Russian Literature Can Be Funny: The Possessed by Elif Batuman

In between the economics books* and the history books I like to mix in something that isn't history or economics. I'm not picky as long as the alternative reading is easier to get through than 700 page books on history or economics (or the history of economics).

To wit: This is a very good and funny collection of essays about a topic in which I have only a peripheral interest (Russian literature). It is said by pretentious a-holes those who purport to know that you cannot truly understand Russian literature unless you can read it in the original language. I have heard this enough times that I guess I believe it? I'm not going to learn Russian so it's not verifiable.

This is a very interesting and funny book about capital-l Russian Literature, and about academia, and about intellect, and about reading, about relationships, and about investing time and effort and energy in the pursuit of those things. If it is true that you cannot fully appreciate Russian Literature without mastering Russian, then this is probably a better use of your time anyway. And you can always read the original works later, if that's your thing. Anna Karenina is rubbish. Or 'the best novel ever written', depending on who you ask. lol nah - it's more boring than econ books.




* This is more than a little unfair as the Piketty is very accessible and well written, but there's only so much you can do with the driest of dry subject matter. Credit to Piketty and his translator for making it as good as it is.