The Levada Center has recently published the results of a nationwide survey asking Russian citizens to name their favorite writer.
Lev Tolstoy took first place with 45 percent of the vote, Fyodor Dostoevsky came in second with 23 percent and Anton Chekhov took third place with 18 percent.
Russia is known worldwide for its rich literary heritage and outstanding novelists, poets and playwrights, but the results show an impressive consensus in opinion for the leading position.
Other writers in the top ten include Alexander Pushkin (15 percent); Nikolai Gogol (13 percent); Mikhail Sholokhov (13 percent); Mikhail Bulgakov (11 percent); Ivan Turgenev (9 percent); Maxim Gorky (7 percent); and Mikhail Lermontov (6 percent).
The survey was conducted between 19-24 February on a representative sample of the urban and rural population. 1,600 people were interviewed in total across 48 regions.
For a full table of results click here.
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