List of Russian-language writers
This is a list of authors who have written works of prose and poetry in the Russian language.
For separate lists by literary field:
See also: Category:Russian writers
Alphabetical list
A
- Alexander Ablesimov (1742–1783), opera librettist, poet, dramatist, satirist and journalist
- Fyodor Abramov (1920–1983), novelist and short story writer, Two Winters and Three Summers
- Alexander Afanasyev (1826–1871), folklorist who recorded and published over 600 Russian folktales and fairytales
- Alexander Afinogenov (1904–1941), playwright, A Far Place
- M. Ageyev (1898–1973), novelist, Cocain Romance
- Chinghiz Aitmatov (1928–2008), Kyrgyz novelist and short story writer, Jamilya
- David Aizman (1869–1922), Russian-Jewish writer and playwright
- Bella Akhmadulina (1937–2010), modern poet, The String
- Anna Akhmatova (1889–1966), acmeist poet, Poem Without a Hero
- Ivan Aksakov (1823–1886), journalist, notable slavophile
- Konstantin Aksakov (1817–1860), playwright, critic and writer, notable slavophile
- Sergey Aksakov (1791–1859), novelist and miscellaneous writer, The Scarlet Flower
- Vasily Aksyonov (1932–2009), novelist and short story writer, Generations of Winter
- Boris Akunin (born 1956), author, essayist, translator and literary critic, Erast Fandorin series
- Mikhail Albov, (1851–1911), novelist and short story writer
- Mark Aldanov (died 1957), historical novelist
- Sholem Aleichem (1859–1916), Russian Jewish writer, Wandering Stars
- Margarita Aliger (1915–1992), poet, translator, and journalist, Zoya
- Yuz Aleshkovsky (born 1929), writer, poet, playwright and performer of his own songs, Kangaroo
- Alexander Amfiteatrov (1862–1938), writer and historian, Napoleonder
- Daniil Andreyev (1906–1959), writer, poet, and Christian mystic, Roza Mira
- Leonid Andreyev (1871–1919), novelist, playwright and short story writer, The Seven Who Were Hanged
- Irakly Andronikov (1908–1990), writer, historian, philologist and media personality
- Pavel Annenkov (1813–1887), best known for his memoirs The Extraordinary Decade
- Innokenty Annensky (1855–1909), poet, critic and translator, representative of the first wave of Russian Symbolism
- Pavel Antokolsky (1896–1978), poet, All We Who in His Name
- Aleksey Apukhtin (1840–1893), poet and writer, From Death to Life
- Maria Arbatova (born 1957), novelist, short story writer, playwright, poet and journalist
- Aleksei Arbuzov (1908–1986), playwright, A Long Road
- Mikhail Artsybashev (1878–1927), Naturalist writer and playwright, Sanin
- Nikolai Aseev (1889–1963), Futurist poet, Night Flute
- Viktor Astafyev (1924–2001), novelist and short story writer, Sad Detective
- Lera Auerbach (Averbakh) (born 1963), poet, writer and composer
- Arkady Averchenko (1881–1925), satirical writer and playwright, Ninochka
- Gennadiy Aygi (1934–2006), Chuvash poet and translator
B
- Isaak Babel (1894–1940), short story writer, The Odessa Tales, Red Cavalry
- Eduard Bagritsky (1895–1934), constructivist poet, February
- Grigory Baklanov (1923–2009), novelist and magazine editor, Forever Nineteen
- Mikhail Bakhtin (1895–1975), philosopher, literary critic, semiotician and scholar
- Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876), revolutionary and theorist of collectivist anarchism
- Konstantin Balmont (1867–1942), major symbolist poet and translator, Burning Buildings
- Jurgis Baltrušaitis (1873–1944), poet and translator, The Pendulum
- Yevgeny Baratynsky (1800–1844), poet, The Gipsy
- Natalya Baranskaya (1908–2004), novelist and short story writer, A Week Like Any Other
- Ivan Barkov (1732–1768), comic and erotic poet, Luka Mudischev
- Anna Barkova (1901–1976), poet and writer, Gulag survivor
- Agniya Barto (1906–1981), Russian-Jewish poet and children's writer
- Alexander Bashlachev (1960–1988), poet, musician, guitarist, and singer-songwriter
- Konstantin Batyushkov (1787–1855), poet, essayist and translator
- Pavel Bazhov (1879–1950), fairy tale author, The Malachite Casket
- Demyan Bedny (1883–1945), poet and satirist, New Testament Without Defects
- Alexander Bek (1903–1972), novelist, And Not to Die
- Vissarion Belinsky (1811–1848), writer, literary critic and philosopher
- Vasily Belov (born 1932), writer, poet and dramatist, Eves, The Year of a Major Breakdown
- Andrei Bely (1880–1934), symbolist poet and writer, Petersburg
- Alexander Belyayev (1884–1942), science fiction author, Amphibian Man
- Nina Berberova (1901–1993), novelist and short story writer, The Book of Happiness
- Olga Bergholz (1910–1975), poet, playwright and memoirist
- Alexander Bestuzhev (1797–1837), novelist, short story writer and Decembrist, An Evening on Bivouac
- Aleksei Bibik (1878–1976), working-class novelist and short story writer
- Andrei Bitov (born 1937), novelist and short story writer, Pushkin House
- Nikolay Blagoveshchensky (1837–1889), writer, journalist and biographer
- Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891), a founder of Theosophy and the Theosophical Society, The Secret Doctrine, Isis Unveiled
- Alexander Blok (1880–1921), major poet, The Twelve
- Pyotr Boborykin (1836–1921), writer, playwright and journalist, China Town
- Oleg Bogayev (born 1970), playwright, The Russian National Postal Service
- Alexander Bogdanov (1873–1928), novelist, physician, economist and philosopher, Red Star
- Vladimir Bogomolov (1926–2003), novelist and short story writer, Ivan
- Vladimir Bogoraz (1865–1936), revolutionary, writer and anthropologist
- Yuri Bondarev (born 1924), novelist and short story writer, The Shore
- Leonid Borodin (born 1938), novelist and journalist, The Story of a Strange Time
- Vasily Botkin (1812–1869), critic, essayist and translator
- Valeri Brainin-Passek (born 1948), Russian/German musicologist, music manager, composer and poet
- Osip Brik (1888–1945), Russian avant garde writer and literary critic
- Joseph Brodsky (1940–1996), poet and essayist, Nobel Prize Winner
- Valery Bryusov (1873–1924), poet, novelist and short story writer, The Fiery Angel
- Yury Buida (born 1954), novelist and short story writer, The Zero Train
- Vladimir Bukovsky (born 1942), writer and dissident
- Mikhail Bulgakov (1891–1940), major writer and playwright, The Master and Margarita
- Faddey Bulgarin (1789–1859), Polish-born writer and journalist
- Kir Bulychev (1934–2003), science fiction author, Half a Life
- Ivan Bunin (1870–1953), first Russian winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, The Village
- Anna Bunina (1774–1829), poet, Though Poverty's No Stain
- David Burliuk (1882–1967), illustrator, publicist and author associated with Russian Futurism
C
- Dimitrie Cantemir (1673–1723), philosopher, historian, composer, musicologist, linguist, ethnographer and geographer
- Catherine the Great, (1729–1796), patroness of the arts, music and theatre, and opera librettist, Fevey
- Pyotr Chaadayev (1794–1856), philosopher, Philosophical Letters
- Aleksey Chapygin (1870–1937), novelist and short story writer, Stepan Razin
- Lidia Charskaya (1875–1938), popular novelist
- Alexander Chekhov (1855–1913), writer and journalist
- Anton Chekhov (1860–1904), short story writer and playwright, The Cherry Orchard
- Nikolay Chernyshevsky (1828–1889), writer, journalist and politician, What Is to Be Done?
- Evgeny Chirikov (1864–1932), novelist, short story writer and playwright, The Magician
- Sasha Chorny (1880–1932), poet, satirist and children's writer
- Korney Chukovsky (1882–1969), popular children's poet, Wash'em'clean
- Lydia Chukovskaya (1907–1996), writer and poet, Sofia Petrovna
- Georgy Chulkov (1879–1939), poet, editor, writer and critic
D
- Denis Davydov (1784–1839), soldier-poet of the Napoleonic Wars
- Vladimir Dal (1801–1872), writer and lexicographer, Explanatory Dictionary
- Yuli Daniel (1925–1988), dissident writer, poet and translator, This is Moscow Speaking
- Grigory Danilevsky (1829–1890), historical and ethnographical novelist, Moscow in Flames
- Anton Delvig (1798–1831), poet, journalist and magazine editor
- Grigoriy Demidovtsev (born 1960), writer and playwright
- Andrey Dementyev (born 1928), poet and writer
- Regina Derieva (born 1949), poet, writer and essayist
- Gavrila Derzhavin (1743–1816), poet and statesman, Let the Thunder of Victory Sound!
- Ivan Dmitriev (1760–1837), sentamentalist poet and Russian Minister of Justice
- Valentina Dmitryeva (1859–1947), writer, doctor and teacher, Hveska, the Doctor's Watchman
- Nikolay Dobrolyubov (1836–1861), literary critic, journalist, poet and essayist
- Leonid Dobychin (1894–1936), novelist, The Town of N
- Yevgeniy Dolmatovsky (1915–1994) poet and songwriter
- Yury Dombrovsky (1909–1978), writer and Gulag survivor, The Keeper of Antiquities
- Vlas Doroshevich (1864–1922), journalist, writer and drama critic, The Way of the Cross
- Lyubov Dostoyevskaya (1869–1926), novelist and biographer, The Emigrant
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881), major novelist, Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov
- Mikhail Dostoyevsky (1820–1864), writer, critic and editor, Vremya
- Sergei Dovlatov (1941–1990), Novelist, short story writer and journalist, Affiliate
- Spiridon Drozhzhin (1848–1930), poet, At the Village Assembly
- Yulia Drunina (1924–1991), poet and politician
- Alexander Druzhinin (1824–1864), writer and magazine editor, Polinka Saks
- Vladimir Dudintsev (1918–1998), novelist, Not by Bread Alone
- Nadezhda Durova (1783–1866), soldier and writer, The Cavalry Maiden
E
- Ilya Ehrenburg (1891–1967), novelist and WWII war correspondent, The Black Book, The Thaw
- Natan Eidelman (1930–1989), author, biographer and historian
- Sergey Elpatyevsky (1854–1933), novelist and short story writer, Pity Me!
- Asar Eppel (born 1935), writer and translator, Red Caviar Sandwiches
- Nikolai Erdman (1900–1970), playwright, The Suicide
- Victor Erofeyev (born 1947), writer, literary critic and magazine editor, Russian Beauty
- Alexander Ertel (1855–1908), novelist and short story writer, A Greedy Peasant
- Mikhail Evstafiev (born 1963), artist, photographer and writer, Two Steps from Heaven
- Nikolai Evreinov (1879–1953), director, dramatist and theatre practitioner, The Storming of the Winter Palace
F
- Alexander Fadeyev (1901–1956), novelist, known for his war fiction, The Rout, The Young Guard
- Konstantin Fedin (1892–1977), novelist, Cities and Years
- Afanasy Fet (1820–1892), major poet and translator
- Vera Figner (1852–1942), revolutionary and writer, member of Narodnaya Volya
- Konstantin Fofanov (1862–1911), poet, considered to be a precursor of the symbolists, Shadows and Mystery
- Denis Fonvizin (1744–1792), dramatist, The Minor
- Olga Forsh (1873–1961), writer, dramatist, memoirist and scenarist, Palace and Prison
- Dmitry Furmanov (1891–1926), writer, known for his Russian Civil War novel Chapayev
G
- Cherubina de Gabriak (1887–1928), pseudonymous poet
- Arkady Gaidar (1904–1941), children's writer, Timur and His Squad
- Alexander Galich (1918–1977), poet, screenwriter, playwright and singer-songwriter
- Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky (1852–1906), writer, essayist and engineer, Practical Training
- Vsevolod Garshin (1855–1888), short story writer, The Red Flower
- Aleksei Gastev (1882–1939), avant garde poet
- Mikhail Gerasimov (1889–1939), worker-poet
- Yuri German (1910–1967), writer, playwright, screenwriter and journalist, The Cause You Serve
- Vladimir Gilyarovsky (1853–1935), writer and journalist, The Stories of the Slums
- Lidiya Ginzburg (1902–1990), literary critic and a survivor of the Siege of Leningrad, Blockade Diary
- Yevgenia Ginzburg (1904–1977), known for her memoirs of the Gulag, Journey into the Whirlwind, Within the Whirlwind
- Zinaida Gippius (1869–1945), essayist, memoirist, writer, poet and playwright, The Green Ring
- Anatoly Gladilin (born 1935), novelist, Moscow Racetrack
- Fyodor Gladkov (1883–1958), novelist and short story writer, Cement
- Nikolay Glazkov (1919–1979), poet, creator of the term "Samizdat"
- Fyodor Glinka (1786–1880), poet and playwright, Karelia
- Dmitry Glukhovsky (born 1979), writer and journalist, Metro 2033
- Nikolay Gnedich (1784–1833), poet and translator, The Fishers
- Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852), major prose writer and dramatist, Dead Souls
- Arseny Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1848–1913), poet, Songs and Dances of Death
- Boris Golovin (born 1955), singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist
- Ivan Goncharov (1812–1891), major novelist, Oblomov
- Natalya Gorbanevskaya (born 1936), poet, translator and civil rights activist
- Dmitry Gorchakov (1758–1824), poet, playwright, satirist
- Grigori Gorin (1940–2000), writer, playwright and screenwriter, The Very Same Munchhausen
- Maxim Gorky (1868–1936), novelist, short story writer and playwright, The Lower Depths
- Nina Gorlanova (born 1947), novelist and short story writer
- Sergey Gorodetsky (1884–1967), poet, one of the founders of the acmeist school
- Daniil Granin (born 1919), novelist, Those Who Seek
- Nikolay Gretsch (1787–1867), journalist, writer and magazine editor, Northern Bee
- Aleksander Griboyedov (1795–1828), dramatist and statesman, Woe from Wit
- Dmitry Grigorovich (1822–1900), novelist, The Fishermen
- Oleg Grigoriev (1943–1992), poet and artist
- Apollon Grigoryev (1822–1864), poet, literary and theatrical critic, translator and memoirist
- Alexander Grin (1880–1932), author of novels and stories set in Grinlandia, Scarlet Sails
- Isabella Grinevskaya (1864–1944), poet, writer and playwright
- Vasily Grossman (1905–1964), major writer and war correspondent, Life and Fate
- Vitali Gubarev (1912–1981), journalist and writer
- Igor Guberman (born 1936), writer and satirical poet
- Semyon Gudzenko (1922–1953), poet of the World War II generation
- Lev Gumilev (1912–1992), historian, ethnologist and anthropologist
- Nikolay Gumilev (1886–1921), poet, founder of the acmeist movement
- Elena Guro (1877–1913), Futurist writer and painter, The Hurdy-Gurdy
- Sergey Gusev-Orenburgsky (1867–1963), novelist, The Land of the Fathers
H
- Alexander Herzen (1812–1870), essayist, novelist, philosopher and magazine editor, Who is to Blame?
I
- Ilf and Petrov (Ilf 1897-1937) (Petrov 1903-1942), satirical writers, The Twelve Chairs, The Little Golden Calf
- Vera Inber (1890–1972), poet and writer, Lalla's Interests
- Mikhail Isakovsky (1900–1973), poet and songwriter, Katyusha
- Fazil Iskander, (born 1929), Abkhaz writer, Chik and His Friends
- Alexei Ivanov (born 1969), novelist and screenwriter
- Georgy Ivanov (1894–1958), poet and essayist
- Vsevolod Ivanov (1895–1963), writer and playwright, Armoured Train 14-69
- Vyacheslav Ivanov (1866–1949), poet, playwright, philosopher, translator and literary critic
- Ryurik Ivnev (1891–1981), poet, novelist and translator
K
- Gavril Kamenev (1772–1803), poet, writer and translator
- Vasily Kamensky (1884–1961), poet, playwright and artist, one of the first Russian aviators
- Antiochus Kantemir (1708–1744), writer and poet, On the Envy and Pride of Evil-Minded Courtiers
- Nikolay Karamzin (1766–1826), poet, writer and historian, Poor Liza
- Nikolay Karazin (1842–1908), painter and writer, The Two-Legged Wolf
- Nikolay Karonin-Petropavlovsky (1853–1892), Narodnik writer, First Storm
- Vladimir Karpov (1922–2010), novelist and magazine editor, The Commander
- Vasily Kapnist (1758–1823), poet and playwright, Chicane
- Lev Kassil (1905–1970), writer of juvenile and young adult literature
- Ivan Kataev (1902–1937), novelist and short story writer, Immortality
- Valentin Kataev (1897–1986), writer and playwright, Time, Forward!
- Pavel Katenin (1792–1853), classicist poet, dramatist and literary critic
- Mikhail Katkov (1818–1887), journalist and publicist, Moscow News
- Veniamin Kaverin (1902–1989), novelist, The Two Captains
- Emmanuil Kazakevich (1913–1962), writer, poet and playwright, The Blue Notebook
- Yury Kazakov (1927–1982), short story writer, Going To Town
- Rimma Kazakova (1932–2008), poet, Let's Meet in the East
- Dmitri Kedrin (1907–1945), poet, Confession
- Yuri Khanon (born 1965), novelist-eccentric, Skryabin As a Face
- Yevgeny Kharitonov (1941–1981), writer, poet, playwright and theater director
- Daniil Kharms (1905–1942), absurdist writer, The Old Woman
- Ivan Khemnitser (1745–1784), satirical poet, The Rich Man and the Poor Man
- Mikhail Kheraskov (1733–1807), poet, writer and playwright, Vladimir Reborn
- Velimir Khlebnikov (1885–1922), futurist poet and author, Incantation by Laughter
- Vladislav Khodasevich (1886–1939), poet and literary critic
- Aleksey Khomyakov (1804–1860), poet, co-founder of the Slavophile movement
- Nadezhda Khvoshchinskaya (1824–1889), writer, critic and translator, The Boarding-School Girl
- Ivan Kireyevsky (1806–1856), writer, co-founder of the slavophile movement
- Vladimir Kirshon (1902–1938), playwright, The Miraculous Alloy
- Marusya Klimova (born 1961), writer and translator
- Nikolai Klyuev (1884–1937), peasant poet, A Northern Poem
- Yakov Knyazhnin (1740/42-1791), playwright, poet and translator, The Braggart
- Vsevolod Kochetov (1912–1973), novelist and journalist, The Zhurbin Family
- Pavel Kogan (1818–1942), poet and military interpreter
- Ivan Kokorev (1825–1853), short story writer and essayist
- Alexandra Kollontai (1872–1952), writer, feminist and important political figure, Love of Worker Bees
- Aleksey Koltsov (1809–1842), poet, An Old Man's Song
- Mikhail Koltsov (1898-1940/42), journalist and satirist
- Lev Kopelev (1912–1997), writer, journalist and dissident
- Vladimir Korolenko (1853–1921), writer and memoirist, The Blind Musician
- Arkady Kots (1872–1943), poet and translator, Proletarian Songs
- Sofia Kovalevskaya (1859–1891), writer and mathematician, Nihilist Girl
- Vadim Kozhevnikov (1909–1984), novelist and short story writer, Shield and Sword
- Nadezhda Kozhevnikova (born 1949), writer and journalist, Attorney Alexandra Tikhonovna
- Ivan Kozlov (1779–1840), poet and translator, The Monk
- Eugene Kozlovsky (born 1946), writer, journalist, theatre director and film director
- Vasili Krasovsky (1782–1824), poet, Scrolls of the Muse
- Vsevolod Krestovsky (1840–1895), writer, Knights of Industry
- Peter Kropotkin (1842–1921), writer and anarchist theorist, In Russian and French Prisons
- Aleksei Kruchenykh (1886–1968), Russian Futurist poet, co-creator of the literary concept "Zaum"
- Ivan Krylov (1769–1844), major fabulist and dramatist
- Gleb Krzhizhanovsky (1872–1959), poet, author of the Russian version of the Warszawianka
- Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky (1887–1950), short story writer, Quadraturin
- Anatoly Kudryavitsky (born 1954), poet and novelist
- Nestor Kukolnik (1809–1868), playwright, poet and librettist, A Life for the Tsar
- Aleksandr Kuprin (1870–1938), novelist and short story writer, The Duel
- Wilhelm Küchelbecker (1797–1846), poet and magazine editor, Mnemozina
- Ivan Kushchevsky (1847–1876), writer, Nikolai Negorev
- Alexander Kushner (born 1936), poet and essayist, The First Impression
- Dmitry Kuzmin (born 1968), poet, critic and publisher
- Mikhail Kuzmin (1872–1936), poet and novelist, Wings
- Anatoly Kuznetsov (1929–1979), novelist, Babi Yar: A Document in the Form of a Novel
L
- Lazar Lagin (1903–1979), satirist and children's writer, The Old Genie Hottabych
- Yulia Latynina (born 1966), journalist, writer and radio host, The Insider
- Boris Lavrenyov (1891–1959), writer and playwright, Such a Simple Thing
- Pyotr Lavrov (1823–1900), prominent theorist of narodism, philosopher, publicist and sociologist.
- Ivan Lazhechnikov (1792–1869), historical novelist, The Heretic
- Vasily Lebedev-Kumach (1898–1949), poet and lyricist, Serdtse
- Leonid Leonov (1899–1994), major novelist and short story writer, The Thief
- Konstantin Leontiev (1831–1891), philosopher and essayist
- Mikhail Lermontov (1814–1841), major poet, playwright and novelist, A Hero of Our Time
- Nikolai Leskov (1831–1895), writer and journalist, Lady MacBeth of the Mtensk District
- Alexander Levitov (1835–1877), short story writer, Leatherhide the Cobbler
- Nikolay Leykin (1841–1906), writer and publisher, Fragments Magazine
- Viktor Likhonosov (born 1936), writer and editor, Unwritten Memoirs. Our Little Paris.
- Eduard Limonov (born 1943), writer and dissident, Memoirs of a Russian Punk
- Dmitri Lipskerov (born 1964), writer and playwright, The Forty Years of Changzhoeh
- Mirra Lokhvitskaya (1869–1905), poet and playwright
- Mikhail Lomonosov (1711–1765), polymath, scientist, writer and linguistic reformer
- Vladimir Lugovskoy (1901–1957), constructivist poet
- Sergey Lukyanenko (born 1968), popular science-fiction and fantasy author, The Stars Are Cold Toys
- Anatoly Lunacharsky (1875–1933), journalist and publicist
- Lev Lunts (1901–1924), writer, playwright, essayist and critic, member of the Serapion Brothers
M
- Grigori Machtet (1852–1901), novelist, short story writer and poet
- Vladimir Makanin (born 1937), novelist and short story writer, Antileader
- Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak (1852–1912), novelist, The Privalov Fortune
- Nadezhda Mandelstam (1899–1980), writer and memoirist, Hope Against Hope, Hope Abandoned
- Osip Mandelstam (1891–1938), major poet, member of the acmeist school, The Stone
- Anatoly Marienhof (1897–1962), novelist, poet and playwright, A Novel Without Lies
- Alexandra Marinina (born 1957), writer of detective stories
- Samuil Marshak (1887–1964), writer, translator and children's poet, The Twelve Months
- Vladilen Mashkovtsev (1929–1997), poet, writer and journalist
- Mikhail Matinsky (1750–1820), scientist, dramatist, librettist and opera composer.
- Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930), futurist poet, writer and playwright, Mystery-Bouffe
- Apollon Maykov (1821–1897), poet and translator
- Valerian Maykov (1823–1847), literary critic, Apollon Maykov's brother
- Lev Mei (1822–1862), poet and playwright, The Tsar's Bride
- Pavel Melnikov (1818–1883), ethnographical novelist, In the Forests
- Dmitry Merezhkovsky (1865–1941), poet and novelist, founder of the symbolist movement in Russia, Christ and Antichrist
- Aleksey Merzlyakov (1778–1830), poet, critic, translator and professor
- Arvo Mets (1937–1997), poet and translator, Resemblance
- Alexander Mezhirov (1923–2009), poet, translator and critic
- Sergey Mikhalkov (1913–2009), children's writer, satirist and song-writer, author of the National Anthem of the Soviet Union
- Nikolay Mikhaylovsky (1842–1904), publicist, literary critic, sociologist and narodnik theoretician
- Nikolai Minsky (1855–1937), poet, writer and translator, From the Gloom to the Light
- Daniil Mordovtsev (1830–1905), writer and historian of Ukrainian descent
- Yunna Morits (born 1937), poet and artist, The Vine
- Viktor Muyzhel (1880–1924), writer and painter
- Viktor Muravin (born 1929), novelist, The Diary of Vikenty Angarov
N
- Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977), poet and novelist, wrote first in Russian, then in English, author of Lolita
- Nikolai Nadezhdin (1804–1856), literary critic and ethnographer
- Semyon Nadson (1862–1887), poet, Pity the Stately Cypress Trees
- Yuri Nagibin (1924–1994), novelist, short story writer and screenwriter
- Vladimir Narbut (1888–1938), acmeist poet and magazine editor
- Vasily Narezhny (1780–1825), novelist, A Russian Gil Blas
- Sergey Narovchatov (1919–1981), writer and magazine editor, Novy Mir
- Nikolay Naumov, (1838–1901), essayist and short story writer, Cobweb
- Nikolay Nekrasov (1821–1878), major poet and magazine editor, Who Can be Happy and Free in Russia?
- Viktor Nekrasov (1911–1987), novelist, Front-line Stalingrad
- Viktor Nekipelov (1928–1989), poet, writer and dissident
- Vasily Nemirovich-Danchenko (1845–1936), novelist, essayist and war correspondent
- Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko (1858–1943), theatre director, writer and playwright, co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre
- Löb Nevakhovich (1776/78-1831), Russia-Jewish writer and playwright
- Alexander Neverov (1886–1923), writer and playwright, City of Bread
- Friedrich Neznansky (born 1932), crime novelist, Red Square
- Ivan Nikitin (1824–1861), poet and writer, Kulak
- Nikolai Nikolev (1758–1815), poet and playwright
- Nikolay Nosov (1908–1976), children's writer, Neznaika
- Osip Notovich (1849–1914), publisher, playwright and essayist
- Alexey Novikov-Priboy (1877–1944), novelist and short story writer, The Captain
O
- Vladimir Obruchev (1863–1956), science fiction writer, Sannikov Land
- Olga Obukhova (1941), journalist, writer and translator
- Alexander Odoevsky (1802–1839), poet and playwright, activist of the Decembrist Revolt
- Vladimir Odoevsky (1803–1869), philosopher, writer, music critic, philanthropist and pedagogue, The Living Corpse
- Irina Odoyevtseva (1895–1990), poet, novelist and memoirist
- Nikolay Ogarev (1813–1877), poet, historian and political activist
- Bulat Okudzhava (1924–1997), poet, writer and singer-songwriter, The Art of Needles and Sins
- Yury Olesha (1899–1960), satirical novelist, Envy
- Nikolay Oleynikov (1898–1937), editor, avant-garde poet and playwright
- Alexander Ostrovsky (1823–1886), major playwright, The Storm
- Nikolai Ostrovsky (1904–1936), socialist realist writer, How the Steel Was Tempered
- Valentin Ovechkin (1904–1968), writer, playwright, journalist and war correspondent, Greetings from the Front
- Vladislav Ozerov (1769–1816), playwright, Dmitry Donskoy
P
- Marina Palei (born 1955), scriptwriter, publicist, novelist and translator, Rendezvous
- Ivan Panaev (1812–1862), writer, critic and publisher/editor of the popular magazine Sovremennik
- Avdotya Panaeva (1820–1893), novelist, short story writer and memoirist
- Vera Panova (1905–1973), novelist, short story writer, journalist and playwright, Seryozha
- Valentin Parnakh (1891–1951), poet, translator, choreographer and musician, founder of Russian jazz music
- Sophia Parnok (1885–1933), poet, playwright and translator
- Boris Pasternak (1890–1960), poet and novelist, not permitted by the Soviet Union to accept the Nobel Prize, Doctor Zhivago
- Pyotr Patrushev (born 1942), writer and dissident
- Konstantin Paustovsky (1892–1968), writer, Nobel Prize nominee, Story of a Life
- Pyotr Pavlenko (1899–1951), writer, Happiness
- Oleg Pavlov (born 1970), novelist and short story writer
- Karolina Pavlova (1807–1893), poet and novelist, A Double Life
- Vladimir Pecherin (1807–1885), poet and writer, Notes from Beyond the Tomb
- Victor Pelevin (born 1962), modern writer, Omon Ra
- Yakov Perelman (1882–1942), science writer, Physics for Entertainment
- Nick Perumov (born 1963), fantasy and science fiction writer
- Mariya Petrovykh (1908–1979), poet and translator
- Lyudmila Petrushevskaya (born 1938), modern writer and playwright, The Number One
- Valentin Pikul (1928–1990), novelist, At the Last Frontier
- Boris Pilnyak (1894–1938), novelist, The Naked Year
- Dmitry Pisarev (1840–1868), critic and publicist
- Aleksey Pisemsky (1821–1881), major novelist and dramatist, A Bitter Fate
- Andrei Platonov (1899–1951), novelist, The Foundation Pit
- Pyotr Pletnyov (1792–1866), poet, dedicatee of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin
- Georgi Plekhanov (1857–1918), writer, revolutionary and Marxist theoretician
- Aleksey Pleshcheyev (1825–1893), radical poet, Step Forward! Without Fear or Doubt
- Mikhail Pogodin (1800–1875), historian and journalist
- Nikolai Pogodin (1900–1962), playwright, journalist and magazine editor
- Antony Pogorelsky (1787–1837), fantasy fiction writer, Dvoinik
- Boris Polevoy (1908–1981), writer and journalist, The Story of a Real Man
- Nikolai Polevoy (1796–1846), writer, historian and magazine editor, The Moscow Telegraph
- Elizaveta Polonskaya (1890–1969), poet, translator, and journalist, the only female member of the Serapion Brothers
- Yakov Polonsky (1819–1898), poet, Georgian Night
- Nikolay Pomyalovsky (1835–1863), novelist, Seminary Sketches
- Mikhail Popov (1742–1790), writer, poet, dramatist and opera librettist, Anyuta
- Nikolay Popovsky (1730–1760), poet and translator
- Vasili Popugaev (1778/79-1816), poet, novelist and translator
- Ignaty Potapenko (1856–1929), writer and playwright, A Russian Priest
- Alexander Preys (1905–1942), playwright and librettist, The Nose
- Dmitri Prigov (1940–2007), writer and artist, Live in Moscow
- Zakhar Prilepin (born 1975), writer and dissident, member of the National Bolshevik Party
- Mikhail Prishvin (1873–1954), journalist and writer
- Alexander Prokhanov (born 1938), writer and newspaper editor
- Alexander Prokofyev (1900–1971), poet and war correspondent
- Iosif Prut (1900–1996), playwright and screenwriter
- Kozma Prutkov, satirist, pseudonym of Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy and his cousins
- Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837), poet, novelist and dramatist, considered to be the greatest of Russian poets, Eugene Onegin
- Vasily Pushkin (1766–1830), poet, uncle of Alexander Pushkin
R
- Alexander Radishchev (1749–1802), radical writer and social critic, Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow
- Edvard Radzinsky (born 1936), writer, playwright, TV personality, screenwriter and historian
- Vladimir Rayevsky (1795–1872), poet and Decembrist
- Valentin Rasputin (born 1937), novelist, Farewell to Matyora
- Irina Ratushinskaya (born 1954) dissident poet and writer, Grey is the Color of Hope
- Yevgeny Rein (born 1935), poet and writer, The Names of Bridges
- Aleksey Remizov (1877–1957), modernist writer, calligrapher and folklore enthusiast, The Clock
- Fyodor Reshetnikov (1841–1871), novelist, The Podlipnayans
- Robert Rozhdestvensky (1932–1994), poet, Flags of Spring
- Helena Roerich (1879–1949), philosopher, writer and public figure
- Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947), painter, philosopher, scientist, writer, traveler and public figure
- Konstantin Romanov (1858–1915), poet and playwright, The King of the Jews
- Panteleimon Romanov (1884–1938), Russian/Soviet writer, Without Bird-Cherry Blossoms
- Mikhail Roshchin (1933–2010), playwright, screenwriter and short story writer
- Yevdokiya Rostopchina (1811–1858), poet and writer, Forced Marriage
- Vasily Rozanov (1856–1919), writer and philosopher
- Robert Rozhdestvensky (1932–1994), poet, Flags of Spring
- Dina Rubina (born 1951), novelist and short story writer, The Blackthorn
- Anatoly Rybakov (1911–1998), novelist, Children of the Arbat
- Vladimir Rybakov (born 1947), novelist and journalist, The Afghans: A Novella of Soviet Soldiers in Afghanistan
- Vyacheslav Rybakov (born 1954), science fiction author and orientalist, The Trial Sphere
- Maria Rybakova (born 1973), novelist and short story writer
- Kondraty Ryleyev (1795–1826), poet, publisher and a leader of the Decembrist Revolt
- Yuri Rytkheu (born 1930), Chukchi writer, A Dream in Polar Fog
S
- German Sadulaev (born 1973), Chechen writer, I am a Chechen!
- Yuri Samarin (1819–1876), publicist and critic
- Genrikh Sapgir (1928–1999), poet and novelist
- Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin (1826–1889), major satirist, The Golovlyov Family
- Boris Savinkov (1879–1925), writer and revolutionary terrorist, What Never Happened
- Ilya Selvinsky (1899–1968), poet, leader of the constructivist school
- Sergey Semyonov (1868–1922), peasant writer, Gluttons
- Yulian Semyonov (1931–1993), writer of spy fiction and crime fiction, Seventeen Instants of Spring
- Osip Senkovsky (1800–1858), Polish-Russian orientalist, journalist, writer and entertainer.
- Alexander Serafimovich (1863–1949), writer, The Iron Flood
- Sergei Sergeyev-Tsensky (1875–1958), writer and academician, Brusilov's Breakthrough
- Efraim Sevela (1928–2010), writer, screenwriter, director and producer
- Igor Severyanin (1887–1941), ego futurist poet, The Cup of Thunder
- Marietta Shaginyan (1888–1982), Russian writer of Armenian descent, Mess-Mend
- Varlam Shalamov (1907–1982), writer and Gulag survivor, The Kolyma Tales
- Olga Shapir (1850–1916), writer and feminist, The Settlement
- Tatiana Shchepkina-Kupernik (1874–1952), poet, writer, playwright and translator, Deborah
- Stepan Shchipachev (1889–1980), poet, Lines of Love
- Vadim Shefner (1915–2002), poet and writer
- Nikolay Sherbina (1821–1869), poet, To the Sea
- Vadim Shershenevich (1893–1942), futurist poet, writer and screenwriter, A Kiss From Mary Pickford
- Stepan Shevyryov (1806–1864), poet, writer, critic and philologist
- Mikhail Shishkin (born 1961), modern writer, The Taking of Izmail
- Vyacheslav Shishkov (1873–1945), writer, known for his descriptions of Siberia
- Maria Shkapskaya (1891–1952), poet and journalist
- Ivan Shmelyov (1873–1850), novelist, The Stone Age
- Mikhail Sholokhov (1905–1984), Nobel Prize winning writer, And Quiet Flows the Don
- Gennady Shpalikov (1937–1974), poet and screenwriter, I Step Through Moscow
- Vasily Shukshin (1929–1974), actor, writer, screenwriter and movie director, Roubles in Words, Kopeks in Figures
- Pavel Shumil (born 1957), science fiction author
- Evgeny Shvarts (1896–1958), writer, playwright and screenwriter, The Dragon
- Konstantin Simonov (1915–1979), novelist and poet, Wait for Me
- Andrei Sinyavsky (1925–1997), writer, publisher and dissident, Pkhentz
- Stepan Skitalets (1869–1941), poet and writer, The Love of a Scene Painter
- Vasily Sleptsov (1836–1878), writer and social reformer, The Ward
- Konstantin Sluchevsky (1837–1904), poet and magazine editor
- Boris Slutsky (1919–1986), important representative of the War generation of Russian poets
- Sofia Soboleva (1840–1884), writer and journalist, Pros and Cons
- Sasha Sokolov (born 1943), novelist, A School for Fools
- Ivan Sokolov-Mikitov (1882–1975), author, journalist and short-story writer, Childhood
- Vladimir Sollogub (1813–1882), writer and poet, The Snowstorm
- Fyodor Sologub, symbolist poet, playwright and novelist, The Petty Demon
- Vladimir Soloukhin (1924–1997), writer, journalist and poet, Verdict
- Leonid Solovyov (1906–1962), writer and playwright, Tale of Hodja Nasreddin
- Vladimir Solovyov (1853–1900), philosopher, poet, pamphleteer and literary critic
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (born 1918), Nobel Prize winning writer, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
- Orest Somov (1793–1833), writer, journalist, literary critic and translator, Mommy and Sonny
- Vladimir Sorokin (born 1955), popular postmodern writer and dramatist
- Konstantin Stanyukovich (1843–1903), known for his sea stories, Maximka
- Ksenya Stepanycheva (born 1978), playwright, Pink Bow
- Sergey Stepnyak-Kravchinsky (1851–1895), writer, publicist and revolutionary, King Stork and King Log
- Dmitry Strelnikov (born 1969), poet, essayist and novelist
- Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (Arkady 1925-1991) (Boris born 1933), major science fiction writers, Hard to Be a God
- Aleksandr Sukhovo-Kobylin (1817–1903), playwright, The Case
- Alexander Sumarokov (1717–1777), important early poet and playwright
- Mikhail Sushkov (1775–1792), writer, The Russian Werther
- Alexei Suvorin (1834–1912), influential publisher and journalist
- Viktor Suvorov (born 1947), writer and historian
- Mikhail Svetlov (1903–1964), poet and journalist, Song of Kakhovka
T
- Yelizaveta Tarakhovskaya (1891–1968), poet, playwright, translator and children's writer
- Alexander Tarasov-Rodionov (1885–1938), writer, Chocolate
- Arseny Tarkovsky (1907–1989), poet and translator
- Valery Tarsis (1906–1983), novelist and dissident, Ward 7
- Nadezhda Teffi (1872–1952), humorist writer, All About Love
- Nikolay Teleshov (1867–1957), writer and memoirist, organizer of the Moscow Sreda
- Vladimir Tendryakov (1923–1984), novelist and short story writer, Three, Seven, Ace
- Sergey Terpigorev (1841–1895), writer and essayist
- Nikolai Tikhonov (1895–1979), writer and poet, member of the Serapion Brothers
- Vladislav Titov (1934–1987), novelist who lost both arms in a coal mine accident, Defying Death
- Pyotr Tkachev (1844–1886), publicist, writer and critic
- Viktoriya Tokareva (born 1937), screenwriter and short story writer
- Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817–1875), poet, dramatist and novelist, The Death of Ivan the Terrible
- Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1882–1945), novelist and science fiction writer, The Garin Death Ray
- Ilya Tolstoy (1866–1933), author of a memoir about his father Leo Tolstoy
- Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) major novelist, short story writer, playwright, essayist and public figure, War and Peace, Anna Karenina
- Tatyana Tolstaya (born 1951), writer, TV host, publicist, novelist and essayist
- Edward Topol (born 1938), novelist and journalist, Red Square
- Vasily Trediakovsky (1703–1768), poet, essayist and playwright
- Konstantin Trenyov (1876–1945), playwright and short story writer, Lyubov Yarovaya
- Sergei Tretyakov (1892–1937), playwright, I Want a Baby
- Yury Trifonov (1925–1981), novelist and short story writer, The Long Goodbye
- Gavriil Troyepolsky (1905–1995), novelist, White Bim Black Ear
- Marina Tsvetaeva (1892–1941), major poet, The Rat-Catcher
- Alexei Tsvetkov (born 1947), poet, novelist and journalist
- Evgenia Tur (1815–1892), writer, critic, journalist and publisher, Antonina
- Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883), major novelist and playwright, A Sportsman's Sketches, Fathers and Sons
- Veronika Tushnova (1915–1965), poet and translator, Memory of the Heart
- Aleksandr Tvardovsky (1910–1971), poet, war correspondent and editor of Novy Mir, Vasily Tyorkin
- Yury Tynyanov (1894–1943), writer, literary critic, translator, scholar and screenwriter
- Fyodor Tyutchev (1803–1873), major poet, The Last Love
U
- Vladimir Uflyand (1937–2007), poet, The Working Week Comes To An End
- Lyudmila Ulitskaya (born 1943), novelist and short-story writer, Medea and Her Children
- Eduard Uspensky (born 1937), children's writer, Cheburashka series
- Gleb Uspensky (1843–1902), writer and essayist, The Power of the Land
- Nikolay Uspensky (1837–1889), short story writer, A Good Existence
- Joseph Utkin (1903–1944), poet and journalist, Dear Childhood
V
- Konstantin Vaginov (1899–1934), poet and novelist, Journey to Chaos
- Pyotr Valuyev (1815–1890), statesman, novelist, poet and essayist
- Alexander Vampilov (1937–1972), playwright, Elder Son
- Mikhail Veller (born 1948), writer and journalist, The Guru
- Alexander Veltman (1800–1870), writer, one of the pioneers of Russian science fiction
- Dmitry Venevitinov (1805–1827), philosophical poet
- Anastasia Verbitskaya (1861–1928), novelist, playwright, screenplay writer, publisher and feminist, The Keys to Happiness
- Vikenty Veresayev (1867–1945), writer and medical doctor, Memoirs of a Physician
- Lidia Veselitskaya (1857–1936), writer, translator and memoirist, Mimi's Marriage
- Nikolai Virta (1906–1976), writer and playwright, Alone
- Vsevolod Vishnevsky (1900–1951), playwright, Optimistic Tragedy
- Igor Vishnevetsky (born 1964), poet and music historian
- Georgi Vladimov (1931–2003), dissident writer, Faithful Ruslan
- Dmitry Vodennikov (born 1968), poet and essayist
- Vladimir Voinovich (born 1932), satirical novelist, The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin
- Zinaida Volkonskaya (1792–1862), writer, poet, singer, composer, salonist and lady in waiting
- Alexander Volkov (1891–1977), novelist and mathematician, The Wizard of the Emerald City
- Maximilian Voloshin (1877–1932), poet, translator and famous Freemason,
- Vatslav Vorovsky (1871–1923), Marxist revolutionary, literary critic, diplomat and publicist
- Marko Vovchok (1833–1907), novelist, translator and writer of folk tales
- Julia Voznesenskaya (born 1940), novelist, The Women's Decameron
- Andrei Voznesensky (1933–2010), poet and writer, First Frost
- Alexander Vvedensky (1904–1941), poet, co-founder of OBERIU
- Pyotr Vyazemsky (1792–1878), poet, leading personality of the Golden Age of Russian poetry
- Vladimir Vysotsky (1938–1980), singer, songwriter, poet and actor
Y
- Alexander Yakovlev (1886–1953), writer and essayist, The Peasant
- Pyotr Yakubovich (1860–1911), poet and writer, member of Narodnaya Volya
- Alexander Yashin (1913–1968), writer associated with the Village Prose movement
- Ieronim Yasinsky (1850–1931), novelist, poet, essayist and memoirist
- Nikolai Yazykov (1803–1846), poet and slavophile
- Ivan Yefremov (1908–1972), paleontologist, science fiction author and social thinker, Andromeda
- Dmitri Yemets (born 1974), author of fantasy literature for children and young adults, Tanya Grotter
- Venedict Yerofeyev (1938–1990), writer and playwright, Moscow-Petushki
- Pyotr Yershov (1815–1869), fairy tale writer, poet and playwright, The Humpbacked Horse
- Sergei Yesenin (1895–1925), major poet, Land of Scoundrels
- Tatyana Yesenina (1918–1992), writer and daughter of Sergei Yesenin, Zhenya, the Wonder of the Twentieth Century
- Yevgeny Yevtushenko (born 1933), poet, novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, actor, editor, and film director
- Semyon Yushkevich (1868–1927), writer and playwright
Z
- Nikolay Zabolotsky (1903–1958), poet, children's writer and translator, one of the founders of the absurdist group OBERIU
- Boris Zakhoder (1918–2000), poet, children's writer and translator
- Mikhail Zagoskin (1789–1852), historical novelist, Tales of Three Centuries
- Boris Zaitsev (1881–1972), writer and playwright, Anna
- Mark Zakharov (born 1933), theatrical director, playwright and actor
- Sergey Zalygin (1913–2000), novelist and magazine editor, The South American Variant
- Yevgeny Zamyatin (1884–1937), major science fiction writer and political satirist, We
- Yulia Zhadovskaya (1824–1883), poet and writer, Apart from the Great World
- Vera Zhelikhovsky (1835–1896), novelist and children's writer, The General's Will
- Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov (1821–1908), poet and dramatist, co-creator of Kozma Prutkov
- Boris Zhitkov (1882–1938), children's writer and historical novelist
- Maria Zhukova (1804–1855), writer, Evenings on the Karpovka
- Vasily Zhukovsky (1783–1852), poet, translator and magazine editor
- Felix Ziegel (1920–1988), author of more than 40 popular books on astronomy and space exploration
- Zinovy Zinik (born 1945), novelist and broadcaster, The Mushroom-Picker
- Lydia Zinovieva-Annibal (1866–1907), writer and playwright, The Tragic Menagerie
- Nikolay Zlatovratsky (1845–1911), novelist and short story writer, Old Shadows
- Mikhail Zoshchenko (1895–1958), satirical short story writer, The Galosh
See also
Reference
- (Russian) Русские писатели. Библиографический словарь в двух частях под ред. П.А.Николаева (1990). Москва, Просвещение. ISBN 5-09-003931-3 and ISBN 5-09-003933-X.