Ivan Turgenev Books, Quotes, Biography, Novels

Ivan Turgenev Books, Quotes, Biography, Novels
Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883) was one of the greatest Russian novelists, short-story writers, and playwrights of the 19th century. He stands alongside giants like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, though his style is often described as more lyrical, restrained, and Western-influenced, focusing on psychological depth, social realism, and the beauty of the Russian countryside.

Born on November 9, 1818 (October 28 Old Style) in Oryol, Russia, into a wealthy noble family, Turgenev grew up on the vast Spasskoye-Lutovinovo estate. His mother was a domineering, wealthy heiress known for her harsh treatment of serfs (she partly inspired some of his critical portrayals of landowners), while his father was a charming but distant cavalry officer who died early.

Turgenev received an excellent education, becoming fluent in several languages, and studied at universities in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Berlin, where he absorbed Western philosophical ideas (Hegel, romanticism, etc.).

Turgenev first gained fame with A Sportsman’s Sketches (1852), a collection of short stories depicting the lives of Russian peasants and the cruelty of serfdom with empathy and realism. Many believe this work helped influence Tsar Alexander II’s decision to emancipate the serfs in 1861.

His masterpieces include:
Rudin (1856) — about a charismatic but ineffective intellectual
Home of the Gentry (also known as A Nest of Gentlefolk, 1859) — a poignant story of love and lost opportunities
On the Eve (1860)
Fathers and Sons (1862) — his most famous novel, which introduced the term “nihilist” to literature through the character of the radical young Bazarov. The book caused a storm of controversy, alienating both conservatives and radicals.

Turgenev never married, but his life was dominated by a long, passionate, and mostly unrequited attachment to the famous opera singer Pauline Viardot. He followed her family across Europe for decades, forming a complex, almost familial relationship with the Viardots.

He spent much of his adult life in Western Europe (especially France and Germany), becoming friends with writers like Gustave Flaubert and Henry James. Admired in the West for his elegant prose, he was often criticized in Russia for being too liberal/moderate—he pleased neither the conservative establishment nor the radical revolutionaries.

Turgenev died on September 3, 1883, in Bougival near Paris.

The best places to find Ivan Turgenev books online are:
eBay Books
Amazon.com Books