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:

• List of Russian-language novelists
• List of Russian-language playwrights
• List of Russian-language poets

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
• Andrey Aldan-Semenov (1908-?), Gulag memoirist
• 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
• Vladimir Arnoldi (1871-1924), children's author and professor of biology
• 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
• Vasily Azhayev (1915-1968), novelist, Far from Moscow

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
• Dmitry Begichev (1786-1855), writer and politician
• 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
• Vitaly Bianki (1894-1959), nature and children's writer
• 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
• Pyotr Blinov (1913-1942), Udmurt writer and journalist
• 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
• Andrei Bogdanov (1692-1766), bibliographer and ethnographer
• 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
• Genrikh Borovik (born 1929), publicist, writer, playwright and filmmaker
• 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
• Maria Markova (born 1982), poet
• 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
• Mikhail Osorgin (1878-1942), journalist, novelist, short story writer and essayist
• 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
• Alexander Skabichevsky (1838-1911), writer and literary critic
• 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

• List of Russian artists
• List of Russian architects
• List of Russian inventors
• List of Russian explorers
• Russian culture

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.