What's the best Russian novel to read while living in Moscow?

August 26, 2010 12:37 PM

What's the best Russian novel to read while living in Moscow?

I'm studying abroad in Moscow for four months, and before I leave next Tuesday, I'd like to pick up a Russian novel that takes place there. It's not every day that I get to live in and explore Moscow, so I'd like to take the opportunity to be able to read a book that mentions specific places in the city, and then go see them. Any recommendations?

posted by myelin sheath to writing & language (16 answers total)

Master and Margarita.
posted by Shusha at 12:49 PM on August 26, 2010 [6 favorites]

I always recommend The Master and Margarita, as it is quite possibly my favorite book of all time. Word is that there's now a Bulgakov museum at the site of his old apartment in Moscow, where a lot of the book is said to have taken place.
posted by General Malaise at 12:50 PM on August 26, 2010

And here I thought Master and Margarita was an obscure book not many people knew about, but I come in and I'm the third person to suggest it!

This obviously means it's a fantastic novel.
posted by chatongriffes at 12:51 PM on August 26, 2010

Also "Moscow to the End of the Line" by Venedikt Erofeev.

Now that I think of it, the names of the streets/places changed so much from czarist Moscow to Soviet Moscow, and now back again you might have better luck with Master and Margarita if you want to track the places you're reading about.
posted by Shusha at 12:54 PM on August 26, 2010

Blog post comparing translations of M&M.
posted by griphus at 1:10 PM on August 26, 2010

(I mention that because there is a qualitative difference between them.)
posted by griphus at 1:10 PM on August 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Oh, I'd presumed you were going to be reading it in Russian. If in English, the Burgin-O’Connor is definitively the best translation, or at least says every student and teacher of Russian and literature I've talked to.
posted by General Malaise at 1:17 PM on August 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Well this one is in english, but it's about Moscow: Vodka
posted by pyro979 at 1:19 PM on August 26, 2010

It may not be your cup of tea, but I very much enjoyed Ekaterina Sedia's "The Secret History of Moscow," which is a sort of urban fantasy, magical realism sort of thing. I can't remember offhand how many places are mentioned, but it's contemporary and very atmospheric, as well as incorporating figures from Russian folk and fairy tales. (The book is much better than this makes it sound.) I wished that I had a book of Russian folktales when I read it.

If you like detective mysteries, you should look at the Arkady Renko series of novels by Martin Cruz Smith. The first one was Gorky Park.

I also read a couple of the Watch series of books by Sergei Lukyanenko which are very popular (I understand) in Russia. This is an urban paranormal epic-struggle sort of series that begins with The Nightwatch. I liked the first two well enough.

and The Master and Margarita is also one of my favorite books of all time!
posted by taz at 1:26 PM on August 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Definitely Master and Margarita. I read it as a teenager and again whilst living in Moscow a few years later.
posted by cmarie at 1:46 PM on August 26, 2010

I was coming here to recommend The Master and Margarita too, but I see that's been taken care of. While Moscow to the End of the Line or Moscow Circles (two different translations of Erofeev's Moskva-Petushki) is one of my very favorite Russian novels, it does not take place in Moscow except for the very beginning, and it is more phantasmagoric than topographic, so I can't recommend it for your purposes. Gorky Park is wonderful and very Moscow-atmospheric. Then there's Anatoly Rybakov's Children of the Arbat, Yuri Trifonov's The House on the Embankment, and Yuri Olesha's Envy. If I think of others, I'll add them.
posted by languagehat at 1:49 PM on August 26, 2010

Nthing Master and Margarita, which was a very fun read for me on a visit to Moscow. On a more modern note I really dig the writings of Victor Pelevin.
posted by Artw at 2:07 PM on August 26, 2010

I have to add to the onslaught, since Master and Margarita is my very favorite book. Such a fun, rich read. Also, you may find that you want to read it again and again, as it gets better with repeated readings. In which case, you can always relive the first time you read it while in Moscow. I might be biased/obsessed...
posted by thegreatfleecircus at 2:43 PM on August 26, 2010

Wow. I think I'll go with Master and Margarita.

Also, thanks for the heads up about the Bulgakov museum and the different translations. I'll be reading this when I take a break from my Russian immersion program, so yeah, I'll go with the Burgin-O'Connor translation.

Thank you!
posted by myelin sheath at 2:55 PM on August 26, 2010

Not a Russian novel per se, but I would be remiss if I didn't suggest Yellow Blue Tibia.
posted by Sara C. at 7:46 PM on August 26, 2010

Last time I was at Patriarshie Prudi, the Bulgakov museum had been closed; the pond itself has some nice sculptures around it, though. This was 5 years ago and the closure was due to funding trouble, if I remember correctly. I'm not sure if it's changed. You could still see some of the graffiti on the walls around the entrance to the building, though apparently there's a lot more in the stairway leading to the apartment where the museum is.
posted by msbrauer at 9:07 AM on August 27, 2010