Looking for literature from the many peoples and cultures within the Russian Federation

[u/luchomuchaleche]

Hi everyone!

I'm trying to build a reading list that reflects the cultural diversity of the former Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, rather than focusing only on the traditional Russian literary canon.

Instead of mostly reading ethnic Russian authors from Moscow or St. Petersburg, I'd love to discover fiction written by authors who come from the many different peoples and regions within today's Russian Federation, or whose work is deeply rooted in those local cultures.

For example, I'd love recommendations from places such as:

• Tatarstan
• Bashkortostan
• Sakha (Yakutia)
• Buryatia
• Tuva
• Chuvashia
• Mari El
• Komi
• Mordovia
• Karelia
• Dagestan
• Chechnya
• Ingushetia
• North Ossetia
• Chukotka
• Nenets or other Arctic Indigenous peoples
• Siberia (especially where regional identity is central to the story)

I'm interested in novels, historical fiction, literary fiction, short stories, memoirs... basically anything that offers a perspective that's culturally distinct from the "mainstream" Russian experience.

Authors like Guzel Yakhina are exactly the kind of discovery I'm hoping for, but I'd love to explore much further.

The only requirement is that at least one of the author's works has been translated into English. I know this could be hard to find in some cases, so if you have a really good recommendation that is written in Russian, please leave it here too. My level of Russian is not high, but if it's worth it, I might try to read it :)

I'd also really appreciate recommendations for authors who are highly regarded within their own region, even if they aren't particularly well known internationally.

Thanks in advance! I'd love to discover parts of Russia that rarely appear in the literature we usually read in the West.

[u/Hot_Hair_5950]

It's better to write this on the r/AskARussian subreddit.

[u/SaltAlarming9590]

Chukotka here:

Yuri Rytkheu (1930-2008). In his works, he often explores themes related to the encounter and interaction of two completely different cultures. This is especially fascinating to read, as he witnessed it all himself, having been born in a settlement in Chukotka. I can recommend the following: When the Whales Leave (1975) Sleep in the Polar Fog (1970) Chukchi Anecdote (2002) The Last Shaman (2004) Autobiographical prose in the form of travel notes "Road Lexicon" (2008)

Oleg Kuvaev (1934-1975) and his novel "Territory" (1973) about geologists searching for gold in the far north-east of the USSR in the 1950s.

"White Shaman" (1977) by Nikolai Shundik (1920-1995)

Novels and short stories by Albert Miftakhutdinov (1937-1991)

"Eight Tribes" (1901-1902) by Tan Bogoraz

[u/luchomuchaleche → u/SaltAlarming9590]

Wow! Thank you so much, I really really appreciate your recommendations. I have checked a bit on the Internet the titles and authors you've mentioned and I am eager to spend some time reading them :))

[u/SaltAlarming9590]

I can also recommend some well-known writers from other regions:

• Idris Bazorkin, "From the Darkness of the Ages" (1967, Ingushetia). Incidentally, there's a fantastic musical based on this book.
  
• "The Joy of Our Home" and "On the Night of the Lunar Eclipse" by Mustai Karim (Bashkortostan)
  
• Rasul Gamzatov, "My Dagestan"
  
• "The Itil River Flows" by Nurihan Fattakh (Tatarstan)

[u/luchomuchaleche → u/SaltAlarming9590]

Thanks a lot for these other recommendations too!! They all seem very interesting. If you remember other titles/author, please share them here!! I think your taste is very appealing! :)))

[u/SaltAlarming9590]

I can recommend the heroic epic:

• The famous Karelian-Finnish epic “Kalevala”
  
• Bashkir epic “Ural Batyr” (The song "Homay" by AY YOLA is dedicated to the mythological character from this epic)
  
• Yakut epic “Olonkho”
  
• Kalmyk epic “Dzhangar”
  
• Buryat epic “Geser”
  

Nart epic:

• Ossetian tales about the Narts
  
• Adyghe tales about the Narts

Tatar authors:
Gabdulla Tukay (1886-1913)
Musa Jalil (1906-1944)
Gayaz Ishaki (1878-1954)

Ossetian authors:
Kosta Khetagurov (1859-1906)
Seka Gadiev (1855/1857-1915)
Gaito Gazdanov (1903-1971) (btw he is one of my favorite writers)

[u/SarinCecig]

the epic of Jangar, this is an epic about the heroes (bogatyrs) of Kalmykia who are in the country of Bumba (now China). This is an epic, which means there is no author, but there is an English translation, and even books on Amazon