Questions tagged [russian-language]
Questions about works of literature that were originally written in the Russian language, regardless of whether they were written or published in Russia or elsewhere.
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Narrator in The Idiot
I'm struggling to understand the narrator in The Idiot. He seems like an omniscient narrator, talking of characters in third person. But, in Chapter I of Part One, while describing know-it-alls, the ...
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How culturally mixed were the Earth ambassadors in Hard to Be a God?
Anton, aka "Don Rumata of Estor", is Russian.
Pashka, aka "Don Hug, first groom of the chamber of his lordship the Duke of Irukan", is Russian.
Alexander Vassilevitch, aka "Don Kondor, Supreme Judge ...
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Was Pyotr Stepanovich in "Demons" really connected to the international?
In the noval Demons (by Dostoyevsky), there was a character, named Pyotr Stepanovich Verkhovensky, who claimed that he was connected to the international.
Did Dostoyevsky mention anywhere in the book ...
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Are positive, parable-like vibes a noted pattern in Russian literature (at least for short stories and anecdotes)?
WARNING! The following post contains minor spoilers about the following books:
Mikhail Bulgakov - A Country Doctor's Notebook
Bonnie Jo Campbell - American Salvage
D. W. Wilson - Once your Break a ...
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What is the significance of the Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov?
In The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan tells a long story to Alyosha about the Grand Inquisitor. I have been trying to grasp its meaning for some time, but what is the significance of that story?
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Does Countess Natalia Rostova let Prince Andrei die so Nikolai could inherit all of Marya's wealth?
Natasha's mother, Countess Natalia Rostova, seems to dislike her daughter's affections for Prince Andrei when they meet again at his (eventual) deathbed. At this point in the story, she's also been ...
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Indeed, why doesn't the City have any great artists?
The city is an interesting place - an ensemble of people from all around the world, and even from different times (though the 20th century seems to be prevalent).
Their occupations, genders, beliefs, ...
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Are "the meaning of life", art, and in particular "the life of an artist" themes in Chekhov's drama "The Seagull"?
Are "the meaning of life", art, and in particular "the life of an artist" themes in Chekhov's drama "The Seagull"?
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How did Denisov reappear in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace?
In 1807 Major Denisov got court-martialed for stealing food, threatening and insulting chief quartermaster, and thrashing two officials even dislocating the arm of one of them. All of this happens ...
- 41
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What kind of censorship was Dostoevsky avoiding by obscuring place names?
In the opening paragraph of "Crime and Punishment", two locations, S-- Lane and K--n Bridge, are identified only by their first and final letters. My translation has a footnote which says ...
- 183
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Solzhenitsyn's Red Wheel
I've heard that all of Solzhenitsyn's work is to be in English by the centennial of his birth, which is this year. I'm trying to understand just what new English translations we can expect this year, ...
- 149
4
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What's the difference between a Higher One and a Great One?
In Sergei Lukyanenko's Watch series, there are several different "grades" of magical power, from seventh-grade all the way up to first-grade and then beyond. As I understand it, everyone above first-...
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What is the symbolism of the statues and the meeting at the Pantheon in "The Doomed City"?
In part 5 of Strugastkys' The Doomed City, when Andrei and his group find the central square, there are countless empty places where statues used to be, and all of them have strange writings.
Later ...
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How did Sheymov manage to convince KGB that he and the family were dead?
Closer to the end of the book, Sheymov's contact from CIA refused to go with his plan to fake their family death when defecting. In Chapter 11, "Misha" refuses to help with the plan:
Victor nodded, ...
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What exactly happened with the glasses?
The man who wrote the diary displays a very strange reaction to what (for me) appears to be a negligible accident - having his and his friend's (with whom he was kissing) glasses entangle and fall on ...
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Please help identify a fanfic-y apocryphal story based on Noon Universe
I've been trying to find this one for several years but somehow Google-fu was weak.
Pretty old - I think I read it in early/mid 90s. Internet-published.
Apocryphal mishmash of entire Noon universe
...
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Why did Smerdyakov kill himself in the Brothers Karamazov?
It is being said that he committed suicide out of desperation. the Defense lawyer, Fetyukovich, actually stated Smerdyakov did not kill himself out of guilt and remorse, but because he knew there was ...
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Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin, the “lost” chapter 10 in German
Is there a German translation of chapter 10 of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin? The English one is available in ISBN 9780691019048."
Pushkin destroyed chapter X of Eugene Onegin, leaving only the ...
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What is the English title of Tolstoy's memoirs "Without love, It's easier to live"?
I am trying to find the English name of the memoirs by Leo Tostoy titled Without love, It's easier to live (original Russian title Без любви жить легче).
I could not find any mention of it neither in ...
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Dostoevsky's attitude towards Sonya Marmeladova
Note: The question concerns a somewhat touchy topic - prostitution. I am not a native English speaker, therefore, I cannot be sure which terms are suitable for a discussion. I am using words of the ...
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Understanding the usage of "Philosophy" in Uncle Vanya
In "Uncle Vanya" by Chekhov, I noticed a usage of the word "philosophy" that seemed out of place.
ASTROFF. A woman can only become a man's friend after having first
been his acquaintance and then ...
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What is the creative device naming used for text generation in Pelevin's S.N.U.F.F.?
What is the proper, published, translation in the only AFAIK existing English version of the book S.N.U.F.F. by Victor Pelevin?
Grim uploaded the germ of his perplexity and sadness in the creative
...
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What explains Maxim Kammerer's superhuman physical condition in "Prisoners of Power" (aka "The Inhabited Island")?
Throughout the novel, Maxim is shown to have an almost superhuman physical condition, easily performing unthinkable feats, which include, but aren't limited to
Being able to run for a very long time ...
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Was "Fyodor in Crime" a reference to Dostoevsky?
In Death and the Penguin, the newspaper editor told Viktor to contact Fyodor from Crime for some information to help him with his writing.
Is this a subtle reference to Crime and Punishment by Fyodor ...
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Why would a government official boast to a reporter about illegal trips to Chernobyl?
Related: What is a State Duma Deputy?
In Death and the Penguin, Viktor interviewed a politician who, among other things, boasted about his trips to Chernobyl (even knowing that he was a reporter). ...
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Viktor Erofeyev "The Akimuds": Animal motif
In the SF/Fantasy/political satire "The Akimuds" by Viktor Erofeyev, selfsame Akimuds (sort of a stand-in for God, Jesus and the angels) claim they are ducks. Now, "doves" would ...
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What are the arguments against atheism in Crime and Punishment?
I'm trying to figure out exactly what arguments Dostoevsky tries to make in Crime and Punishment against atheism. I'm talking about the kind of conclusion he wants you to make for yourself when ...
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Why did the Chief stop in Cyprus on his way to Rome?
Follow-up to: Did it really cost $800 to fly from Kyiv to Rome in 1999?
In Death and the Penguin, the Chief flew from Kyiv to Rome with a stop in Larnaca, Cyprus.
I'm slightly confused as to why he ...
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What is the main idea and the main problem of Dostoyevsky's Demons?
What is the main idea and the main problem of Dostoyevsky's novel Demons? I have tried to identify one main idea and the main problem of the novel, but in the end nothing came out.
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