Our friend Dmitry Bykov, a renowned writer, poet, and journalist, has compiled a list of required reading for adolescents, drawing from Russian and world literature. Vita Nostra got a shoutout:
A child who hasn’t read Vita Nostra is missing out on life. Go buy it right now and begin reading, in small portions. And no matter what, don’t do the things it describes. Those things require serious supervision and an adult presence, but it wouldn’t hurt to read and try it on for size. Also, read the Wanderers series.
Here’s the original post: https://www.pryamaya.ru/articles/dmitriy_bykov_spisok_nemedlennyh_knig_dlya_podrostka_ot_dmitriya_bykova_
Dmitry Bykov writes and talks about literature history and theory. He hosts lectures and discussions and writes both fiction and non-fiction. Here’s some more info about him.