Ivan Turgenev

First published in 1860, 'First Love' is a novella by Ivan Turgenev, a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator and popularizer of Russian literature in the West. It is one of his most popular works of short fiction. Some criticized its light subject matter that did not touch upon any of the pressing social and political issues of the day. But, it had its many admirers, including the French novelist Gustave Flaubert, who...

On the Eve is the third novel by famous Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, best known for his short stories and the novel Fathers and Sons. Turgenev embellishes this love story with observations on middle class life and interposes some art and philosophy. The story revolves around Elena, a girl with a very affected mother and a father who is a retired guards lieutenant and keeps a mistress. On the eve of the Crimean War, Elena is pursued by a free-spirited...

With the publication of "A Sportsman's Sketches" in 1852 Ivan Turgenev established himself one of the leaders in the movement of Russian literary realism. Abandoning the idealized vision of Romantic literature, Realism seeks to present the true struggles of the human existence. In "Virgin Soil", his final novel, we see a continuation of the themes present throughout his other works. At the heart of the novel is the story of a young man and woman who...

One of the most popular Russian novels of the nineteenth century, Turgenev's 1859 story of the offspring of an aristocratic father and serf mother mirrors his own life. Fyodor Ivanych Lavretsky experiences love and betrayal in Paris, and tragically ironic twists of fate upon his return home. Presented here in Constance Garnett's English translation.

I will tell you without beating about the bush. My patient ... how should I say?... Well, she had fallen in love with me ... or, no, it was not that she was in love ... however ... really, how should one say?' (The doctor looked down and grew red.) 'No,' he went on quickly, 'in love, indeed!

Twenty-five beautifully written stories, penned in exile, evocatively depicting life on a manor in feudal Russia and examining the conflicts between serfs and landlords A Sportsman's Notebook, Ivan Turgenev's first literary masterpiece, is a sweeping portrayal of the magnificent nineteenth–century Russian countryside and the harsh lives of those who inhabited it. In a powerful and gripping series of sketches, a hunter wanders through the vast...

A journey into the depth of Russian countryside where intimate connection with nature comes as a natural way of life. Meet Kassyan, who can communicate directly with birds and other forest creatures. Discover mysterious sweet-voiced oracle bird, The Gamayune living among trees with leaves that fall not, neither in autumn nor in winter, and apples grow of gold, on silver branches, and every man lives in uprightness and content.

Ovsyanikov reminded me of the Russian boyars of the times before Peter the Great.... The national holiday dress would have suited him well. He was one of the last men left of the old time. All his neighbors had a great respect for him, and considered it an honor to be acquainted with him. His fellow peasant-proprietors almost worshipped him, and took off their hats to him from a distance: they were proud of him.

Turgenev's "Virgin Soil" delves into the themes of idealism, disillusionment, and the limitations of revolutionary fervor. The novel explores the inherent tensions between the educated intelligentsia and the rural peasantry, shedding light on the difficulties faced in bridging the gap between different social strata and ideologies. The characters' personal struggles mirror the larger struggles of a nation on the brink of transformation. Through vivid...

Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883) was a novelist, poet and playwright known for his honest and affectionate portrayals of Russian serfs in the feudal system of the nineteenth century. Unlike his contemporaries Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Leo Tolstoy, whose writings focused primarily on church and religion, Turgenev believed in and advocated the need for Russia to Westernize. He criticized the provincial society and political turbulence of his time through sophisticated,...