I've said the same thing, but I always figured it was a good thing. I've overanalysed the book I think, I actually got into a really long discussion attaching the main characters to seven deadlies.

I read the first page of that at a bookstore once..... took quite a while!

However I plan on conquering it eventually:thumb:

oh no i enjoyed Diary of a Madman quite a bit, it was wonderful. Dead Souls was just something i couldn't latch onto -- insurpassably boring, very predictable and not many themes worth considering. i've read Dostoevsky before so i'm very familiar with his style of prose, i've been told The Brothers Karamazov is his best work.

if you're in need of notable Russian authors, you should give Nabokov a try. Lolita is probably my current favorite book.

I wouldn't really classify Lolita as Russian literature, it was written in English and is set in America. Great novel, but I'd say an American one.

i agree, that's why i never called it a piece of Russian literature.

Haha I remember reading the first page as I was walking to the counter at the bookstore and thinking "oh god what am I getting myself into..." If you're unfamiliar with the terminology some of the newer editions have a glossary in the back, however I like the one in the picture I posted because it fits perfectly in the breast pocket of one of my winter jackets.

It wasn't until my 3rd read through that I fully understood it, but the trick is to read it while doing a Scottish accent, that should help you understand the flow and the general concept of what's being said. That said, good luck with Begbie and Spud's chapters...

Lolita has been on my list of books to read for yonks now, however I don't feel like buying it and it's always out of the library. I may just bite the bullet and purchase it on like half.com or something and save some money because it is a book that I really want to read.

Why would he care what nationality Nabokov is if it has nothing to do with his writing? All of the great Russian authors and their greatest works are inextricably connected to Russia. Maybe that could be said of some of Nabokov's earlier writings but definitely not Lolita... *shrug*

Still Lolita is a must.
(... and agreeing on all the points that were made, as I still can't see what you're arguing about)

Anyway, reading a second time Alice in Wonderland. I had read an e-book version, and surely didn't get most of the story, as now rereading it I was quite surprised by the many things I wrongly understood.

Plus this one is similar to the original book, with more poems (that the e-book version) and the original illustrations.

http://suz143.files.wordpress.com/20...wonderland.jpg

That's been one of my favorite books for quite some time now. When I was off work with my fractured foot I use to stop by the pub near my house for a quick pint and I would read that.

I really enjoyed that too, read it this summer. I've never read anything that so perfectly encapsulated what it was like to be a child. He had an amazing understanding of children. Never got around to Through the looking glass and I was meaning to read it so I can read Alice in Sunderland...

I've moved on to The complete short stories of Phillip K. ****. Great stuff so far.