Bookstooge's Reviews On the Road: Ivan Turgenev

Showing posts with label Ivan Turgenev. Show all posts

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Acia (The Russians) 3Stars

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Title: Acia
Series: (The Russians)
Author: Ivan Turgenev
Translator: Constance Garnett
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 76
Words: 20K
Publish: 1858

The spelling for this, ACIA, is the old time translation by Garnett. More modern translations call it ASYA, as seen on the cover I am using. I would be upset, except new time’y translations all call Dostoyevsky “Dostoevsky”, so screw them. They are stupid gugenheimers and deserve to choke to death on a hotdog. WITH mustard! See, I’m not upset at all about this ;-)

The more I read these smaller works, the more I realize just how completely different the Russian mindset is in comparison to the American. I read a Shadow novel soon after this and in it, two characters were talking to each other but one of them left a sentence unfinished and yet I still knew exactly what he meant. That happens in Russian stories and I simply haven’t a clue what is being left unsaid or meant. I can tell there IS meaning by that silence, but I can’t fill in the gap. It frustrates me to no end and yet I enjoy the heck out of it because it shows me, in no uncertain terms, that humans can think differently. I don’t mean have different thoughts, but think in ways that the others can’t comprehend easily. It reminds of the conversation in Dune when Paul is talking to Chani about water and she just can’t comprehend it falling from the sky. She never would have thought of that idea on her own, but even that isn’t as alien as what I experience with some of these Russian reads.

AND THAT IS WHY I READ THEM!

Even if I don’t understand the meaning of the silences, simply being exposed to them and knowing there is something there that I am not getting expands my overall comprehension, of the written word, of others, of the world as a whole.

That being said, I still want to take the narrator and shake him until his head falls off. He’s an idiot and doesn’t know what he actually wants until something is suddenly out of reach, THEN he wants it and pines for it the rest of his life. He’s too spineless and wimpy to decide what he wants, so things just pass him by. How does a culture that is like that produce a Lenin, a Stalin, a Putin? It just leaves me scratching my head.

See? More questions, more thoughts, more things I never would have thought about without the prodding of a novella like this.

★★★☆☆

From Wikipedia.org

The narration is told on behalf of an anonymous narrator (Mr. N.N.). He remembers his youth, his stay in the small town of Sinzig. on the banks of the river Rhine. One day he is ferrying a boat and follows the sound of music and noise from a festival, he crosses the river to the neighboring town of Leubsdorf. Here the narrator meets two Russians: a young man named Gagin, who wants to become an artist, and a girl named Asya (Anna), whom he introduced as his sister. Asya's mood changes rapidly from being happy to sad, and is often eccentric things such as climbing the ruins of a castle to water the flowers. The hero begins to suspect that Asya is not Gagin’s sister due to the extreme difference between their personalities.

A few days later, the narrator befriends Gagin and learns that Asya is really his sister. At the age of twelve, Gagin was sent to St. Petersburg to study at a boarding school while his widowed father remained in the countryside. After the death of his father, Gagin came to know that his father had another child, a daughter named Asya, whose mother was Tatyana, a maid at the Gagins' house. Gagin is forced to raise the thirteen-year-old girl alone. He sends her to a boarding school for some years. However, due to them facing social stigma due to her illegitimate birth, he finally decides to go abroad with Asya.

The narrator feels deep pity for Asya - be believes that it is her unclear social position (the daughter of a serf and a master) that causes her to have nervous breakdowns. Gradually he falls in love with Asya. Asya writes him a letter asking him to meet. Gagin, who knows about his sister’s feelings, asks the narrator if he would agree to marry her. The hero, unsure of his feelings, cannot fully agree and promises to reject Asya's love at the meeting (if it takes place).

The narrator's meeting with Asya takes place in the house of the burgomaster's widow. After the confession of her feelings, Asya finds herself in his arms, but then the narrator conveys his disappointment to her for ruining everything by confessing to her brother, and now their happiness is impossible. Asya runs away. Hero and Gagin look for her. In the end, the narrator realizes that he truly loves Asya and wants to marry her. The next day he plans to ask his brother for the girl’s hand in marriage. But the next day it turns out that Gagin and Asya left the city. The hero tries to catch up with them, but loses their trail in London.

The narrator never meets Asya again. There were other women in his life, but now, on the threshold of old age and death, he understands that he truly loved only her, and that even the dried flower that she gave him will outlive both lovers - reflecting on the fleeting nature of human life.

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Faust: A Story in Nine Letters (The Russians) 2Stars

Title: Faust: A Story in Nine Letters
Series: (The Russians)
Author: Ivan Turgenev
Translator: -----
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 57
Words: 16K

This novella turned my stomach. The main character sets about to seduce his married neighbor. Before it can be consummated though, she dies and the main character moves away and hides from it all.

Disgusting.

It still surprises me (even though it shouldn’t) at how evil mankind really is on just a general every day level. The MC wanted something, so he went after it, with no regard for anything or any thought if it was right or wrong. He was willing to destroy Vera’s married life with nary a thought of how it would affect her or everyone associated with her.

Now, maybe Turgenev wasn’t advocating this kind of behavior, but considering how he wrote this, he really wasn’t advocating against it either. There’s a way to write reprehensible characters and behaviors without dragging your readers down into that cesspit and Turgenev chose not write that way.

I came out of this novella feeling soiled and dirty. One more story like this from Turgenev and I’ll be done with him.

★★☆☆☆

From Wikipedia

In a series of letters to his friend Semyon Nikolayevich, Pavel Alexandrovich narrates the events that take place after returning to his childhood home in the Russian countryside, starting from June 1850. Returning after a nine year absence, he reflects on the changes in the house, the garden, and the people. While going through the house and looking at the book collection, he becomes engrossed in reading Goethe's Faust, which triggers memories of his student days.

The next day, Pavel encounters an old university classmate, Priimkov, who is now married to Vera Nikolaevna. He recalls meeting 16 year old Vera and her mother Mrs. Yelstova when he was spending a summer at his cousin's estate in the Perm Governorate back in the 1830s. Mrs. Yelstova had an obsession with protecting her daughter's imagination from any outside influences, going to great lengths to ensure Vera's innocence. He recounts his growing attachment to Vera and his desire to marry her, although her mother objected and didn't let it happen. The news of Vera's proximity rekindles his curiosity and decides to meet her at Priimkov's estate.

The narrator is surprised to see that Vera has hardly changed at age 28, despite having given birth to three children. Mrs. Yelstova had long since passed away but somehow, Vera had not deviated much from the manner in which she was raised. The conversation turns to the subject of literature, where the narrator learns that Vera Nikolaevna has never read novels, poems, or any form of fictional literature, even after her late mother removed all restrictions on Vera after her marriage. He offers to introduce her to literature, beginning with Goethe's Faust. For these readings, visits to Priimkov's estate become common across the next few months.

During their readings, the narrator observes Vera closely and is captivated by her reactions. At first the narrator denies his romantic interest in Vera however it becomes quite obvious that he is infatuated with her. He admits to kissing Vera's hand while reading Eugene Onegin, however Vera seems firm on her boundaries. Besides literature, the narrator discusses several topics with Vera, such as their dreams, Vera's Italian heritage, and her fear of ghosts.

By the end of August, the narrator finally admits to being in love with Vera, despite his age and despite her marriage to Priimkov. He struggles to keep his emotions in check. Semyon seems disturbed by this and suggests visiting the narrator. The narrator quickly writes to stop him from coming and assures him that he will be contain himself.

The final letter is dated March 1853, 2 years after the events of the past eight letters, sent from a different location. Since the last letter, Vera confessed her feelings for him, and they shared a secret kiss. Vera then asked him to meet her secretly near their garden gate, to which he agreed eagerly. However, on the appointed day, Vera didn't show up. Instead, he noticed activity at her house, with her family still awake. Deciding not to intrude, he left and tried to resume his normal life. He later learned that Vera had fallen seriously ill, suffering from an undiagnosed condition. She had claimed to see her mother's ghost in the garden, which seemed to trigger her illness. Vera passed away in less than two weeks from the day they were supposed to meet. In her delirium, she repeatedly mentioned "Faust" and referred to her mother as either Martha or Gretchen.

Following her funeral, the narrator left everything behind and settled in a remote wilderness, where he would spend the rest of his days, haunted by the guilt of being the cause of Vera's loss of innocence and her untimely death. He echoes the motto of renunciation from Goethe's Faust

Thursday, August 29, 2024

Yakov Pasinkov (The Russians) 3.5Stars

Title: Yakov Pasinkov
Series: (The Russians)
Author: Ivan Turgenev
Translator: Garnett
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 64
Words: 17K

There was a quote that sums up Russian Literature exquisitely:

“I felt very miserable, wretched and miserable beyond description. In twenty-four hours two such cruel blows! I had learned that Sophia loved another man, and I had for ever forfeited her respect. I felt myself so utterly annihilated and disgraced that I could not even feel indignant with myself. Lying on the sofa with my face turned to the wall, I was revelling in the first rush of despairing misery”
~bolding is mine

Reveling (I believe the double “L” in the quote is the old timey way of spelling it) in despairing misery. Do you understand that? If you don’t, or can’t, then Russian works are probably not for you. However, I CAN UNDERSTAND IT PERFECTLY! Which is why I enjoy Russian novels and novella’s so much. Even ones that have no real plot and are just ramblings about various character studies.

I was pretty pissed off that I couldn’t find a bleeping summary of this novella online. Not even that ***** liberal activist hotbed of partisanship and censorship, Wikipedia, had a separate article on this. It was just lumped in under “Works of Turgenev”. Now how lazy is that? Aren’t there any REAL Turgenev fans out there? Don’t they CARE that this novella doesn’t have its own article, that it doesn’t have an indepth summary or a bunch of blather by some idiot cramming in “meaning” from his mouth and *ss? I felt truly ashamed for anybody who claimed to be a Fan of Turgenev because they were THAT lazy. Shame on all five of them! If I ever come across them, I shall not even look at them or meet their eye.

Thankfully, I’m not a totally lazy git. Just a mostly lazy git. So I wrote a flaming synopsis, all on my own. Like a GOOD reviewer would do. In fact, I will lay claim to being one of the world’s best book reviewers, EVER, because of this masterful accomplishment. And it’s all thanks to my love of reveling in despair and misery. So there.

The End.

★★★✬☆

From Bookstooge.blog

Synopsis – You Know You Want to Read It!

An unnamed narrator relates his various interactions with the titular Yakov Pasinkov and various figures related to the narrator and to Pasinkov. Our narrator met Pasinkov at school, and become his mentee. They separated after school, met again years later in St Petersburg where Pasinkov smoothed over an issue for our Narrator with a young woman who the narrator was in love, as was Pasinkov. Then they separate for years again and our Narrator meets Pasinkov on his death bed, where he learns of Pasinkov’s love of the aforementioned young woman, who has since married and had a daughter. Our Narrator meets her, relates Pasinkov’s death and the woman reveals how her sister had been in love with Pasinkov. And some letters of Pasinkov reveal how he was loved by yet another peasant woman. So everybody loved somebody who didn’t love them and everybody was miserable or died, or both. The End.

Sunday, April 21, 2024

The Diary of a Superfluous Man (The Russians) 4Stars

Title: The Diary of a Superfluous Man
Series: (The Russians)
Author: Ivan Turgenev
Translator: Garnett
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 88
Words: 21K

I was fully expecting to straight up hate this novella by Turgenev. With a title like that, I figured I was in for some sort of complete existential crisis. Instead, I got an Alpha Edge Lord who doesn’t know how to interact with people socially and blames everybody but himself for his social inadequacies. So I was STILL expecting to hate read.

Instead, I pretty much just laughed my way through the book. The narrator is a Special Snowflake and reminded me of 90% of the young people I meet today. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun. The absolute incongruity of it all is that it is funny. You have a guy who knows he only has days to live and the one thing he fixates on is a failed love interest from years ago. And the old servant woman. He rants on and on about her drinking too much tea. It was truly from the fevered mind of a dying, irrational man. And it made me laugh 😀

Nothing makes me happier than when someone is utterly miserable. If that misery is self-inflicted, so much the better. If they deserve that misery, that is the best of all! This is why I like Russian literature so much. They are miserable son of a guns, who make themselves miserable and they know they deserve it. How can you not love that? Hhahahahaha.

★★★★☆

From Bookstooge.blog

A young man is dying and he sets out to tell his life’s story in the few days he has remaining. He ends up getting hung up on a failed romantic incident years ago and whines and whines and whines. Then he dies.

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Virgin Soil (The Russians) 5Stars

Title: Virgin Soil
Series: (The Russians)
Author: Ivan Turgenev
Translator: RS Townsend
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 305
Words: 94K

We follow a group of young people, but mainly one named Nezhdanov, who are trying to change the face of Russia by stirring up peasants and getting them to revolt. I believe this was the precursor to Lenin’s 1917 successful Revolution. Either way, this story is about the failure of it all, mainly because the agitators are young idiots with more ideals than common sense in their heads. Apparently none of them had read history or knew what Revolutions do to most countries. They thought there would be a titanic bloodbath and then everyone would immediately settle down to love and brotherly unity. What a bunch of dumfkophs! And to top it off, the group that Nezhdanov is involved in does start a revolt, but the peasants themselves turn against the agitators and so it’s a complete failure. Nezhdanov then goes and kills himself.

Nezhdanov was the quintessential picture of a sentimental, idealistic young man with the spine of a jellyfish. He doesn’t marry the girl he loves, he doesn’t commit to the cause wholeheartedly, he doesn’t do anything (even writing his own poetry) wholeheartedly. He waffles and whines and feels bad for himself and questions why life is so unfair, blah, blah, blah. In fact, he sounds an awful lot like a lot of young people I hear today. And that scares the tar out of me. Because someone like Lenin was born to that generation, so what’s this new generation going to give birth to?

With all of this doom and gloom, you might wonder why I’m still giving this 5stars.

That is simple. This captured the spirit of the Russians people at that time, like a photo engraved into titanium. While I thought Nezhdanov was a spineless, cowardly, stupid, sentimental idiot, I saw some of the same characteristics that I had in my early 20’s. Now, my idealism wasn’t channeled into advocating violent revolution, but I was just as idealistic as he was. I just wasn’t a stupid jellyfish (at least, so I hope). The story showed the thinking that was going on between the peasants, the Revolutionaries and the Aristocracy. You couldn’t have asked for a better representation, warts and all. While I didn’t sympathize at all, or even intellectually agree in any way, with the Revolutionaries, seeing how they affected those around them was quite eye opening. Upon reflection, I am afraid the US is following a similar path to the one shown here. Social Justice Warriors are the new Nihilists of our day age. They want what they want and they want it NOW and if you die in the process, well, it was for the Cause, Comrade!

This was Turgenev’s last novel and I shall be diving into his novella’s upon my next foray. I hope they are as good as this.

★★★★★

From Wikipedia.org & Bookstooge.blog

Click to Open

The novel centres on a depiction of some of the young people in late nineteenth century Russia who decided to reject the standard cultural mores of their time, join the Populist movement, and ‘go amongst the people’, living the lives of simple workers and peasants rather than lives of affectation and luxury. The novel has a number of central characters around whom the action revolves. It explores, for instance, the life of Alexey Dmitrievich Nezhdanov, the illegitimate son of an aristocrat, who seeks to radicalise the peasantry and involve them in political action. He is given a job as tutor to Kolya, the nine-year-old son of Sipyagin, a local politician, and goes to live on his country estate. Whilst working there he becomes attracted to Marianna, the niece of the family.

Another central character is Vasily Solomin, who manages a local factory and is also a Populist, though one with less optimism about the potential of the movement to effect fundamental socio-economic change.

The novel ends with several of the characters trying to create a peasant uprising and it’s failure. One of them is sent off to Siberia, another kills himself and another marries a girl and works hard.

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Smoke (The Russians) 4Stars

Title: Smoke
Series: (The Russians)
Author: Ivan Turgenev
Translator: Garnett
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 287
Words: 78K

This was depressing as all get out and then Turgenev turns around and tries to give everyone a happy ending. I appreciate him trying to do that for me personally, since he knew that 160 years later I would be reading this. But it didn’t fit.

Grigory is the main character. He had a bad romantic experience a decade ago and is now engaged to another woman. He thinks he is over the previous woman until he runs into her while waiting for his fiance in a french town. Things go characteristically Russian (ie, she’s now married, he falls in love with her, throws his fiance over and then finds out the woman won’t run away with him leaving her former life behind) and then the happy reconciliation with the thrown over fiance happens at the end.

I enjoyed the living daylights out of this. While it was very evident what was going to happen, and I was protesting the whole time (I mean, what kind of man throws over a wonderful woman who loves him for a floozy who threw him over a decade ago, just because of feelingz?), it was also strangely comforting to watch someone else being an idiot and knowing I didn’t have to deal with it myself. It was cathartic actually.

While I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as Fathers and Sons, it was definitely the second top Turgenev that I’ve read. If he can keep up this kind of output, I’ll be a very happy (albeit miserable) reader.

★★★★☆

From Wikipedia:

The novel opens in the German bathing resort of Baden-Baden (or simply Baden) in the summer of 1862, where the young Russian Grigory Litvinov has arrived en route home to Russia to meet his fiancée Tatiana Shestov, who will soon be arriving with her aunt and guardian, Kapitolina Markovna Shestov, from Dresden. In Baden Litvinov soon encounters Rostislav Bambaev, an acquaintance from Moscow. Later that evening at a social gathering Bambaev introduces Litvinov to the political activist Stepan Nikolaevitch Gubaryov. Litvinov is not overly impressed by the gathering nor especially by the nondescript looking Gubaryov. After this Litvinov returns to a local restaurant where he is approached by Sozont Ivanitch Potugin, who introduces himself to Litvinov as a fellow Russian. Litvinov had noted Potugin at the earlier get-together at Gubaryov’s where Potugin had not spoken a word. Potugin now opens up to Litvinov and Litvinov in turn is captivated by Potugin’s way with words. In a rather one-sided conversation Potugin vents his frustrations regarding the Russian character – its tendency towards servitude and flights of idealism that lead nowhere. Later back in his rooms, Litvinov finds a letter from his father and also a gift of heliotrope flowers on his windowsill brought by a mysterious woman who, according to the servant, did not leave her name. The letter from his father reveals the superstition of the rural Russian. The flowers, though they come without a note, seem to strike a deep and powerful resonance with Litvinov. Later that night, unable to sleep, he suddenly realizes who might have brought them.

The story now reverts to about a decade earlier to relate the background story of the young Grigory Litvinov and Irina Osinin. Acquaintances in Moscow, the two fall in love when barely out of childhood and promise themselves to one another. Unlike Litvinov, Irina comes from an ennobled family of long pedigree, though in recent times fallen into near penury. One day the Osinin family, in view of their nobility, are invited to a ball being thrown by the emperor on his visit to Moscow. Irina agrees to go though she pleads with Litvinov not to go himself and Litvinov acquiesces to her wishes, though he does bring her a bouquet of heliotrope. Irina’s beauty makes quite an impression at the court ball and the very next day the court chamberlain Count Reisenbach, a relation of the Osinins and a wealthy man with high connections, decides he will adopt his niece Irina and bring her to live with him in St. Petersburg. Irina is heartbroken but bends to her parents’ wishes to become his adopted niece and heiress. It means leaving Litvinov and she writes to him breaking off their relationship. Soon thereafter she is whisked away to St. Petersburg and her new home.

The story moves back to Baden. Litvinov wonders excitedly whether it wasn’t Irina who left him the flowers. The next morning Litvinov decides to escape Baden and the Russian crowd by hiking alone up in the hills around the town’s old castle. Stopping later at the old castle for refreshment, he encounters the arrival of a large Russian entourage, clearly composed of Russian nobility of the highest rank, many in military uniforms. Among them, a young woman calls to Litvinov and he soon recognizes her as Irina, his former love. The ten years since their last meeting in Moscow has brought her to her full bloom and he is struck by her mature beauty. Litvinov is introduced to her husband, the general Valerian Vladimirovitch Ratmirov, an affable man who it soon becomes clear holds very conservative opinions, wishing to turn back the clock on all the reforms that have taken place in Russia. As the “son of a plebeian”, Litvinov feels out of place among these aristocrats and put off by their manners and opinions. He bids farewell to Irina and she urges him to come see her while in Baden.

The Hohenbaden, or old castle, near Baden-Baden, where Litvinov again meets Irina.

Though affected by his meeting with Irina, Litvinov does not go to see her. Several days pass. A letter from Tatiana telling him that she will be delayed arriving in Baden due to the illness of her aunt puts Litvinov in a petulant mood. One day Potugin comes to see Litvinov. Litvinov is glad for the company but soon learns that Potugin knows Irina quite well and that he has in fact come to bring a message from her urging Litvinov to come see her that very day. He agrees. Irina is staying in one of the finest hotels in the city and her husband is away on personal business. Irina and Litvinov have a long talk catching up on the past decade. Irina pleads with Litvinov to forgive her for what she did to him and Litvinov seems to dismiss the notion of forgiveness, as those events were long ago in their childhood. When Litvinov touches upon the flowers left in his room, Irina claims to know nothing about them. The return of Irina’s husband seems to break up the meeting. Later Litvinov passes Irina again while out walking but feigns not to recognize her. Irina later accosts him on his walk, asking why he ignores her and pleading with him not to do so, for she is desperate and alone and misses their simple relationship. Litvinov tells her what is in his heart, that she meant much to him and was the cause of great anguish and now that their paths and situations are so different he sees no point in renewing an acquaintance has only the potential to hurt again and to reveal to Irina how much power she still holds over him. She urges him again warmly that they might be, if not friends, at least friendly, “as if nothing had happened.” Litvinov promises her not to treat her as a stranger, though he still does not understand her intentions. Irina is then called off by the approach of an aristocratic friend. Litvinov, walking on, again encounters Potugin, now sitting and reading on a bench. They have another lengthy conversation about Russia that Potugin dominates, ridiculing those Slavophiles who are constantly heralding the native Russian genius but who refuse to see that the mastery of things comes with training and education and not through any internal nature or instinct. Litvinov is still unable to learn of just how Potugin knows Irina, only that he has known her for some time. Returning to his rooms, Litvinov later finds an invitation from Irina to attend a soiree in her rooms, where he will be able to meet many from her circle and better understand “the air she breathes.” Litvinov later attends this soiree and returning to his rooms comes to realize with exhilaration and horror that he loves Irina and that his marriage with Tatiana is threatened by this looming passion. Litvinov decides he must leave Baden and Irina forever and makes arrangements for the omnibus to Heidelberg. He visits Irina’s hotel rooms to reveal both his love and his determination to leave rather than ruin himself. Irina is moved by this confession and though she initially supports his decision, she later comes to him to confess her love and tells him her destiny is in his hands.

Meanwhile, Tatiana and her aunt arrive from Dresden. Litvinov’s rather distant attitude towards Tatiana has his fiancée suspicious that something is not right. When the couple pass Irina on the street and Irina throws them a glance, Tatiana’s suspicions are further aroused. That evening, rather than staying with his fiancée and her aunt, Litvinov goes to see Irina who has summoned him. Irina tells him that he is in no way obligated to her and that he should feel completely free. On the way back to Tatiana’s rooms Litvinov encounter Potugin, who is forward enough to warn Litvinov to beware of his love for Irina and to not cause Tatiana pain. Litvinov feels insulted by this presumption on the part of Potugin, but the latter assures him he speaks from experience, for he too has been ruined by his love of Irina, albeit a love that has never been and never will be requited.

The story then reverts to eight years previous to relate Potugin’s history with Irina. At that time he was still working as a government official and would visit the country estate of the Count Reisenbach, the guardian of the young Irina, near St. Petersburg. Later, Irina, realizing that the older Potugin had fallen in love with her, uses this leverage to seek a great favour of Potugin. Irina’s close friend Eliza Byelsky, an orphan but the heir of a wealthy estate, was facing ruin (though left unsaid in the novel, this is understood to be pregnancy out of wedlock). For a large sum of money, but primarily because Irina desired it, Potugin agreed to secretly marry Eliza. Eliza later had her child, a daughter whom Potugin then adopted, before poisoning herself. Since that time Potugin has followed in the train of the Ratmirovs, utterly devoted to Irina.

Back at his hotel, Litvinov spends the evening with Tatiana and her aunt. He now tells Tatiana that he has something important he must tell her the next day. Tatiana has a foreboding of what this might be. The next morning a distraught Litvinov attempts to inform Tatiana of the situation but it is Tatiana, rather, who guesses he has fallen in love with that other woman they saw on the street. Soon thereafter, Tatiana leaves unceremoniously back to Dresden with her aunt without leaving any farewell note for Litvinov. Meanwhile, Litvinov writes a letter to Irina telling her of his break and urging her to run away with him only if her will is strong enough to stand such a life. If not, he will go away. Irina arranges for him to come see her again when her husband is out, and she reaffirms her commitment to follow him, though all her finances are in her husband’s hands. Eventually, however, Irina writes to Litvinov telling him that despite her love she is not strong enough to abandon her current life and declaring sorrowfully that she is unable to elope with him. Litvinov is heart-broken and leaves Baden on the train back for Russia. Along the way he muses over the mutability and seeming meaninglessness of all things, which have all the permanence of the smoke being blown forth by the train.

Back in Russia Litvinov returns to his estate in time to see his elderly father pass away. On his land Litvinov slowly recovers and even begins gradually to implement some of the land management and agricultural techniques he had learned in Europe. One day he hears through a visiting relative that Tatiana is living not too far away on her own estate with Kapitolina. He writes to Tatiana asking if he might visit her one-day and she responds in the affirmative, signaling to Litvinov that she has forgiven him. Litvinov wastes little time and sets out for her village. At a way station en route he encounters none other than Gubaryov and his brother. They reveal their true colors by their derision of the peasantry and their base treatment of Bambaev who, his finances wiped out, has been forced to become a servant to the Gubaryovs. Arriving at Tatiana’s, Litvinov falls at her feet and kisses the hem of her dress. Here the narrator leaves the story, with the note that readers can guess the end by themselves.

As he does with almost all his novels, Turgenev then briefly relates what became of some of the other characters. Irina is related to be older but still lovely, with young men still falling in love with her “ironical intellect.” Her husband is steadily rising in the world. As for Potugin, the little girl he had adopted has died but he still follows in the train of Irina.

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Fathers and Sons (The Russians) ★★★★★

Title: Fathers and Sons
Series: (The Russians)
Author: Ivan Turgenev
Translator: Unknown
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 295
Words: 80K

From Wikipedia:

Arkady Kirsanov has just graduated from the University of Petersburg. He returns with a friend, Bazarov, to his father’s modest estate in an outlying province of Russia. His father, Nikolay, gladly receives the two young men at his estate, called Marino, but Nikolay’s brother, Pavel, soon becomes upset by the strange new philosophy called “nihilism” which the young men, especially Bazarov, advocate.

Nikolay, initially delighted to have his son return home, slowly begins to feel uneasy. A certain awkwardness develops in his regard toward his son, as Arkady’s radical views, much influenced by Bazarov, make Nikolay’s own beliefs feel dated. Nikolay has always tried to stay as current as possible, by doing things such as visiting his son at school so the two can stay as close as they can, but this in Nikolay’s eyes has failed. To complicate this, the father has taken a servant, Fenechka, into his house to live with him and has already had a son by her, named Mitya. Arkady, however, is not troubled by the relationship; on the contrary, he is delighted by the addition of a younger brother.

The two young men stay over at Marino for some weeks, then decide to visit a relative of Arkady’s in a neighboring province. There, they observe the local gentry and meet Madame Anna Sergevna Odintsova, an elegant woman of independent means, who cuts a seductively different figure from the pretentious and conventional types of the local provincial society. Both are attracted to her, and she, intrigued by Bazarov’s singular manner, invites them to spend a few days at her estate, Nikolskoye. While Bazarov at first feels nothing for Anna, Arkady falls head over heels in love with her.

At Nikolskoye, they also meet Katya, Anna Sergevna’s sister. Although they stay for just a short time, Arkady begins to find himself and become more independent of Bazarov’s influence. Bazarov, in particular, finds falling in love distressing because it runs counter to his nihilist beliefs. Eventually, prompted by Odintsova’s own cautious expressions of attraction to him, he announces that he loves her. She does not respond overtly to his declaration, though she is drawn to Bazarov; she finds his devaluation of feelings and of the aesthetic side of existence unattractive. Anna cannot open herself to him because she does not see the possibility of a good future with him. After his avowal of love, and her failure to make a similar declaration, Bazarov proceeds to his parents’ home, and Arkady decides to accompany him.

At Bazarov’s home, they are received enthusiastically by his parents, and the traditional mores of both father and mother, who adulate their son, are portrayed with a nostalgic, idealistic description of humble people and their fast disappearing world of simple values and virtues. Bazarov’s social cynicism, invariably on display with outsiders, is still on display as he settles back into his own family’s ambience. He interrupts his father as the latter speaks to Arkady, still claiming the center of attention. Arkady, who has delighted Bazarov’s father by assuring him that his son has a brilliant future in store, reproves his friend for his brusqueness. Later, Bazarov almost comes to blows with Arkady after the latter makes a joke about fighting over Bazarov’s cynicism. Arkady becomes more openly skeptical of Bazarov’s ideals. After a brief stay, much to the parents’ disappointment, they decide to return to Marino, stopping on the way to see Madame Odintsova, who receives them coolly. They leave almost immediately and return to Arkady’s home.

Arkady remains for only a few days and makes an excuse to leave in order to go to Nikolskoye again. Once there, he realizes he is not in love with Odintsova, but instead with her sister Katya. Bazarov stays at Marino to do some scientific research, and tension between him and Pavel increases. Bazarov enjoys talking with Fenechka and playing with her child, and one day he kisses her, against her will. Pavel observes this kiss and, secretly in love with Fenechka himself and in protection of both Fenechka and Nikolay’s feelings for her, challenges Bazarov to a duel. Pavel is wounded in the leg, and Bazarov must leave Marino. He stops for an hour or so at Madame Odintsova’s, then continues on to his parents’ home. Meanwhile, Arkady and Katya have fallen in love and have become engaged. Anna Sergevna Odinstova is hesitant to accept Arkady’s request to marry her sister, but Bazarov convinces her to allow the marriage.

While back at home, Bazarov ceases to pursue his experiments, turning to help his father’s work as a country doctor. He cannot keep his mind on his work, though, and while performing an autopsy fails to take proper precautions. He cuts himself and contracts blood poisoning. On his deathbed, he sends for Madame Odintsova, who arrives just in time to hear Bazarov tell her how beautiful she is. She kisses him on the forehead and leaves; Bazarov dies from his illness the following day.

Arkady marries Katya and assumes the management of his father’s estate. His father marries Fenechka and is delighted to have Arkady home with him. Pavel leaves the country and lives the rest of his life as a “noble” in Dresden, Germany.

When I originally read this back in ‘15 (link below), I was quite favorably impressed. So much so that I seriously considered skipping re-reading this and just kind of letting it have a free pass. Plus, you never know with a re-read how things will go. But I fixed my gaze on the goal and read this and was very glad I did.

I was just as favorably impressed this time around, but for very different reasons. I noticed a lot of the cultural shift going on between the generations this time around that I hadn’t before because I didn’t have the same weight of Russian Literature under my belt like I do now. I’m no expert, but simply immersing myself since the end of ‘21 into all of this really has helped.

Nikolay not marrying the young woman who has his second son, because of class issues, not moral issues, and Arkady’s complete dismissal of such a reason, really stood out to me. It just goes to show that a Class Structure was prevalent world wide at this time and not restricted to one set of countries.

This time around, I was able to savor Bazarov’s destruction a bit more too. He wanted complete control over everything (hence his love of the Nihilist movement and its belief that power over something is ultimately the ability to destroy it) and when he falls in love and it is outside of his control, it ruins him.

The Fathers, just like last time, bothered me with their non-assertiveness. I could understand them not wanting to be in conflict with their sons, but their whole attitude was one of “because we’re older, we’re useless and our ideas are useless”. It comes from a worldview that is progressive (ie, we are constantly getting better through knowledge and self-knowledge) instead of one that prizes Wisdom above Knowledge. I definitely had more sympathy for them though. The older I get the less conflict I want with others too.

I just enjoyed this story. As awkward as some parts were and as much as I just didn’t understand certain things (why do russian serfs refuse progress and destroy themselves with drink?), something about it all resonates with me. Maybe it’s because I’ve been the young man part of the story and am now starting to transition to the next generation and thus can appreciate both sides of the story? Of the stories I’ve read so far, of any of the Russian authors, this is the one I’d choose above the others so far.

★★★★★

Friday, September 23, 2022

On the Eve (The Russians) ★★★☆☆

Title: On the Eve
Series: (The Russians)
Author: Ivan Turgenev
Translator: Garnett
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 209
Words: 60K

Synopsis:

From Wikipedia

The story revolves around Elena Stakhova, a girl with a hypochondriac mother and an idle father, a retired guards lieutenant with a mistress. On the eve of the Crimean War, Elena is pursued by a free-spirited sculptor (Pavel Shubin) and a serious-minded student (Andrei Berzyenev). But when Berzyenev’s revolutionary Bulgarian friend, Dmitri Insarov, meets Elena, they fall in love. In secretly marrying Insarov Elena disappoints her mother and enrages her father, who had hoped to marry her to a dull, self-satisfied functionary, Kurnatovski. Insarov nearly dies from pneumonia and only partly recovers. On the outbreak of war Insarov tries to return with Elena to Bulgaria, but dies in Venice. Elena takes Insarov’s body to the Balkans for burial and then vanishes.

My Thoughts:

This was translated by Constance Garnett and a Edward Garnett wrote the introduction. I am assuming he is her husband, because otherwise I have no idea how so much brown nosing could be packed into a simple introduction. It was embarrassing (Edward is sucking up to Turgenev, not his wife) and ol’ Ed put a WHOLE LOT of meaning into the story that I’m not convinced was actually there.

Overall, this was all about the author being angsty about the russian psyche and why they were a bunch of big babies who were selfish and irresponsible instead of being like European and American men, who did their duty come hell or high water. It was a character study more than a story and while I enjoyed my time reading this, I really couldn’t call it a story.

The book ends with someone saying that yes, the mature russian man WAS coming and then the world would be complete. Or something like that. It was bologna. Sadly, if you follow Russia in the news for the last 100 years they haven’t grown up one bit. From Lenin to Stalin to Khrushchev to Putin, you see no change in the national character.

I probably wouldn’t have even thought in this vein if stupid ol’ Ed hadn’t shoved it directly into my face. What a stupid arrogant jerk. I bet he would have changed his tune if he’d been in the camps set up by Stalin!

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