reading.

Bernhard Schlink - "The Reader"

Each of us has our own secrets and secrets. The book “The Reader” is a rather complex psychological story of love, passion, hopelessness and betrayal.

A fifteen-year-old boy and a fully grown woman start an affair, they are united by an interest in books, and an educated guy reads important and interesting, in his opinion, books to his illiterate lover.

Stormy passion and unusual relationships end as unexpectedly as they begin. But fate is preparing another meeting for the former lovers, only the circumstances will not be too pleasant for them. For those who have not read this popular story, we highly recommend reading it, because this is one of the books that will make you think and touch every note of your soul.

Mitchell David - "Cloud Atlas"

The novel is on the verge of fantasy - that’s what critics dubbed it. The plot tells about six different people from different time periods, namely the past, future and present, but as it turns out later, they have one soul, it is simply subject to reincarnation and wanders, visiting first one body, then another. Everything is very confusing and the storylines are very intertwined, although the meaning and morality are still present here. But what they are is up to you to decide. But to do this, you first need to read the book from beginning to end.

Moyes, Jojo - "Me Before You"

We all have our own past, and throughout our lives we all meet the right and important person for us, who will once and for all change it beyond recognition.

This touching novel is about exactly that. Already in the first weeks of sales, more than half a million copies were sold, and the book itself entered the top bestsellers according to the New York Times. And this turn of events is not at all surprising, because we all love love stories that end with a happy ending.

Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner

The story is about the friendship that two eastern boys Amir and Hasan carried through their entire lives, despite all the differences and social inconsistency, because they are from different social strata and classes. Life has scattered them to different places and forced them to be on opposite sides of the barricades, but despite this they are faithful to their conscience and friendship.

A very moralizing and life story, which came from the pen of a talented writer, showed the whole world how to value friendship, and no matter what, not turn into blood enemies and take care of friendly relations with all your might.

Sebastian Barry "Tables of Fate"

An interesting story about how a poor old woman, who has already turned a hundred years old, living her old age in a mental hospital, keeps her own diary, where she writes down difficult and sad memories associated with her fate and the country in which she was born.

Ray Bradbury - "Dandelion Wine"

An ordinary life story that takes place in a small town. Every summer, two boys come to the village to visit their beloved grandfather and help the old man collect dandelions for his drink according to his own recipe. This interesting wine contains their family history, traditions and memories, as well as all-consuming love, friendship, quarrels and tragedies.

Colm Toibin - "Brooklyn"

The best novel of the year about a young girl and a real wanderer who returns to her native land after so many years of wandering and searching for herself. Life forces her to leave her native Ireland and settle in New York's Brooklyn. Maybe this is for the better, because the chance of finding love here is much higher.

Homesickness makes her thoughts constantly return to her native land, and when Eilis gets used to a foreign city and becomes her own in it, life circumstances return her to Ireland.

What is this? Joke or simple irony of fate? What will happen next and what trials does fate have in store for her? To find out the whole truth you need to read the most interesting novel of 2017.

Gillian Flynn - "Gone Girl"

The detective of the decade will tell us how you can live with a person for five years and not know him at all. A married and, at first glance, happy couple is preparing to celebrate their wedding anniversary, but in an instant everything changes.

The thing is that the main character disappears without a trace, leaving a lot of bad evidence pointing to her death and even more questions. But we will find out the answers to them only when we read this most interesting book.

Gregory David Roberts - "Shantaram"

The story of an Australian guy who chose the wrong path in life and ended up in prison. By chance, he manages to escape, and to get out of sight, he goes to Bombay. In India, a guy named Lindsay does not reform and again becomes a swindler and a deceiver. The moral of this novel is “people don’t change.” This is such a strange life story, but we will not reveal all the secrets and will give you a chance to read this book yourself.

Bernard Werber - "Empire of Angels"

We all ask ourselves the question: “Is there life after death and what awaits us beyond that?” A story that touches on this topic and gives us a chance to reflect and realize what evil and good are, why we were given life and how to use it correctly.

The main character of a science fiction novel named Michel Panson goes to heaven after death (that's lucky), and becomes a Guardian Angel and receives three wards.

It turns out that it’s not so easy to watch worldly life and be on the other side of the screen, and his new profession is not an easy one. This is the author’s imagination that brought him and his novel worldwide fame. The topic is simply very interesting and in demand. After all, we are not eternal...

Three years ago, AiF already called on everyone who loves literature to help us compile a list of the main books by participating in the vote. April 23, World Book Day, we decided to remind you about this list. Despite the fact that not only Russian but also foreign works were available for voting, the vast majority of the favorite books on this list were works by domestic authors.

1 . Bulgakov M., “The Master and Margarita” - 5470 votes
2 . Pushkin A., “Eugene Onegin” - 5219 votes
3 . Tolstoy L., “War and Peace” - 4667 votes
4 . Dostoevsky F., “Crime and Punishment” - 4604 votes
5 . Gogol N., “Dead Souls” - 4533 votes
6 . Lermontov M., “Hero of Our Time” - 4365 votes
7 . Chekhov A., stories - 4310 votes
8 . Shakespeare W., “Hamlet” - 4306 votes
9 . Saint-Exupéry A., “The Little Prince” - 4303 votes
10 . Defoe D., “Robinson Crusoe” - 4188 votes
11 . Green A., “Scarlet Sails” - 4165 votes
12 . Sholokhov M., “Quiet Don” - 4078 votes
13 . Turgenev I., “Fathers and Sons” - 4072 votes
14 . Tolstoy L., “Anna Karenina” - 4049 votes
15 . Griboyedov A., “Woe from Wit” - 3968 votes
16 . Pushkin A., “Ruslan and Lyudmila” - 3945 votes
17 . Dumas A., “The Count of Monte Cristo” - 3918 votes
18 . Russian folk tales - 3826 votes
19 . Twain M., “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” - 3804 votes
20 . Andersen G. H., fairy tales - 3794 votes
21 . Hugo V., “Notre Dame de Paris” - 3692 votes
22 . Carroll L., “Alice in Wonderland” - 3458 votes
23 . Bible - 3435 votes
24 . Chekhov A., “The Cherry Orchard” - 3404 votes
25 . Shakespeare W., “King Lear” - 3382 votes
26 . Goethe I. V., “Faust” - 3310 votes
27 . Shukshin V., stories - 3287 votes
28 . Dostoevsky F., “The Brothers Karamazov” - 3215 votes
29 . Swift J., “The Adventures of Gulliver” - 3130 votes
30 . Krylov I., fables - 3114 votes
31 . Mitchell M., “Gone with the Wind” - 3048 votes
32 . Ostrovsky A., “Dowry” - 3006 votes
33 . Dante A., “The Divine Comedy” - 2992 votes
34 . Pasternak B., “Doctor Zhivago” - 2978 votes
35 . Nekrasov N., “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - 2965 votes
36 . Milne A. A., “Winnie the Pooh” - 2959 votes
37 . Khayyam O., poems - 2935 votes
38 . Wilde O., “The Picture of Dorian Gray” - 2919 votes
39 . Cervantes M., “Don Quixote” - 2893 votes
40 . Tvardovsky A., “Vasily Terkin” - 2864 votes
41 . Remarque E. M., “All Quiet on the Western Front” - 2861 votes
42 . Solzhenitsyn A., “The Gulag Archipelago” - 2846 votes
43 . Reed M., “The Headless Horseman” - 2811 votes
44 . Goncharov I., “Oblomov” - 2808 votes
45 . Bulgakov M., “White Guard” - 2803 votes
46 . Hemingway E., “A Farewell to Arms” - 2783 votes
47 . Yesenin S., “Black Man”, poems - 2739 votes
48 . Homer, "Odyssey" - 2737 votes
49 . Salinger J.D., “The Catcher in the Rye” - 2735 votes
50 . Dreiser T., “American Tragedy” - 2727 votes
51 . Hugo V., “Les Misérables” - 2725 votes
52 . Stendhal, “Red and Black” - 2702 votes
53 . Bronte S., “Jane Eyre” - 2635 votes
54 . Kuprin A., “Pit”, “Duel” - 2612 votes
55 . Bunin I., “Dark Alleys” - 2611 votes
56 . Dickens Ch., “The Adventures of Oliver Twist” - 2588 votes
57 . Cooper F., “The Last of the Mohicans” - 2572 votes
58 . Fonvizin D., “Minor” - 2568 votes
59 . Strugatsky, “It’s hard to be a god” - 2558 votes
60 . Maupassant G., “Dear Friend” - 2519 votes
61 . “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” - 2507 votes
62 . London J., “Martin Eden” - 2501 votes
63 . Simonov K., “The Living and the Dead” - 2500 votes
64 . O'Henry, "Kings and Cabbages" - 2491 votes
65 . Shakespeare W., “Macbeth” - 2464 votes
66 . Turgenev I., “The Noble Nest” - 2425 votes
67 . Nabokov V., “Lolita” - 2406 votes
68 . Shaw B., “Pygmalion” - 2376 votes
69 . Marquez G. G., “One Hundred Years of Solitude” - 2359 votes
70 . Akhmatova A., “Requiem” - 2311 votes
71 . Galsworthy J., “The Forsyte Saga” - 2267 votes
72 . Bradbury R., stories - 2218 votes
73 . Moliere, “Tartuffe”, “Don Juan” - 2195 votes
74 . Blok A., “Twelve” - 2172 votes
75 . Dostoevsky F., “Demons” - 2170 votes
76 . "A Thousand and One Nights" - 2154 votes
77 . Flaubert G., “Madame Bovary” - 2118 votes
78 . Beaumarchais P.-O., “The Marriage of Figaro” - 2050 votes
79 . Saltykov-Shchedrin M., “Gentlemen Golovlevs” - 2038 votes
80 . Boccaccio G., “Decameron” - 2024 votes
81 . Thackeray W., “Vanity Fair” - 2014 votes
82 . Kesey K., “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” - 1979 votes
83 . Aitmatov Ch., “The Scaffold” - 1956 votes
84 . Tolkien J.R.R., "The Lord of the Rings" - 1920 votes
85 . Gogol N., “Petersburg Tales” - 1894 votes
86 . Mayakovsky V., “Cloud in Pants” - 1861 votes
87 . Rasputin V., “Farewell to Matera” - 1839 votes
88 . Shakespeare W., “Richard III” or “Henry VI” - 1791 votes
89 .According to E. A., stories, poems - 1790 votes
90 . Austen J., “Pride and Prejudice” - 1765 votes
91 . Maugham S., “The Moon and a Penny” - 1746 votes
92 . Rabelais F., “Gargantua and Pantagruel” - 1646 votes
93 . Gumilyov N. Poems - 1557 votes
94 . Strugatsky, “Inhabited Island” - 1514 votes
95 . Berggolts O., “Leningrad Diary” - 1508 votes
96 . Nietzsche F., “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” - 1505 votes
97 . Balzac O., “Lost Illusions” - 1504 votes
98 . Orwell J., “1984” - 1479 votes
99 . Bogomolov V., “In August '44” - 1443 votes
100 . Chernyshevsky N., “What to do” - 1395 votes