Certainly not worth it, if ot can't be explained in a forum flame thread.

My boss says: If I need to explain then I don't need to explain (Если надо объяснять, то не надо объяснять).

I would really like an explanation now

Don't bother.

It's not worth all the posts about it. Seriously. Don't fall prey to trolling and don't check.

Thanks for all the responses! I've already read Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov (my fav) but I'll check out The Idiot (I've have seen the Kurosawa film though). I've heard of Dead Souls and I'll be probably get that next and then I'll get onto the other recommendations. Also due to the flame war, I now absolutely have to check out this Sorokin character!

ЧТД)))
There are also two russian films - one of the soviet period, unfinished, and second - quite recent TV series. I've never seen the soviet one, but the series were really interesting (don't think they can reach Kurosawa's level, though ) There is also wonderfull film adaptaion of "Crime and Punishment", a 1969 black-and-white (emm... is this a right word for черно-белый? )soviet film directed by Lev Kulidzhanov, if I remember right)

That's exactly how these shitfest authors get popular - using cheap black PR and controversy. If I were you I'd check Wikipedia and forget about him. And don't tell me i didn't warn you.

"Hit the fan! Make the damn fly happy!"

Funny, how this only happens, when somebody tell NOT to read something. Everyone just HAS to taste shit for himself to make sure it's shit.

Especially when there are two people shouting out two absolutely different opinions

That's the beauty of writing something that is sure to cause controversy, because, for example, is about taboo subjects like homosexual relations, that don't carry any useful idea themselves. It's true that a successful product is 75% PR and only 25% talent. That's why many WONDERFUL books, movies or games are lost in the shadow of well-advertised monstrosities. An average Joe won't read the discussion above (to find out, that one of the sides doesn't have any argumentation at all and hides between trolling), he'll just think - hm, everyone's talking, must be noteworthy. Dostoevskiy has written about vile subjects such as prostitution, disgusting miserable people and such, but he always had a "moral" behind it, some idea he wanted to express and never used these just to catch attention. Unlike in this case.

Blasphemy!

Remember Lada Racing Club, remember all the other overhyped things, and stay out of this.
Angel Dust! If you read his books now - you have lost to the system!

I've spoken.

It's got nothing to do with the content and everything to do with the fact that there are two very different opinions about him in this thread that have me intrigued. I'm interested in finding out where I will stand on this. I won't force myself to finish it or anything, and chances are I won't be able find anything by him over here, but I think it certainly bears a look.

Anyway I just went to the library and couldn't find Dead Souls but I managed to pick up The Master & Margarita.

I hope, it will interest you


Soviet writers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Babel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilf_and_Petrov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigizmund_Krzhizhanovsky
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniil_Kharms (The predecessor of "absurdity theatre".Very unusual author)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vsevolod_Ivanov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Platonov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Bulgakov


SImbolists and others:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyodor_Sologub
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Andreyev
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Bely (Had a great influence on Nabokov)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadezhda_Teffi


(Post)Modern writers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Sorokin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Pelevin (russian John Barth )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasha_Sokolov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Erofeyev
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Bitov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venedikt_Erofeev

How well do these books translate into English? I know it sounds like a silly question but occasionally something is lost during the translation process. Do they still contain the same spark they have in their native Russian? Where would be a good starting point?

Having read a ton of books in both languages I can tell you that it depends. No matter how good/bad the original text might be, the translator must be seasoned writer to succed, so it can't hurt to check the translator's background. The finest example is the Hamlet's Russian traslation by Boris Pasternak which is a marvelous piece of work regardless of the Shakespere's genious footage. Too bad such consistensy of both the original and the translation is far too rare to become a norm.

This may be a bit to obvious but I love Boris and Arkady sturgatskys "road side picnic"

It's a fantastic book. Have you read any of their other stuff? Pity it's so damn hard to get hold of (at least at realistic prices) but if you can, check out Prisoners Of Power, The Ugly Swans and Far Rainbow. Or anything of theirs, really

hydra unfortunately i have only read roadside picnic by them ,i did check on ebay for their other books but the insane prices and rarity of english translations makes it pretty much impossible for anyone to get copies ,im hoping one day they will get reissued with english translations as roadside picnic was an amazing book even better than the tarkovsky film based on it which is also a classic

Yeah, the Tarkovsky movie is also great (though in a completely different way). Occasionally, you can grab one of their books at a sub-£10 price, but not very often. That's why I only have a few of them, in varying conditions. I hold out little hope of getting the rest