“Readers are born free and ought to remain free.” - Vladimir Nabokov, Lectures on Russian Literature
This will kick off the series of posts to come, where we will highlight books recommended by our community.
I’m Julia Sabin, a Staunton resident since 2015 and owner of Staunton Books & Tea, which opened in March 2024. We’re lucky to have a great team and community supporting our mission to bring together unique books, quality teas, and enriching conversations. In this post, I’d like to share some of my favorite books, influenced by my background as a Russian-Ukrainian who grew up in the USSR and spent much of my life in Russia. These recommendations focus on both fiction and non-fiction that originated in the Russian language or cultural context, available in English in the U.S.
You can find all the books mentioned here on our Bookshop.org and Libro.fm lists, and many are available in-store.
How I Discover Great Reads
Before moving to the U.S. and becoming a bookshop owner, I discovered books through my favorite bloggers, professional media, and simply browsing bookshops and fairs. Today, as part of a bookselling team, I use more professional tools like publishers’ catalogs and publications and online resources for booksellers. And of course, I still love wandering through bookstores to find unexpected gems—browsing is one of my favorite ways to find new reads!
Recommended Books
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Written 1928-1940, published in USSR 1966 (censored) and 1973 (uncensored).
I start with the author and the book, which was included in the school program in Russia in the early 90s and was a transformative experience for me in high school - The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. This is a multi-layered work of fiction with an eclectic mix of genres: fantasy, satire, historical and philosophical fiction, romance, and political allegory. As for many from Gen Z, where the Harry Potter series became a trigger for their reading experience, I think the Master and Margarita made me a reader. Is it possible to write like this about our life, about this country? I know that for many who had access to banned literature in the USSR, this would not be a big deal, but for me, who did not see any of the books restricted in soviet time, this was a novelty! After that were many more: Children of the Arbat by Anatoly Rybakov, Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, Moscow Saga by Vasily Aksyonov, Journey into the Whirlwind by Yevgenia Ginzburg, and more. Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita is different in that the author did not write straight about repressions (except the Stravinsky clinic - it was a common practice to send dissidents to psychiatric clinics). In his book, Bulgakov left all of this behind the scenes and brought it in a satiric or tragicomic way, as people disappear all along the book. If you want to know how it was in real life, I recommend a book we have in our shop - The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine, which uncovers stories of people who lived in the House on the Embankment.
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets by Svetlana Alexievich
Originally published in 2013. One of the NYT 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.
Svetlana Alexievich is the Nobel laureate for The Unwomanly Face of War, but the book I want to recommend is the voice of people who lived in the USSR and, in the nineties, experienced the transition from authoritarianism to democracy and from socialism to capitalism. This is a book about nostalgia, pride, loss, and disappointment. “Through the voices of those who confided in her,” The Nation writes, “Alexievich tells us about human nature, about our dreams, our choices, about good and evil—in a word, about ourselves.” This would be an excellent book to pair with The Master and Margarita. Bulgakov pictured soviet society from a perspective of intelligence and higher class, but Alexievich gave a voice to those represented as grey masses in The Master and Margarita.
In essence, most of the people there weren't ready for capitalism; it hit the soviet people as an unexpected tsunami - the majority of them weren't prepared and didn't survive the transition - literally and figuratively. While many people were ready for democracy and freedom, many weren't ready for capitalism. This book is a collection of interviews that reflect on it.
The next two books are different but also give you a perspective to understand soviet people - how they lived, their values, hopes, and reflections. One is about two soviet writers who traveled to the US in 1936 and thought through capitalism from the perspective of the best ideas of socialism. Another one is about post-soviet times and how people currently live in, mostly rural, Russia.
Little Golden America by Ilya Ilf and Eugene Petrov
Originally published in Russian in 1937 and in English in 1944.
Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov were soviet writers most famous for their satirical fiction. The book I want to recommend is unusual for them - Little Golden America is a nonfiction travelogue documenting their journey across the U.S. in 1935-1936. The literary translation of its Russian title Odnoetazhnaia Amerika is the Single-Storied America, which I think gives a better description of the book. Through encounters in big cities and small towns, they offer humorous and insightful observations on American life, focusing on the country’s material wealth, individualism, and the ubiquitous one-story houses. While marveling at technological conveniences and personal freedoms, they also critique social inequalities, racial segregation, and excessive consumerism. The story balances humor with thoughtful commentary, subtly comparing American capitalism with Soviet ideals, making it both an entertaining and reflective portrait of 1930s America.
I Love Russia: Reporting from a Lost Country by Elena Kostyuchenko
Originally published in Russian and English in 2023.
I Love Russia: Reporting from a Lost Country (literary translation of the Russian title would be My Favorite Country) by Elena Kostyuchenko delves into the hidden lives of ordinary Russians caught in the grips of a harsh and oppressive state. A former journalist for the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, Kostyuchenko reports from the front lines of Russia's political and social crises, giving voice to people whose stories are rarely told.
Through this collection of stories, she explores diverse and often marginalized perspectives—from LGBTQ+ individuals navigating hostility, to families affected by the war in Ukraine, and those living under the weight of state corruption and brutality. Kostyuchenko’s accounts reveal both the suffering and resilience of her subjects, painting an unfiltered portrait of life under authoritarianism and illustrating the quiet courage of people surviving in a "lost" Russia.
The Body of the Soul: Stories by Ludmila Ulitskaya
Originally published in Russian in 2019 and English in 2023.
Ulitskaya is one of my favorite current fiction writers. Her fiction stories are empathetic, character-driven narratives that explore personal lives in the context of Russia’s social and political history, often focusing on themes of identity, family, memory, and exile. Her writing reflects a nuanced understanding of Jewish heritage and Soviet life, blending subtle irony with philosophical reflections on morality and personal responsibility.
The Body of the Soul stories speak about universal themes of love, faith, memory, and mortality, while also capturing the unique, sometimes surreal, atmosphere of contemporary and historical Russia. This collection demonstrates her talent for blending the personal with the universal, rendering everyday lives with compassion, insight, and a profound sense of humanity.
Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina
Originally published in Russian in 2015 and English in 2019.
Guzel Yakhina’s fiction is an example of a good fiction that reflects on multiple soviet tragic events that were hidden for a long time and the people in Russia who started processing them after the nineties - dekulakization, the lives and tragedies of the Volga Germans, or Russian famine of the twenties. Her prose is characterized by its historical depth and exploration of personal stories set against turbulent periods in Russian history. Her works often focus on themes of oppression, cultural identity, trauma, and resilience, drawing attention to marginalized voices and the impact of totalitarian regimes.
Her debut novel Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes tell the story of a Tatar woman exiled to Siberia during Stalin’s repressions, blending historical realism with elements of folklore. On the journey and in the Siberian wilderness, Zuleikha confronts unimaginable hardships but also begins to discover her own strength, resilience, and even joy. Through her relationships with fellow prisoners, her maternal instincts, and her growing self-awareness, she gradually transforms from a passive, oppressed woman into someone capable of shaping her own destiny. The novel explores themes of survival, identity, and the discovery of self-worth in the face of suffering.
The Slynx by Tatiana Tolstaya
Originally published in Russian in 2000 and English in 2007.
This book idea came to the author after the Chernobyl disaster, and it took 14 years to finish it because, in this book, Tatiana Tolstaya constructed a new language that uneducated people use in a world where books are restricted.
The Slynx is a darkly satirical novel set in a post-apocalyptic Russia, centuries after a catastrophic event known as "the Blast" has left society regressed and riddled with strange mutations. The story follows Benedikt, a scribe who copies the dogmatic texts of Fyodor Kuzmich, the despotic leader who restricts knowledge to control the people. As Benedikt gradually begins to question the oppressive regime, he navigates a bizarre world filled with mutated creatures, superstition, and fear of the Slynx, a creature symbolizing society’s deepest anxieties. Tolstaya blends humor and biting social critique, crafting a surreal tale that reflects censorship, authoritarianism, and the resilience of the human spirit amidst ignorance and oppression.
Hard to Be a God by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
Originally published in Russian in 1964 and English in 1973.
I was reading this book during October and November 2023, while was trying to process the news from Middle East, along with the Russia-Ukraine, and was trying to make sense of the world. This book examines how individuals from civilized societies strive to bring humanity to a barbaric world. It gave an answer - such transformation could not happen quickly. However, the more important insight from this book is how quickly and easily civilized individuals can become inhumane barbarians.
Hard to Be a God explores the ethical dilemmas of intervention and observation in societies resistant to progress. It questions the nature of humanity and the consequences of possessing knowledge in the face of oppression, making you think of the challenges of facilitating change without imposing one’s own values. At its core, it’s a thought-provoking reflection on human nature, the complexities of progress, and the risks of imposing one’s values on others.
Forewords
I hope these books can bring you another perspective and understanding of people in that part of the world. Let us know if you would be interested in discussing any of these books, and we will try to include them in our International Books Club schedule. Email stauntonbooks@gmail.com.
Thank you for reading!
Comments