Russian president, one of the most influential people in the world recommends his favorite books
“The Wine of Wisdom: TheLife, Poetry and Philosophy of Omar Khayyam”
My wife has recently given me a great present: Omar Khayam’s poems. It helps me in many difficult situations. I recommend you to buy this book
– Vladimir Putin
One of the best book recommendations for this fascinating compilation of Persian poems comes from Dee Hock, the intrepid founder of the Visa credit card. Just as Steve Jobs was more than fond of reading the poems of William Blake (per a Lifehacker article), and the founder of Harman Industries quotes Shakespeare, Khayyám’s poem is as well-known for its soul-searching beauty as for the fact that a mathematician wrote it. Explorations of life’s temporary nature jogs elbows with alcohol, as the author strives to make sense of the call of religion versus the immediacy of death – and the folly of trying to find Paradise on earth.
“The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas
I enjoyed reading Dumas’ books
– Vladimir Putin
There should be more book recommendations made on Dumas’ masterpiece, than just for the worn-out Musketeers’ quote on the magic blend of individuality and brotherly unity. There are enough quotable insults to sink a small Shakespearian ship, just between Athos and Aramis and Porthos, besides the wrangles they have with the young hothead D’Artagnan. There is villainy most foul, with Cardinal Richelieu trying to have young King Louis XIII assassinated, and Queen Anne to prove that all women’s love is not as fickle as that of Lady de Winter. A host of minor characters, including the Musketeers’ manservants, keep the dialogue lively, and the sinister blend of high-level politics and love keep everyone occupied.
“The Brothers Karamasov” by Dostoevsky
Vladimir Putin in one of the interviews said that his favorite authors are Dostoevsky and Tolstoy and recommended “The Brothers Karamasov” and “Crime and Punishment”
Also recommended by Albert Einstein, mentioned in 5 Good Books To Read According To Haruki Murakami
This is of the best allegorical novels to explain the fractured nature of 19th century Russia. Each character is representative of one of the ruling classes. There is the father Fyodor, the landowner who is negligent about his land, but greedy in using its produce for himself. There’s Dmitri, who has been passed around from house to house, and has grown up an entitled but debt-ridden soul. There’s the skeptic Ivan, who wishes to live more among cold concepts than people. Third is gentle Alyosha, the mystic and religious peacemaker, and the illegitimate Smerdyakov. Throughout are themes of love, law, and duty, which makes this one of the best Dostoyesky books to read besides Crime and Punishment.
Crime and Punishment” byDostoevsky
Vladimir Putin in one of the interviews said that his favorite authors are Dostoevsky and Tolstoy and recommended “The Brothers Karamasov” and “Crime and Punishment”
This is Dostoyevsky’s second most famous work (besides Brothers Karamasov), and also centers around a crime and a court case. Roskolnikov, a student deeply in debt and intellectual (and moral) issues, has a mad desire to kill the pawnbroker who owns some of his valuables, in order to pay his landlady. There are plenty of family and social issues to be explored, including the link between prostitution and arranged family marriages, the downward spiral of madness, and the nature of poverty and charity. The character of psychological detective Porfiry would prove especially interesting reading for those who love Les Miserables and Javier, the bulldog of the law.
“Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy
Vladimir Putin in one of the interviews named Leo Tolstoy among one of his two favorite authors and included “Anna Karenina” in his book recommendation list.
More humanly centered than his other well-known work, War and Peace, Tolstoy makes it clear that life is far too complicated for easy handouts of mercy or judgment. The novel begins with a case of family brokenness and adultery, and sympathy is geared mostly toward the malefactor. As the story unfolds, the dark sides of the likable siblings appear (Anna and Stiva), who are outwardly accepted by society in the face of moral betrayal. The contrast between Anna, who runs away with her lover Vronsky, and Lenin (who marries Vronsky’s former romantic interest), is especially worth reading. As one falls, the other rises, seeming to imply that following one’s heart is only as worthwhile as true morality is also followed.
“The Singing Heart: A Book ofQuiet Reflections” by Ivan Ilyin
Vladimir Putin knows well the works of Ivan Ilyin – a prominent Russian philosopher. Russian President has also quoted Ilyin several times in his Address to the Federal Assembly.
“The Destiny of Man” by NicolaiBerdyaev
Vladimir Putin has quoted Berdyaev in his Address to the Federal Assembly.
“For Whom the BellTolls” by Ernest Hemingway
– Vladimir Putin in an interview to Outdoor Life
Also mentioned in Song Of Solomon And 7 More Books That Made Obama
One of Hemingway’s most celebrated novels, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is an adventure story of almost mythic proportions. It has made more than a few book lists, from the American Library Association’s ‘most banned classics’ to the Modern Library’s top 100 novels of the 20th Century in English. The protagonist, a teacher named Robert Jordan, finds love and battle in the Spanish Civil War. Pilar, one of the most influential and passionate characters (though not the love interest), displayed the ‘Everyman’ fierce peasant spirit and embodied the name of the author’s fishing vessel. Hemingway wrote what he knew from his first-hand experience in that war, as well as World War I, in which he was injured while driving an ambulance.
Sketches from a Hunter’sAlbum” by Ivan Turgenev
– Vladimir Putin in an interview to Outdoor Life
Those who love the Hunger Games series won’t be disappointed by this Russia classic. These 25 real-life observations of Turgenev include the human landscape, from peasants to mothers and doctors, in their struggle for existence and poetic depictions of sorrow. In the end, his insights of beauty and sorrow led to the hunter becoming hunted by the state, although rumor has it that these tales also led to the abolition of the serf classes’ misery.
