When learning a language, we all come to the point where we feel ready to read something interesting in the original language rather than the English translation, but feel unsure where to start.
Are we good enough for newspapers? Should we stick to Instagram posts? Could we be daring and grab a favorite novel in German or Russian? These questions might bewilder and puzzle us. In reality, there’s no one-size-fits-all recipe. It all depends on a) our current level and b) our literary taste.
Today, our Russian language teacher Piotr will try to explain the use of short Russian stories to his American student James. They love learning together, exchanging ideas, and having fun along the way. Let’s see where this goes.
- Hello there, James! I know nothing will beat our flirtation class, but let me try to lure you with Russian writers and the best Russian short stories. I can feel your skepticism, so I have to hurry up and offer my best. Reading books in their original language is a great skill builder for three main reasons:
1) it's contextual – you can understand lots of Russian words even if you're seeing them for the first time
2) it's emotional – a good story keeps you engaged till the end, so reading novels is a lot more enjoyable than working with a textbook
3) it introduces you to the Russian culture - a translator can never convey 100% of the original text in a different language
- Hi, Piotr. Well, I quite like reading. It’s just that I’m not an avid reader of Russian literature. I can only name a few Russian writers. I mean, I know Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Pushkin, and I read "Anna Karenina" in English, and I know about Chekhov's gun, but that’s about it. If I might just add to the benefits for Russian learners, I’d say reading is a great source of authentic words and sentences. I’m a visual learner, so I remember vocabulary way better by reading than by listening to audio. I'd say it’s quite difficult to find something in the original language for beginner to intermediate level, though.
- Oh, don’t worry about it. Do you know what the most prolific source of cultural knowledge and authentic vocabulary in any language is?
- I'd say a dating site.
- Only if you continuously discuss the Russian language, Russian life, Chekhov, and Isaac Babel with your friends on Tinder.
- Well, I just might after today’s lesson. "As Chekhov wrote...", and the girl is hooked by my intellect.
- In that case, you can try two genres of short stories: folk fairy tales and short stories by prominent writers.
- In essence, fairy tales are similar globally, but they acquire culture-specific elements. Usually, they feature a protagonist (hero) and an antagonist (villain), and you expect the former to win in the end. While everyone knows Grimms’ "Hansel and Gretel" with a wicked witch, few readers are familiar with the Slavic Baba Yaga, who takes center stage in numerous Russian stories. She’s a child-eating ogress...
- Of course she is.
- …who lives in the woods in a rotating house standing on chicken’s legs.
- What...?
- What? Baba Yaga!
- Wait, wasn't that what people called John Wick in the movies? I thought Baba Yaga was supposed to be the boogeyman!
- Well, next time you watch John Wick, just remember what his nickname actually means. I'm sure it'll be a whole new experience.
- Wow, I feel sorry for this Baba woman. Feminists would never tolerate this kind of depiction of a female character in stories nowadays.
- That's true. Especially since her nose is long and crooked and her skin is covered with wards that symbolize her cruelty.
- Not cool. I'm Team Baba from now on.
- Wow, James! I didn’t see that coming. You’re turning our language course into a literary course with elements of gender theory. I’m impressed. Baba Yaga is indeed encountered in multiple Russian stories. The most iconic story is «Сестрица Алёнушка и братец Иванушка» (“Sister Alionushka, Brother Ivanushka”), but its plot is not originally Russian. The story is filled with Russian references, the dialogues are written following a traditional Russian short story structure, and the characters possess Russian traits. The text, however, is nothing other than a re-worked Grimms' story written with Russia in mind. The same holds true for the Russian «Морозко» (“Father Frost”). An old cruel stepmother, her unattractive daughter, and her beautiful stepdaughter; the stepmother sends the girl to the deep woods to find snowdrops in the middle of winter. Doesn’t this story ring a bell?
- Well, that sound quite like Cinderella and, again, a very troubling alert for feminists.
- You’re really concerned with gender representation in writing. Then you’ll like «Василиса Прекрасная» (“Valislisa the Beautiful”), with Baba Yaga and a wicked stepmother at work again.
- I’ve heard this one. Russians seem to balance this unfair attitude toward women with the archetypical Ivan the Fool. I’m not sure what you call him in Russian.
- You’re right, James. He's Иванушка Дурачок or Емеля, depending on the story. He’s simple minded albeit pretty lucky.
- A lucky simpleton for a man and a repulsive old lady for a woman. What a couple.
The collection of iconic Russian fairy tales includes «Репка» (“The Turnip”), «Колобок» (“Kolobok, The Round Bun”), and «Теремок» (“The Wooden Hut”). While these stories are written for children, they all have some metaphorical meaning. Reading them is a great way for beginners to learn Russian. You memorize many Russian words and whole sentences as these stories feature lots of repetition, like in Russian «Репка»:
Посадил дед репку и говорит: «Расти, расти, репка, сладка! Расти, расти, репка, крепка!» Репка росла, росла, росла, росла, росла, росла, и выросла! Большая-пребольшая репка выросла! Очень большая!
(The old man planted a turnip and said, “Grow, grow sweet, my turnip! Grow, grow big, my turnip!” The turnip was growing, growing, growing, growing, growing, growing, and grew large! It became very, very large! Very large!).
From «Репка» in particular, you can learn vocabulary related to family members: everyone, starting with the grandmother (бабушка) and ending with the mouse (мышка) help the old man (дедушка) to pull the turnip out. Then, «Колобок» and «Теремок» have a cyclical structure common in Russian stories. The same action is repeated again and again, but different animals come to the fore: to eat up the kolobok or to become friends and live together in the teremok.
- I guess these aren't the most captivating Russian stories, but I could give them a try. I’ll learn the animal vocabulary and some language twists in Russian.
- Right. You could also get a published collection of short stories. In Russian, the best ones (e.g. «Народные Русские Сказки» / “Russian Folktales”) describe the Russian life and are compiled by Afanasyev, the greatest folktale collector. I'd also recommend Hyaenidae, a free website with stories suitable for children and foreigners. Also free of charge, Narodstory and Ilibrary are great short-story websites for adult learners of Russian.
- Yeah, I might want to go with the Russian short stories for kids and beginners first.
- Don’t underestimate your knowledge, James.
- Let’s discuss some vocabulary features of Russian fairy tales. How do you usually start tales in English?
- Do you mean the ones I tell girls?
- A great reference to the flirting class, James. So, you’d start with the words, "Once upon a time, there was"… and end with "and they lived happily ever after".
In Russian, these words would be:
- Жыл-был / Жыли-были… for the beginning and Они жили долго и счастливо и умерли в один день for the ending. It's also quite typical to add another sentence after the final words: Вот и сказочке конец, а кто слушал – молодец (Here’s the end to the tale. The one who was listening is a good boy/girl)
- I wonder why all the stories in Russian feature death. Gee, no one is supposed to die in a fairy tale.
- Do you know what else Russian short stories always have? You’ll love it.
- Flirting?
- Nope, the Subjunctive Mood.
- Oh boy...
- In Russian, the Subjunctive бы particle is used to express recommendations. It is a frequent occurrence in short stories, meaning someone instructs others in what they should do. Check this video on the popular «По щучьему веленью» (“At the Pike's Behest”) as an example:
Емеля чего ты лежишь? Пошел бы дров нарубил (Why are you lying on the stove, Yemelia? You’d better go and chop some wood.).
By the way, that’s another story involving the prototypical simpleton – a lazy but lucky guy who catches a pike and lets her go in return for a promise to fulfill his wishes. In case you don't know, a Russian stove is a common attribute of peasant life in Russian folktales – a warm place used as a bed.
- Interesting. So the abridged version would be Жил-был Емеля. Он мог бы рубить дрова, но любил лежать на печи. Он и его печь жили долго и счастливо и умерли в один день (Once upon a time, there lived Yemelia. He could be chopping wood, but he loved lying on the stove. They lived happily ever after, he and his stove).
- You could become a writer and write great humorous stories, James. Actually, Yemilia ended up with a beautiful princess in a grand castle. Laziness is often rewarded in Russian stories.
- Yeah, I wonder if that's the right lesson for me to be learning.
- We’ve talked about fairy tales, but classy Russian short stories by renowned writers are what made Russian literature popular around the world. Do you know any Russian short stories, James?
- Let me think. I’ve read Turgenev's “Mumu”' translation. It’s a tragedy about Gerasim, a deaf/mute man, and his dog. I’d love to read this short story in its original version. Translations rarely convey the deepest feelings.
- That’s one of my favorite short stories in Russian, and I agree - it loses a lot when translated. You can try short videos with retold Russian short stories, like this one on Mumu.
Мужик решил сделать все своими руками. Взял свой лучший кафтан, тот самый что сшили для помолвки с Татьяной, накормил Муму в трактире, а потом на лодке выплыл в центр реки. Привязал кирпич к шее и выкинул собаку за борт.
(The man decided to do it all by himself. He put on his best kaftan, the one made for his and Tatiana’s engagement, took Mumu to the inn, and brought it to the middle of the river on a boat. Then, he tied a brick to the animal's neck and threw it into the water).
- You see, Gerasim had no control over his life. That’s his tragedy. What would have happened to Mumu, provided its master hadn’t been a slave?
- I see you’re encouraging me to use the Russian Subjunctive here, Piotr.
- Well, the subjunctive is often used in Russian short stories, so you need to.
- Challenge accepted: Если бы Герасим не был рабом, он не утопил бы Муму (If Gerasim hadn’t been a slave, he wouldn’t have drowned Mumu). And here's a bonus one:
Не был бы Герасим немым, он женился бы на Татьяне (Had Gerasim not been mute, he would have married Tatiana).
- Well done with the subjunctive and vocabulary, James. You make me proud.
- Blushing. By the way, I like this illustrated audiobook approach.
- Then, you'll enjoy this format: you have a selection of short stories, slightly adapted for Russian learners, with interlinear translation into English. The Russian story is also accompanied by audio, like «Ванька» / Vanka by Anton Chekhov. No need to open a dictionary every time you see new vocabulary.
- I have prepared a small collection of Russian short stories as your homework assignment.
- Oh man.
- Don’t be whiny, James. When you're done, you’ll speak Russian like a native.
- If that’s the case...
- Here’s my personal top five (and they won't cost you lots of money on Amazon):
1) «Олеся» / “Olesya” (1898) by Alexander Kuprin
2) «Чистый понедельник» / “Clean Monday” (1944) by Ivan Bunin.
3) «Пиковая дама» / “The Queen of Spades” by Alexander Pushkin
4) «Морфий» / “Morphine” (1927) by Mikhail Bulgakov
5) «Старосветские помещики» / “Old World Landowners” (1835) by Nikolai Gogol
- I love Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita”. I’ve never heard about Bunin and Kuprin, though.
- If you're into romantic plots, they're the writers to read. You'll also want to use their vocabulary for fancy pick up lines.
- Wow! Short stories in Russian to discuss on Tinder. We should have started with this back in our flirtation class. Thanks for this awesome course, Piotr!
- Always a pleasure, James. Waiting for your report on the short stories and Tinder dates.
Russian literature is a mirror of the Russian language, history, and culture. While beginning with novels such as «Война и Мир» or «Мастер и Маргарита» would hardly prove successful, starting with short stories in Russian is a great idea. James is beginning with his first short story. Are you ready to join him?
To make sure you really enjoy a Russian short story, don’t tackle it as learning material. View it as a pleasant pastime. Don’t start with a Russian story you’re bound to dislike – go for your favorite genre. Don’t overstress by looking up all Russian vocabulary – understanding it in context is good enough. Finally, don’t force yourself to read a lot of pages at once – get used to reading in a foreign language. Piotr and James are developing this course on our website to help you learn Russian and enjoy every minute of the process.
