The philologist explained the popularity of historical novels and detective stories

Historical novels and detective stories remain the most sought-after genres among Russian readers due to their combination of emotional engagement and semantic load. Elizaveta Oleinik, a book translator, philologist, and teacher of additional education, told Izvestia about this on April 16.

"A historical novel helps not only to learn facts about the past, but to feel the epoch through the fate of people. This is especially close for the Russian reader, because our interest in history, our roots, and the connection between the past and the present is traditionally very strong," she said.

According to the expert, the popularity of these genres is related to the basic needs of the audience: an interest in the past and their own identity, as well as the need for logic, dynamics and the restoration of justice.

The expert emphasized that reading such books promotes the development of critical thinking. Historical prose helps to comprehend the connection between the past and the present and distinguish between facts and artistic interpretation, while detectives train attention, logic and the ability to analyze details.

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In her opinion, despite the fact that the majority of Russians read no more than 10 books a year, this trend cannot be assessed unambiguously negatively. In the context of competition with digital content, it is important to maintain interest in reading.

The expert added that the development of a school reading environment, accessibility of libraries, support for family reading, as well as the popularization of books through bloggers and convenient formats, including audio and electronic publications, can increase engagement.

"Film adaptations play a very significant role here, especially for a young audience. It is often the film or TV series that becomes the first entry point into a work: the viewer becomes interested in the plot, the characters, the atmosphere of the era, and only then turns to the book to better understand the story. In this sense, the film adaptation may not be a substitute for reading, but a bridge to it," the expert concluded.

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On April 15, the journal Science Daily reported that constant mental activity — reading, writing and learning foreign languages — is associated with a 38% reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. It was noted that the study included 1,939 adults with an average age of 80 years who had not been diagnosed with dementia at the time of the start of observations. The participants were followed for about eight years. During this time, 551 people developed Alzheimer's disease, and 719 had mild cognitive impairment.

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