Over the centuries Russian authors were allowed to write and express themselves according to their beliefs. All of this changed during the Soviet Era. As early as the 1930s, authors were required to write according to the Socialist Realism style as it was the only style approved of by the Russian authorities.

Prior to World War II, Soviet writers could not be published unless they adhered strictly to the Socialist Realism guidelines. The Serapian Brothers writer group was made up of writer's who believed that a writer had the right to express his thoughts independently of political theology. These writers were forced by the government to give up their views and to write according to the guidelines set forth by Socialist Realism.

In the 1960s, the ban on writing was lifted to a certain degree, giving the authors more freedom to write according to their beliefs and in their own style. Social science fiction became the most popular sub-genre. During this time, the Soviet's first science fantasy was written by the Strugatskies brothers.

Towards the end of the twentieth century, Russian literature was undergoing a dramatic change and there were only a few writers whose names were well known. Female short story and novelist writers were the new trend. Detective serial novels and thrillers have become a popular new genre in Russian literature in modern time.

Tatyana Tolstaya is one of the modern women novelists. She was born in 1951 into a family of writers and poets. Nineteen eighty-three marked the beginning of her literary career when Avora magazine agreed to publish her first short story, "On a Golden Porch". Today she is considered to be one of the top writers in Russia.

Sergey Lukyanenko is another contemporary Russian writer. He is known for his science fiction and fantasy works. People enjoy his action packed plots. He enjoys writing to the point that he publishes one or two books every year plus a number of short stories and critical articles.

Mikhail Shishkin is considered to be one of the best Russian contemporary writers. He is hailed for the depth and complexity of his writings and his tremendous command of the Russian literary language. He first became known as a writer in 1993 when the Znamya magazine published one of his short stories entitled "Calligraphy Lesson".

Freedom of expression was something that was virtually unknown among Russian authors during the years of the Soviet Era. Once that ban was lifted, a group of writers has begun to emerge with writings that are a credit to Russia. Women now have the freedom to join the ranks of world renowned writers.