The best book ever written

September 9, 2009

According to the Russians, the best book ever written was Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita. Today, the research center of the Russian recruitment portal SuperJob.ru presented the results of an open interrogation among 3000 respondents of all regions of the country, who answered the question: “What book (from literature) do you consider the best?”.

The ranking of the best books was headed by The Master and Margarita. It was mentioned by 16% of those interrogated and it was described as a “very entertaining and instructive novel”. Despite the fact that many years past since the moment of the writing of the book, Bulgakov’s nature, mentality and thoughts are still alive and well in Russia .

For 7% of Russians the best book is L.N. Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Crime and punishment of F.M. Dostoyevsky is the best book for 3% of the Russians. It is worthwhile to note that, besides this novel, Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov were also mentioned among the best literary works.

It is interesting to see that Mikhail Bulgakov subjugated the hearts of all generations of Russians, whereas the works of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky were more frequently mentioned by respondents older than 35 years.

Other classical works mentioned in the list of the best books were The Count of Monte-Cristo and The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, Eugene Onegin by A.S. Pushkin, Woe from Wit by A.S. Griboedov, Dead Souls by N.V. Gogol, Anna Karenina by L.N. Tolstoy, and Three Comrades and All Quiet on the Western Front by E. M. Remarque.

From the works of contemporary writers were mentioned One Hundred Years of Solitude by G.G. Marquez, The Alchemist by P. Coelho, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Diamond Chariot by B. Akunin and Love Lasts Three Years by F. Beigbeder.

22% of the Russians found it difficult to name a “best book”.