For the first time in Mari literature studies the article focuses on works of Mari writers written in Rus-sian purposely. Creativity of the brightest modern authors is considered. Works by V. Abukaev and G. Pirogov let the authors of the article investigate such problems as the way the national and regional components work together in Mari literature, the importance of Russian literature, the expressive forms of national world outlook, and the degree of popularity of these works with Russian readers.