Clinton tells Russians she loved 'Brothers Karamazov'

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience of Moscow students on Wednesday that one of her favourite books was "The Brothers Karamazov" by classic Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky.

"I have been influenced by so many books, but I will pick one that is particularly appropriate for this occasion: 'The Brothers Karamazov,'" she said when asked to name her favourite book.

Speaking to an audience of 2,000 students, Clinton said the book was "was an important part of my thinking and has informed me over the years."

Considered a philosophical masterpiece, Dostoevsky's 1880 novel focuses on the relationship between Ivan Karamazov, a young man who doubts that God is benevolent, and his devout younger brother Alyosha.

Clinton made the remarks at a question-and-answer session at Moscow State University, widely seen as Russia's most prestigious institute of higher education, during her first visit to Russia as top US diplomat.

On Monday she visited Moscow's famed Bolshoi Theatre to attend a performance of "The Love for Three Oranges," an opera by 20th-century Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev.

Clinton's efforts at cultural diplomacy with Moscow began clumsily in March when she gave her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov a souvenir button on which the Russian word for "reset" was misspelled to say "overload" instead.

The gift was meant to symbolise US President Barack Obama's goal of pushing the "reset button" in strained US-Russian relations, but turned into an embarrassing gaffe for Clinton instead.