(no subject)

[maa-baby.livejournal.com]

Hello everyone..I've been just a lurker here for quite a long time but I guess it's now time to post here.
I'm Martie - 22 - from Milan /Italy and I've been studying Russian for 5 months at a night course at the local public library so I'd say my level is absolute beginner so my question would probably sound dumb.
At the course I learnt the word учитель for teacher and now in my exercise book there's the word преподаватель..I was wondering if they have the same menaing and one of the two is more common or if one is more general and the other is for school teachers..

another thing I wanted to ask was this ..I'm reading some books by Russian authors..the classics obviusly and then also some contemporary stuff like "Dvenik Niny Lugovskoj /Nina Lugovskaja Journal" and "Veselye Pochorny / Funeral Party " by L. Ulickaja because I do think that knowing more about life and the way of thinking of a country can help you with the knowledge of the language..is there some modern author you can suggest me ? ( Obviously I'm reading the books in the Italian or English translation! )

Thanks for the help ..I really like this place and its atmosphere ^^