Russian short stories are known for being melancholy, often dealing with suffering. However, they can also be funny and absurd. Some common subjects include class distinctions, the plight of the underdog, and a rejection of authoritarianism and bureaucracy.

The best collection of Russian short stories includes:

Fyodor Dostoevsky:

Notes from the Underground

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man

The Beggar Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree

Leo Tolstoy:

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Kholstomer, the Story of a Horse

Alyosha the Pot

A Letter to a Hindu

A Confession

God Sees the Truth, but Waits

A Russian Christmas Party

Anton Chekhov:

Kashtanka

Gusev

The Darling

The Lady with the Dog

A Slander

The Horse-Stealers

The Petchenyeg

A Dead Body

A Happy Ending

The Looking-Glass

Old Age

Darkness

The Beggar

In Trouble

Frost

Minds in Ferment

Gone Astray

An Avenger

The Jeune Premier

A Defenceless Creature

An Enigmatic Nature

A Happy Man

A Troublesome Visitor

An Actor's End

A Story Without a Title

Vanka

Ivan Turgenev:

First Love

The District Doctor

Mumu

Nikolay Gogol:

The Mantle

Memoirs of a Madman

The Nose

A May Night

The Cloak

The Viy

Christmas Eve

Alexsandr Pushkin:

The Queen of Spades

Maxim Gorky:

One Autumn Night

Her Lover

Leonid Andreyev:

Lazarus

The Little Angel

Aleksandr Kuprin:

The Outrage

Mikhail Bulgakov

The Cup of Life

Komarov Case

Moscow Settings

Psalm

Moonshine Springs

Seance

Shifting Accommodation

The Beer Story

The Embroidered Towel

Ivan Bunin:

The Gentleman from San Francisco

The Grammar of Love

Gentle Breathing

Son

An Unknown Friend

Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin:

How a Muzhik Fed Two Officials