Vampires
1839, by Aleksey Tolstoy
One of Aleksey Tolstoy’s (not to be confused with Leo Tolstoy) fang-tasy stories, The Family of the Vourdalak, takes readers to a Serbian village gripped by a vampire plague. After being absent for ten days, the father of a family returns home changed – pale and averse to human food or sleep.
Witches
1835, by Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Gogol’s stories, with their grotesque elements and culture-rich folklore motifs, bring a new kind of bewitching, surreal, and frightening to the table. In The Viy’s spotlight are three students who get lost in the dark of the woods, but relievingly (or not) find shelter at an old woman’s house. As they split up, a series of eerie events begins to unfold – starting with an unexpected visit in the dead of the night.
Ghosts
1864, by Ivan Turgenev
Different from most of Ivan Turgenev’s works, Ghosts tells the story of a man who, struggling to fall asleep, sees the ghost of a young woman. He joins her on a journey through space and even time until one spine-chilling encounter. As the story unravels, its level of mystery – and creepiness – increases.
Unclear force
1913, by Leonid Andreyev
Eerie and emotionally heavy – that’s all about Leonid Andreyev’s books, and his He: An Unknown's Story is no exception. The story has all the horror essentials: a protagonist on the brink of insanity, a creepy family, an upstairs secret, a mysterious death, and a shadowy figure in the window – which no one else seems to see.
Undead
1831, by Alexander Pushkin
One of Alexander Pushkin’s most supernatural stories, The Undertaker introduces readers to the titular undertaker and his family as they attend a festive dinner at their new neighbors' home. As the local craftsmen toast to their respective customers, they ridicule the undertaker – who, in anger, invites his own "clients" to a feast at his house...
Serial killers
1865, by Nikolai Leskov
Crime reads are trending now – but the genre’s far from novel. Nikolai Leskov’s Lady Macbeth follows Katerina Ismailova, a wealthy yet unhappily-married woman, as she throws herself into a passionate affair. As passion turns into obsession, she falls into a downward spiral that makes her merciless to anyone who stands in the way of her happiness.
For more reading recommendations, check out our features via the Russian Literature tag; if you want to improve your Russian reading skills, this expert guide will help you get started.
