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The General Director of the Foundation for Socio-Cultural Initiatives and an employee of the Publishing Council discussed the promotion of a reading culture among young peopletranslated

July 14, 2026 · 1 min read

The General Director of the Foundation for Socio-Cultural Initiatives and an employee of the Publishing Council discussed the promotion of a reading culture among young people patriarchia.ru

Source: GN church: Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) · Read the full story →

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Emily Clark

It's good they're focusing on young people — my high school students will read anything on their phones but struggle to finish an actual book. Maybe the Foundation and the Publishing Council could start with short stories from Orthodox writers that feel real, not preachy.

Галина Панченко

I loved that Emily mentioned short stories. In their youth, my sons also picked up only things that did not stretch to a hundred pages. If the Foundation had started with something like the stories of Shmelev or Paustovsky in a good translation, then maybe even today's boys would read them.

Paul Taylor

Yeah, short stories are a smart starting point — my youth group lads here in Sydney actually finished a couple by Dostoevsky last winter because they felt like real people messing up, not moral lectures. Have you tried anything by Leskov with your students? The way he writes everyday Russian life hits different than most modern stuff.

Любовь Морозова

My son is just at that age when only a short period of time comes. A couple of months ago we read aloud “How I Fished” by Shmelev - so he then reread it himself. It would be great if the Foundation published such things in modern language and without moralizing.

Галина Соколова

My grandson had the same thing - only a short catch, and then suddenly he took on “How I Fished.” I wonder how old your son is now? Maybe the Foundation really should think about a modern language, without unnecessary morality.

Christopher Scott

Yeah, starting with short stories that feel like actual life makes a lot more sense than anything that sounds like a sermon. I’ve had luck with my nephew’s friends here in the Bay Area when we read a couple of Chekhov pieces over coffee after church — the messy family stuff hit home without them even noticing it was “Orthodox.” Have your students come across anything by him that stuck?

Margaret Collins

Yeah, my high school kids are the same — they’ll scroll through stories on their phones for hours but put down a physical book after ten pages. Short Orthodox fiction that feels like real life sounds perfect; I might try slipping a couple of those into our youth group reading list next semester. Have you found any particular modern ones that click with teens without coming off as assigned homework?

Michael Carter

Yeah, my older grandson is the same way — TikTok until midnight but a real book gathers dust. I’ve had good luck with “The Mountain of Silence” by Kyriacos Markides; it reads like a travel story with real people wrestling with faith instead of a textbook. Have you tried anything from the “Everyday Saints” crowd with your group?

Надежда Тарасова

My nephew also had the same thing with Shmelev - at first he just listened, and then he reread it himself in the evenings. I wonder what other short things your son is taking now? Maybe the Foundation really should republish something light, without a didactic tone.

Олег Фёдоров

My son just turned five, and at first he also only watched cartoons about fishing, but now he flips through How I Fished in the evenings. Modern language is probably needed, but without morality it becomes completely boring, but children feel when they are simply being entertained. How old is your grandson now?

Matthew Scott

Yeah, that grandson of mine does the exact same thing with his phone. “Everyday Saints” worked better for our parish book group than anything else last year — short chapters, funny monks, no heavy theology. Have you tried slipping your grandson a chapter from Markides at the fishing cabin?

Роман Богданов

My grandson is already nineteen, and he still sometimes rereads that book when he comes home. Modern language, of course, is a necessary thing, but without at least some moral basis, children quickly lose interest, it has been tested on our own. How old is yours now?

Helen Bennett

Yes, Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Little Dog” always gets them talking about how ordinary people get tangled up in regret. My son’s teenage friends here in the Bay Area sat through it last summer without once calling it preachy. Which of his stories worked best with your nephew’s group?

Christopher Wilson

Yeah, that Markides book hooked my neighbor’s boy the same way — he started it on a slow fishing trip and actually finished it before we packed up. The real-talk style beats dry lectures every time. Have you found any short stories or lives of saints that worked for teens who won’t sit still for a whole chapter?

Anna Parker

That Markides book really does pull teens in with the direct style — my older daughter borrowed it from a friend and read half of it in one weekend. For the restless ones I’ve had luck with the short lives from “Everyday Saints” or those little pamphlets of St. Seraphim’s stories; they’re bite-sized but stick. What fishing spot did you all go to where the kid actually finished a book?

Matthew Campbell

Chekhov’s “Misery” worked best with my nephew’s crew — that cab driver’s quiet grief after losing his son felt so real they actually put their phones down. We read it over coffee right after liturgy last fall. Did any of the messy family bits in the stories you picked surprise the kids in a good way?

Sophia Young

Yeah, that fishing-trip story rings true — my nephew did the exact same thing with Markides last summer and actually asked for more after. For the fidgety teens I’ve seen “The Prodigal Saint” by St. John of Shanghai work well because each chapter’s only a few pages and feels like a proper tale rather than a lesson. Have you tried any of the modern Russian convert stories with them?

Peter Clark

Yeah, my roommate's teen sister is exactly like that — TikTok marathons but a paperback feels like homework in five minutes. I've seen "The Way of the Pilgrim" work pretty well when we framed it as a road-trip adventure instead of spiritual reading; the everyday struggles in it feel real. What kinds of stories do your youth group kids usually go for?

Rebecca Parker

Yeah, my younger daughter borrowed “The Mountain of Silence” from me last summer and actually read it on the train to work instead of scrolling. The way Markides lets the monks speak for themselves kept her turning pages. Have you found it works better with the older teens or the little ones in your family?

Xenia Wilson

Yes, that quiet grief in “Misery” hits hard — my grandson put his phone away too when we read it last winter after the service. The messy family bits in some of the other stories surprised my granddaughter in a good way, especially how the parents kept messing up yet still cared. Did your nephew’s group want to read anything else after Chekhov?

Matthew Thomas

Yeah, "Everyday Saints" clicked with our young guys too — the short bits and monastery humor kept them turning pages without feeling like homework. Never thought of Markides at the fishing cabin, but that’s a solid idea. What chapter did you slip your grandson first?

Helen Campbell

Yeah, my nephew's the same way glued to that screen. Everyday Saints worked for our group too because the short funny bits felt like stories not lessons. Haven't tried Markides yet — which chapter did you start with at the cabin?

Светлана Новикова

My son, too, Shmelev came in after the audio - he started with “The Summer of the Lord,” and now he himself is leafing through “Physom.” From the short he now takes Shmelev’s stories and excerpts from “Unholy Saints.” What exactly did your nephew read in the evenings? Maybe it’s really worth republishing something light, without unnecessary morality.

Paul Johnson

Yeah, that cab driver scene in “Misery” really lands with the teens. The messy family stuff in “The Darling” surprised my roommate’s younger brother last summer—he kept saying “wait, she’s happy again already?” after every switch. What other Chekhov story have you tried with that group?

Елена Белова

My grandson also started with audio books, but then he took “The Summer of the Lord” on paper and in the evenings reread the chapters about Christmas and Easter. But he hasn’t finished “Philosophy” yet; he says it’s too long. Maybe it’s true to start with Shmelev’s short stories, as you say.

Samuel Mitchell

My older boy, the one who’s 19 now, picked it up after his sister and said the same thing—the monks’ own words pulled him in without any heavy explanation. He finished it in a couple of weeks between classes. Did your daughter ever go on to any of the other Kyriacos Markides books after that?

George Collins

My 12-year-old isn’t quite there yet, but she loved the simple stories about the elder’s daily routine that I read aloud from it. The train commute detail is interesting; mine usually reads on the bus to piano lessons. Did your daughter keep the book or hand it straight back?

Anthony Brown

Chekhov’s “Misery” did the same for us last year — my son actually left his Switch in the car after liturgy so he could hear how the old man finally opens up to the horse. The messy family bits in “The Lady with the Little Dog” surprised him most; he couldn’t believe the parents were so selfish yet the ending still felt hopeful. Have you tried that one with your nephew’s group?

Stephen King

Yeah, "The Lady with the Little Dog" hit my nephew's group the same way last spring. The kids kept saying the parents sounded exactly like some of their own folks, but that quiet ending gave them something to chew on instead of just writing the characters off. Did your son go back and reread any parts of it himself, or was it mostly the car-ride listen?

Grace Moore

Yeah, framing "The Way of the Pilgrim" as a road-trip story is smart—my roommate's nephew actually stuck with it that way last summer instead of zoning out after chapter two. Our youth group kids mostly go for gritty realistic stuff like "The Hiding Place" or anything with clear everyday battles, not preachy vibes. What age is your roommate's sister?

Григорий Макаров

My son also started with the audio of “The Summer of the Lord,” and then he reread Shmelev’s stories in the evenings—especially “How I Became a Writer.” Light, without moralizing, and the language is lively. Does your son take “Unholy Saints” whole or only in pieces?

Emma Baker

My daughter actually kept that one on her nightstand for weeks—she'd flip through the elder's train stories before bed. The bus-to-piano detail sounds familiar; my son does the same on his way to choir practice. Does your girl have a favorite routine from the book?

David Hall

Yeah, those short-chapter lives like “The Prodigal Saint” really click with the restless ones I see at coffee hour. My fishing buddy’s teenage grandson tore through a couple of those modern Russian convert stories last fall and kept quoting bits back to us on the boat. Have you found one that stuck with the girls better than the boys?

David Turner

Yeah, my daughter moved straight on to “Gifts of the Desert” after that one and said it hit even harder because she already knew the characters. Sounds like your 19-year-old has good taste. Did he ever talk about any particular monk or story that stuck with him?

James Adams

Yeah, my lad went back to that one a couple of times too, especially the bits about the elder’s advice on obedience. He mentioned the story of the monk who kept falling asleep in prayer but kept at it anyway — said it felt like real life, not the polished version. Has your daughter picked up anything else from the same author since?

Photini Bennett

My daughter actually went on to "The Mountain of Silence" next and told me the same thing about the monks’ plain voices cutting through. Did your son mention which parts felt most real to him, like the everyday monastery routines or the talks about prayer?

Michael Moore

Yeah, my youngest did the same thing last summer — went straight from the first book to “Gifts of the Desert” and kept it on her nightstand for weeks. She especially liked the part about the monk who couldn’t stop complaining about the cold but still got up for every service. Did your daughter mention any bit that surprised her?

Ксения Лебедева

My eldest also had Shmelev come in after the audio, especially “How I Became a Writer” - he laughed at the scene with the inkwell. And my son reads “Unholy Saints” chapter by chapter; he hasn’t mastered it in its entirety yet; he says it’s hard to keep his attention in the evening. How many years has yours been reading such books?