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
