Contemporary children's and adolescent literature: themes, genres, techniques. All books about: “Soviet youth literature... Hermann Hesse “Steppenwolf”

Abstract: The article examines the features of the genre composition of modern children's, adolescent and youth literature, its leading themes and problems, gives an idea of the main types of conflicts, types of heroes, as well as some plotting techniques.

Key words: Modern children's and youth literature, genre, theme, problem, conflict, plot

Abstract: The article discusses the features of genre composition of the modern children and adolescents and youth literature, its major themes and issues, gives an idea of the main types of conflicts, types of characters, as well as some methods of constructing the plot.

Key words: modern children and youth literature, genre, idea, conflict, method.

The genre composition of modern children's, adolescent and youth books reflects the dynamics of Russian realities: in the choice of artistic forms, themes, motifs, and techniques, authors are guided by the expectations of readers and the requests of publishers. At the same time, the book for children and teenagers continues to explore traditional themes of childhood. Publishers' focus on popular forms has changed the genre hierarchy and the very structure of reading for children and adolescents.

The temporary weakening of the position of artistic genres contributed to the revival of the documentary book (the series “Children’s Project”, “Be Like Me”, “The Life of Wonderful Children”, etc.). An interesting experience in new journalism was E. Verkin’s “Book of Tips for Surviving at School,” the leading problem of which was the problem of positioning oneself in a team.

Drawing typical situations, the experienced student accompanies them with advice on how not to become an outcast in the class and get rid of complexes. The influence of documentary photography led to the appearance of books of an autobiographical nature - “Leva’s Childhood” by B. Minaev, “Bury Me Behind the Baseboard” by P. Sanaev. These books are united by the idea of “how difficult it is to be a child” and a deep protest against the oppressive world order. Sanaev painfully exposes the danger of the tyrannical love of relatives, the consequences for the child of family discord, a fierce struggle for his affection. B. Minaev in “Leva’s Childhood” (“Men’s Day”) strives to restore the faded children’s world, which left “tender scars” in the soul and memory. The author describes the passing of childhood, the difficult path of growing up, as an important human time - mainly through events. The book presents the annual cycle of a boy's life, with a gradual expansion and exploration of the world and important discoveries: simple adventures in his home and yard, the alluring world of cinema, libraries, gardens, dachas, and villages.

The narrator describes the process of recognizing people - relatives, friends, neighbors, but he strives more to understand himself - not at all an ideal nature. The hero is burdened by his inability to communicate; his individuality and creative potential are unclaimed. However, loneliness feeds the soul. In the autobiographical story “It Will Flash Forever,” V. Popov emphasizes the intrinsic value of each period of childhood, adolescence and youth’s existence. He reflected experiences, events, family stories that were remembered for their sharpness and depth, happy moments of the fullness of being and the first dramas of discrepancy with the circle of peers, the process of forming one’s hierarchy of values, and intense creative search. The leisurely expansion of space and the parallel extension of the gaze into oneself are wonderfully conveyed.

Throughout the course of the narrative - recalling precious details, life-giving little things, recreating smells, movements, colors, sounds - the author proves the significance of his own vision, its deliberate slowness. He persistently emphasizes his individuality, which aggravates the discord with the general vector. But loneliness is not only dramatic, but also beneficial. The salvation from lack of spirituality and standard was “word creativity”. The path to becoming a creative personality is presented in M. Nisenbaum’s novel “Warm Things.”

His enduring image was the book - a resource for the hero’s spiritual and intellectual thirst, an impetus for creativity. A change in reading circle - A. Blok, S. Cherny, R. Bach, N. Gumilyov, S. Sokolov - determines the personal development of the young man, his liberation from influences. The volume of Chinese poetry revealed himself to the hero and saved him from the vulgarity of the world. A. Gezalov’s documentary story “Salty Childhood” recreates a portrait of orphanage childhood. What made him “salty” and tearful was the indifference of his teachers, the cruelty of his peers, humiliation, and the struggle for his dignity.

Simple tips for arranging your life are useful. In a children's book, a plot with a special or extraordinary hero has been strengthened. Identifying oneself with the character and experiencing similar episodes determines the compensatory effect - recognition of personal imperfection, acceptance of failure and faith in the ability to cope with it, overcoming loneliness, fears and complexes. A number of children's books consistently embody the motive of everyone's uniqueness and instill the imperative of accepting difference.

The authors show the difficulty and joy of overcoming standard perception. I. Ponornitskaya in the stories “School over the Hill” and “Hey, Fish!” raises the theme of an extraordinary child, explores the clash of individuality with reality, and recreates a real school for survival in an alien environment. Ponornitskaya’s heroines profess idealism and freedom, defending their uniqueness in spite of the cruelty of the outside world and even finding like-minded people. The heroine of the story “Hey, Fish!” experiences a moment of awareness of his own individuality, realizing that he does not fit into the general ranking - in appearance, behavior, feelings. Zhanka lives in an ecologically, morally and spiritually dysfunctional world.

Encounters with meanness, betrayal, and crime accelerate her maturation. The analogy with fish dying in an aggressive environment deepens the drama of the loss of illusions. In the story “School Over the Hill,” Ponornitskaya explores the theme of a little person’s collision with a cruel world. Fourth-grader Sveta finds herself an unwanted newcomer to the class. Hostility among peers is based on envy of talent and success. The conflict between individuality and the collective-pack is aggravated by the indifference of adults. Describing the dramatic situation, the authors take into account the constant desire of children for a happy resolution of the conflict and depict the healing of the little heroes.

Thus, based on real events, the cycle of stories by N. Nazarkin “Emerald Fish. Ward Stories” recreates the life of a children’s hospital “from the inside”, depicts the world of sick children, with their special mentality, dreams, and specific pastime in the confined space of the ward. The guys drown out the pain by reading. The author does not hide the possibility of a tragic outcome, convincing of the need to “overcome” misfortune. The green plastic fish has become a symbol of struggling childhood. A similar situation was described by Yu. Kuznetsova in “The Fictitious Bug.”

In O. Rain’s story “To the Left of the Sun”, the help of the super hacker Genka to his friend Varya in her recovery helps the teenager himself to feel the attraction of kindness, indifference, to establish himself in a new capacity as a “rescuer” and to completely get rid of callousness and extreme practicality. The authors prove that the world is not at all good, but conflicting, but dramas can be overcome, problems can be overcome. The compensatory effect of meeting special heroes is that they often become continuers of good deeds, true saviors of others: in E. Murashova’s story “The Guard of Alarm,” a conventionally fantastic plot with a reference to the Gaidar tradition helps emphasize the organic craving of adolescents to create goodness and selfless helping those in need thanks to an innovative bioelectronic device. The most suitable “link” of the ultra-modern gadget was sick Polina.

The spiritual victory over the colossal pressure of evil in one’s own soul culminates the plot of another story by Murashova, “One Miracle for a Lifetime.” The embittered Genka, who has planned to cure his brothers with the help of the unique gift of the alien Ui, will experience the beneficial effects of “a miracle - one for life.” Fox's communication with real and extraterrestrial peers convinces him of the possibility of good deeds, selflessness, and compassion, which leads to a shift in his soul and in his relationships with the world. In M. Petrosyan’s story “The House in Which,” the constant internal opposition to evil and the support of weaker children by the teenage Sphinx is akin to heroism. Their understanding of the need to find their own Path, to make an individual choice dictates an inspiring decision

to remain in the imperfect real world and help the inhabitants of the House: to save those doomed to illness and disability from pain and loneliness. An impressive result of this victory was the fulfilled fate of the guys from the gray House. Confirmation of the interest in non-standard heroes is the story of the orphanage resident Briga from N. Kovaleva’s story “The Winter and Summer of the Boy Zhenya.” Open, decent, honest, he stumbles, but stubbornly resists the seduction of the street. Music and books give him stability. Unusual heroes - awkward, uncommunicative, despised by the majority - also appear in the book “Mushroom Rain for a Hero” by D. Wilke. The center of the plot becomes the discovery of the “stranger” as one’s own. The book outlines the current situation: at the end of their childhood, the heroes experienced the dangerous temptation of a bad act: completely respectable teenagers, unexpectedly for themselves, obeying the instinct of the pack, crossed the line of harmless entertainment. The awkwardness they experience, the awareness of someone else's vulnerability, stirs their conscience and becomes a step on the path to humanization.

The school theme received a new interpretation. The ambiguous state of modern school is captured in the books of E. Murashova “Correction Class”, “Alarm Guard”. O. Rain in the story “Youths before the Flood”, within the framework of an adventure-detective plot, explores growing up, the complexities of relationships in the teenage world, the problems of choice and self-determination. During the test of loyalty to truth and honor, Sergei grows up, feels responsible - for himself and his friends, choosing the path of good work, and ultimately gains a happy feeling of kinship with his family, with the world. The stories by A. Zhvalevsky and E. Pasternak “Shakespeare Never Dreamed of” and “Time is Always Good” give different perspectives on school life. The conventional plot of the exchange of eras between two teenagers allows us to compare the school of the past and the future: both will get used to new times, making sure that they are always good, and their quality depends on people and their actions.

The parallel display of the sympathy of current teenagers that flared up on a snowy spring day and the long-standing school history of their parents in the story “February 52” helps to convince oneself of the immutability of feelings and the connection of generations. An ironic cross-section of the life of the current school appeared in the peculiar epic of school life “Notes of an Outstanding Loser” by A. Givargizov, in the books by T. Kryukova “Potapov, to the blackboard!”, K. Dragunskaya “Kissing is Forbidden”, built on the absurd, exaggeration, and grotesque. A new twist on the family theme is given by the stories of D. Sabitova, who deeply and subtly develop the motive of finding a family (“Three of Your Names”), Y. Kuznetsova’s “Where is Dad?”, A&E “House of Pi”. I. Kraeva in the story “Baba Yaga Writes” stylizes the correspondence of a Moscow grandmother with her overseas grandson. An experiment with form allows us to show the mutual discovery of their worlds. Fantasy illustrates the genre searches of modern teenage literature. The species proliferation of this form is confirmed by the development of Christian fantasy by Yu. Voznesenskaya. The novel "Cassandra's Way" takes place in the future.

On an island flooded after a nuclear disaster, people live in a meager surrogate world of a terrible totalitarian state under the leadership of the Messiah, building an illusory “reality”. The plot convinces of the unconditionality of the spiritual principle. M. Aromshtam in the book “The Legend of Uraulf, or Three Parts of White” creates a conventional, but at the same time geographically and socially complexly structured space of the Valley, Forest, Mountains, Peaks; the existence of the tribes inhabiting them, a complex tangle of contradictions. After the victory of the united army under the leadership of the valiant Uraulf, a new time began: the sun again became white, multiplying goodness.

Thus, new children's literature demonstrates a variety of creative searches, genre and artistic diversity, an abundance of entertaining plots, sharp intrigues, deep questions, a new understanding of classical motifs, and thereby its viability. Modern authors strive to embody the process of saying goodbye to adolescence and its illusions - children's faith in the unconditionality of happiness and goodness. They offer different ways out of the loneliness and discomfort of teenage life - through awakening interest in others, caring for them, being creative, through books, music, faith and love.

Bobina T.O.

The most demanding, attentive and serious audience is young people. Determining their own priorities, interests and desires in the process of growing up, the guys look for kindred spirits on the pages of works, saturating their lives with adventures and experiences, sometimes even identifying themselves with the main characters.

Modern teenage literature is no longer children's books about first school love and problematic relationships with parents. Most novels raise adult problems of very young people. And such books can teach a lot not only to the younger generation, but even to all-knowing adults.

What have teenagers been reading for the last decade? Children over 14 are no longer interested in encyclopedias and fairy tales; fantasy, historical adventure works, detective stories... and, of course, popular books by modern authors are becoming closer and more understandable.

Fifteen-year-old Charlie is trying to cope with the suicide of his friend, Michael. In order to somehow get rid of anxiety and depression, he begins to write letters to a stranger, a good person whom he has never met in person. At school, Charlie unexpectedly finds a mentor in the person of his English teacher, and friends, classmate Patrick and his half-sister Sam. For the first time, Charlie decides to start a new life. He goes on a first date, kisses a girl for the first time, makes and loses friends, experiments with drugs and drinking, participates in the Ricky Horror play and even writes his own music.

Charlie lives a relatively quiet and stable home life. But a disturbing family secret, which influenced his whole life, makes itself felt at the end of the school year. Charlie tries to get out of his head and into the real world, but the fight becomes more and more difficult.

2. "We're Expired" by Stace Kramer

Virginia is 17 years old and has everything a girl could dream of. She is young, beautiful, smart, going to enter Yale University, she has a beloved boyfriend Scott, a best friend Olivia, kind and loving parents. But at the prom, Virginia finds out that Scott is leaving her. Quite drunk, in a fit of anger, she gets behind the wheel of a car and gets into a terrible accident. The girl remains alive, but both her legs are amputated. So in an instant, Virginia’s fabulous life turns into real hell. And the girl increasingly wonders whether it’s worth living like this at all?

3. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The life of one ordinary American Salmon family is turned upside down in an instant when Susie, the eldest daughter, is brutally and unjustly killed by a maniac.

One December day, on her way home from school, the girl accidentally encountered her killer. She was lured into an underground hiding place, raped and killed. Now Susie is in heaven, watching the people of her city enjoying life while they are alive. But the girl is not ready to leave forever, because she knows the name of the criminal, but her family does not. Susie desperately holds on to her life and watches with alarm as her family and friends try to continue to exist. What worries Susie even more is the fact that the killer is still living near them.

This is the tragic and instructive story of Alice, a girl who at a very young age plunged into the destructive world of drugs.

It started when Alice was given a soft drink mixed with LSD. Over the next month, she lost her comfortable home and loving family and replaced them with city streets and drugs. They robbed her of her innocence, her youth... and, ultimately, her life.

Hazel Lancaster was diagnosed with lung cancer at a young age. She believes that she must come to terms with what her life has become. But then, by chance, she meets a young man named Augustus Waters, who several years ago managed to overcome cancer. When Hazel, with her sarcastic tone, tries to interrupt Augustus' attempts to meet him, he realizes that he has found the girl he has been looking for all his life. Despite the terrible diagnosis, young people enjoy every new day and try to fulfill Hazel’s dream - to meet her favorite writer. They cross the ocean and go to Amsterdam for this meeting to take place. And although this acquaintance turns out to be not quite what they expected, in this city young people find their love. Perhaps the last one in their lives.

For 16-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Preparatory is more than a summer program, it's a lifeline. An outcast at his school, Dan is excited about the opportunity to make friends during the summer program. But when he arrives at college, Dan learns that his dorm is a former mental hospital, better known as the last refuge for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan explore the hidden recesses of their spooky summer house, they soon discover that it's no coincidence that the three of them end up here. This hideout holds the key to a horrific past, and there are some secrets that don't want to stay buried.

For the school's most popular senior, Samantha Kingston, February 12th - "Cupid's Day" - promises to turn into one big party: Valentine's Day, roses, gifts and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And this lasted until Samantha died in a terrible accident that night. However, she wakes up the next morning as if nothing had happened. In fact, Sam relives the last day of her life seven times until she realizes that even the slightest change in her last day could affect the lives of others much more than she previously realized.

This is a story about the lives of ordinary New York teenagers, written by a seventeen-year-old boy. Children who are bought off by rich parents with money, throw parties in luxurious mansions and know no other entertainment except drugs and sex, which leads to tragic and shocking consequences.

To avoid getting into such situations, you should definitely read books about sex for teenagers.

A young man named Smoker lives in a boarding school for disabled children. When he is transferred to a new group, he begins to understand that this is not just a boarding school, but a building filled with eerie secrets and mysticism. The Smoker learns that all the inhabitants of the castle, even the teachers and directors, do not have names, only nicknames. It turns out that there is a parallel world and some children can move there freely. A year before his graduation, the guy begins to feel fear of the real world, which is located outside the walls of this house. He is oppressed by the most important question: stay or go? Go into the real world or a parallel one, even if not forever?

The reader will have to decide for himself whether this House is really magical, or is it just the imagination of children?

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden and the source of all strife and trouble. Even so, Montag is unhappy. Disagreements in a marriage, books hidden in the house... The mechanical dog of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal injection, accompanied by helicopters, is ready to hunt down all dissidents who challenge society and the system. And Guy feels that he is being watched, waiting for him to take the wrong step. But is it worth fighting for life in a society that has already ruined itself a long time ago?

Teenage literature is also of interest from the point of view of the development of genres. The well-known genres of fairy tales, short stories, novels, and novels are also relevant in modern literature. They are saved and adapted to the needs of readers.

Thus, in early adolescence, from 10 to 13 years of age, interest in fairy tales changes in favor of science fiction and fantasy. These preferences are associated with dreams of a miracle. The book compensates for what is missing in everyday life. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien gives the concept of a fairy tale as a story that is directly related to a magical land. Everything that happens in the fairy tale is shown realistically and naturally. “But besides this, in a fairy tale the reader finds - and in a very curious way - space for flights of fancy, the opportunity to restore mental balance and a way to escape from reality, a comforting ending...”. The fairy tale genre is close in definition to fantasy. D.B. Lopukhov emphasizes the closeness and difference of these genres: “On the one hand, fantasy is fundamentally different from a fairy tale, because it is a non-zero-sum game, and on the other hand, it is absolutely indistinguishable from a fairy tale, since it is anti-veristic.” Having studied the history of the formation of the genre, the author gives his definition: “Fantasy is a type of unrealistic literature in which fiction is mixed with reality, suppresses it and, guided only by the movement of the author’s thoughts, transforms it into a new one. This reality is nothing more than an absolutely unique world, with its own laws and traditions. In this world, a group of adventurers seeks to complete a certain quest. The fate of the World depends on whether it is fulfilled or not.”

Similar characteristics can be found in modern stories, for example, in the works of A. Zhvalevsky and E. Pasternak. Their story “Time is Always Good” uses the quest situation as a plot-forming one. At the beginning of the story, the characters find themselves in certain difficulties and begin to look for ways out and solutions to problems. The natural ending of the story is the completion of a certain task. Quest passed - “game over”.

Such situations that require resolution are a constant use of computer games, in which, as we know, most teenagers show great interest.

Also, adventure novels that describe heroic events, many storylines, adventures, and intrigues are in great demand among teenagers. These novels satisfy the interests of those readers who are interested in the formation of a strong personality and ways to fight evil. They feature heroes and anti-heroes.

The modern analogue of the novel is a detective story; its peculiarity is the motive of mystery, path, investigation. The works of Alexander Bondar are known in this genre. He created remakes (a remake, as the author himself defines it) based on the works of Arkady Gaidar and received mixed reviews among the reading public. A literary remake is a revised, remade text of a famous work. Such a text is “The Drummer,” created during the author’s emigration.

The demand for the detective genre is due to the presence in the plot of “acute” collisions and dead-end situations that force teenagers to think through, look for their own solutions, build logical chains, and, as a result, read to the end. The ending of a work in this genre is not always successful, but it is always associated with the revelation of a certain secret.

After getting acquainted with the mythical worlds and heroic events, it is time to return to real life. An actively reflective teenager looks for himself in books, the answer to his questions, doubts, torments, so he vitally needs works about his peers and, above all, a modern school story. In the 70s of the last century, this need was satisfied by the stories of Anatoly Aleksin, Vladislav Krapivin, Vladimir Zheleznikov and others. Among modern authors writing about the school of the present time, one can name Ekaterina Murashova (“Correction Class”, “Alarm Guard”, “One Miracle for Life”, Andrei Zhvalevsky and Evgenia Pasternak (“Shakespeare Never Dreamed of”, “Like Look in Short ", "Time is always good", "Gymnasium No. 13", "Moskvest").

A school story is often written from the perspective of the main character, coming as close as possible to the diary genre; often this is what a diary is. Diary entries are distinguished by psychologism, subjectivity of the author’s views, and frankness. “The diaries of modern authors,” notes M. Solomonova, “are, in fact, real diaries themselves - the books are stylized as written, painted notebooks, opening which, enthusiastic children immediately find themselves in the space offered by the author, usually a professional designer, caricaturist and part-time artist." A striking example of such diaries is the story “Sugar Baby” by O. Gromova. The author in the preamble to the text states that “this is a true story told from the words of Stella Nudolskaya.”

The story also belongs to the realistic genre. It is preserved in the modern literary situation, but most often not as a separate artistic unit, but as a component of a whole cycle. Well-known and popular among teenagers are collections of stories by N. Evdokimova. The stories of V. Krapivin do not lose their relevance.

In connection with the development of the Internet, alternative genre education is included in the reading circle of teenagers. These are so-called “fan fiction”. This name comes from the English “fan-fiction”, which means “fan fiction”

This is the so-called fan literature. The creators of such literature do not claim copyright on their works. The peculiarity of this genre is the continuation of an already existing plot of films, TV series, novels, anime, and computer games.

“Fan fiction” is rapidly gaining popularity among young people. Young readers actively read and create their own essays with fantastic plots. Thanks to the initiative of readers, their favorite characters get new life.

A teenager of the 21st century is presented with a huge variety of literary works created in various genres.

There are no roads except the ones we choose.

Sometimes one person is forced to answer for everyone.

CHAPTER 1.
ATTRACTION
The library was as cold as if the heating wasn't working. Rusty radiators were unable to heat the dilapidated two-story pre-war building with impressive gaps in the window frames.

Outside the windows, snow crunched under the feet of passers-by, and in the building, from a draft, the wallpaper cracked in unison, threatening, along with the cobwebs and its inhabitants, to collapse on nothing...

“Literature, like any other type of creativity, is a constant companion of man in his evolution” (Alexey Yashin. “The post-literary period of human life: optimists and pessimists.” (Please consider the above as additional source material for the discussion announced in the previous issue of “Prioksky dawn" (see 1, 2013): "Won't it be enough to “throw Pushkin off the ship of history?” - note by A. Ya.) And indeed, taking a look at the entire cultural period of human history, we see what it is. ..

There is something in her that is more beautiful than beauty,
What speaks not with feelings - with the soul;
There is something about her that is more autocratic over the heart
Earthly love and earthly charms.
Evgeny Baratynsky, “She”

The river of memories flows, smoothly bending around or, conversely, foaming at the islands encountered along the way. These could be conversations about the past and photographs depicting people dear to you or known to you. The waters of this river are here, in front of you, but an hour ago they were far from you, and those that are now...

In 3rd “B” there is a literature lesson. The teacher calls Vasya to the board and says:

So, Vasya, tell us about the great Russian writer Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. When he was born, where he studied, how he lived and what he did. Ready for the lesson?

Zinaida Sergeevna, can I tell you a little not what is written in the textbook, but in my own words?

Of course, you should always tell it in your own words.

No, that's not what I meant at all. I want to talk about my dad and Pushkin.

And what does your dad have to do with it...

Every topic naturally has its origins, its beginning. Of course, the theme also has them.

My research. I didn’t want to overcomplicate the history of the issue and I decided to mention well-known

Facts, dividing and connecting them differently, in a new way. At the very end of the 18th century, Goethe created the tragedy "Faust" (Part I). Before

The legend of Faust was embodied in literature by G. Lessing, J. Lenz, and F. Klinger. In Goethe's tragedy the brightest comes to life

The literary image of evil (Mephistopheles), which appeared...

Why is an excerpt from the story called “Russian Poetry”? After all, we are talking about something completely different here. But perhaps this has its own meaning. In order to answer this question, let’s consider the features of the author’s literary techniques.

The connection of the narrative to the policies of the USSR leadership of the 70s of the last century is immediately visible. There is an obvious attempt to portray her as anti-Israel. The main personalities are the heads of the Middle East department of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "It was 1971. Behind us were...

Oh, this world, sad and mortal world!
And all that you see and hear in it is vanity.
What is this life?
Smoke in the heavenly abyss,
Ready every moment to disappear without a trace...
Fudwiwara Kiyosuke

One of the most mysterious phenomena in world classical literature is Eastern prose and lyrics. It is very difficult for us Europeans to understand the elaborate ornateness of phrases and half-hints. If Baratynsky wrote haiku, then his verse (“Spring, spring! How clean the air! How clear the sky!...”) would sound like this...

The crazy pace of life has made us hostage to incredible heights and achievements. The short century of a moment of life is insignificant, and in a hurry we forget about our “I”. We have become hostages of our own parameters and standards: we strive for material well-being, but we forget to just talk to each other. We arrange our homes according to Feng Shui, go on vacation to the East, sincerely hoping that all this will help us achieve harmony in life, but we forget about our loved ones.

Fundamentals of Eastern Philosophy...

The literary history of the famous Major Pronin began with this small book, which appeared in 1941 in the “Library of the Red Army Soldier” series. Six short stories revolutionized Soviet mass literature. For the first time, the people found a real modern, and not a fairy-tale hero, who after work can go to football and visit the all-Union health resort Crimea. The readers liked the new hero. Intricate crimes, cunning conspiracies, and the grace with which the wise major revealed them, provided Pronin with a nationwide...

Strange General Oleg Koryakov

“The Strange General” is the first attempt in Soviet fiction to narrate the Anglo-Boer War. This amazing story is about Pyotr Kovalev and his friend Dmitry Borozdin. Whether this is fiction or not, the author himself does not know. But this is definitely historical truth.

Rainy season Ilya Shtemler

One morning, while walking, a neighbor's dog found the body of a baby in the courtyard of the house where the famous journalist Yevsey Dubrovsky lived. An investigation begins and a police investigator approaches the journalist. However, in an unexpected way, as the case progresses, Dubrovsky from a witness becomes a suspect... Read about this, as well as about the passions of bibliophiles, about love and hate, about duty and honor, about the eternal themes of Russian literature, in Ilya Shtemler’s new novel “The Rainy Season.”

Four and Krak Evgeniy Korablev

At Five Streams Evgeniy Korablev

The Urals of the past, present and future - a land of inexhaustible riches, amazing natural phenomena, a land of original, brave and seeking people - is primarily the theme of many works of the “Ural Library of Travel, Adventure and Science Fiction”. The trilogy of the now forgotten writer E. Korablev (Grigory Grigorievich Mladov), who can rightfully be considered one of the founders of the genre of Soviet adventure literature, is dedicated to the Urals of the first years of Soviet power and its people. Works “Four and Krak”,…

Rock contemplator Evgeny Korablev

Mangushev and lightning Alexander Pokrovsky

In the maritime prose of Alexander Pokrovsky, which has already become a classic of the genre, there has always been a place for romantic and touching stories. If they did not appear openly, they were always present as a hint and hidden subtext in caustic and brutal narratives. As a happy solution to a hopeless and sorrowful existence. In the new book, the fabulous and magical appear reverently and openly, as the author resorts to the most ingenuous genre of literature. Reading a fairy tale, we seem to turn not only to childhood, which still lives in us, but also to pure essences...

The Viking Age in Northern Europe Gleb Lebedev

The monograph is devoted to a topic little studied in Soviet historical literature - the final stage of the transition of the peoples of Europe from a primitive communal system to a class society. It examines the main stages of Viking activity in Western Europe and shows the inconsistency of the Normanist constructions of bourgeois historiography. For the first time, using specific data from history, archeology, numismatics and language, the significance of Ancient Rus' for the internal development of the Scandinavian countries is revealed, the leading place of the Old Russian state is shown...

Vladimir Monomakh Vasily Sedugin

His name became legendary during his lifetime. He wrote one of the most glorious pages in the history of Rus'. During his long reign, Vladimir Monomakh made 80 military campaigns; under his command, the Russian army completely defeated the predatory Cumans in 1111, securing its borders from steppe raids for a whole generation. With an iron hand, he stopped the princely civil strife, uniting the Russian land and giving it peace and prosperity - it was under Vladimir Vsevolodovich that Kievan Rus reached the pinnacle of its power, becoming the first state in Europe. The Byzantine itself...

Khlopushin search Mikhail Zuev-Ordynets

The uprising under the leadership of Pugachev was blazing with a terrible fire, sweeping away the power of the serf owners. At the Ural mining factories, working people were preparing to join the rebels. Pugachev's associate Khlopusha, risking his life, established connections with factory workers, fanning the flames of the uprising brighter and brighter. The book “Khlopushin’s Search” is dedicated to these glorious pages of Ural history. Its author, writer Mikhail Efimovich Zuev-Ordynets, was born in 1900 in Moscow. Participated in the civil war. He began publishing in 1925. He is one of the founders of the Soviet…

Crocodile under the bed Mariasun Landa

The day X. X. discovered a crocodile under his bed, he realized that he had a really serious problem. Not understanding whether this was reality or a figment of a sick imagination, he consulted a doctor. “Crocoditis” - without thinking twice, he diagnosed it as if it were the most common flu... Is it possible to talk with humor about loneliness and lack of communication? Mariazun Landa masterfully does this in her book, which has already gone through a dozen editions, translated into several languages and received the Spanish National Prize for Children and Youth in 2003...

Blue Angel Lev Ovalov

Pre-war Moscow is entangled in a network of cold-blooded and calculating intelligence agents of one powerful Western power. While the whole country is working on projects for new machines, plants and factories, the enemy does not sleep: a talented engineer was killed, valuable drawings were stolen. Before you is the second, and perhaps the most difficult adventure of Major Pronin. An elegant spy story in which a) Major Pronin wears a green coat, b) one of the most important clues is a record with the song “Blue Angel” performed by Marlene Dietrich, c) tribute is paid to Armenian cognac,...

Volume 2. Soviet literature Anatoly Lunacharsky

The second volume included articles, reports, and speeches by Lunacharsky on Soviet literature. These articles were republished more than once and were included in various collections. His numerous articles on Soviet literature are comparatively less known to today's readers, since for the most part they remained lost for a long time in old magazines, newspapers, and books. Meanwhile, Lunacharsky paid a lot of attention to literary modernity and played a prominent role in the development of Soviet literature, not only as an authoritative critic and theorist, a participant in all major...

An anti-guide to modern literature... Roman Arbitman

It is not for nothing that the famous critic Roman Arbitman is called the “orderly person of the literary forest”: for several years in a row he has been reading the most notable books that have appeared on the shelves, and mercilessly cracks down on those that are dangerous to read and harmful to the wallet. His Anti-Guide to Modern Literature consists of short and witty recommendations with a minus sign. You can agree with them - and then you will be spared disappointments. But you, of course, can ignore the critic’s opinion and set sail across the sea of books...