Turgenev, the great Russian writer

TurgenevTurgenev, the great Russian writer

Eight recommended works by the great Russian writer Turgenev - a masterpiece of the art of words!

By tracing Turgenev's life and works, I was able to get a much different picture of Turgenev from Dostoevsky's side.

It was very interesting to feel the difference between Turgenev and Dostoevsky. It also made me think a lot about what art means in literature.

It was a great experience for me to feel the greatness of the artist Turgenev. I am sure that this experience will come in handy when I read Tolstoy in the future.

Turgenev is a different kind of writer from Dostoevsky. We encourage everyone to pick up a copy.
Turgenev, the great Russian writer

Why Lenin Liked Turgenev - Turgenev in Lenin's Biography

How Lenin viewed literature is a very interesting question. A leader's preferences affect the culture of his country. This is because his policies dictated "what is good," and new literature would be created or past cultures would be interpreted accordingly.

Knowing how Dostoevsky and his great literary contemporaries were received in the Soviet era gives us a glimpse into the context in which the image of Dostoevsky written in the Soviet era was created. This is a very interesting part of learning about Dostoevsky.
Life of TurgenevTurgenev, the great Russian writer

Seiro Sato, "The Life of Turgenev" - Recommended reference book to learn about the life and characteristics of the great writer!

The book looks back on Turgenev's entire life and delves into the connections between the events and his works in an easy-to-understand and in-depth manner.

It does not merely trace his life, nor does it merely explain his works. He connects the life and the works and explains very clearly what influences Turgenev's work.

I have introduced many of Turgenev's works on this blog, and I have quoted many of them there.

The connection between real life and the work is told in a narrative manner, rather than in difficult theoretical terms, so that the work can be understood without elbowing the reader.
Hamlet and Don QuixoteTurgenev, the great Russian writer

Turgenev's "Hamlet and Don Quixote" Synopsis and Comments - Recommended for an introduction to Turgenev's literary views.

This piece is a paper in which Turgenev expresses his thoughts on Hamlet and Don Quixote.

For Turgenev, these two characters were a very important influence in the creation of his works, and their faces are everywhere in his works.

Turgenev's juxtaposition of Hamlet and Don Quixote highlights the two characters.

Turgenev sees the Hamlet type, who is always fretting about himself, and the Don Quixote type, who always acts for the good of others.
virgin soilTurgenev, the great Russian writer

Turgenev's "The Virgin Land" Synopsis and Impressions - A great film about the Narodniki youth of the 1970s in Russia.

It was exactly around 1870 that Dostoevsky's "Evil Spirits" was written.

This overlaps exactly with the youth of the 1970s that Turgenev was trying to portray.

Turgenev described a stream of militants who believed in socialist ideology infiltrating rural villages and starting riots.

In contrast, Dostoevsky depicted the havoc and gruesome events of socialist revolutionaries in a certain city.

Although the stage is different, the two share a common awareness of the issues.

Although "Evil Spirits" is by far the more outstanding in terms of the seriousness and gruesomeness of the story, the perspective of "The Virgin Land" is also very interesting. I feel that by looking at the works of two people with different literary styles, we can learn more deeply about the human spirit of this era.
smokeTurgenev, the great Russian writer

Turgenev's "Smoke" Synopsis and Comments - Set in Baden-Baden, a German holiday resort! If you want to know about art in literature, this book is for you!

This work was not well-received by the Russian literary circles at the time, but how was it for me, living in modern Japan, to read it... to be honest, it was not interesting.

So is the novel not worth reading?

No, that's not it.

In fact, for me, the novel "Smoke" became one of the most impressive of Turgenev's works.

I personally highly recommend this work. I think this work is of immense significance in understanding what art is in literature.
father and child (son)Turgenev, the great Russian writer

Turgenev's "Father and Son" Synopsis and Comments - A masterpiece that realistically depicts the disconnect between generations! Too intense!

Once Turgenev created a nihilist named Bazarov, such a person has since been called a "Bazarovian person" or "nihilist" in the real world.

This influence is tremendous.

I felt that Turgenev's abilities as an observer and artist were outstanding in pulling this off.

Father and Son is an easy read and highly recommended. We encourage you to pick up a copy.
first loveTurgenev, the great Russian writer

Turgenev's "First Love" Synopsis and Impressions - Turgenev's masterpiece with an autobiographical character.

The novel is based on Turgenev's actual experiences. The woman he fell in love with was actually his father's mistress, which would be quite shocking if he were actually faced with such a situation.

Although "First Love" is a very interesting story, it is also a very interesting work in terms of Turgenev's views on love.

The volume of the book is also easy to read, at just a little over 100 pages in the paperback edition. Turgenev's masterpiece, "First Love," is highly recommended.
the night beforeTurgenev, the great Russian writer

Turgenev's "The Night Before" Synopsis and Impressions - A long novel about Russia just before the liberation of the serfs.

When this work was published in 1860, it was right on the eve of the Emancipation of the Peasants Act of 1861.

What are the young men thinking and doing as the world moves toward emancipation of the serfs? This is what Turgenev stares at.

Turgenev decided to depict a woman among these young men who is actively involved in society.

This work has become a bitter memory for Turgenev, but as a modern Japanese, I do not think it is to be blamed.

It was a work that gave me a sense of how differently the film was evaluated in different countries and in different eras.
The Nest of the NoblesTurgenev, the great Russian writer

Turgenev's "The Aristocrat's Nest" Synopsis and Impressions - Turgenev's masterful feature film, highly acclaimed in Russia.

I had never heard of the novel "The Nobleman's Nest" before learning about Turgenev, but I was surprised to learn that it is one of the most popular of Turgenev's works.

The work became so popular in Russia that Dostoevsky also paid tribute to it.

Indeed, this novel was very easy to read. It moves along and is quite interesting as a novel.