"Books about human experience": the "What to Read?!" Literary Club at the National Centre RUSSIA shares recommendations

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Reading contemporary literature helps to gain a deeper understanding of human experience and the modern world. This was discussed during a meeting of the "What to Read?!" Literary Club at the National Centre RUSSIA by prose writer, poet, and Editor-in-Chief of "Literaturnaya Gazeta", Maxim Zamshev. He also shared his personal book recommendations that made a strong impression on him and, in his view, deserve attention.

Among Russian authors, Maxim Zamshev highlighted the book "Careless Life" by Zoya Boguslavskaya. The work is devoted to the era of the Thaw and the private, domestic life of the poet Voznesensky. According to the Editor-in-Chief of "Literaturnaya Gazeta", it is an engaging, intelligent, and refined work.

He also drew attention to the novel "The Paradox of Theseus" by writer Anna Basner. As Maxim Zamshev reminded the audience, the novel was shortlisted for the "Big Book" contest. He noted the subtlety of the text, the interesting plotlines, and the compelling way the reader follows the fate of the protagonist.

"If we go back a few years, I was deeply impressed by the novel "Earth" by Mikhail Yelizarov. This is also a large-scale novel on a rather sharp and complex subject: the funeral business and the people who work in it. Yet out of this emerges an incredible philosophical and human drama. It is also worth mentioning the dystopian novel "Sasha, Hello" by Dmitry Danilov. It is written in Danilov’s recognisable style, with its own language and its own stylistics. This is a genuine phenomenon in contemporary Russian literature, with an interesting approach and original linguistics," said Maxim Zamshev.

He also recommended the historical novel "Otsan" by Alexei Varlamov. The work is devoted to events in the recent history of Russia and Ukraine and to people who lived through perestroika.

Among foreign literature, Maxim Zamshev highlighted the novel "Anéantir" ("To Destroy") by Michel Houellebecq, a lyrical and almost idyllic text about the modern European individual, as well as the book "The Unhappy Love of the Fuhrer" by Arenag, which explores the activities of Albert Speer.

"Every year, a huge number of books are published, and all of them are interesting because they are written by contemporary authors living in Russia and beyond its borders, who speak about human pain and about what a person experiences today. Without this, in my view, it is impossible to live. Those who do not read the works of their contemporaries lose a great deal, reducing the quality of their own lives," Maxim Zamshev is convinced.

The "What to Read?!" Literary Club is an original project of the National Centre RUSSIA. It serves as a space for discussing literary legacy and exchanging ideas and experience. The meetings focus on an interest in thoughtful writing and the development of reading culture. Detailed information about upcoming meetings of the Literary Club and other educational projects can be found in the "Events" section on the official website of the National Centre RUSSIA, russia.ru.