The Influence of Russian Novelists on Literature
Despite the rigid class structure of the Russian Society, the country has produced many great aesthetic philosophers, illustrious novelists, economists, and literary scholars from all sections of the society.
Russia, more than any other country, has made significant contributions to classic literature; Russia has a very rich cultural past, from its colorful folk dances to ornate religious symbols. The country is replete with ancient, magnificent palaces and capital, ornate churches. Up until the early twentieth century, Russia thrived on a glorious monarchical system of governance, till it was crushed by the Stalin Revolution in the 1917ce. A 19th-century British poet and critic Matthew Arnold once said that Russian novels are not a work of art but a piece of life. Though, Russian Novels are really long and complicated, with most of them being over 1000 pages long, divided and published in multiple parts, instead of being compiled together and published as one giant novel. Although, readers nowadays read all the parts compiled together in one novel. The five most legendary Russian authors that made impression on the minds of readers worldwide are-
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky- Dostoyevsky is perhaps the greatest of Russian author of all time; his novels are compared to the likes of Mark Twain and Gustave Flaubert. Dostoyevsky lived a very dramatic life; his childhood years were spent in privations; in his youth, Dostoyevsky sacrificed a promising military career to join a group of young, enthusiastic radical intellectuals who strongly believed that socialist ideologies and anti-Imperialistic views were necessary for the evolution of civilization, as a result, he was caught and send to a labour camp in Serbia for four years. His gloomy circumstances left him with a pessimistic view of the western utopian ideals, as he was more concerned about the spiritual and moral redemption of man. Dostoyevsky later argued in his essays that the innate desires for prosperity and indulgence in men ran contradictory to their ideas of equality and freedom for all. In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov, a young law student, representing all the values of nihilism, kills a miserly pawnbroker to steal enough money to complete his education, believing that he is doing a very noble deed. However, his own inner conflicts and moral dilemma destroy his peace of mind and ultimately drive him into confessing his guilt. In his novel Demons, Stavrogin, a fiercely intelligent, young man becomes the principle driving force of a mayhem in the town, as he believes himself to be capable of creating a radical change in the Russian society; however, his actions lead him to self-destruction , and ultimately suicide. Such themes of guilt and suicide are common in Dostoyevsky’s works. Dostoyevsky believed the growing reason of moral degeneration of such young, dynamic, charismatic men stemmed from atheism and social alienation from the society. Dostoyevsky’s perfect encapsulation of the plight of commoners and the most vulnerable sections of the society make him a distinguished writer of his age.
2) Leo Tolstoy- Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, also known as Leo Tolstoy, was a popular novelist of his time. Born in an aristocratic family, Tolstoy enjoyed a wide range of occupations in his life. He served in military, later on, in politics, and agricultural proprietor. Tolstoy widely recognized as one of the greatest writers in the literary world by many illustrious critics. Although, he confined his writing to historical fiction in the early years of his life, Tolstoy’s ideas shifted toward spirituality and philosophy after suffering from a bout of existential crises for a brief period in his life. His own spiritual confusion and sense of meaninglessness were reflective in his characters. In his novel Anna Karenina, Konstantin Levin, an agricultural proprietor, questions the existence of God and meaning of life; upon his failure to find answers to the mysticism of the universe, Levin feels he has led astray in his life, accusing everyone around him of hypocrisy, affectation and lying. However, Levin’s restoration in faith ultimately saves him from sinking into insanity. Tolstoy’s ideas of Christianity lied in loving neighbours and one’s family, rather than guidance from church teachings. He expounded his notions profoundly in his book ‘The Kingdom of God is Within You’ which later served as a guide for many 20th century revolutionary figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Not many know that Tolstoy was hugely influenced by the works of Dostoyevsky.
3) Vladimir Nabokov- Nabokov, a Russian- American author, was one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Nabokov wrote first his first nine books in Russian language, thereafter, he switched to write his novels in English language. Nabokov, like Tolstoy, was born in an aristocratic family; however, as a consequence of Stalin Revolution, Nabokov moved to different parts of the world, with his roots of influence extending to prestigious universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. Nabokov remained atheist all his life, his atheism also led him to harshly criticise mystic authors like Dostoyevsky and Gogol. Nabokov was extremely notorious for writing racy novels like Lolita and Pale Fire; however, Nabokov’s complex plot, clear and lucid prose, daring metaphors gained him the approval of celebrated authors like J.K Rowling. Rowling said in an interview “ There just isn’t enough time to discuss how a plot that could have been the most worthless pornography becomes, in Nabokov’s hand, a great and tragic love story, and I could exhaust my reservoir of superlatives trying to describe the quality of the writing.” It is not well known to many readers that Nabokov was the pioneer of the erotic fictional fantasy, that was made popular by the works of D.H Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley and James Joyce’s Ulysses.
4) Alexander Pushkin- Pushkin, the most celebrated Russian poet and author, was one of the leading figures in the age of Enlightenment. Although, Pushkin was an aristocrat, he was a product mixed lineage; his great-grandfather was an African page was brought to Russia as a gift for Peter the Great. Pushkin, like Dostoyevsky, was sent to Serbian exile by the Tsar for his socialist and radical views until he was pardoned on his family’s insistence. Pushkin, romantic by temperament, wrote many fine poems on love, most of them are widely recognised as the most famous poems of the Russian literature. Pushkin succumbed to a heroic death, after fighting in a duel against a French officer who was suspected of seducing his wife. Pushkin’s novels serve as an excellent critique of the social and political life of his times. While Dubrovsky follows the story of a young couple from prominent families who fall in love, only to realise that their love for each other will never be accepted by their families who are arch nemesis ( a reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet) and Eugene Onegin where a fashionable young man of high society leaves St Petersburg for the quiet life of a village and falls in love with one of the women below his social station. Pushkin’s novels are so well written and composed that Nabokov had to write in two volumes while converting the work in English to vividly capture the romantic sentiments of the author.
5) Boris Pasternak- Pasternak, born into an aristocratic family, descended from the line of wealthy Jewish proprietors. Pasternak was a self-proclaimed Tolstoian (a group of people who followed the religious principles of Leo Tolstoy) and shared intimate relations with the author. Pasternak revolted at the idea of totalitarianism and throughout his life endorsed democratic ideals. Pasternak extended his socialist views in his famous book ‘Doctor Zhivago’ for which he won Nobel Prize in literature. Pasternak, through the eyes of his main character, shows the frustration that Russian people felt toward the hypocrisy and illegitimacy of the Stalin Regime. Such kind of themes of socialism and realism build most parts of the novels written by the author. The author was so controversial in his times that his books were banned by the Soviet Union Government; however, Pasternak’s books are viewed in a more respectable light now, with few of them now a part of the Russian school curriculum.
