Alla Leskova “Rain Cat”

A wonderful book by a St. Petersburg writer who came to journalism after many years of working as a successful psychologist. “Rain Cat” is a series of stories about our lives, written witty and ironic, despite the fact that the realization of what is happening brings tears to our eyes. You will truly enjoy this book. And after reading “Rain Cats” you will want to live, smile and play, even if these games are not entirely simple and fun.

Lyudmila Ulitskaya “Jacob’s Ladder”

Interesting new book release of 2016 - new novel Lyudmila Ulitskaya, written in the form of a non-linear chronicle. She successfully used this technique in her other works. The story described in Jacob's Ladder covers an entire century, or rather six generations of the Ossietzky family. The book masterfully shows the intricacies of eras, worldviews, characters and cultures. On the pages of the novel you will not find unambiguous assessments and you will be forced again and again to look for answers to eternal questions with the heroes of “Jacob’s Ladder”: the intellectual scientist Jacob Ossetsky and his granddaughter, the artist Nora.

Christina Stark "Wings"

Books of 2016 delight with a variety of plots. The novel “Wings” can be called a fantastic thriller. The events of the book take place in different parts of the world. Together with the heroes you will visit Tibet and the foothills of the Alps, Saudi Arabia and bustling European cities. The novel contains many secrets that you will reveal together with the main character - young Lika Werner, who became a victim of a mental experiment. There is also a bright love line in “Wings”.

Guzel Yakhina “Zuleikha opens her eyes”

These are the new books of 2016. , as a novel by the young Kazan writer Guzel Yakhina, deserve special attention. No wonder this work became one of the nominees for the Big Book Award. The story of the novel begins in the 30s of the twentieth century. and tells about the resettlement of the Tatars to Siberia. Peasant woman Zuleikha finds herself in a carriage with hundreds of other people different nationalities, social groups and religions. The book is dedicated to the victims of the Stalinist regime, resettled and dispossessed.

Neil Bastard "Death Carrier"

Exciting fantasy with a dynamic plot is a firm favorite. Here is another Bastard novel that has taken a prominent place among the new books of 2016. A wave of a deadly virus is moving across the African continent, rapidly affecting the population. Cities are in panic. UN mission scientists are fighting the disease. The vaccine is running out, and a plane carrying humanitarian aid crashes. You will find out how the catastrophic epidemic will end when you turn the last pages of the book.

Sasha Filipenko "Former Son"

This Russian writer is only 30 years old. He managed to receive an excellent education, work on Channel One as a scriptwriter for the programs YestardayLive, ProjectorParisHilton and Multipersonalities, as a television journalist and author of a number of Russian magazines. His novel "The Former Son" is one of the long-awaited book news 2016. Actions take place in the post-Soviet period. The plot describes tragic fate the boy and the grandmother’s touching love for him. The book perfectly reflects the harsh political and cultural realities of the country. The story is lyrical and emotional.

Also look at our article about, maybe you haven’t read some of this yet...

Aleksey Ivanov

Yes, I had great discoveries that can be called artistic, although the books are non-fiction. One of them is the laureate’s book Pulitzer Prize Daniel Yergin "Prey"(M.: Alpina Publisher, 2016), history of the world struggle for oil. It reveals the secret economic mechanisms of world history, and a lot of what, it turns out, was “standing on its head” in your mind is turned “on its feet.”

Another discovery - a book by Dmitry Karasyuk "History of Sverdlovsk rock"(Ekaterinburg: Cabinet Scientist, 2016). It is written in beautiful language, and inside this book I see a genuine novel with plots, drama, climaxes and resolutions. I haven’t decided on reading for the holidays yet. Yes, I don’t even have holidays.

Alpina Publisher press service

Leonid Yuzefovich

• Sebastian Hafner "The Story of a German"(St. Petersburg: Ivan Limbach Publishing House, 2016). Written in the late 1930s, this autobiographical novel is a moving reflection on the origins and nature of the Nazi regime in Germany. An excellent translation by the initiator of the publication, critic Nikita Eliseev.
• Varvara Malakhieva-Mirovich “The pendulum of my life. Diary. 1930-1954"(M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2015). A remarkable document of the era and a colossal work of the publisher, literary historian Natalya Gromova.

On New Year's holidays I'm going to read a book by Ivan Prosvetov just published by the author himself. "Ten Lives of Vasily Yan". I know that this writer, beloved by me since childhood, lived an extraordinary life, and I hope to learn a lot of new things about him.

Sukhbat Aflatuni

• Vladimir Martynov "Book of Changes"(M.: Klassiki XXI, 2016) - one and a half thousand pages of immersion in history, philosophy, music, life.
• New book of poems by Gleb Shulpyakov "Samet"(M.: Vremya, 2017) - the kingdom of air and meaning, multi-layered and minimalist style.
• "Great Lightness" Valeria Pustova (M.: RIPOL Classic, 2015) - literary criticism, which is written - and read - as fascinating prose.

From the nearest “must-read” - Mark Z. Danilevsky, "House of Leaves"(Ekaterinburg: Gonzo, 2016), which was disturbing at the first glance. Fragments, a cacophony of fonts...

press service of “Classics XXI”

Roman Senchin

I can’t say that I read any new books this year. But there were many important ones. I will name three, although I am aware that my choice may seem unoriginal.

Firstly, « Winter road» Leonid Yuzefovich (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016). This book received several awards, which caused complete approval among some and irritation among others. Nevertheless, it sounded, and not without reason. The book is based on the campaign of Anatoly Pepelyaev’s detachment against Yakutsk in 1922-1923... Even in detailed history Civil war in Soviet textbooks only a few lines were devoted to this event, always mentioning the word “adventure”. Yuzefovich reveals to us the reasons for this campaign, and it no longer seems like an adventure. History is not chronology, it is much, much more complicated. This complexity is what the author is trying to show – in my opinion, excellently – in the format of the declared “literary and artistic publication.” "Winter Road". Plus, it brings back a number of interesting personalities from that era.

press service of the Elena Shubina Editorial Office

Secondly, Anna Kozlova’s “film novel” "F20", published in the magazine "Friendship of Peoples"(N10, 2016). This is a very difficult work - frank, cruel, scary. In general, it’s traditional for Kozlova. No wonder the critic Lev Danilkin called her the author of “ultra-shock novels.” But Anna Kozlova writes so brightly, captivatingly and talentedly that it is impossible to tear yourself away from this horror.

Thirdly, the book "Shadow of Mazepa" Sergei Belyakov (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016). I do not undertake to evaluate this work. It seems to be very controversial, but to argue, you need deep knowledge of the history of Russia, the history of literature... The book did not come out yesterday, it has not yet caused much controversy, and this is bad. Such books can help us understand something important. Although - do we want to understand this something?..

However, equally important were "Crystal in a transparent frame" Vasily Avchenko, "Girl in the Garden" Oleg Ryabov, "In the footsteps of Dersu Uzala" Alexey Korovashko, "The Trumpeter at the Gates of Dawn" Roman Bogoslovsky, "Shukshin" Alexey Varlamov, "Valentin Kataev" Sergei Shargunov, "Holomyana Flame" Dmitry Novikov, “I want miracles” Elena Tulusheva, "Untranslatable pun" Alexandra Garros...

I want to dedicate New Year's days to reading books by Alexey Ivanov "Pitchfork" And "Tobol"(M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016).

Members of the jury of the Yasnaya Polyana literary award

Marina Moskvina

In Penza at a book festival I bought a volume of Roland Barthes "Fragments of a love speech"(translated by V. Lapitsky, M.: GARAGE & AdMarginem, 2015). Essay on the speech of lovers. Or rather, this speech itself is intermittent, rough, impulsive. The plot is assembled from scraps. Here are the words of Goethe, mystics, Taoists, Nietzsche, many passing phrases and something accidentally read, friendly conversations and memories. All this splashes in a blurry imperfect stream, narrative voices come, go, fall silent, intertwine, it is generally unknown who is speaking - no images, nothing except this confused speech, no bibliography, no taxonomy, just a racing heart, and you and all the lovers you feel how reality recedes in the face of this world.

GARAGE & AdMarginem

I enjoyed reading the collection (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016) - good modern writers talk about places that are important to them in Moscow, where they were born or were simply happy. There is also my story about the Nirnzee House in Bolshoy Gnezdnikovsky Lane; I spent my childhood on the roof of this house.

And like a person who has had his head in the clouds since birth, for the New Year holidays I prepared for myself "Entertaining cloud science"(translated by O. Dementievskaya, M. Falikman, M.: Gayatri, 2015). Pure poetry, a unique guide to the clouds by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Lovers Society.

Alexander Grigorenko

There have been many books in the past year, including new and good ones, for example, Evgenia Vodolazkina (M.: AST, Edited by Edena Shubina, 2016). But the main discoveries were "Winter road" Leonid Yuzefovich (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016) and "Stoner" John Williams (Translated by L. Motylev, M.: AST, Corpus, 2015), who made the same impression on me as he did many, many years ago "The Death of Ivan Ilyich".

The life of an ordinary person is truly worth looking at under a microscope. I also really liked the book “At the Origins of the World: Russian Etiological Tales and Legends”(M.: ISl RAS; Forum; Neolit, 2014). And during the holidays it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to read anything, because work suddenly piled up—I’ll catch up later.

Corpus press service

Marina Stepnova

Of the new products this year, I was particularly impressed "Animator" Andrey Volos (M.: EKSMO, 2016) is a tense, subtle novel in which reality magically mixes with fiction. Andrey Volos is generally an extraordinary author, each of his books seems to be written by a different writer, and all these writers have only one thing in common - amazing talent.

Alexander Garros "Untranslatable pun"(M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2016). A clear, intelligent, piercingly honest book, as if it had come together spontaneously from many articles and essays. Garros is one of the few modern critics who is honestly trying to understand what is happening in modern Russian literature (and in modern life at the same time). He does not make friends, does not quarrel, does not settle scores. He thinks and observes. And following his train of thought is a great pleasure.

press service of the Elena Shubina Editorial Office

Hanya Yanagihara "Little Life"(Translated by A. Borisenko, A. Zavozova, V. Sonkin, M.: AST, Corpus, 2016). A sensational novel that has attracted an equal number of rabid fans and equally rabid detractors. An amazing example of how skillfully and according to all the rules a book can make a lively and vivid impression even on sophisticated readers. It’s not easy reading in every sense, sometimes even annoying, but the book is undoubtedly a success.

During the New Year holidays I finally want to read Narine Abgaryan (M.: AST, 2016). This book has been at the top of my book wish list for a long time. In general, I really like Narine - she is a wonderful writer and a wonderful person. I just wanted to find as much time as possible for this book.

Evgeniy Vodolazkin

Among the new publications, I would highlight the story by Alexander Grigorenko "Lost the blind dudu"(magazine "October", No. 1, 2016) - bright and tragic. Alexander Grigorenko, whom we know from his wonderful novels "Mabeth" And "Ilget", discovered a completely new face as a writer. He showed himself to be a musician capable of playing in different registers.

I would also name the story by Narine Abgaryan "Three apples fell from the sky"(M.: AST, 2016). This is a wonderful text about the Armenian village, living, real, and at the same time existing in a powerful literary tradition, represented primarily by the great Hrant Matevosyan.

AST press service

To these two stories I would add one more short text - a novel by Julian Barnes (Translated by E. Petrova, St. Petersburg: Azbuka-Atticus, Inostranka, 2016). This is a book about Shostakovich, but not only. With Barnes's characteristic subtlety, it explores the nature of despotism.

I'm going to read a novel by John Williams over the New Year holidays. "Stoner"(Translated by L. Motylev, M.: AST, Corpus, 2015) - somehow everyone never got around to it. And also - a novel by Mikhail Gigolashvili "The Secret Year", which, according to my information, should be released soon.

Vasily Golovanov

This year I only read three books that could be called relatively new. The first is a novel by Chinese writer Mo Yan "Tired of being born and dying"(Translated by I. Egorov, St. Petersburg: Amphora, 2014). A grandiose epic, all like Marquez’s, built on the history of one village - only not Macondo, but Ximentun. This is truly powerful literature.

The second book is a novel by Sergei Solovyov "Adam's Bridge"(M.: Russian Gulliver, 2013). I don't know how many people have read it. Personally, I met Solovyov at the Krasnoyarsk Book Fair, and he shocked me with his stories about India. And the book he wrote is amazing. This is not a travel novel, it is the author’s attempt to regain his beloved through remembering their journey together, everything that they found there that was beautiful and important for the future existence of both of them. This is a bridge of love along which the beloved will unmistakably find her way to the one who is waiting for her. Crazy, but beautiful and very brightly written book!

2016 Boslen

The third book is a study by Andrei Baldin “The New Bookvoskop, or the Beyond Travel of Nikolai Karamzin”(M.: Boslen, 2016). Andrey is one of the most original thinking people that I've ever known. And I’m interested in his argumentation when he derives the modern Russian language from Karamzin’s long voyage abroad. In fact, almost everything was ready for the birth of the language in which Pushkin, Zhukovsky and everyone after Karamzin later wrote. But abroad he was the first to catch some kind of wave, some kind of rhythm of a modern literary legend and, returning to Russia, wrote the first modern story "Poor Lisa". This removal of language from its journey was extremely curious to me.

In general, this year my old dream came true - I acquired a twenty-volume edition of Leo Tolstoy. And here I really read... All the novels, all the stories and short stories again - and everything was the same as the first time... I read Bunin with the same voraciousness in the spring. I’m not at all convinced that you should only read new things. That’s why I reread so much of what was published a long time ago. We had the highest, first world class literature. I think things are not so optimistic now.

During the holidays I will read the autobiography of Vasily Vasilyevich Nalimov "Rope Walker"(M.: Progress, 1994) - an outstanding, although still only relatively well-known philosopher. I hope that I have a lot of work to do on Nalimov next year: I need to somehow “get used to” the atmosphere and the meanings with which this amazing man lived - a mathematician, freethinker, anarchist, mystic, who made a real revolution in philosophy, that the philosophers themselves They are just beginning to understand.

Lyudmila Saraskina

• Vasily Aksenov. “Catch the pigeon mail...” Letters (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2015). The rich correspondence with parents, friends, comrades in the literary profession, extracted from the American archive, provides valuable material not only for understanding the fate of the Russian writer, forced to become an emigrant, but also for the perception of the Russian emigration of the “third” wave.

Vladimir Ermakov "In Search of the Lost Metaphysics. Book of Doubts"(Eagle: Spring Waters, 2016). A book of deep reflections from a man for whom philosophizing is akin to breathing.

• “Butterflies and chrysanthemums. Japanese classical poetry of the 9th-19th centuries". Translated by A. Dolin, V. Markova, A. Gluskina, T. Sokolova-Delyusina. (SPb.: Arka, 2016). An amazingly beautiful book to read and contemplate. “It’s so good / When you turn it around at random / An ancient book- / And in combinations of words / You will find your dear soul". Haiku and tanka are juxtaposed with color photographs and woodcuts of birds, flowers, animals, rivers and waterfalls from ancient albums. Magic lantern.

Arka press service

Guzel Yakhina

The beginning of the outgoing year was successful - it gave me two very good books at once. In winter I read the long-awaited Lyudmila Ulitskaya (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2015) - a large multi-layered novel-parable, where fiction is imperceptibly intertwined with authentic documents from the family archive of Lyudmila Evgenievna - letters from her grandfather. What was unexpected in the text was that Ulitskaya acted not only as a writer, but also as a production designer - on behalf of the main character Nora, she described the stage keys to solving several plays. You read it and it’s as if you are watching performances staged by Ulitskaya.

• Irakli Kvirikadze "The boy walking behind wild duck» (M.: AST, Edited by Elena Shubina, 2015). A collection of stories, scripts and memories. Remarkably capacious, concise, outwardly simple and unexpected texts, striking with the ease of transitions from funny to tragic, from farce to parable, from everyday authenticity to absurdity.
• Antoine de Becque "New Wave: Portrait of Youth"(Translated by Irina Mironenko-Marenkova, M.: Rosebud Publishing, 2016). A fascinating study of the revolutionary movement in French cinema, which preserved for us the image of “the greatest decade in the history of mankind”, as in one later film ( "Withnail and I", 1987) were named the sixties. And in many ways, he shaped this image.
• Igor Levshin "Parsley and the mosquito"(M.: Russian Lessons, 2015). Tough absurdist stories, some of which are very successful. Others you simply don’t know which way to approach: puzzling, unsettling, irreconcilably opposed to the inertial flow of descriptive literature.
". I will highlight the text here, which is not yet very widely famous Sergei Lebedeva (M.: Alpina Publisher, 2016). It's part detective story, part historical fiction and investigation. family secrets. The starting point is August 1991, the anticipation of freedom and reading my grandmother’s diary, which suddenly destroys the protagonist’s illusions about his own roots. Can our unpredictable past explain the present, who we are and where it is taking us? These questions are posed, probably, in every second novel of 2016, but Lebedev, in my opinion, turned out to be fascinating, sincere, and disturbing.




I was pleased with the charming collection of essays by Evgeniy Lesin “And he drank immediately. Viktor Erofeev and others.”(M.: RIPOL Classic, 2016). The book is not only about the author "Petushkov", but also about Arkady Severny, the Marquis de Sade, Edgar Poe, Yuri Olesha, Tatyana Bek, editor Alexander Shchuplov and others. There is also an amazingly lyrical history of alcoholic local history - a guide to drinking glasses, indicating prices and related details. And funny, and serious, and, as they say, atmospheric.

But for the upcoming ones New Year's holidays I'm going to have a nice enlightening read "Dark Matter and Dinosaurs" physics by Lisa Randall (M.: Alpina non-fiction, 2017) The title is promising.

We would like to thank the Yasnaya Polyana Literary Prize for their assistance in preparing the material.

Lenta.ru selected 30 main books of the outgoing year. Among them are books that brought their authors victories in prestigious literary awards. Books that provoked loud public discussions. And books that went almost unnoticed, although worthy of being read general public. From these 30 books, everyone can choose to read for the winter holidays.

PRIZE WINNERS

Big Book Award

Leonid Yuzefovich “Winter Road” (“Edited by Elena Shubina”)

The first Big Book Prize, and a few months earlier the National Bestseller Prize, went to Leonid Yuzefovich for his documentary novel about the Russian Civil War, the white general Anatoly Pepelyaev and the red commander Ivan Strode.

Evgeniy Vodolazkin “Aviator” (“Edited by Elena Shubina”)

The novel by St. Petersburg medievalist Evgeniy Vodolazkin about what it is like to be frozen for several decades and then wake up in another country, about history and the nature of memory, was awarded the second prize of the Big Book.

Lyudmila Ulitskaya “Jacob’s Ladder” (“Edited by Elena Shubina”)

Lyudmila Ulitskaya again promised not to write novels, and then again (fortunately) she did not keep her promise. This is how a documentary novel appeared about the Russian history of the twentieth century and a century from the life of the Ossetsky (read Ulitsky) family - the book was based on the true story of Lyudmila Evgenievna’s family and letters from her family archive.

Russian Booker Award

Pyotr Aleshkovsky “Fortress” (“Edited by Elena Shubina”)

And again, a historical novel (an unusually large number of them happened in 2016), which takes place in modern Russia and the ancient Golden Horde: an archaeologist dreams about a Mongol warrior. The novel is written in a deliberately excessive “baroque” style, which is difficult to get used to, for which it was much criticized (the choice of the Russian Booker jury has not been so hotly discussed for a long time) and which is suddenly recognized as a virtue when reading the text out loud.

"Enlightener" Award

Alexander Panchin “Summa of Biotechnology” (Corpus publishing house)

In the “Natural and Exact Sciences” category, the winner was a book about GMOs, cloning, genetic diagnostics, gene therapy and other biotechnologies that public opinion traditionally demonizes.

Sergey Kavtaradze “Anatomy of Architecture” (HSE Publishing House)

The winner in the “Humanities” category was a book that clearly explained the thesis that form is also content, using architecture as an example. Its main value is that for a person who did not distinguish a Doric column from an Ionic one, after reading the book it will become clear why it does not matter which column a particular building has.

RUSSIAN FICTION

Alexey Ivanov “Tobol” (“Edited by Elena Shubina”)

It is extremely interesting to follow the creative quests of Alexei Ivanov: sometimes he is social, sometimes historical and mythological, sometimes he disavows fiction and goes into non-fiction, he pretends that he is not him and writes popular novels under a pseudonym. And here is Ivanov’s new book project: a “peplum novel” about Siberia during the time of Peter I. “Tobol” is its first part.

Sergey Kuznetsov “Kaleidoscope” (“Edited by Elena Shubina”)

The title of the novel is its auto-meta-description. England, France, USA, China, Russia, a hundred heroes - from them, like from puzzle fragments, a picture of the twentieth century is assembled. Some people found the novel too journalistic. To some - very Tolstoyan (this is a compliment). But anyway it's a good choice reading for the winter holidays.

TRANSLATED FICTION

Julian Barnes “The Noise of Time” (translation by E. Petrova, Inostranka Publishing House)

The classic of British literature Julian Barnes, who was in love with Shostakovich’s music from the age of 16 and studied Russian from about the same age, wrote a documentary novel about the composer’s interaction with the Soviet regime, and then came to Russia for the first time since his student days. It all looks and sounds a little incredible, not only for Barnes’ readers, but also for the writer himself.

Hanya Yanagihara “A Little Life” (translation by A. Borisenko, A. Zavozova, V. Sonkin, Corpus Publishing House)

An almost unprecedented case: high literature (and not the conventional “50 shades of gray”) blew up the Internet. For the last two months of the past year, social networks have been praising and criticizing the novel by the American writer in every possible way, arguing about what it is about: either about friendship, or about same-sex love, or about childhood trauma, or about suicide. At a minimum, this means that it is worth forming your own opinion about it.

Jose Saramago “The History of the Siege of Lisbon” (translation by A. Bogdanovsky, Azbuka Publishing House)

The proofreader is preparing for publication a book on the history of the siege of Moorish Lisbon during the reconquista of the 12th century and deliberately inserts an unnecessary negation in a key episode. And now, not only the global, but also the personal history of the middle-aged proofreader begins to flow in a different direction. A difficult novel to read at first, but a very tender novel Nobel laureate about love and the laws of history, fantastically translated from Portuguese by Alexander Bogdanovsky.

Kazuo Ishiguro “The Buried Giant” (translation by M. Nuyanzina, Eksmo Publishing House)

Ishiguro is a British Dostoevsky. Reading him is physically painful, because he always formulates the question exactly as you were most afraid and did not want. And it doesn’t matter what he asks about: about historical memory, which can lead to genocide, or about historical Alzheimer’s, which turns people into a herd; about what it is real love, whether she tolerates betrayal and what is more important - to know or forget. But the fact that this pain is healing is absolutely certain.

Orhan Pamuk “My strange thoughts”, “Red-haired woman” (translation by Apollinaria Avrutina, Azbuka publishing house)

This year, two novels by a Turkish writer, laureate, were published in Russian. Nobel Prize Orhan Pamuk. Completely different, but both absolutely beautiful. “My Strange Thoughts” is about Istanbul of the last 50 years, seen through the eyes of a street vendor. “The Red-Haired Woman” is a novel-parable about teenage love and the power of rock.

Alessandro Baricco “Young Bride” (translation by A. Mirolyubova, Azbuka Publishing House)

Short, like most of Baricco’s works, impeccably written, like his “Silk,” a parable novel about life, death and the meaning of existence. There is no point in retelling it - it will become banal. A must read because it is a masterpiece.

Jonathan Franzen “Sinlessness” (translation by L. Motylev and L. Summ, Corpus publishing house)

With his novel Corrections, Franzen seems to have once and for all acquired the status of number one in American literature(in the minds of Russian readers, at least). Since then, he has not released anything as beautiful, but, remembering the “Amendments”, each of his next books is expected in advance by the Russian public as great. Sinless is not a great novel, but it is certainly a well-made great novel about the brutal transparency of the modern world and the ubiquity of the Internet.

V.G. Sebald “The Rings of Saturn: An English Pilgrimage” (translation by E. Vengerova, New Publishing House)

A novel (?), an essay (?), a stream of consciousness (?), the plot of which cannot be recounted in a nutshell (and indeed impossible), but from which it is impossible to tear yourself away. Formally, this is a novel-journey through the county of Surrey, in reality it is a novel-travel through a certain space of world history and the memory of the hero, in which even chance is strictly logical.

Jonathan Coe “Number 11” (translation by E. Poletskaya, Phantom Press publishing house)

The return of Coe the political satirist to literature coincided with Coe's arrival in Russia. The novel “Number 11” is not a continuation, but is genetically related to his own novel “What a scam!” It contains a lot of social unrest, jabs at the British government, bitter ridicule of television and attempts to make privacy public. Finally, one of the heroines is literally a one-legged black lesbian.

Richard Brautigan, Willard and his bowling prizes. Perverted Detective" (translation by A. Guzman, publishing project "Dodo Press", "Phantom Press")

The first book of the publishing project "Hidden Gold of the 20th Century", within which texts by Donald Barthelme, Magnus Mills, Flann O'Brien, Thomas McGuane and Gordon Haughton will be published in 2017. Important names for world literature, not always well known to the Russian-speaking reader.

Anne Tyler “A Spool of Blue Thread” (translation by N. Lebedev, Phantom Press)

The Pulitzer Prize winner's novel is about how life is a tangle in which one thread may be shorter than the other. About the fact that some people never manage to grow up, and what was once taken by their loved ones for spiritual freshness, over time becomes more and more like useless infantilism.

Fredrik Backman “The Second Life of Ove” (translation by R. Kosynkin, Sinbad Publishing House)

A Swedish novel about where “eccentrics and nerds” come from. In fact, people who give unsolicited advice and make annoying remarks on the streets are unclaimed saviors of humanity who have nowhere to apply themselves. A very humanistic novel.

RUSSIAN POPULAR SCIENTIFIC AND BIOGRAPHICAL LITERATURE

Mikhail Nikitin “The Origin of Life. From nebula to cell" (publishing house "Alpina Non-Fiction")

In the summer of 2016, Dmitry Zimin’s Book Projects, together with the Evolution Foundation, launched a book series with the cozy name Primus to publish debut popular science books by Russian scientists and science journalists. And the book by biologist Mikhail Nikitin, published in this series, is an example of how one should generally talk to the general public about science. Talking about the origin of life, the author begins with solar system and the appearance of planets, ends with the hypothetical death of the earth’s biosphere, and if you look at the list scientific literature, then it will become clear that the most recent works are from 2015.

"Nanny. Who nursed Russian geniuses" (Nikeya publishing house)

Yakov Polonsky, Konstantin Sluchevsky, Alexey Remizov, Sofya Kovalevskaya and others remember their nannies and wet nurses. The idea for the book came to the mind of the writer and historian Sergei Durylin. He collected other people's memoirs, wrote memoirs about his family, but did not have time to compose a book. His biographer Victoria Toropova completed the work for him.

Andrey Zorin “The Appearance of a Hero. From the history of Russian emotional culture of the late 18th - early 19th centuries" (New Literary Review publishing house)

The famous Russian philologist, professor at Oxford University and the Moscow Higher School of Socio-Economic Sciences tried to explore something that is quite difficult to capture - feelings. The book is dedicated to the history of Russian emotional culture of the late 18th - early 19th centuries: the time of competition between the court, Masonic lodges and literature for a monopoly on “symbolic images of feelings” that an educated and Europeanized Russian person had to reproduce in his internal everyday life.

True fans of literature are always aware of the release of the latest creations of famous contemporary writers. It is clear that you cannot love everyone and each author has his own audience. But every person who personifies a representative of culture is simply obliged to sometimes get acquainted with the work of a writer for whom he personally does not feel reverence, but respects him as an artist. Quite a lot of works were published in 2016, some of which can be brought to your attention. The choice of those who made it into the top ten was difficult, because we had to select the most worthy ones. So, here's our top 10 list. best books of 2016 The following works were included.

The 2016 book rating opens with another novel by the famous American writer Stephen King, completing the trilogy about detective Bill Hodges. Brady Hartsfield, the criminal from the first part, is now completely harmless to others, he is in a comatose state. But what looks from the outside does not always correspond to reality. Transcendent deadly forces have found a way to enter him and unite with the sick imagination of a maniac. His body is motionless, in his capabilities he resembles a vegetable. Bill and his partner Holly soon realize the danger posed by the one who once posed a threat and now controls the evil that permeates the entire city. Everything is heading towards a harsh, apocalyptic ending, which does not foretell a good outcome.

9. Hacked Skies

Ninth on the list best books 2016, a work by Al Robertson, dedicating the reader to the noir world of the future. Someday the Earth will be completely uninhabitable, and people will move to an artificial asteroid - the Station. But salvation will be possible at the cost of freedom and choice, because the new home is subject to the will of the gods of the Pantheon. The long, protracted war between them and the Totality corporation turns the destinies of any person. Battles give way to temporary truces, thanks to which the main character, Jack Forster, returns home to the Station from many years of captivity. But his Odyssey was not destined to end soon; he finds himself drawn into intrigues that the gods themselves are weaving. Not only the lives of the main characters, but also of all humanity are under threat.

Eighth place in our ranking of the most interesting works of 2016 is occupied by Dan Simmons' novel, which became the third and last in the conditional trilogy about Sherlock Holmes. The famous hero has long stepped over the barriers set by his literary father Conan Doyle, and is revealing his new, unknown to the public, fragments of an entertaining biography. In the story, he has to go to America, where he needs to investigate the mysterious death of Clover Adams. Her husband is a relative of two American presidents, which means that not only a complicated, but also a dangerous investigation awaits. Sherlock himself doesn't really resemble his typical character, which gives him the right to ponder a serious question. Who is he? A real man or an image that was allowed to live and someone constantly controls it.

The seventh place among the best is rightfully occupied by the new work of Jean-Christophe Grange. The writer, who is rightfully considered a modern master of the detective thriller, immerses us in the atmosphere of horror associated with the investigation of mysterious murders. They are connected with some mysterious ritual, which Erwan Morvan seeks to unravel. By the will of fate, he has to go to the very depths of the Congolese jungle, where perhaps the answers to the questions posed are hidden. Erwan's family once had to deal with events exactly similar to the current ones. And now it becomes clear that everything that happened earlier was not accidental; it seems that the devil himself chose their clan to carry out his revenge, the last opportunity to demonstrate his strength.

Lisa Hilton's magnificent detective story introduces her reader to Judith Rashleigh, an educated, ambitious heroine who is unable to compromise with her conscience. She works as a leading expert at an auction house and has to deal with many paintings by painting geniuses of all times. But it's hers bright side, the dark one wakes up at night, when in expensive bars she is no longer an ordinary employee, but a predator-queen. By any means possible, she tries to become part of high society, and she does it well. Suddenly, she is completely unfairly fired, and then only a night road full of danger opens before her. But since other paths remain closed, this is the only way she can fully satisfy her ambitions.

Thomas Armstrong's fascinating book will undoubtedly find its reader among both adults and children. First of all, it is intended for teenagers, because it is at this age that questions begin to appear to which parents do not always find answers. What is intelligence, how to correctly recognize it? The author is confident and clearly proves that excellent grades in school, the ability to quickly read and solve examples indicate erudition, but intellectual abilities are realized in a different way. The ability to analyze, have competent ideas about art, and communication skills form a personality and reveal one or more types of intelligence. Bottom line: this is one of the best books of 2016 for teenagers and students.

In fourth place is a collection of short stories by Anthony Doerr, seven stories about things that concern us, but we do not always prefer to raise such topics. What are memories, and do they have a significant enough influence to control us? And what would be best to release as quickly as possible, and what would be unforgivable and reckless to forget? The author does not always find error-free solutions, leaving the reader to think and draw his own conclusions. Concluding the story, the writer leads us to the main conclusion - the person himself with his inner universe is that very wall of memory.

The top three books in 2016 are confidently opened by a new bestseller from Tatyana Ustinova called “Expect the Unexpected.” As always, the reader is treated to a fascinating narrative with a detective twist. The main character is Tasha, she is sure that nothing and no one can overshadow this vacation of hers. Her cruise along the Volga promises to be not just a happy event, but also a kind of farewell to the beauty of Central Russian nature, sweet entertainment. But don't expect the usual sentimental story from the famous author. The companions on the ship become the object of Tasha’s close observation, first because of her desire to understand the peculiarities of their personalities, and subsequently as participants in the cycle of dark, intricate events. One thing is clear, there is some kind of secret, which is extremely necessary to reveal not only for the sake of the triumph of truth, but also for one’s own safety.

2. Movie night

A gloomy detective story, painted with mystical, hypnotic colors, always has a stunning effect on the reader. Meet the novel by Marisha Pessl, in which the main character - journalist Scott McGrath - has to plunge into the underworld created by his long-time enemy - the mysterious film director Stanislas Cordova. His daughter was found dead under strange circumstances, which Scott wants to understand. But to do this, he will have to plunge into the dark world of the subculture in which Cordova has lived for many years. Now every step you take must be carefully analyzed, because reality is too subtle and everything that surrounds the journalist is just ghostly scenery. Second place among the best works released in 2016.

1. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The franchise about a young wizard, written and published at the turn of the last and new centuries, became a bright event in literary life. Despite the logical conclusion of the story, readers have the opportunity to return to fascinating world young magicians. The work, which confidently leads in our ranking of the best books of 2016, was written by three authors, one of whom is Joanne Rowling. The play will tell about the children of the main characters of Potter, who will plunge into events that, in their intensity and drama, are not inferior to those that happened to their parents. Moving into the past for a noble purpose radically changes the present, and each attempt turns out even worse. terrible disaster. Readers of this amazing book will have to find out whether something needs to be changed and how to avoid mistakes.

If you decide to spend the evening reading interesting book, then the proposed list of popular literature will help you in choosing an artistic creation. Famous contemporary and classic writers offer readers some of today's most captivating works.

Based on reviews from lovers of fiction and demand for works in stores, a list of the TOP 10 most read books in Russia today was compiled.

The top ten ranking is a novel by an English writer. The main characters do not yet know that their meeting will radically change their lives. Lou Clark has a boyfriend for whom she has no real feelings. The girl loves life and her job at the bar. And it seemed like nothing foreshadowed the emergence of problems that the girl would have to face in the near future.

Fate brings Lou together with a guy named Will Taylor. The young man received serious injuries from the motorcycle that hit him. His only goal is to find the culprit and take revenge.

But the acquaintance of Lou and Will becomes a turning point for the heroes. life path. They had to go through tests to find each other. The novel captivates with its eccentricity, where there is no hint of banality.

A work of fiction Dmitry Glukhovsky "Metro 2035" has become a sensational novel this year, which is a continuation of the previous parts: “Metro 2033” and “Metro 2034”.

Nuclear war has killed all life on the planet and people are forced to live in the subway.

In the final story of the trilogy, readers will find out whether humanity will be able to return to earth again, after a long imprisonment underground. The main character will still be Artyom, who is so beloved by book lovers. The fantastic dystopia rightfully ranks ninth among the most read books today.

The eighth position in the ranking is occupied by a psychological novel with elements of a detective story by a British writer. Paula Hawkins "The Girl on the Train". The young woman Rachel herself destroyed her family by becoming addicted to alcohol. She has nothing but an image perfect couple Jess and Jason, whose lives she watches from the train window. But one day this picture of a perfect relationship disappears. Jess disappears under strange circumstances.

Rachel, who had been drinking alcohol the day before, is trying to remember what happened and whether she has anything to do with the strange disappearance. She begins to investigate a mysterious case.

According to 2015 data, the bestseller is among the top 10 best-selling books in the country.

Donna Tart released the third part of a masterpiece of psychological prose "Goldfinch". Art is closely intertwined with the fate of teenager Theodor Trekker, under tragic circumstances. A boy loses his mother in an explosion at an art gallery. Escaping from the rubble, the main character decides to take with him a painting by the famous author Fabritius “The Goldfinch”. The boy still has no idea how a work of art will influence his future destiny.

The novel has already fallen in love with many readers in Russia and rightfully occupies 7th place in the top 10 most popular books today.

New detective story by Russian writer Alexandra Marinina "Execution without malice" entered the top 10 most read books in Russia. Anastasia Kamenskaya and her service partner Yuri Korotkov come to a Siberian town to resolve personal issues. The trip becomes another investigation for the heroes into a mysterious wave of crimes. Professionals in their field will have to figure out how the murders of environmentalists and the fur farm that litters the surrounding area are connected. The reader is treated to an exciting story about an unusual investigation.

Immortal manuscript Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"- one of the most read books in Russia today.

This classic of world literature tells the story of true, devoted love and treacherous betrayal. The master of words managed to create a book within a book, where reality is intertwined with the other world and another era. The ruler of human destinies will be the dark world of evil, creating good and justice. Bulgakov managed to combine the incompatible, so the novel remains firmly in the TOP 10.

"Planet Water" is a new work by Boris Akunin, which consists of three works. The first story, “Planet Water,” tells about the amazing adventures of Erast Petrovich Fandorin, who rushes in search of a maniac hiding on the island. For this reason, he has to interrupt the underwater expedition. The second part of the book “Lonely Sail” tells about the hero’s investigation into a murder. Turns out to be a victim ex-lover Erast Petrovich. The final story, “Where Should We Go,” introduces the reader to the robbery case. Main character looking for clues that will lead him to the criminals. The book was published in 2015 and is quickly gaining popularity among today's readers.

Paulo Coelho became popular in Russia thanks to his philosophical creation "Alchemist". The parable tells about the shepherd Santiago, who is in search of treasure. The hero's journey ends with the discovery of true value. The young man meets an alchemist and comprehends philosophical science. The purpose of life is not material wealth, but love and doing good deeds for all humanity. The book has remained the most read in Russia for many years.

Professor Robert Langdon has to solve the murder mystery. The code that was found next to the murdered museum employee will help the hero with this. The solution to the crime lies in the immortal creations of Leonardo da Vinci, and the code is the key to them.

Most a book to read Russia today is a dystopia George Orwell "1984". This is a story about a world where there is no place for true feelings. Absurd ideology, brought to the point of automatism, rules here. Consumer society considers the ideology of the Party to be the only correct one. But among the “dead souls” there are those who do not want to put up with the existing foundations. The main character of the novel, Winston Smith, finds a like-minded person in Julia. A man falls in love with a girl, and together they try to take steps to change the current situation. The couple is soon declassified and tortured. Smith “breaks down” and renounces his ideas and his lover. The book about the totalitarian regime of government remains popular throughout the world to this day.