Which country has the best literature?

I think the answer is almost certainly Russia. My main reason for this is simply the book "the Master & Margarita", I am yet to find a book written in English, or any language that can compare to it. It must be one of the finest pieces of literature ever written, also, in terms of modern Russian literature, many write in a similar style to Mikhail Bulgakov, and for cultural and historical reasons it seems to be a style that many non-Russian authors struggle to emulate.

Also, Russian literature has ultimately influnced a lot of British literature. For example, George Owell's 1984 was heavily influenced by Yengeny Zamyatin's "We".

Which country would you say has the best literature?

Britain

It's difficult, probably impossible, to answer this question. How exactly does one define 'best'?. You also have to bear in mind that people have different tastes so you can never definitively answer this sort of question.

That said, Russia has produced a lot of great literature. My book shelves are stacked with works from the Russian canon: Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Tolstoy, Bulgakov, Solzhenitsyn, Turgenev etc. I think if there was a vote, Russia or England would probably come out on top.

Reply 3

Butterflyleg

10

I would say it's Germany, but I'm not objective :wink:

Goethe, Kafka, Nietzsche, Wilhelm & Jacob Grimm, Brecht, Wolfgang Bittner, Thomas Mann etc. <3 Oh well, I've read many Bulgakov's books and I love them, but russian literature is in most cases just weird. But to be fair authors like Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky or Chekhov always will be the greatest - no matter what :yep:

Reply 4

Madjackismad

13

More than one in my opinion:

English
Russian
German

the USA have produced a few brilliant writers like Edgar Allen Poe, Plath and Cormac McCarthy, among many others.

Lithuania.

Damn it, I need to read more Russian books.

Sad thing is, I like to read Agatha Christie books that were translated into Russian.

No accounting for taste.

Reply 7

Kater Murr

20

Yes, Russia (and then German).

Reply 8

Wyrd14

9

English literature is the richest in the world - there's something for everyone.

Reply 9

fruitcorner

4

Of course, no one mentions anything outside europe.

Do you see how shortsighted that is?

Countries don't produce literature, people do, no matter where they did it.

Reply 10

CherryCherryBoomBoom

21

I've only read English and American Literature. I guess I'll have to broaden out and try some new stuff, like Russian and German. Cool thread :smile:

Reply 11

Jlx

You've forgotten French Literature... With authors like La Fontaine, Balzac, Hugo, Baudelaire, Flaubert, Celine, etc....

Reply 12

Janos_D

8

The UK has just such a vast amount of literature (I think it publishes more books - perhaps per head - than any other country). So there is something for everyone.

Also the English language, with its adaptability and all its influences from the past, definately helps the creation of literature.

So I would say UK, even though (as has been discussed) there are great writers from other countries

Reply 13

ceeeeej

13

The literature produced in a country is relevant to its culture so something that we might think is awful is actually really good in the country it has been produced in so my answer is every country has the best literature.

Reply 14

SunOfABeach

11

Butterflyleg

I would say it's Germany, but I'm not objective :wink:

Goethe, Kafka, Nietzsche, Wilhelm & Jacob Grimm, Brecht, Wolfgang Bittner, Thomas Mann etc. <3 Oh well, I've read many Bulgakov's books and I love them, but russian literature is in most cases just weird. But to be fair authors like Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky or Chekhov always will be the greatest - no matter what :yep:

Kafka was German?

I'm totally uneducated. I thought he was Czech. FML.

Reply 15

iwilson03

16

ak56

I think the answer is almost certainly Russia. My main reason for this is simply the book "the Master & Margarita", I am yet to find a book written in English, or any language that can compare to it. It must be one of the finest pieces of literature ever written, also, in terms of modern Russian literature, many write in a similar style to Mikhail Bulgakov, and for cultural and historical reasons it seems to be a style that many non-Russian authors struggle to emulate.

Also, Russian literature has ultimately influnced a lot of British literature. For example, George Owell's 1984 was heavily influenced by Yengeny Zamyatin's "We".

Which country would you say has the best literature?

A few good writers does not mean that country has the 'best' literature. And you only seem to be looking at a very narrow period of history.

I'm going with the UK, Italy as a second choice.

Anyway this whole thing is completely subjective.

Reply 16

MSB

17

fruitcorner

Of course, no one mentions anything outside europe.

Do you see how shortsighted that is?

Countries don't produce literature, people do, no matter where they did it.

It isn't short-sighted. Even ignoring the fact that people who grew up in Europe are perhaps more likely to prefer European literature, as bizarre as that may sound, you can notice that for a long period of time in history the majority of the world's total output in literature came, for various reasons, from Europe.

Reply 17

Alexandra1234567

15

Jlx

You've forgotten French Literature... With authors like La Fontaine, Balzac, Hugo, Baudelaire, Flaubert, Celine, etc....

I'm with you on this one, (Don't forget Sartre!) as a personal favourite.

But there is such a huge range of English literature available here, obviously. Can't wait 'til my exams are over, I have a shelf full of all kinds of books that I'm just going to go through. :smile:

Reply 18

fruitcorner

4

MSB

It isn't short-sighted. Even ignoring the fact that people who grew up in Europe are perhaps more likely to prefer European literature, as bizarre as that may sound, you can notice that for a long period of time in history the majority of the world's total output in literature came, for various reasons, from Europe.

So you don't think it's short-sighted to only look for literature in your own back garden, or in a very specific period of time when your back garden was the best kept?