Russian beginners’ reading list (RAI or Course B) 
              
             This year will be devoted almost exclusively to grammar, although in Hilary Term you spend 
             some time studying a short poetry anthology tailored to your level at that point, and in Trinity 
             Term you attend lectures on Russian History and Literature. 
              
             You will be asked to buy a copy of the grammar book used for your classes soon after your 
             arrival here. This is fairly expensive, but it is the only book you will need for Russian during 
             the entire year. The publisher offers us a discount on it, and you also buy it here to make sure 
             that you have the up-to-date edition used in the classes. We, unsurprisingly, recommend that 
             you use The Oxford Russian Dictionary (any second-hand edition will do) as your work of 
             reference: there are also dictionaries online within the system here. 
              
             Before you come up you would ideally read A very short introduction to Russian literature by 
             Catriona Kelly and A very short introduction to Russian history by Geoffrey Hosking, both Oxford 
             University Press and both as short as advertised. This would give you an invaluable context 
             for your understanding of the country and its writers. 
              
             At the same time, do continue to read as much literature in translation as you can. In 
             Admissions interviews it transpires that people favour works such as Dostoevsky’s Crime and 
             punishment, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, Chekhov’s short stories or plays such as The seagull, Uncle 
             Vanya, The three sisters, The cherry orchard,  Bulgakov’s The master and Margarita, or Solzhenitsyn’s  
             One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. All of these are an excellent introduction to Russian 
             literature. 
              
             During your second year in Yaroslavl’ you are required to pay a fee, currently 1350 pounds, to 
             the University here. This is a government requirement rather than a university one. The year 
             abroad should in total cost you no more, hopefully rather less, than a year on the rest of the 
             course here, but you should be prepared to meet this cost. 
              
             Please get in touch if you have queries. My email is jennifer.baines@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk. 
              
                                  Dr JCA Baines 
              
             The Queen’s College  High Street  Oxford  OX1 4AW  T +44 (0) 1865 279120  www.queens.ox.ac.uk 
             Registered charity 1142553