>>"The Catcher in the Rye" -- lucky you! There is something universal about that book.
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>>Have you read any Nabokov? Now there was a smart guy. His native language was Russian, yet he wrote in English about as well as anyone has done it.
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>Not in English yet. I read two books in Russian a while ago... As far as I know his English was as good as his Russian and it was superb.

As it happens I am rereading "The Brothers Karamazov" for about the fifth time. Dostoyevsky spoke no English at all, as far as I know, and his contempt for the western world -- not to mention the "modern" Russia of his day -- is legendary. Nonetheless, I love his books. The edition I am reading now is the Pevear-Volokhonsky translation. This may be a misperception or stereotype but something about Dostoy epitomizes to me the great roaring Russian spirit in all its splendor and degradation. He was a man who was not afraid to think and not afraid to feel. His characters run about madly in all directions, acting as though each day is their last. Maybe when you've stood before a firing squad, as Dostoy did as a young man, you start seeing things that way. In any case, to me he is perfect winter reading.

Caveat: if any of this sounds alluring to Dostoyevsky initiates, start with "Crime and Punishment", not "The Brothers Karamazov". It is far more accessible. "Karamazov" is the heavy sledding and can come later. You could get lost for a month thinking about the Grand Inquisitor chapter alone.

Now I am outright touting. OK, I will tout. Read Dostoyevsky! If you happen to be a fan of "The Sopranos", the territory will be familiar. Dostoyevsky set the bar. And he set it very high.