By what is being read in one country or another, one can judge the cultural level of the nation. It seemed that long ago the times had passed when Russia was considered the most reading country in the world. But for us, not everything is lost. VTsIOM reported data from recent studies: Russians today read 1.5 books a month.
This result is close to the data of the 1990s, when the books read replaced each other twice a month. These studies also contain information about what Russians are reading right now. An interesting fact: the number and range of books read does not match the lists of best-selling books. So, Rospechat reports, D. Dontsova still holds the first place in sales, followed by A. Marinina, T. Polyakova, B. Akunin, T. Ustinova, A. Bushkov. However, the most readable are not these authors, but science fiction writers. Young people (a group of 14 to 28 years old) prefer vampire novels, mystical and "bloody" stories. Such books, representatives of the younger generation claim, help relieve the stress accumulated during the day. Older people report that they are now reading Asimov, Lem, Bradbury and Strugatsky. Girls prefer
ironic detectives, love stories and romantic adventures. Surveys conducted among students convincingly showed that they are now reading “Angelica”, “Twilight”, and Dontsova. But ... The most popular answer to the question of what is being read in Russia, students gave an unexpected answer: Dostoevsky. It turns out that today it is considered fashionable to read classical literature, to understand classical music, to study oriental culture and
dead languages. Of course, the interests of young people (as well as that of the adult generation) are diverse, and not everyone can tell what is being read by Pushkin or Leskov, Bulgakov or Herzen. However, reading and understanding Russian classics is becoming fashionable today, and this is a very good trend. 6% of the population prefers memoirs, 13% -
historical novels. Among foreign, the most read books now: Joan Rawling and Conan Doyle, Dumas and Coelho, Kafka and Hemingway.
What do foreigners prefer?
In Germany, the most widely read Russian author is P. Dashkova. She sells an average of about a million copies a year. Her detectives about the life of modern Russia, the inhabitants of Germany consider illustrations to really existing Russian reality. The books of A. Glukhovsky, which gives a recipe for survival in the post-capitalist world, are sold well in the same country. Harry Steingard, who works in a genre built on the crossroads of classic Russian satire with American toilet humor, is particularly successful in the UK and the USA. There he even won several prestigious prizes.
Paper or electronic?
The conducted social surveys suggest that: the fashion for reading books with a new force began to develop also because now you can read any book without visiting the library. The advent of tablets, e-books and other gadgets allows you to access any book without leaving your home. This is important for senior citizens (as the most reading category), employees who find it possible to read at work, and young people who do not like going to libraries.