Laden...
11 days to write, 3 years on the best-seller list | ||
Kerri Miller's Must-Read | Russian reading It’s interesting how often big-time American writers list Russian authors when they’re asked to name their influences. George Saunders put “War and Peace” by Tolstoy on his list. So did Jonathan Franzen. Vendela Vida named “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky as a transformative novel, and Ann Patchett chose “Lolita” by Nabokov for her top 10. (I know this thanks to J. Peder Zane of “The Top Ten.”) It made me wonder: When Russian writers name their influences, do American writers end up on their top 10 lists? And what books are average Russian readers stacking on their nightstands these days, given the current political climate? I turned to one our show producers, Elizabeth Shockman. She speaks fluent Russian and worked for Reuters in Moscow for six years. Here’s Elizabeth: When you ride the metro in Moscow, you’ll get a pretty good sample of what Russians are reading. Everything from self-help books, to “Harry Potter,” to “Eat Pray Love.” Here are a few contemporary Russian favorites: • “Night Watch” by Sergei Lukyanenko – A fantasy set in a modern day Moscow filled with an ancient race of supernatural humans known as “Others.” • Boris Akunin’s mystery novels – They’re centered on the adventures of a fictional 19th-century Russian detective named Erast Fandorin. • “Metro 2033” by Dmitry Glukhovsky – The first in a trilogy of dark, post-apocalyptic Moscow survival stories. But the classics also get a deep and abiding appreciation in Russia. And many of the books people read on the metro are the perennial favorites: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Turgenev. That’s not to say Western classics in translation aren’t also popular. Sherlock Holmes, Mary Poppins, Tom Sawyer, Jules Verne and Shakespeare have an established and passionate fan base in Russia. -Kerri Miller and Elizabeth Shockman P.S. Tell us what you're reading on Twitter @TheThreadMPR. | |
| SPONSOR | ||
| This Week on The Thread | ||
| Neil Gaiman says dark stories from Nordic myth are perfect for hard times "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman Buy this book In his new book, the author takes the gods from Nordic myths and thrusts them into the modern world for a showdown against new deities. More | ||
| A thriller in which appropriation has horrifying consequences "White Tears" by Hari Kunzru Buy this book Suspense is the driving force in Hari Kunzru's thriller about two young white men who invent a fictional blues singer. More | ||
| "Bridges of Madison County" author Robert James Waller dies Robert James Waller famously wrote "Bridges" in only 11 days. It then spent three years on The New York Times best-seller list. More | ||
| Author says Hitler was "Blitzed" on cocaine and opiates during the war "Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich" by Norman Ohler Buy this book Ohler says that Hitler's drug abuse increased "significantly" from the fall of 1941 until winter of 1944: "Hitler needed those highs to substitute [for] his natural charisma." More | ||
| The Thread Live: An evening with David Grann David Grann, bestselling author of “The Lost City of Z,” returns with the story of a little-remembered crime that modernized investigative procedure in the United States. This is for fans of American history, true crime and rip-roaring storytelling. Get tickets | ||
| Documenting the world's animals before they're gone "The Photo Ark" by Joel Sartore Buy this book National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore is attempting to document as many species as he can. He just photographed his 6,000th animal this spring. More | ||
| Louise Erdrich among 2017 PEN/Faulkner Award nominees The judges for the award said the nominees show "that American fiction cannot be defined or contained by any particular border, wall, or edict." More | ||
| Slowly losing your sanity in space "Spaceman of Bohemia" by Jaroslav Kalfar Buy this book It's 2018 and a mysterious cloud has appeared between Earth and Venus. A Czech astrophysicist is sent to investigate. The only problem? Hanging onto his sense of reality while alone in space. More | ||
| How do you raise a feminist daughter? "Dear Ijeawele" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Buy this book Chimamanda Adichie's new book began as a letter to a childhood friend (and new mother) who had asked for some advice. Adichie has 15 suggestions. More | ||
| A Purple Heart warrior takes aim at military inequality "Shoot Like a Girl" by Maj. Mary Jennings Hegar Buy this book Maj. Mary Jennings Hegar is part of a lawsuit that argues excluding women from combat is unconstitutional. She says the lawsuit isn't about women's rights — it's about military effectiveness. More | ||
| An unnerving thriller that will stick with you for weeks "Ill Will" by Dan Chaon Buy this book "It's a literary novel and it's a horror novel at the same time," said bookstore owner Michael Herrmann. More | ||
| Author unravels her spy dad's life, one secret mission at a time "Dadland" by Keggie Carew Buy this book Keggie Carew grew up with her father's stories of parachuting into the jungle and working as a spy in Burma. She wasn't sure how much to believe until she started researching her new book. More | ||
| A middle-aged coming of age "All Grown Up" by Jami Attenberg Buy this book Novelist Jami Attenberg tells the story of Andrea Bern — a failed artist who, as she turns 40, is seeking a path to personal and professional happiness. More | ||
| Writing past the white gaze as a black author "I wanted my characters to be respectable," LJ Alonge writes. "I wanted them to somehow escape the judgment they'd get for just being, the same kind of judgment I've gotten for just being..." More | ||
| The debate over authors' use of sensitivity readers: Experts or censors? One author sees them as an extension of the research she does for all her books; another worries they're being used as a risk management tool. More | ||
|
Laden...
Laden...
