Uptown Literati

Sometimes, I like to imagine that the world of Russian literature is a 21st century high school with all the classic stereotypes. Mikhail Bulgakov, playwright and author of The Master and Margarita, would be the drama geek who comes to life onstage with lofty dreams and operatic crescendos pounding in his heart. Fyodor Dostoevsky would [...]

Russian literature is not exactly known for its heroines. The vast majority of its protagonists are men—brooding, unstable, superfluous men who are too intelligent (or think they are) for the vapid society into which they were born. Behind the heroes, however, there are often women slinking about, pulling strings and being generally awesome. [...]