Book publishing houses of Russia: list, rating, addresses. Best Contemporary Books Most Popular Fiction

A book is a whole world that exists not only on paper, but also in the imagination of the reader. Finding a good piece is a difficult task. This review includes best books of all time- rating of the top 10 works that everyone should read.

1. War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)

One of the best Russian novels was written between 1863 and 1869, but the publication of the work did not begin until 1865. The book shows the life of the Russian nobility during the war with the army of Napoleon Bonaparte.

In St. Petersburg, Anna Scherer, who is in good standing with the Empress, arranges a reception. All the cream of Petersburg society is invited to it. The elite of the nobility speak French as well and as often as Russian. Here, for the first time, fears and assumptions are expressed about the upcoming war with the French. At the same time, in Moscow, Count Rostov is hosting a reception to celebrate the birthday of his daughter Natasha. Moscow society is less concerned with politics and more involved in everyday life. But soon the war will abruptly turn the fate of the entire nobility of the empire.

2. 1984 (George Orwell)

The dystopia was written in 1948. The events of the novel take place in 1984. The author of the book has always opposed the idealization of the party and the work has a pronounced political overtones.

In 1984 England, there is only one political party, the Outer Party. Its permanent leader is Big Brother, who has concentrated all power in his hands. The protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, works for the Ministry of Truth. In appearance, he is an ordinary civil servant who adheres to the ideology of the party and strictly follows its law. In fact, Smith is not satisfied with the established order of things. He is afraid of what will happen if someone finds out about his true views. Winston's main task is to find among the employees of the Ministry those who can be trusted and those who should be kept away from.

3. Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)

One of Vladimir Nabokov's most popular and best books was written by him in 1955 in English and later translated into Russian by the author himself. The work tells about the life of a man who, due to psychological trauma in childhood, has not lost his attraction to young girls and his relationship with his stepdaughter.

Nickname of the protagonist Humbert. His main problem is that he is not attracted to adult women, but at the same time he is afraid to answer before the law for having relations with minors. His salvation is the girls involved in prostitution, whose services he periodically resorts to. Everything changes when Humbert finds a widow with a daughter named Dolly. Humbert gives the latter the nickname Lolita and marries her mother.

4. To the lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)

The novel by the English writer quickly gained popularity and entered the top of the best works of all time. The book tells about the life of a large Ramsey family in a house from which the lighthouse is visible.

Mr and Mrs Ramsay live in a house on the Isle of Skye with their eight children. They often stay with family friends and just acquaintances. Mrs. Ramsay is a strict woman, she causes envy in others and genuine love in her children. Mr. Ramsay, on the other hand, is respected by his friends, but the children consider him a tyrant. The children's dream to go at least once to the lighthouse, which they see every day since their birth, runs like a red thread through the whole novel. Every day the mother promises that tomorrow they will definitely go there, but the father opposes it. Over time, life changes dramatically and the desire to visit the lighthouse fades into the background.

5. The Great Gatsby (Francis Scott Fitzgerald)

The middle of the ranking of the best books in history is occupied by The Great Gatsby. The novel was first published in 1925. The work tells about the life of the golden elite of American society in the "roaring twenties". This is a book about people making money out of nothing and blowing it away on the cusp of the Great Depression.

The story is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, who was born into a wealthy family but never exalted himself above others. Nick moves to Long Island and rents a house next door to his second cousin Daisy's. There, Nick meets another neighbor - the fabulously rich, but unknown to anyone, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby throws amazing parties, inviting all the elite of New York to them. Something draws Nick to Gatsby. It seems to him that among the fans of all the dirt, debauchery and hopeless squandering of Long Island, Jay is the purest person.

6. Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)

The only novel by an American writer, which became a real bestseller in a matter of days after publication. The work tells about the events that took place during the American Civil War and immediately after its end. The book was published in 1936.

The main character of the novel, Scarlett O'Hara, lives in the American South and is one of the most beautiful southern girls. All the young people who have ever met her are in love with her, but Scarlett herself is confident and never reciprocates anyone. Her heart belongs to Ashley Wilkes. Suddenly, war is approaching the lands of the south. The usual noise of the ball and the chirping of spring picnics is replaced by the roar of guns. The life of all southerners is changing dramatically, but Scarlett has the greatest number of upheavals.

7. The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien)

The Lord of the Rings is the best fantasy book of all time. The novel was first published in 1954. This is a single work, divided into three volumes due to its impressive volume. For over 50 years The Lord of the Rings has been in print as a trilogy.

The protagonist of the Hobbit story preceding the novel, Bilbo Baggins, retired, having given his nephew the hobbit Frodo a strange ring. From the old magician, Frodo learns that this is not just an ornament, but the Ring of Omnipotence. It was created by the vain Sauron in Mordor. The Ring of Omnipotence subdues the 19 remaining rings that are held by elves, hobbits and humans. It gives its owner power over the world, while destroying all the good that was in it. Sauron is hunting for his ring and now Frodo must prevent the instrument of power from falling into the hands of the king of darkness.

8 Beloved (Toni Morrison)

Dark-skinned Sethie was once a slave in the southern states, and then fled to the lands of the free north. However, there was a law in the United States that allowed a slave to be prosecuted in any state. Many years have passed since the escape, but Sethie and her daughter Denver have not got used to a free life. One day, a girl named Beloved appears on the threshold of their house. She magically enchants Sety and completely absorbs her attention. Her friend Paul Di rushes to rescue Sethie, but he does not know the whole truth about the life of his friend. Why does Sethie feel guilty towards her Beloved?

9. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

The classic educational novel by an American writer was written in 1960 in the ranking of the best works of all time. The book is based on memories from the childhood of Harper Lee herself, all events and characters correspond to reality.

In the small town of Maycomb lives the main character of the novel - a six-year-old Jeanne, as well as her brother Jim, father Atticus and friend Dill. Atticus works as a lawyer and takes on the most complicated and, at first glance, hopeless cases. This time he is defending the black Tom, who allegedly raped a girl named Mayella. No one but Atticus and his son believes in Tom's innocence. Together, Genie, Jim and Dill become interested in a mysterious neighbor nicknamed the Scarecrow. Why does he never leave the house? And is Tom really guilty of what happened to the girl?

10. On the road (Jack Kerouac)

Rounding out our top 10 best books of all time is On the Road. The novel was written in 1951, but publishing houses rejected it for six years. Only in 1957 the work was published. The book is based on real events from the life of Jack Kerouac himself and his best friend.

Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty meet by chance during Dean's trip to New York. Moriarty admires Paradise's writing talent and together they decide to go on a journey in search of inspiration. Friends travel for three years, having traveled most of the United States during this time, and then part. Dean remarries and Sal continues to travel. The writer meets a Mexican woman and decides to arrange a life in Mexico on cotton plantations, but Dean finds him and they break off again in search of adventure.

The article presents the world's largest book publishers.

World book publishers:

3. Macmillan- one of the oldest publishing houses in Great Britain, founded in 1843 by two Scottish brothers - Daniel and Alexander Macmillan. The publishing house publishes literature for students of English, as well as fiction, popular science and educational literature. Macmillan published works by such authors as Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland), Rudyard Kipling (Mowgli), William Yeats, Margaret Mitchell (Gone with the Wind). Since 1999, the publishing house has been owned by the German media concern Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group.

4 Harper Collins is one of the largest publishing companies in the world, established in 1989. The publishing house is owned by News Corp, a media holding owned by Australian and American media mogul Rupert Murdoch. In 2015, HarperCollins published the novel Go Set a Watchman by author Harper Lee, best known for her book To Kill a Mockingbird, which died in 2016.

Harper was founded in New York in 1817 by brothers James and John Harper. The publisher published books such as Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, as well as magazines: Harper's Magazine, Harper's Weekly and Harper's Bazaar. In 1895, a contract was signed with Mark Twain for the exclusive right to publish his books. In 1962, Harper merged with Row, Peterson & Company and the new publisher became Harper & Row Publishers. In 1987, Harper & Row Publishers was acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp for $300 million.

Collins was founded by William Collins in 1819 in Glasgow and originally published dictionaries and Christian religious literature. In the future, the publishing house began to produce children's, fiction and classical literature. Among the authors of Collins were Clive Staples Lewis, Agatha Christie, John Tolkien. Rupert Murdoch bought the publishing house in 1989.

5. Simon & Schuster was founded in New York in 1924 by Richard Simon and Lincoln "Max" Schuster. Among the authors of the publishing house: Hillary Clinton "Complex Decisions", Stephen King, Tony Robbins. Simon & Schuster is now a division of CBS Corporation.

6 Elsevier- one of the largest publishing houses in the world, founded in 1880 in Amsterdam (Netherlands) and publishing scientific, technical and medical literature. It owes its name to the old publishing house Elsevier, which closed in the 1710s. Now Elsevier, whose revenue in 2014 amounted to 4,405 million euros, is part of the Reed Elsevier holding.

Anna Karenina. Lev Tolstoy

The greatest love story of all time. A story that has not left the stage, filmed countless times - and still has not lost the boundless charm of passion - a destructive, destructive, blind passion - but all the more bewitching with its grandeur.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Master and Margarita. Michael Bulgakov

This is the most mysterious of the novels in the entire history of Russian literature of the 20th century. This is a novel that is almost officially called the "Gospel of Satan". This is The Master and Margarita. A book that can be read and re-read dozens, hundreds of times, but most importantly, which is still impossible to understand. So, which pages of The Master and Margarita were dictated by the Forces of Light?

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Wuthering Heights. Emily Bronte

Mystery novel, included in the top ten best novels of all time! The story of a stormy, truly demonic passion, which excites the imagination of readers for more than a hundred and fifty years. Katie gave her heart to her cousin, but ambition and a thirst for wealth push her into the arms of a rich man. Forbidden attraction turns into a curse for secret lovers, and one day.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Eugene Onegin. Alexander Pushkin

“Have you read "Onegin"? What can you say about Onegin? These are the questions that are constantly repeated among writers and Russian readers, ”the writer, enterprising publisher and, by the way, the hero of Pushkin’s epigrams, Faddey Bulgarin, noted after the publication of the second chapter of the novel. For a long time ONEGIN has not been accepted to evaluate. In the words of the same Bulgarin, it is “written in Pushkin's verses. That's enough."

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Notre Dame Cathedral. Victor Hugo

A story that survived the centuries, became a canon and gave its heroes the glory of common nouns. A story of love and tragedy. The love of those to whom love was not given and not allowed - by religious rank, physical weakness or someone else's evil will. The gypsy Esmeralda and the deaf hunchback bell ringer Quasimodo, the priest Frollo and the captain of the royal shooters Phoebe de Chateauper, the beautiful Fleur-de-Lys and the poet Gringoire.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Gone With the Wind. Margaret Mitchell

The great saga of the American Civil War and the fate of the wayward and head-on Scarlett O'Hara was first published over 70 years ago and has not aged to this day. This is the only novel by Margaret Mitchell for which she won a Pulitzer Prize. A story about a woman who is not ashamed to be equal to either an unconditional feminist or a staunch supporter of house building.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare

This is the highest of love tragedies that human genius can create. A tragedy that has been filmed and will be filmed. A tragedy that does not leave the stage to this day - and to this day it sounds like it was written yesterday. Years and centuries go by. But one thing remains and will forever remain unchanged: “There is no sadder story in the world than the story of Romeo and Juliet ...”

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

The Great Gatsby. Francis Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is not only the pinnacle of Fitzgerald's work, but also one of the highest achievements in world prose of the 20th century. Although the action of the novel takes place in the “turbulent” twenties of the last century, when fortunes were made literally from nothing and yesterday’s criminals became millionaires overnight, this book lives outside of time, because, telling about the broken fates of the “Jazz Age” generation.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Three Musketeers. Alexandr Duma

The most famous historical adventurous novel by Alexandre Dumas tells about the adventures of the Gascon d'Artagnan and his Musketeer friends at the court of King Louis XIII.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Count of Monte Cristo. Alexandr Duma

The book presents one of the most exciting adventure novels of the classic of French literature of the 19th century, Alexandre Dumas.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Triumphal Arch. Erich Remarque

One of the most beautiful and tragic love stories in the history of European literature. The story of a refugee from Nazi Germany, Dr. Ravik, and the beautiful Joan Madu, entangled in the "unbearable lightness of being," takes place in pre-war Paris. And the disturbing time in which these two happened to meet and fall in love with each other becomes one of the main characters of the Arc de Triomphe.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

The person who laughs. Victor Hugo

Gwynplaine is a lord by birth, as a child he was sold to gangsters-comprachos, who made a fair jester out of a child, carving a mask of “eternal laughter” on his face (at the courts of the European nobility of that time there was a fashion for cripples and freaks who amused the owners). Despite all the trials, Gwynplaine retained the best human qualities and his love.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Martin Eden. Jack London

A simple sailor, in whom it is easy to recognize the author himself, goes through a long, full of hardships path to literary immortality ... By chance, finding himself in a secular society, Martin Eden is doubly happy and surprised ... and the creative gift awakened in him, and the divine image of the young Ruth Morse, so not similar to all the people he knew before ... From now on, two goals relentlessly stand before him.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Sister Kerry. Theodore Dreiser

The publication of Theodore Dreiser's first novel was so difficult that it led its creator into a severe depression. But the further fate of the novel "Sister Kerry" turned out to be happy: it was translated into many foreign languages, reprinted in millions of copies. New and new generations of readers are happy to plunge into the vicissitudes of the fate of Caroline Meiber.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

American tragedy. Theodore Dreiser

The novel "An American Tragedy" is the pinnacle of the work of the outstanding American writer Theodore Dreiser. He said: “No one creates tragedies - life creates them. The writers only portray them.” Dreiser managed to depict the tragedy of Clive Griffiths so talentedly that his story does not leave the modern reader indifferent.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Outcasts. Victor Hugo

Jean Valjean, Cosette, Gavroche - the names of the heroes of the novel have long become common nouns, the number of its readers for a century and a half since the publication of the book has not decreased, the novel has not lost its popularity. A kaleidoscope of faces from all walks of French society in the first half of the 19th century, vivid, memorable characters, sentimentality and realism, a tense, exciting plot.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

The adventures of the good soldier Schweik. Yaroslav Gashek

Great, original and hooligan novel. A book that can be perceived both as a "soldier's story" and as a classic work, directly related to the traditions of the Renaissance. This is a sparkling text that makes you laugh to tears, and a powerful call to “lay down your arms”, and one of the most objective historical evidence in satirical literature..

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Iliad. Homer

The attraction of Homer's poems is not only that their author introduces us to a world separated from modernity by tens of centuries and yet unusually real thanks to the genius of the poet, who preserved in his poems the beating of contemporary life. Homer's immortality lies in the fact that his brilliant creations contain inexhaustible reserves of universal human values ​​- reason, goodness and beauty.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

St. John's wort. James Cooper

Cooper managed to find and describe in his books that originality and unexpected brightness of the newly discovered continent, which managed to fascinate all of modern Europe. Each new novel by the writer was eagerly awaited. The exciting adventures of the fearless and noble hunter and tracker Natty Bumpo conquered both young and adult readers..

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Doctor Zhivago. Boris Pasternak

The novel “Doctor Zhivago” is one of the outstanding works of Russian literature, which for many years remained closed to a wide range of readers in our country, who knew about it only through scandalous and unscrupulous party criticism.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Don Quixote. Miguel Cervantes

What do the names of Amadis the Gallic, the English Palmerine, the Greek Don Belianis, the White Tyrant tell us today? But it was precisely as a parody of the novels about these knights that “The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha” by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was created. And this parody outlived the parodied genre for centuries. "Don Quixote" was recognized as the best novel in the history of world literature.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Ivanhoe. Walter Scott

"Ivanhoe" is a key work in the cycle of novels by W. Scott, which takes us to medieval England. The young knight Ivanhoe, who secretly returned from the Crusade to his homeland and was disinherited by the will of his father, will have to defend his honor and the love of the beautiful Lady Rowena ... King Richard the Lionheart and the legendary robber Robin Hood will come to his aid.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Headless horseman. Reed Mine

The plot of the novel is built so skillfully that it keeps you in suspense until the very last page. It is no coincidence that the exciting story of the noble mustanger Maurice Gerald and his beloved, the beautiful Louise Poindexter, investigating the sinister secret of the headless horseman, whose figure, when he appears, terrifies the inhabitants of the savannah, was extremely fond of readers of Europe and Russia.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Dear friend. Guy de Maupassant

The novel "Dear friend" has become one of the symbols of the era. This is Maupassant's most powerful novel. Through the story of Georges Duroy, who is making his “way up”, the true morals of high French society are revealed, the spirit of venality that reigns in all its areas contributes to the fact that an ordinary and immoral person, such as the hero of Maupassant, easily achieves success and wealth.

Buy a paper book atLabirint.com >>

Dead Souls. Nikolay Gogol

The release of the first volume of N. Gogol's "Dead Souls" in 1842 caused a heated controversy among contemporaries, splitting society into admirers and opponents of the poem. “…Speaking of “Dead Souls”, one can talk a lot about Russia…” – this judgment of P. Vyazemsky explained the main reason for the controversy. The author’s question is still relevant: “Rus, where are you going, give me an answer?”

Books are one of the greatest legacies of mankind. And if before the invention of printing, books were available only to a select caste of people, then books began to spread everywhere. In each new generation, talented writers were born who created world masterpieces of literature.

Great works have come down to us, but we are reading the classics less and less. The literary portal of Hedwig presents to your attention the 100 best books of all times and peoples that you must read. In this list you will find not only classical works, but also modern books that have left their mark on history quite recently.

1 Mikhail Bulgakov

A novel that does not fit into the usual literary framework. Philosophy and everyday life, theology and fantasy, mysticism and realism, mysticism and lyrics are mixed in this story. And all these components are intertwined by skillful hands into a coherent and vibrant story that can turn your world upside down. And yes, this is Buckley's favorite book!

2 Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky

A book from the school curriculum that is difficult to understand in a tender adolescence. The writer showed the duality of the human soul, when black is intertwined with white. The story of Raskolnikov, who is going through an internal struggle.

3 Antoine de Saint-Exupery

A short story with a lot of meaning in life. A story that makes you look at familiar things in a different way.

4 Michael Bulgakov

A surprisingly subtle and sarcastic story about people and their vices. The story of an experiment that proved that it is possible to make a person out of an animal, but it is impossible to make an “animal” out of a person.

5 Erich Maria Remarque

It is impossible to tell what this novel is about. The novel needs to be read, and then the understanding will come that this is not just a story, but a confession. Confession about love, friendship, pain. A story of despair and struggle.

6 Jerome Salinger

The story of a teenager who, with his own eyes, shows his perception of the world, his point of view, the renunciation of the usual principles and foundations of the morality of society, which do not fit into his individual framework.

7 Mikhail Lermontov

A lyric-psychological novel that tells about a man with a complex character. The author shows it from different angles. And the broken chronology of events makes you completely immerse yourself in the story.

8 Arthur Conan Doyle

The legendary investigations of the great detective Sherlock, which reveal the meanness of the human soul. Stories told by friend and assistant detective Dr. Watson.

9 Oscar Wilde

A story about pride, selfishness and a strong soul. A story that clearly shows what can happen to the soul of a person tormented by vices.

10 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

A fantastic trilogy about people and non-humans who fell under the power of the Ring of Omnipotence and its lord Sauron. The story of those who are ready to sacrifice the most precious and even their lives for the sake of friendship and saving the world.

11 Mario Puzo

A novel about one of the most powerful mafia families in America of the last century - the Corleone family. Many people know the movie, so it's time to start reading.

12 Erich Maria Remarque

After the First World War, many emigrants ended up in France. Among them is the talented German surgeon Ravik. This is the story of his life and love against the backdrop of the war.

13 Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol

The history of the Russian soul and stupidity. And the amazing style and language of the author makes the sentences sparkle with colors and shades that fully reveal the history of our people.

14 Colin McCullough

An amazing novel that tells not only about the love of a man and a woman and complex relationships, but also about feelings for family, native places and nature.

15 Emily Bronte

In a secluded estate lives a family whose house is filled with a tense atmosphere. Difficult relationships have deep roots that are hidden in the past. The story of Heathcliff and Catherine will not leave indifferent any reader.

16 Erich Maria Remarque

A book about war from the perspective of a simple soldier. A book about how war breaks and cripples the souls of innocent people.

17 Hermann Hesse

The book simply turns all ideas about life upside down. After reading it, it is already impossible to get rid of the feeling that you have become one step closer to something incredible. This book has answers to many questions.

18 Stephen King

Paul Edgecomb is a former prison officer who served on the death row unit. He tells the story of the life of suicide bombers who were destined to walk the Green Mile.

20 Victor Hugo

Paris 15th century. On the one hand, it is full of grandeur, and on the other, it looks like a sewer. Against the backdrop of historical events, a love story unfolds - Quasimodo, Esmeralda and Claude Frollo.

21 Daniel Defoe

Diary of a sailor who was wrecked and lived alone on the island for 28 years. He had to endure too many trials.

22 Lewis Carroll

A strange and mysterious story about a girl who, in pursuit of a white rabbit, finds herself in a different and wonderful world.

23 Ernest Hemingway

There is war on the pages of the book, but even in a world full of pain and fear, there is a place for beauty. A wonderful feeling called love that makes us stronger.

24 Jack London

What can love do? Martin's love for the beautiful Ruth made him struggle. He overcame many obstacles to become something big. A story about spiritual development and personality formation.

25 Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

A fantastic and captivating tale in which magic is intertwined with reality.

26 We are Evgeny Zamyatin

The novel is a dystopia that describes an ideal society where there is no personal opinion, and everything happens according to a schedule. But even in such a society there is a place for freethinkers.

27 Ernest Hemingway

Frederick volunteered for the war, where he became a doctor. In the sanitary unit, where even the air is saturated with death, love is born.

28 Boris Pasternak

Beginning of the XX century. The Russian Empire has already embarked on the path of revolution. The story about the life of the intelligentsia of that time, as well as the book, raises questions of religion and touches on the mystery of life and death.

29 Vladimir Nabokov

A cautionary tale about people who betrayed their ideals. The book is about how light and beautiful feelings evolve into something dark and disgusting.

30 Johann Wolfgang Goethe

The greatest work that draws you into the story of Faust, who sold his soul to the Devil. By reading this book, you can go on the path of knowing life.

31 Dante Alighieri

The work is in three parts. First we go to Hell, so that all 9 circles are against us. Then Purgatory awaits us, after passing which you can atone for your sins. And only when you reach the top you can get to Paradise.

32 Anthony Burgess

Not the most pleasant story, but it shows the human nature. A story about how you can make an obedient and silent doll out of any person.

33 Victor Pelevin

A complex story that is difficult to understand the first time. A story about the life of a decadent poet who is looking for his own path, and Chapaev leads Peter to enlightenment.

34 William Golding

What will happen to the children if they are all alone? Children have a delicate nature, which is quite prone to vices. And cute kind children turn into real monsters.

35 Albert Camus

36 James Clavell

The story of an English sailor who, by the will of fate, ended up in Japan. An epic novel, where there are historical realities, intrigues, adventures and secrets.

37 Ray Bradbury

A collection of fantasy stories about the life of people on Mars. They almost destroyed the Earth, but what awaits another planet?

38 Stanislav Lem

This planet has an ocean. He is alive and has a mind. The researchers face the difficult task of transferring knowledge to the ocean. He will help make their dreams come true...

39 Hermann Hesse

The book is about an internal crisis that can happen to anyone. Inner devastation can destroy a person, if one day you don’t meet a person on the way who will give you just one book in your hands ...

40 Milan Kundera

Immerse yourself in the world of sensations and feelings of the libertine Tomasz, who is used to changing women so that no one dares to take away his freedom.

41 Boris Vian

Each of the company of friends has its own destiny. Everything goes easy and simple. Friendship. Love. Conversations. But one event can change everything and destroy the usual life.

42 Ian Banks

Frank tells the story of his childhood and describes the present. He has his own world, which can collapse at any moment. Unexpected turning points in the plot give a special flavor to the whole story.

43 John Irving

This book raises themes of family, childhood, friendship, love, betrayal and betrayal. This is the world in which we live with all the problems and shortcomings.

44 Michael Ondaatje

This book contains many topics - war, death, love, betrayal. But the main leitmotif is loneliness, which can take on a variety of forms.

46 Ray Bradbury

Books are our future, but what will happen if they are replaced by TV and one opinion? The answer to this question is given by a writer who was ahead of his time.

47 Patrick Suskind

The story of a crazy genius. His whole life is enclosed in smells. He will go to any lengths to create the perfect fragrance.

48 1984 George Orwell

Three totalitarian states where even thoughts are controlled. A world of hate, but there are people who can still resist the system.

49 Jack London

Alaska, late 19th century. The era of the gold rush. And among human greed lives a wolf named White Fang.

50 Jane Austen

There are only daughters in the Bennet family, and a distant relative is the heir. And if the head of the family dies, young girls will be left with nothing.

51 Evgeny Petrov and Ilya Ilf

Who does not know Ostap Bender and Kisa Vorobyaninov and their eternal failures, which are associated with the search for the ill-fated diamonds.

52 Fedor Dostoevsky

53 Charlotte Bronte

Jane became an orphan early, and life in her aunt's house was far from happy. And love for a strict and gloomy man is far from a romantic story.

54 Ernest Hemingway

A small story from the life of the most ordinary person. But reading this work, you penetrate into an amazing world that is full of emotions.

55 Francis Scott Fitzgerald

A wonderful novel filled with emotion. The pages of the book are waiting for the beginning of the 20th century, when people were full of illusions and hopes. This story is about values ​​and true love.

56 Alexandr Duma

We are all familiar with the adventures of d'Artagnan and his closest friends. A book about friendship, honor, devotion, fidelity and love. And of course, like other works of the author, it was not without intrigue.

57 Ken Kesey

This story will be told to the reader by a patient in a psychiatric hospital. Patrick McMurphy ends up in prison, in a psychiatric ward. But some people think that he is just feigning his illness.

59 Victor Hugo

The novel describes the life of a runaway convict who is hiding from the authorities. After the flight, he had to go through a lot of hardships, but he was able to change his life. But police inspector Javert is ready to do anything to catch the criminal.

60 Victor Hugo

The actor-philosopher met on his way a mutilated boy and a blind girl. He takes them under his care. Against the background of physical shortcomings, the perfection and purity of souls are clearly visible. And also this is a great contrast to the life of the aristocracy.

61 Vladimir Nabokov

The novel draws on its unhealthy web of passion and unhealthy love. The main characters gradually go crazy, subject to their base desire, like their whole world around them. This book will definitely not have a happy ending.

62 Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

A fantastic story that describes the life of the stalker Redrick Shewhart, who extracts extraterrestrial artifacts from the anomalous Zones on Earth.

63 Richard Bach

Even a simple seagull can get bored with a gray life, and the routine has become boring. And then Chaika devotes his life to a dream. The seagull gives all his soul on the way to the cherished goal.

64 Bernard Werber

Michel got to the court of the archangels, where he will have to undergo the weighing of the soul. After the trial, he faces a choice - to go to earth in a new incarnation or become an angel. The path of an angel is not easy, just like the life of mere mortals.

65 Ethel Lilian Voynich

A story about freedom, duty and honor. And also about different types of love. In the first case, this is the love of a father for his son, which has survived many trials and will pass through generations. In the second case, it is love between a man and a woman, which is like a fire, then it goes out, then it flares up again.

66 John Fowles

He is a simple town hall attendant, lonely and lost. He has a passion - collecting butterflies. But one day he wanted a girl in his collection who conquered his soul.

67 Walter Scott

The narrative of the novel will take readers into the distant past. During the time of Richard the Lionheart and the first crusades. This is one of the first historical novels that everyone should read.

68 Bernhard Schlink

There are a lot of unanswered questions in the book. The book makes you think and analyze not only what is happening on the pages, but also your life. This is a story about love and betrayal that will not leave anyone indifferent.

69 Ayn Rand

Socialists come to power and head for equal opportunities. The authorities believe that the talented and wealthy should improve the well-being of others. But instead of a happy future, the familiar world plunges into chaos.

71 Somerset Maugham

The story of an actress who has been working in the theater all her life. And what is reality for her - a game on stage or a game in life? How many roles do you have to play every day?

72 Aldous Huxley

A dystopian novel. A satire novel. A world where Henry Ford became God, and the creation of the first Ford T car is considered the beginning of time. People are simply grown, but they know nothing about feelings.

75 Albert Camus

Meursault lives a detached life. It seems that his life does not belong to him at all. He is indifferent to everything and even his actions are saturated with loneliness and renunciation of life.

76 Somerset Maugham

Philip's life story. He is an orphan and throughout his life he is not only looking for the meaning of life, but also for himself. And the main thing is to understand the world and people.

77 Irvine Welsh

The story of friends who one day discovered drugs and euphoria. Each character is unusual and quite smart. They valued life and friendship, but exactly until the moment when heroin came first.

78 Herman Melville

Ahab, the captain of a whaling ship, has made it his life's goal to take revenge on a whale named Moby Dick. Wit ruined too many lives to keep him alive. But as soon as the captain starts hunting, mysterious and sometimes terrible events begin to occur on his ship.

79 Joseph Heller

One of the best books about World War II. In it, the author was able to show the senselessness of war and the monstrous absurdity of the state machine.

80 William Faulkner

Four characters, each of which tells his version of events. And in order to understand what is at stake, you need to read to the end, where the puzzles will form a single picture of life and secret desires.

82 Joanne Rowling

83 Roger Zelazny

Classic fantasy genre. The chronicles are divided into two volumes of 5 books. In this cycle, one can find travel in space and time, wars, intrigues, betrayal, as well as loyalty and courage.

84 Andrzej Sapkowski

One of the best fantasy series. The series includes 8 books, while the last one is "Season of Thunderstorms", it is better to read after the first or second book. This is a story about the Witcher and his adventures, his life and love, and also about the girl Ciri, who can change the world.

85 Honore de Balzac

An amazing story about the boundless and sacrificial love of a father for children. About a love that was never reciprocated. About the love that killed Father Goriot.

86 Günther Grass

The story is about a boy named Oskar Macerath who, with the coming to power of the National Socialists in Germany, refuses to grow up in protest. Thus, he expresses his protest against the changes in German society.

87 Boris Vasiliev

A poignant tale of war. About true love for parents, friends, and the Motherland. This story must be read to feel the whole emotional component of this story.

88 Stendhal

The story of Julien Sorel and the soul, in which there is a confrontation between two feelings: passion and ambition. The two feelings are so intertwined that it is often impossible to tell them apart.

89 Lev Tolstoy

An epic novel that describes an entire era, delving into the historical realities and the artistic world of that time. War will be replaced by peace, and the peaceful life of the characters depends on the war. Many heroes with unique characters.

90 Gustave Flaubert

This story is recognized as the greatest work of world literature. Emma Bovary dreams of a beautiful social life, but her husband, a provincial doctor, cannot satisfy her requests. She finds lovers, but can they fulfill Madame Bovary's dream?

91 Chuck Palahniuk

No matter how much the work of this author was scolded, it cannot be denied that his book "Fight Club" is one of the symbols of our generation. This is a story about people who decided to change this dirty world. A story about a man who was able to resist the system.

92 Markus Zusak

Winter Germany in 1939, when Death has too much work to do, and six months later there will be more work to do. A story about Liesel, about fanatical Germans, about a Jewish fighter, about thefts and about the power of words.

93 Alexander Pushkin

The novel in verse tells the story of the fate of the noble intelligentsia with their vices and selfishness. And at the center of the story is a love story without a happy ending.

94 George Martin

A fantastic story about another world ruled by kings and lived by dragons. Love, betrayal, intrigue, war and death, and all for the sake of power.

95 David Mitchell

History of the past, present and future. Stories of people from different times. But these stories form a single picture of our entire world.

96 Stephen King

Fantastic cycle of novels of the master of horrors. In this series there is an interweaving of genres. The books closely coexist with horror, western, science fiction and other genres. This is the story of the gunslinger Roland, who is looking for the Dark Tower.

97 Haruki Murakami

A story about human destinies in Japan in the 60s of the twentieth century. A story about human loss. Memoirs of Tooru, which will introduce the reader to different people and their stories.

98 Andy Weir

By chance, an astronaut is left alone on a space base on Mars. He has a limited amount of resources, but there is no connection with people. But he does not give up, he believes that they will return for him.

100 Samuel Beckett

An amazing play where everyone defines the mysterious personality of Godot for himself. The author makes it possible to find the answer to the question "who is he?". Specific person? Strong personality? Collective image? Or God?

There are many more books that I would like to include in this list. Therefore, dear readers, write in the comments about those books that you consider the best. We will add books to the top and with your help we will expand it to the top 1000 books of all time.

Reading time: 26 min.

Big Rating magazine brings to your attention the best books of all time in the TOP-20 rating. The list includes world bestsellers by domestic and foreign authors. Something in them catches, not letting go, and each of these works is worth reading at least once in a lifetime.

The great American writer Francis Fitzgerald touched upon the hottest topics of the dashing 1920s in his novel. Despite the chronological remoteness of the events described in the book, today many people find the novel close to their spirit. Fitzgerald was the first of the US prose writers to announce to the world the beginning of a new century - the "jazz age" and spoke on behalf of the "lost generation". Reading the novel "The Great Gatsby" you seem to plunge into the era of jazz music and "dry law". Using the main character as an example, Fitzgerald demonstrates the life path of those rich people who rose from the bottom thanks to bootlegging. The author shows his admiration for these personalities, but at the same time condemns their moral foundations and principles. The protagonist of the novel personifies the "American dream" of that time - he is a real minion of fate, who made his fortune and achieved power. But are money and power capable of making a person truly happy? Don't forget about love too...

We are all accustomed to pirates as terrible and bloodthirsty creatures that commit robberies, rape women and kill everyone who gets in their way. Such is the opinion about the representatives of this "profession". In most cases, this is exactly what happens. But when there is an exception to the general rule, it is very interesting. It is precisely such an atypical pirate that the main character of the work of Rafael Sabatini, Peter Blood, is. Far from piracy, the young Irishman worked in the medical field and was, by the will of fate, drawn into the Monmouth uprising that broke out in England at the end of the 17th century. Absolutely uninvolved in the events of the rebellion, Peter Blood, among others, was accused of treason to the monarch and sentenced to death. But luck smiled at the hero when the death sentence was replaced by exile in the southern colonies, where he went in the status of a slave. It is here that the young Blood has to start his career anew, only not as a bachelor of medicine, but as a pirate. Now the hero of the book has one goal - to regain freedom.

Any person sooner or later wants to take a break from the daily routine, pack up and go on at least a short trip. It is not necessary to undertake an epochal climb to Elbrus or go to the wilds of the Amazon. Sometimes a short river boat trip, such as the Thames, is enough. Traveling in the company of your closest friends is already more fun, and even more so in the company of a small four-legged companion. The only important condition is a strictly male company. This is exactly what the three English bosom friends Harris, Jay and George decided to take a break from the bustle of the city while drinking tea. But having decided to implement the idea, the gentlemen realized that not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. Every little thing, starting with the preparations and ending with an attempt to open canned food, turns into a funny and fun adventure for friends. And the presence in the boat of an extremely energetic fox terrier named Montmorency adds additional sparks of humor to the general fireworks of events. Jerome K. Jerome's novel "Three Men in a Boat, Not Counting the Dog" contains a lot of funny misunderstandings, hilarious collisions and comical situations from which our heroes get out of while maintaining a truly British sense of dignity.

One of the largest and undoubtedly the greatest creations of world literature. And although historians and writers have not fully figured out whether Homer really existed or was a collective image, one thing is known for certain - the Iliad is a description of truly grandiose events.

The starting point of the story was the strong romantic attachment of the Trojan prince Paris, who burned with an ardent love for the most beautiful woman of that time - Helen. That's just the beauty, who reciprocated the young man, at that moment was already bound by marriage with the Spartan king Menelaus. When Paris, inflamed with passion, dared to kidnap his lady of the heart, the enraged husband of Elena declared war on Troy, gathering loyal kings and warriors under his banner. The scale of events was so great that even the gods of Olympus did not remain indifferent and took part in the war, predicting the victory of each of the chosen parties. The protracted struggle lasted for many years, reaping a bountiful harvest of death. Wives were widows, children were orphans. There is no worthy justification for any of the wars of mankind, just as there is none for the Trojan War. But for many centuries, the epochal nature of Homer's Iliad was preserved.

A controversial work, perceived by some as the notes of a madman, by others as a philosophical treatise, and by others as a fascinating fairy tale. Alice in Wonderland was written by the English mathematician, poet and writer Charles Dodgson, better known to us as Lewis Carroll. After many decades, critics can only guess what exactly the author was trying to convey to us by writing such an original work. There is only one way out - to read the novel and put forward your own theory.

The book tells us about a far from stupid, but slightly frivolous, girl Alice, who accidentally met the White Rabbit during her vacation. Noticing his pocket watch, and sensibly judging that rabbits do not have watches, Alice rushes after the White Rabbit in order to find out where he is in such a hurry. In pursuit of a nimble beast, our young adventurer falls safely down the rabbit hole. And now Alice is waiting for real miracles and amazing adventures that defy common sense. Or maybe you should not try to understand everything? After all, you can simply immerse yourself in the phantasmagoric world of the White Rabbit, the smoking caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the Card Queen, attend an unforgettable tea party with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. We assure you it won't be boring.

Delightful dystopia, frightening and beautiful at the same time. The author realistically depicts a society with the ideas of hedonism and consumerism flourishing in it. There is no place for love here, and sex is just a pleasant pastime. Huxley describes it so emotionally that it becomes scary to read, but it’s impossible to tear yourself away from the book. Here, people are created in a test tube, and the "manufacturers" initially choose who will be intellectually developed and who will be mentally retarded. Habitual human values ​​like self-development, culture, religion and knowledge are not needed for nothing and are not at all interesting. People seek only to have fun in any way they can, and enthusiastically waste their precious time on uninterrupted recreation. Reading Brave New World, you understand that everything described here is pure fiction, from cover to cover, but you never cease to be horrified by the similarity of the events described in the book with the vices of modern society. And this is the whole point of the work.

The eminent French writer Alexandre Dumas was able to breathe life into a boring and confusing story of battles, intrigues and political games of the French court. The main characters of Dumas' novel are the three brave musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis, as well as the young Gascon d'Artagnan, who arrived to conquer Paris. An ambitious young man came to the capital from the outback and dreams of getting into the service of His Majesty. d'Artagnan is agile, agile, cheerful and noble. But these features attract not only friends, but also enemies who want to see the young man on their side. Devoted to the king and queen, Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan will have a life full of conspiracies, intrigues, exploits and fights. And the motto "One for all and all for one" confidently leads the heroes to victory.

The title of the novel is a reference to the song of the Beatles, and the work itself is a demonstration of the complexity, sinuosity and intricacies of the life path of any person. Murakami clearly showed a wide range of readers that for confusion in making decisions and a painful choice of one's own path, it is not necessary to be a great person, because difficulties and trials can fall to the lot of each of us. Among these people is the protagonist of the novel, student Tooru Watanabe. The storyline consists of Tooru telling about his youth spent at the university and the events that happen to him at this stage of life. As the story progresses, the hero reminisces about his best friends Naoko and Kizuki. Tooru will talk about Kizuki's suicide and the rapid development of relations with Naoko. He will remember how the girl went to the clinic for treatment. He will tell about student riots and the girl Midori, who shed color on his gray life.

What is unique is the fact that even those of us who have never held this book in our hands are still aware of the plot of this tragic love story of a young man from the Montague family for a girl from the Capulet family. And the phrase: “There is no sadder story in the world than the story of Romeo and Juliet” can be heard even in the texts of modern songs. The main characters of the novel were not originally destined to live happily ever after. Both warring families took up arms against their great and pure love. But the difficulties not only did not stop the lovers, but also pushed the representatives of the houses of Montague and Capulet to each other. Although the first meeting lasted only a few moments, this was enough for young people to realize the desire to be together forever. Their love was so strong that Romeo and Juliet were ready to give their lives for her. And if fate does not allow them to be together in this life, then at least their souls will be reunited in the next world.

A wonderful touching tale about the adventures of a teddy bear. This character, which first appeared in England in the 1920s, is now famous all over the world. The story begins with a teddy bear given to the boy by his young father, Christopher Robin. The child names the toy Winnie, after a live bear living in the London Zoo. Next, father and son have fun writing stories together that could take place in real life with cute Winnie the bear. So the bear cub has such friends as Piglet the pig, Kenga the kangaroo and her baby Little Roo, Eeyore the donkey, the owl, the rabbit and many others. Over the years, more than one generation of children managed to grow up on the stories of the adventures of a funny bear cub - about bees, about a heffalump and about Winnie's friends. An important fact remains that the main character of the book does not lose its popularity among modern children. Apparently such a charming bear cub as Winnie the Pooh cannot leave anyone indifferent.

Cleary's family chronicles have riveted the attention of readers at all times. That's just a different age audience perceives them far from the same. So young people are more interested in a love storyline that evokes sensual experiences about the fate of the main characters with an eternal intrigue - whether they should be together. The younger generation needs bright colors, battles, action and passions. Older readers are interested in the complexity of the characters and relationships of the main characters. This audience is looking for a deep meaning in the work, knowing full well that it is not always hidden precisely in parts containing violent passions and many events.

In the center of the plot of this story is the large Cleary family, who moved to Australia from New Zealand. McCullough displays the entire palette of goals, motivations and actions of each character. But the main storyline is firmly connected with the main character of the novel - Maggie, whose personal life the reader can trace from the age of 4 until her death at 58.

Psychiatric hospitals with their inhabitants have always been a separate world, living by its own laws and rules. And since you have been brought here by a whim of fate, you will have to adapt to the existing order. This unspoken rule is fully extended to the hospital, which is described in the novel Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Everything changed with the appearance of a new patient in the psychiatric hospital - Randall Patrick McMurphy. Randall is a cunning criminal who masterfully portrays a madman in order to escape prison. Having settled into a new place, McMurphy makes acquaintances and begins to communicate with the local guests. Randel is overwhelmed with frank horror at the realization that there are absolutely healthy people in the hospital, no more crazy than himself. All of them stay in the hospital of their own free will, just trying to hide within its walls from the hardships of the outside world. And the patients are also very intimidated by Mildreth Ratched, a local nurse who runs the hospital and does not tolerate disobedience. McMurphy not only declares battle to the local order, but also tries to rescue patients from an unhealthy environment by showing them what a full life looks like.

In the terrible worlds of dystopias described by such literary geniuses as Ray Bradbury, consumerism reigns as the only value of humanity. The true eternal values ​​like knowledge and age-old wisdom, enclosed in books, are subject to universal condemnation and even destruction. For the possession of great literary works or just books, people are condemned or sentenced to death. Burning books is becoming commonplace, and most of the people living in this world are accustomed to such a course of things. Those who do not understand the importance of this view of life are declared fools by society. Shared a similar philosophy and the main character of the work - Guy Montag. He worked as a "fireman" (in the context of this work) and was unshakable in his worldview. But his whole ideology went to hell when Guy met the one who managed to show him the other side of the coin.

Perhaps Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 has not lost its relevance today precisely because of the flourishing era of consumerism in modern society. People have a lot to think about.

The brilliant works of Erich Maria Remarque had a great influence on the literary world of Germany. The novel "Three Comrades" immerses its readers throughout life, the depth of thoughts and feelings of people who went through the meat grinder of the First World War and managed to get out of it alive. And the book is not about the victims, but about the people who unleashed this very war. The protagonist of the novel - Robert Lokamp - tells about the problems and events that concern him. Robbie explains in detail that the most important things in a person's life are the people around him. He openly promotes the importance of friendship in relationships. But Robert also emphasizes that even being among people who understand and accept you unconditionally, you cannot always count on happiness. "Three Comrades" is a book about the "lost generation" of people trying to live in a difficult and ambiguous era.

With his epochal and loud fantasy novel, John Tolkien opened a new round of literary fashion for works about elves, hobbits, wise and strong kings, great wizards, goblins and fire-breathing dragons. And although the first time The Lord of the Rings was published in the distant 1950s, readers still do not lose interest in it. Fans not only do not stop re-reading Tolkien's work over and over again, but they also watch Peter Jackson's films, and also play games that managed to recreate the writer's unique fairy-tale world. The novel is about the Ring of Omnipotence and the uncompromising thousand-year war for the right to possess it. The young hobbit Frodo must travel through the hostile Mordor to the fiery Mount of Doom in order to destroy the Ring. In a difficult journey, Frodo is supported by friends (dwarves, humans, elves) and opposed by the evil Sauron, who is eager to get his Ring back and gain world domination. The plot of The Lord of the Rings attracts the reader with its unique atmosphere, allowing him to immerse himself in the world of elves, gnomes, hobbits, wizards and evil rulers.

In this work, Turgenev not only raised the eternal problem of fathers and children, but also, ahead of the widespread dissemination of the ideas of nihilism in Russia, managed to show readers an example of an adherent of the movement in the form of Evgeny Bazarov. It was with this ardent supporter of nihilism that the young son of the landowner Kirsanov, Arkady, made a strong friendship. Fascinated by the ideas of a new acquaintance, Arkady sincerely accepts all the convictions of Bazarov. The young man even brings a newly-made friend to visit his father and uncle - Pavel Petrovich and Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov. Representatives of the older generation of the family do not perceive the new youth philosophy, considering it too radical. That's just Nikolai Petrovich listens to the thoughts of the nihilist calmly and with a smile, and Pavel Nikolayevich goes into open conflict with Bazarov. Eugene is firm in his convictions, he is sure that he needs for life, rejects the old principles, not wanting to blindly accept them on faith, as people of the older generation do. The steadfastness of Bazarov's views was shaken after meeting the landowner Anna Odintsova, who aroused previously unknown feelings in the nihilist.

Although this work of the author is less well known compared to Lolita, it definitely deserves the close attention of readers. In his novel, Nabokov, in his unique manner, reveals the hidden nature of the human character and clearly demonstrates the blackness that can hide in the heart of a young and, at first glance, harmless creature. The events of the novel unfold in Germany, where the art critic Krechmar leaves his wife and daughter for sixteen-year-old Magda, a girl with a dubious biography. The love of a man is so strong that even the death of his own daughter did not overshadow his ardent passion for Magda. But a happy life together was short-lived. The girl meets with the artist Gorn - her former lover. Past feelings flare up in them with renewed vigor and the couple begins to meet in secret from Krechmar, since Magda is still financially dependent on him. For credibility, Horn appears to Kretschmar as a homosexual. Evil lovers are plotting, mocking Krechmar, gradually depriving him of his mind.

The events and actions of the book are presented from the point of view of Holden Confield and are a reflection of the perception of a 16-year-old boy to the reality around him. In his narration, Holden talks about the period of his life before entering the clinic for treatment. The story reveals to the reader the whole depth of hopelessness and experiences of a young man who remained misunderstood by the big and cruel world. At the same time, Holden does not fall into philosophical reasoning, does not express value judgments, he simply describes the events taking place and tries to understand what can give him a feeling of happiness. So the little boy's song he heard about "how you catch someone in the rye ..." leads Holden to understand the happy moment. But, alas, it is impossible to achieve it, because the reality is completely different.