A part of me still wants to learn Russian. They have some truly great novelists and I'm very curious how their novels give off a richer experience in their native language vs translated ones.
Nabokov and Dostoevsky for example were very good at word play. They used subtle irony and evocative imagery. There's also slang and cultural context. Such nuances can be difficult to transfer in translation.
Yes, there are very interesting writers. I really like the philosopher ✍️ Aleksandr Dugin and his writings are very reflective and rational. I recommend it
I have read the same book (one by Dostoyevsky) from different translators and there was indeed a difference. So reading the book in the original language should give a much better experience.
Btw the best translator from Russian to Greek is Άρης Αλεξάνδρου who was also a writer...
I just finished "We the living" by Ayn Rand, definitely not one for wordplay, but I still enjoy her writing style and it was a good "man vs state" book set during the bolshevik revolution.
I recently heard about "Life and Fate" by Vasily Grossman. It was been compared to being as good as War and Peace, both in its importance and it's writing. It's next on my list
