The great names of Russian literature read like a who's who of great names in the world literature: Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Chekhov, Bunin, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn. But there are only a handful of the legions of extraordinary writers that formed the basis of Russian literature. Russian literature is a rich tapestry reflecting life in a complex world of political turmoil, religious fervour, climate extremes and conditions for daily life which would stupefy the average European or American. This book presents an overview of Russian literature as well as a comprehensive bibliography, including English language sources, accessed by subject, author and titles indexes.