Book recommendations?

[dumbledore11214]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, kemper mentor 
<kempermentor at ...> wrote:
>
> I'd be interested in hearing what my non-American but English 
speaking brothers and sisters would recommend as their country's best 
books:  something old, something new, and something influential.
> 
> I would say for America: 
> Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (old),
> Beloved by Toni Morrison or Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy 
Toole (new), 
> Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (influential)
> 
> Without any intention to do so, I realize that with the exception 
of Superman, slavery (or its aftermath) seems to be a theme.  
> Hmm...I will have to consider what that means.  
> 
> Of course, my American siblings can offer their suggestions as 
well.  I just wanted to expand my reading beyond the American 
borders... though, if the English can suggest someone other than 
Shakespeare that would be super.
> 
> Kemper, getting ready for summer reading
>


Alla:

Boy, oh boy Kemper this is hard. To pick three best books of russian 
literature, sigh on the top of my head I can name at least 25 ( both 
writers and poets together) which I consider to be quite brilliant.

So, please consider these to be rather random picks among the best :)

Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin. I have no clue whether the 
translation was able to translate the clear beauty of the original 
and 
this is poetry, so I hope it is at least close. But this book is 
really influential for forming the language as we know it now and 
heck, for just such amazing writing.

http://www.amazon.ca/Eugene-Onegin-Novel-Alexander-
Pushkin/dp/0192838997/ref=pd_bowtega_2?
ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209874088&sr=1-2

Life and Fate by Vassily Grossman - hardly qualifies as summer 
reading, must warn you, but really good.

http://www.amazon.ca/Life-Fate-Vasily-Grossman/dp/1860460194

"Intergirl" by Vladimir Kunin. I am just giving you the link because 
I find it highly amusing.

I think this author is brilliant. I read probably ten or fifteen 
books by him and I like every single one of them and have it in my 
library. This book I find to be probably the weakest one, but it 
became famous because it was one of the first books in post 
perestroyka literature which talked about life of prostitute openly 
and with sympathy.

It is still a fun read, but if you find something else of him 
translated, start with something else.

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/offer-listing/0930267079/ref=sr_1_olp_1?
ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209874311&sr=1-1