March 12, 2024

Lessons Unlearned from Russian Literature


Lessons Unlearned from Russian Literature
Tolstoy judging you for not being a pacifist.  The Russian Life files. 

A literature teacher from Irkutsk Oblast was forced to resign after using texts by Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy to encourage critical thinking about war and violence. 

In March 2022, Olga Tatarnikova taught a lesson for her students in Manzurka, a town with fewer than 1000 residents, on Dostoyevsky's Crime and PunishmentTatarnikova was discussing the character of Raskolnikov and how violence cannot solve conflicts. A few days later, her class was visited by police officers, who informed her that ashe had been reported for discrediting the army. During questioning, Tatarnikova asked if she should refrain from teaching Tolstoy, who wrote that war was "the most immoral thing in life." The police responded that she should leave ideologically problematic texts off her syllabus, Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy included.

Although charges were not brought against Tatarnikova, shortly after her interview she was forced to resign from her school. 

Tatarnikova, originally from Norilsk, had moved to Manzurka after attending university in Irkutsk to serve a community that was lacking both teachers and resources. Students reported to Meduza that her classes were always inspiring, encouraging them to apply lessons from classic literature to the world around them. 

This incident is one of many times classic literature has been wielded for political purposes in wartime. Russian President Vladimir Putin is known to quote Dostoyevsky in efforts to evoke a unified "Russian world."

You Might Also Like

Anna Karenina Every Day
  • November 08, 2012

Anna Karenina Every Day

Lev Tolstoy's Anna Karenina has been called the greatest novel of all time. But can one really appreciate it as much in English translation versus the Russian original?
Dostoyevsky in Siberia and Beyond
  • November 07, 2021

Dostoyevsky in Siberia and Beyond

Dostoyevsky spent ten years of his life exiled to Russia's Eastern hinterlands. Beyond the Urals, there are several places that shaped Dostoyevsky and influenced many of his greatest works of literature.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955