Now it’s the turn to write about the longest book. The longest book I’ve read so far is probably “ ” :)

When asking which book is the longest, we primarily think about word length, not physical length. Although, for example, in the city of Castello, residents created the longest book in the world - 1856 meters. It was designed in the form of a huge papyrus scroll, which was carefully wound around a pole. As a result, 11 fairy tales were included in this creation. However, even with all the merits of the authors of the above-mentioned record, they are unlikely to have devoted their entire lives to this idea. Because the length of the word itself, and sometimes “depth”, is a more labor-intensive and serious quantity.

It was Jules Romain who became the author of the longest work in the world. Its length in terms of the number of printed words (it’s hard to even imagine) exceeds 2 million! And the page index itself, measuring 50 sheets in size, causes a very mixed reaction. The novel is called “People of Goodwill” (Les Hommes de bonne volonte) and is composed of 27 volumes; the book was written over 14 years - from 1932 to 1946.

In the preface of his long creative marathon, the author questioned the structure of writing Balzac's masterpieces such as Proust and Roland. Because he considered the “mechanistic” idea of ​​writing multi-volume novels, where the whole is revealed through an individual personality, unacceptable. That is, Jules Romain himself, publishing his first volume back in 1932, was confident in the idea of ​​the chaotic and disorderly plot and the lives of all his characters (there were about 400 of them in “People of Good Will”).

The longest book really has it all: criminality and spirituality, wealth and poverty, politics and culture. Moreover, of course, all events are supported by the ideas of history of that time. In general, the novel told about the events of 1908-1933. With this work, the author rather tried to help understand all the vicissitudes of the time of crisis that the French people faced. However, Jules Romain did not shy away from writing articles and essays on various scientific, political and literary topics - he was known as an erudite person.

However, the novel itself was subsequently subjected to harsh criticism. The literary world did not accept the work the way the creator wanted. The prosecution prescribed this work as a distorted statement of facts. Jules Romain has been criticized for misunderstanding history. Therefore, if you are ready to justify the writer, even in the 21st century, then start reading the longest book in the world.

It should not be excluded that Sohachi Yamaoka’s novel “Tokugawa Ieyasu” was published in Japanese daily newspapers starting in 1951. If it were published now that the novel is complete, it would be a 40-volume edition.

I think this novel by Sohachi Yamaoka “Tokugawa Ieyasu” also deserves the title of “The Longest Book”

Here are the top 12 longest works in the history of literature, which prove that not every catchphrase needs to be believed blindly.

James Joyce (1882-1941)
"Ulysses" (1922)

The main character is Leopold Bloom, a Dublin Jew. The day is filled with events - Bloom manages to visit a funeral, on the shore of the bay, in a maternity hospital, in a brothel and in several other places in between. The plot of the novel revolves around the betrayal of Bloom's wife. However, it is impossible to describe this work in such a flat and everyday way.

In the semantic depths of Ulysses one can see analogies and allusions to many works and heroes of world literature, to the archetypes of the feminine and masculine, and the relations of generations. The most obvious, of course, is the appeal to Homer's Odyssey, which Joyce considered one of the most universal myths

1926

The novel does not have a single style - the author parodies or imitates different styles and different authors, as if playing with all layers of the world literary heritage. This is a mirror novel, which reflects the whole world, merged into one city and all times, united in one day.

“Stream of consciousness,” the style of Joyce’s novel, allows you to see the characters from the inside, as if trying on someone else’s life, which, it turns out, is not so different from your own.

The plot is a boy's search for his father and an attempt to unravel the reasons for the series of events that haunt the hero and his mother. The novel, despite its considerable volume (from 800 pages, depending on the edition), has a very clear and rigid structure, in which every word and action, even seemingly trivial, is in its place.

Each of the narrators within the novel has his own subjective view of what is happening, which in no way helps the reader understand where the truth is hidden. She, as they say, is always somewhere nearby.

A very atmospheric and multi-layered novel in which the author managed to maintain the intrigue until the last word.

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)
"War and Peace" (1865-1869)

Americans call “War and Peace” one of the main works of mankind. Well, those who read the original are divided into two groups: some are delighted with the novel, and others cannot stand it. This does not count those who did not master the text at all.

To some, Lev Nikolayevich's language seems cumbersome and clumsy; some even call him a graphomaniac. And, for example, Boris Strugatsky believes that: “the language can be clumsy and filled with Gallicisms (like Leo Tolstoy), clumsy, incorrect and even unnatural (like Dostoevsky), abstruse and difficult to read (like Platonov or Velimir Khlebnikov) - and when all the while being able to have a strong, sometimes inexplicable, purely emotional impact on the reader.”

Everyone who was forced to study Tolstoy’s novel as part of the school curriculum has their own opinion and vision. As a rule, this is difficult reading for a teenager. Maybe the secret is to read “War and Peace” at the right time, that is, when you can already understand what family, duty and love for the Fatherland are. In general, when abstract concepts become real things.

John Galsworthy (1867-1933)
"The Forsyte Saga" (1906-1921)

Generation after generation of Forsytes pass before the reader in three large cycles of novels - “The Forsyte Saga”, “Modern Comedy” and “End of the Chapter”. Each of the Forsytes is an extraordinary personality, the characters’ characters are written so subtly by the author that over time it begins to seem as if they are not only living people, but also people you know well. Family ties, which are difficult to trace at first, become clear and familiar, each family figure takes its place and one overall picture is formed.

And the scenery for the life of the Forsytes are the events that happen in the world. And, of course, money. After all, Forsyte money is a kind of refrain of this story. They love, fight, die and are born against the background of capital.

“Forsytes, you know, these are people who manage their capital with the expectation that their grandchildren, if they were to die before their parents, are forced to draw up a will for their property, which, however, comes into their possession only after death their parents. Do you understand this? Well, neither do I, but, be that as it may, it is a fact; We live by the principle: “as long as it is possible to keep capital in the family, it should not leave it.”

Marcel Proust (1871-1922)
"In Search of Lost Time" (1913-1927)

Proust did not have time to edit the last three volumes; they were published after his death. The first volume of the series - “Towards Swann” was not very favorably received by critics, but this did not bother Proust, because he considered the main goal of this novel to be self-knowledge through associative perception - emotional outbursts, quirks of memory.

This quote is the leitmotif of the work, the truest definition of lost time, never found either by Proust himself or anyone else:

“The past is out of reach, in some thing (in the feeling we get from it), where we least expected to find it. Whether we find this thing during our lifetime or whether we never find it is pure chance.”

Victor Hugo (1802—1885)
"Les Misérables" (1862)

The writer himself spoke about him like this:

“As long as poverty and ignorance reign on earth, books like this cannot be useless. I wish to destroy the evil fate that weighs on humanity; I denounce slavery, I persecute poverty, I eradicate ignorance, I cure diseases, I illuminate darkness, I abhor hatred. That's what I believe and that's why I wrote Les Misérables."

Indeed, this novel is about the fact that nothing is clear, that no one can be branded, that judges will decide much more fairly than us - who is right and who is wrong. The characters are lively and three-dimensional, they live outside the time and space of the novel, although Hugo’s contemporary France plays an important role in the work.

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821—1881)
"The Brothers Karamazov" (1880)

Dostoevsky conceived “The Karamazovs” as the first part of “The Great Sinner,” but did not have time to realize his plan. However, even without a continuation, this, without exaggeration, great work provides many topics for thought.

You can believe or not believe in the special faith of Russians, share or not share the attitude towards the “mysterious Russian soul”, you can be critical of the detective component of the novel - Dostoevsky is unlikely to be a competitor to Agatha Christie, that’s not the point.

The essence is in the Karamazov family, with all its background and background, the psychological roots of the behavior of each of the members of this family and the common root for all - provincial Russia, the Orthodox faith.

Twenty-seven volumes, more than four hundred characters, twenty-five years of the life of the country - that’s a lot. There is no unity of action or plot - this novel is like a journey through the layers of French society at the beginning of the twentieth century - lawyers and officials, workers and artists, bankers and teachers pass before the reader.

What is especially interesting is that each of Roman’s heroes, like a living person, develops, changes, reacts to events in external and internal life - this is not a faceless series of characters, this is a community of individuals, people of good will.

Sohachi Yamaoka (1907-1978)

(published in Japanese daily newspapers since 1951)

This is the story of the shogun who united Japan into a single country. A reformer who brought peace to his country and problems to the foreigners who inhabited it.

It was Tokugawa Ieyasu who began the mass repression of Christians, and also forbade the Japanese from sailing and even the construction of ships capable of long voyages. And this despite the fact that his adviser was the Englishman William Adams.

The longest American novel. This book cannot be found in Russian, perhaps because it is a specifically American work, or perhaps it is simply too much work for translators.

Sironia, Texas is one of those American novels that celebrates small towns and their simple lives. Where everything is leisurely, everyone knows everyone, the main life line for everyone is Main Street, and all the newcomers, even after twenty years of living side by side, remain a little strangers.

First edition

The heroine, the girl Clarissa, dies, dishonored by the socialite Robert Lovelace. The antihero's surname has become a household name, although today not many people know where the name “Lovelace” actually came from.

This novel, which is not very “driving” for modern tastes, was a breakthrough not only in Richardson’s work, but also generally significant against the background of other works of that time - the tragic death of an innocent victim, noble revenge and punishment of a scoundrel - an exciting plot for the leisurely audience of the eighteenth century, not spoiled by events in novels. The public was especially struck by the lack of a happy ending. The writer was even offered to rewrite the work, but he insisted on his own and “The Story of a Young Lady” has come to us in the same form in which it was first presented to readers.

Honore d'Urfe

At one time, it created a sensation and enjoyed tremendous popularity in the circles of aristocrats in France and Germany. By the way, the images of many of the characters in the book were based on famous people contemporary to the author. This novel was highly regarded by many writers and playwrights - for example, Moliere, Corneille and La Rochefoucauld.

Jusik especially for website

Classmates

By Russian classical literature we mean the works of classics: writers who are not only exemplary, but also who have become symbols of Russian culture. Only the person who knows classical works, appreciates their merits, feels their inner beauty can be considered truly educated. Today you will find out by opinion women's magazine Charla.

10 best books of Russian literature: “The Brothers Karamazov”

"The Brothers Karamazov" was conceived as the first part of the novel “The Life of a Great Sinner.” The first sketches were made in 1878, the novel was completed in 1880. However, Dostoevsky did not have time to complete his plans: the writer died a few months after the publication of the book. Most of The Brothers Karamazov was written in Staraya Russa, the prototype of Skotoprigonyevsk, where the main action takes place.

Perhaps this novel can be considered the most complex and controversial work of the great Russian writer. Critics have dubbed it an “intellectual detective story,” and many call it the best work about the mysterious Russian soul. This is the last and one of the most famous novels by Dostoevsky, it was filmed both here and in the West, where, by the way, this work is held in special esteem. What is this novel about? Each reader answers this question differently. The author himself defined his great creation as “a novel about blasphemy and its refutation.” One thing is certain, this is one of the most profound philosophical works of world literature about sin, mercy, and the eternal struggle occurring in the human soul.

10 best books of Russian literature: “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Idiot"- Dostoevsky's fifth novel. Published from 1868 to 1869 in the Russian Messenger magazine. This novel occupies a special place in the writer’s work: it is considered one of Dostoevsky’s most mysterious works. The main character of the book is Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin, whom the author himself called a “positively wonderful” person, the embodiment of Christian goodness and virtue. Having spent most of his life in seclusion, Prince Myshkin decided to go out into the world, but he did not know what cruelty, hypocrisy, and greed he would have to face: for his unselfishness, honesty, philanthropy and kindness, the prince was contemptuously nicknamed “idiot”...

10 best books of Russian literature: “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy

Epic novel by Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace" about the times of two wars against Napoleon - 1805 and 1812 - one of the most famous works of not only Russian, but also world literature. This book is one of the eternal classics, because it reveals with deep skill the main components of human life: war and peace, life and death, love and betrayal, courage and cowardice. The greatest epic work is a tremendous success all over the world: the book was filmed several times, plays and an opera were staged based on it. The novel consists of four parts, the first part was published in 1865 in the Russian Messenger.

The tragic novel about the love of married Anna Karenina for the handsome officer Vronsky is one of the greatest masterpieces of Russian literature, still relevant today. “All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” - these lines are familiar to every person.

"Anna Karenina"- a complex, deep, psychologically sophisticated work that captures the reader from the first lines and does not let go until the end. The novel by the brilliant psychologist Tolstoy captivates with its absolute artistic authenticity and dramatic narrative, forcing the reader to watch intensely how the relationship will develop between Anna Karenina and Vronsky, Levin and Kitty. It is not surprising that this book captivated not only Russian readers, but also Europe and America.

10 best books of Russian literature: “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov

Bulgakov wrote this brilliant novel over the course of eleven years, constantly changing and adding to the text. However, Bulgakov never managed to see it published: a full thirty years passed before one of the greatest works of Russian prose of the twentieth century was allowed to be published. "The Master and Margarita"- the most mysterious and mystical novel in Russian literature. This book has received worldwide recognition: many countries around the world are trying to comprehend its secrets.

10 best books of Russian literature: “Dead Souls” by Nikolai Gogol

Gogol's immortal work "Dead Souls" about human tricks and weaknesses should definitely be in your home library. Gogol very clearly and colorfully showed human souls: after all, “dead souls” are not only those that Chichikov bought, but also the souls of living people, buried under their petty interests.

The novel was originally conceived in three volumes. The first volume was published in 1842. However, subsequent events have a mystical connotation: having finished the second volume, Gogol completely burned it - only a few chapters remained in the drafts. And ten days after that the writer died...

10 best books of Russian literature: “Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak

"Doctor Zhivago"- the pinnacle of Pasternak’s creativity as a prose writer. The writer created his novel over ten years from 1945 to 1955. This is a sincere and poignant love story set against the backdrop of the chaos of the Civil War, which is accompanied by poems by the main character, Yuri Zhivago. These poems, written by Pasternak at different periods of his life, perfectly reveal the unique facets of the author’s poetic talent. For Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak received the Nobel Prize on October 23, 1958. But in the writer’s homeland, unfortunately, the novel became the cause of a huge scandal, and the book was banned for many years. Pasternak was one of the few who defended freedom of speech to the end. Perhaps this is what cost him his life...

10 best books of Russian literature: collection of stories “Dark Alleys” by Ivan Bunin

Stories "Dark Alleys"- frank, sincere, exquisitely sensual stories about love. Perhaps these stories can be considered the best example of Russian love prose. A Nobel Prize winner, a brilliant writer was one of the few authors of his time (the stories were written in 1938) who spoke so openly, sincerely and beautifully about the relationship between a man and a woman, about beautiful love that can last a lifetime... “Dark Alleys” "will definitely appeal to all women and girls as one of the most poignant stories about love.

10 best books of Russian literature: “Quiet Don” by Mikhail Sholokhov

Epic novel "Quiet Don" in four volumes was published in 1940 in Roman-Gazeta. This is one of the largest works of Russian literature, which brought Mikhail Sholokhov world fame. Moreover, in 1965 the writer was awarded the Nobel Prize “For the artistic strength and integrity of the epic about the Don Cossacks at a turning point for Russia.” This is a grandiose novel about the fate of the Don Cossacks, a fascinating saga about love, devotion, betrayal and hatred. A book about which controversy continues to this day: some literary scholars believe that the authorship does not actually belong to Sholokhov. In any case, this work deserves to be read.

10 best books of Russian literature: “The Gulag Archipelago” by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Another Nobel Prize laureate, a classic of Russian literature, an outstanding writer of the 20th century is Alexander Solzhenitsyn, author of the world-famous documentary epic. "GULAG Archipelago", which tells about repressions during the Soviet years. This is more than a book: it is a whole study based on the author’s personal experience (Solzhenitsyn himself was a victim of repression), documents and testimonies of many eyewitnesses. This is a book about suffering, tears, blood. But at the same time, it shows that a person can always remain human under the most difficult circumstances.

Of course, this is not a complete list of outstanding books of Russian literature. Nevertheless, these are books that every person who appreciates and honors Russian culture should know.

Alisa Terentyeva

Not all writers agree with the statement “Brevity is the sister of talent.” In today's selection we offer the longest novels in the history of literature. The authors spent years creating them. But it will take a lot of time to read them.

By the way, the novel “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy was in the top ten, so every Russian schoolchild can proudly say that he is familiar with one of the longest books first-hand.

10. “Tokugawa Ieyasu”, S. Yamaoka
This novel was published in parts in Japanese newspapers. If you collect all the parts into a single work, you will get at least 40 volumes. The plot of the novel is dedicated to the first shogun of the Tokugawa clan, who united the country and established peace in it.

9. “Quiet Don”, M. Sholokhov
All four books that make up the novel take up about 1,500 pages. There are 982 characters in the novel, of which 363 are real historical characters. For "Quiet Don" Sholokhov was awarded the Nobel Prize with the consent of Stalin.

8. “Les Miserables”, V. Hugo
Hugo created one of his main works over the course of eighteen years, from 1834 to 1852. Then the author revised the text several times, adding and removing various fragments.

7. “In Search of Lost Time”, M. Proust
This is a whole cycle of 7 novels, in which there are more than two thousand characters. The books are replete with emotional outbursts and bizarre narrative twists. In total, In Search of Lost Time contains more than one and a half million words, which occupy about 3,200 pages.

6. “The Forsyte Saga”, D. Galsworthy
The novel by the Nobel laureate amazes with its clearly defined characters. The work covers the history of the family from 1680 to the 1930s. “The Saga” formed the basis for 6 film adaptations, the most recent of which has a duration of 11.5 hours.

5. “War and Peace”, L. Tolstoy
Anyone who has read War and Peace can be divided into two categories. Some are completely delighted with the novel, others cannot stand it. But the epoch-making work in three volumes does not leave anyone indifferent.

4. “Quincanx”, C. Palliser
This work is a modern pastiche of a Victorian novel. Each of the two volumes has a volume of 800 pages depending on the edition. The plot is full of mysteries, symbolism and unexpected twists.

3. “Ulysses”, J. Joyce
The novel is considered one of the best works of English-language prose. Ulysses was written over seven long years and tells the story of a single day in the life of Dublin Jew Leopold Bloom. The novel was first published in parts between 1918 and 1920.

2. “Astraea”, O. d’Urfe
The novel was written over 21 years of hard work. The work in the first edition fit on 5,399 pages. Published in 1607, the novel tells the story of the love between the shepherdess Astraea and the shepherd Celadon. The book contains a lot of inserted short stories and poetic inclusions.

1. “People of Goodwill”, R. Jules
The novel by the French playwright, writer and poet was published in 27 volumes. The work contains more than two million words on 4,959 pages. The table of contents of the world's longest novel is about 50 pages long. It is noteworthy that the book does not have a single and clear plot line, and the number of characters exceeds four hundred.

There are many records set by books. We know about the thickest and longest books, books with record-breaking circulation and the largest books in the world. Some of them are initially published with the goal of becoming the very best.

Longest books

When talking about the longest books, you can mean the length of the book in terms of duration, or you can mean its actual (physical) length.

It should be noted that it is difficult to imagine a person who would devote years of his life to creating an actually long book. Usually writers strive to convey the meaning of their work, even the longest of all, with the depth of words and thoughts.

"People of Goodwill"

For fourteen years, starting in 1932, Jules Romain wrote a novel called “People of Good Will.” It contains at least two million words. The novel was published in twenty-seven volumes. It is recognized as the longest in the world. The table of contents, which occupies as many as fifty pages, causes a very mixed reaction.

Spirituality, criminality, poverty, wealth, culture and politics can be found in the novel. In twenty-seven volumes, the author described the lives of four hundred heroes, touching on events from 1908 to 1933. Unfortunately, the literary world did not accept this work quite as the author desired. After the publication of the novel, it was subjected to severe criticism. The idea was expressed that the author distorted the events of that time, misunderstanding history.

"Fantastic"

The length of the book with the title “Fantastic” is one kilometer, eight hundred and fifty-six meters. This is the longest (physically) book in the world. It was created by four hundred people from the educational city of Castello. This “experiment” also involved the center’s teachers and even the families of all participants.

The book was made from papyrus and wound around a pole. The record was registered by one of the notaries of the city of Castello. It includes eleven fairy tales, the main idea of ​​which is poverty and wealth.

The thickest books

There are several record-thick books. One of them is WIKIPEDIA, which is articles from the Internet collected in one printed publication. There is an assumption that this collection of articles was published only so that the book of five thousand pages would be included in the Guinness Book of Records. It is doubtful that such a thick book can be read - it is completely impractical to use.

Another record-breaking book is the world's thickest edition about Miss Marple, printed in the form of a complete collection of works. The works of Agatha Christie, collected in one book, fit on four thousand thirty-two pages. The spine width of this edition is three hundred and twenty-two millimeters, and the weight is eight kilograms. Despite the fact that such a gigantic book is most likely unsuitable for reading, it was published in the amount of five hundred copies.

Books with the largest circulation

It is not for nothing that the Bible is called the book of books. It has been republished many times in all countries of our planet. Its popularity not only does not fall, but continues to increase. To date, the number of published copies of this book is approximately six billion.

Another book whose circulation can easily be called one of the largest is the quote book of Mao Zedong. Its circulation is one billion copies. Usually this book is published with a red cover, for which in Western countries the quotation book is often called the “Little Red Book”.

John Tolkien's book, written in the fantasy genre, The Lord of the Rings, which is in third place, lags significantly behind in terms of circulation. Its circulation is one hundred million copies. The circulation of a book called “The American Spelling Book” and the “Guinness Book of Records”, which are in fourth and fifth place in the ranking of books with the largest circulation, are approximately the same.

Sixth place in the ranking is occupied by the World Yearbook with a circulation of eighty million copies, and seventh place by the McGuffey Anthology of Children's Reading. The circulation of this book is sixty million copies. The book “Basics of Child Care” was published in a circulation of fifty million copies. “The Da Vinci Code” took ninth place in the rating with a circulation of forty-three million, and in tenth place of honor is the work of Elbert Hubbard with a circulation of forty million. Its title is “Message to Garcia.”

The largest book in the world

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world's largest printed book is A Giant Visual Odyssey Through the Kingdom of Bhutan. The dimensions of its pages are one hundred and fifty-two by two hundred and thirteen centimeters. The total weight of this book, consisting of one hundred and twelve pages, is almost sixty kilograms. Today, only eleven copies of it have been created.

To print one book, you need to spend a roll of paper, the length of which is comparable to the length of a football field. The technology for printing this book was invented and developed by Michael Hawley, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Anyone can order the book by paying thirty thousand dollars.

We know about the “Superbook”, which was published in Denver in 1976. Its dimensions are three hundred seven by two hundred seventy-four centimeters and weighs almost two hundred fifty-three kilograms. In 2004, in Russia, the In publishing house set a new record, namely, the book “The Biggest Book for Kids” was published. Its dimensions can amaze anyone - six by three meters with a weight of four hundred and ninety-two kilograms. It is difficult to imagine such a book, because the area of ​​each page is equal, no more or less - eighteen square meters.

There are other amazing books. For example, the most expensive volume of poetry was the publication of Edgar Allan Poe’s book “Tamerlane and Other Poems.” .
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