Our selection includes detectives, love novels and one poem that is pleasant to read on the road
Agatha Christie, "Murder on the East Express"
The cult detective Agatha Christie was first published in 1934 and has since been reissued (and filmed) many times. What attracts readers so much? The detective novel is written with truly English pedantry and attention to detail, so until the last page can hardly be assumed to be an outcome - and this, no matter what, the main thing in books of this genre. So, we have a snow-covered train, one dead American with a dubious past, as well as 13 murder suspects. However, the problem is that none of the travelers could pull off this crime alone. Were all the passengers' conspirators?
Jacques Lob, Jean-Marc Roshett "Through the Snow"
A French graphic novel tells of a world of the future in which mankind does not expect anything good. Scientists who tried to stop global warming, a little too much, and the planet was covered with endless winter - the cold destroyed all life on the surface of the earth. A handful of people have survived on a modern round-the-world train: a rigid social hierarchy has been immediately built in it. Some were relegated to the status of slaves, while others, on the contrary, were elevated. Nutritional problems (as well as rumors that the last wagons will be pulled away from the train) lead to constant uprisings. One of them is described in the novel "Through the Snow" - the success of the publication was so great that the authors created two more books that continue the story of the post-apocalyptic world. By the way, in 2014, a film based on a novel was released, and now a series is being prepared, also based on the events of the first book.
Olga Slavnikova, "Love in the Seventh Wagon"
Olga Slavnikova is a famous Russian prose writer, winner of such prestigious awards as "Yasnaya Polyana" and "Russian Booker". She is famous for her inimitable author's style - her complex metaphors among the connoisseurs of literature cause real delight. Although Slavnikov's main gravitation is towards the novel form, sometimes she also writes stories. "Love in the Seventh Wagon is a collection of ten small texts united by a common theme: the railway. The action here is always connected in one way or another with trains, trains, and stations. Against the background of the railway, the heroes of Slavnikova fall in love, suffer, change, immerse themselves in memories - in general, live a full life. Stories turned out to be diverse, and that's good: it will brighten up any of your travels.
Venedikt Erofeev, "Moscow - Cocks"
The main postmodern work of the Soviet Union was written by Venedikt Erofeev back in 1969, but in the country, in its entirety (due to censorship prohibitions) it was published only in 1989. "Moscow - The Cocks", without exaggeration, is a great and significant text for the world literature - Venedikt Yerofeev himself classified his genre as a "poem in prose" (which suggests the idea of Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin" - "novel in verses"). In general, endless allusions to other works of art, games with meanings and cultural codes - what constitutes the "flesh" of the author's text. The lyrical hero of the poem, Wienechka, goes in a semi-conscious state from Moscow to Petushki - to his mistress and child. 125 kilometers on the train go under endless conversations with fictional and real companions (as well as with yourself). Naturally, the hero consumes alcohol all the way around, which only changes it more strongly and distorted the already distorted consciousness. As a result, he falls asleep and does not go out at the right station - he wakes up only on his way back to Moscow.
Denise Woods, "Night train to Innsburg"
Denise Woods - Irish writer, whose texts are in many ways similar to the books of the famous Englishwoman Ann Tyler: they have the same slowness, confession, and sincerity. The novel "The Night Train to Innsburg" tells of lovers, Richard and Francis, who accidentally meet in the train - for the first time after a long breakup. They adored each other and often traveled together - and so, on one of these trips, when they crossed the Sudan, Richard suddenly disappeared. Now that they have met after many years, they will have to spend the night in front of each other. Everyone will tell their story of life, blame their former partner for their mistakes and try to figure out who is to blame for the breakup - and who is lying the most. An excellent example of psychological prose will be appreciated by fans of thoughtful reading.
Viktor Pelevin, "Yellow Arrow"
The collection of small prose "Yellow Arrow" included stories and stories of Victor Pelevin 1990's, which brought him fame as one of the main domestic authors. Today, when several decades have passed since then, it is especially interesting to reread these texts. The story, the name of which is entitled the entire collection, is devoted to the story of a giant train, rapidly rushing across the ruined bridge. The cars are inhabited by different heroes - some of them prefer not to notice that he is in a doomed to death train, and someone is trying to escape - but they can hardly escape. This story is not just a fantastic story: the train serves as a metaphor for human life, which all have the same ending.