Classic Remarks + Do The Talking: Recommend an Obscure Classic

Classic Remarks is a meme hosted at Pages Unbound that poses questions each Friday about classic literature and asks participants to engage in ongoing discussions surrounding not only themes in the novels but also questions about canon formation, the “timelessness” of literature, and modes of interpretation.

Hi!

I thought, “Why not combining my regular Do The Talking segment with Classic Remarks, if I’m planning to do this meme?” And that’s how this post is a combination of both my Do The Talking: Russian books and Classic Remarks by Pages Unbound.

So this week’s prompt is:

WHAT’S A SOMEWHAT OBSCURE CLASSIC YOU WISH MORE PEOPLE WOULD READ?

To be honest, I can put any Russian classic that is not War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Resurrection, Crime and Punishment, We, etc., and it will 100% be an obscure classic almost nobody talks about. Even the infamous The Master and Margarita can be considered as an obscure one, since not so many talk about this masterpiece. But I’ll definitely talk about this specific book in the future (because I need to spread my love for this!), and pick not one, but actually two books that you should pay attention to.

The Old Woman Izergil by Maxim Gorky

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Despite the book being way too short to even call it a book (actually, this story is usually included in Maxim Gorky’s collection of short stories, alongside with many others also worth checking out), The Old Woman Izergil bears so many life lessons you’ll be surprised how it’s even possible to teach values within few dozens of pages only.

I love this book exactly because of the morals brought up in the book. Divided into three small plots, Maxim Gorky shows the way of living and the consequences of some human actions. Basically, I’d label it a moral textbook.

Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin

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My another short classic obsession. I know that Evgeny Onegin is such a well-known classic by Pushkin, alongside with his poems, but probably no one paid proper attention to his short stories, and Pushkin has lots of different stories that must be read at any age.

I picked this one because, again, the whole point is in teaching morals, and specifically here, it’s all about greed and egoism. Plus it has a little twist of magical realism, which is my forever favorite thing in books (you think why I’m obsessed with The Master and Margarita so much?)

Many thanks to Pages Unbound for this wonderful meme dedicated to Classic books!

What do you think of my choice of books for this prompt? Have you read them? If yes, how do you find them? If not, will you be interested in reading?

See you soon,

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