The New York Public Library’s World Literature Festival celebrates books and writers from around the world and reflects the languages spoken in our communities. Discover what our patrons are reading in different languages, resources the Library offers, free online events, book recommendations, and more.

The following list contains contemporary Russian titles that have been recently translated into English. We've also included a nonfiction recommendation as a companion for each title.  

 Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina, translated by Lisa C. Hayden

Translated into 31 languages and recently made into a TV series, Guzel Yakhina's novel documents the terrible atrocities committed during a period of forced collectivization in Tatarstan. Abused by her sadistic mother-in- law and overworked by her brutal husband, Zuleikha does not question her fate. Dramatic events liberate her from domestic servitude, only to exile her from her homeland.

Nonfiction suggestion: Tatar Empire: Kazan's Muslims and the Making of Imperial Russia by Danielle Ross

 

Bride and Groom by Alisa Ganieva, translated by Carol Apollonio

A talented Dagestani writer, Alisa Ganieva, accurately portrays the clash of the modern world against the traditional local customs. A matriarch's desire to marry off her son in style and on a specific date leaves little room for romance. Ganieva has a keen eye for deep divisions among different religious groups.

Nonfiction suggestion: Veiled and Unveiled in Chechnya and Daghestan by Iwona Kaliszewska

 

Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin; translated by Lisa C. Hayden

What can we possibly have in common with a 15th century Russian healer? According to Russian scholar and bestselling author, Eugene Vodolazkin, quite a lot. Laurus, who lost his parents during a pandemic, desires to find meaning and self-fulfillment by establishing lasting connections with the world around him.

Nonfiction suggestion: The Icon and the Axe: An Interpretive History of Russian Culture by James Billington

 

The Hall of the Singing Caryatids by Victor Pelevin; translated by Andrew Bromfield;

Enfant terrible of contemporary Russian literature, Victor Pelevin produced a large number of savage satires.  Aspiring  to be a living statue in The Hall of the Singing Cariatids ,a chamber in the subterranean entertainment bunker, Lena is immobile for hours at a time. While the creative class is busy catering to the "elite" clientele suffering from self-aggrandizing delusions, Lena manages to establish a line of communication with the insect world.

Nonfiction suggestion: Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia by Peter Pomerantsev

If There is Something to Desire by Vera Pavlova; translated by Steven Seymour

The elegant simplicity of Pavlova's language belies the emotional complexity of her poetry.

Nonfiction suggestion: Russian History Through the Senses: From 1700 to the Present edited by Matthew P. Romaniello and Tricia Starks

 

 

 

  

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!