You are missing a fundamental point in all good literature, art and film... does your interpretation of Stalker, for example speak for all Ukrainians?... Or for yourself alone?
Certainly, I speak from myself. No one can speak for all Ukrainians etc…it’s nonsense… when I say “we”, I mean ppl that share my view. Even statistics says that equal education, equal environment will born a lot of ppl that share views.
When you saw film, do you imagine, that many ppl who read the book “Пикник на обочине”, as me, understands more that was said in film, and they don’t’ saw there many deep thoughts of Strugatsky that WAS in the book and doesn’t in the movie! AБС understoond that film is not book, it’s Tarkovsky creation as director, but without Kaidanovsky, it would be just another Russian moralistic movie. Kaidanovsky saves, i.e. “make” this film! Communist Party very loved propaganda for making “sovietskaya moral”. We was bored of that moral! Do you want hear another evangelistic preacher? I don’t! There are not so many вечных истин, чтобы позволять каждому ослу их провозглашать!


I should avoid 'your' literature because you are "inside the bottle", and I am "outside"? What is the "bottle"... Russia/Ukraine?... Or being mortally human?

Wrong! “Avoid” it’s wrong word. You should, if you want follow my advice, do not put these books on the top of query for reading! That’s all!
Look around, there are many good books in modern Russian literature! But always when was asked foreigners “What did you read from Russian?” They answer - Dostoevsky “C&P”, Tolstoy “W&P”. That make us laugh inside, and smile to you outside! Almost all Russians read these books, but for truth, they don’t set it on pedestal and don’t pray on it! It’s just a book, like others on the bookshelf, and they have other beloved books.

No, you don’t understand me again with “bottle” example. Ok. There is some kind of “Book Space”, you are on “English” planet, I’m on “Russian”, there are “Spanish”, “Italian” planets etc. And between us many translations, spaceships transport for them who knows languages, a lot of “literary garbage” and some diamonds.
situation:
- I’ll take this diamond!
- You can get it fo free. Either we don’t like it already. But we have other stuff, will send it to you?
- No! Just this ones, two or three!
- Weird man.

And so on with all buyers from your planet.

If the two of us sitting together in El Prado, view Goya's masterpiece "Dog Drowning"... will we each see the same thing? Same thoughts? Same feelings?
We maybe, "собака лучший друг человека", I'm not sure on 100%. But Koreans…..they will have some gastronomical allusions.

Will James Joyces' "Ulysses" affect you, as it affects me?
And can you ever believe that you will understand the American soul by reading Faulkner's "The Sound and The Fury"... or Pynchon's, "Gravity's Rainbow"?
I don’t know how "Ulysses" affect you. I love it, but maybe we love different parts in the book and so on?

No, I can never truly understand the Russian soul and heart, because I'm not Russian. But with your thoughts then do you mean I should avoid Russian writings?
No! It’s not true! Reading Dostoevsky you can see some sort of his(sic!) images of Russians of 19th century.
And Dostoevsky himself was not typical person in his times.
I really don’t know what you have to read to understand current Russian ppl and what’s mean “Russian soul” that Westrem ppl so high-priced.
But I know that Pelevin gets you dark and very hyperbolic picture, and can express my opinion on other specific writer, if you need it.

You will never truly understand, from an American view, Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn"... or Helprin's "Winter's Tale"... but they are valuable treasures in American literature, and can give you or anyone insight into yourself and into other people, even though you're not American. And I will never try to discourage you from reading them.
I read them, certanly, Mark Twain in translation, is one of the first books that Russain boys reads in my time. And I love O’Henry’s stories as many Russians do, becouse we reads it in childhood.

Please don't try to discourage me (because as you say I'm only a "dumb American who will never understand"), from reading Russian authors, seeing Russian films, looking at Russian art.
Yes! You will never, if reading will be so narrow selective!
I said “dumb” in other context, don’t cheat.
Discourage? In what? Either, I want to courage you to look around! We Russian are very simple ppl, it’s some Western conspiracy, that makes for you too heavy understanding us! THEY (aliens or govs ) control your minds and in a late night hour force you by EM-rays to read Tolstoy and Dostoevsky!
I knew.. knew it!!!