Ivan Turgenev was a Russian novelist who wrote some of the greatest novels and short stories of his time. Many consider him to be the father of the modern Russian novel. Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was born on November 9, 1818 in Orel Governorate, Russia. His father, Sergei Nikolaevich Turgenev, was a colonel in the Russian cavalry and his mother, Varvara Petrovna Lutovinova, came from a wealthy family of landed gentry. Turgenev’s parents were very different from each other. His father was a harsh man who had little patience for his son’s dreaming and fanciful ways. His mother, on the other hand, was a gentle and loving woman who encouraged her son’s love of literature and art.
Turgenev was educated at home by tutors and then sent to boarding school in Moscow. It was while he was at boarding school that Turgenev first began to write. His early works were mainly poems and plays. In 1838, Turgenev entered the University of Kazan to study philology and languages. He did not stay long at the university, however, as he became homesick and soon returned home.
It was around this time that Turgenev began to take an interest in politics. He became friends with the poet Alexander Pushkin and the writer Mikhail Lermontov, both of whom were critical of the Tsarist regime. Turgenev also became friends with the revolutionary Nikolay Chernyshevsky, who had a great influence on his thinking. In 1841, Turgenev’s first published work appeared in print. It was a short story called “A Hunt for Sorrows” and was followed by another short story called “The Rats”.
In 1845, Turgenev’s first novel, “Rudin”, was published. The novel was about a young man who is torn between his love for a married woman and his political ideals. The novel was not well received by the critics but it did find an audience among the general public.
In 1852, Turgenev’s second novel, “Home of the Gentry”, was published. The novel tells the story of a young man who falls in love with a married woman. The novel was much better received than “Rudin” and established Turgenev as a major writer.
Turgenev’s most famous work is his novel “Fathers and Sons”, which was published in 1862. The novel is about the clash between two generations – the older generation of conservatives and the younger generation of radicals. The novel caused a great deal of controversy when it was first published but it is now considered to be one of the greatest Russian novels ever written.
Turgenev died in 1883. He is buried in the cemetery at Yasnaya Polyana, his country estate in Russia. In popular culture, Turgenev is best known for his novel “Fathers and Sons”. However, his other works, such as “Rudin”, “Home of the Gentry” and “The Hunters”, are also highly regarded by literary critics. Ivan Turgenev was a Russian novelist who wrote some of the greatest novels and short stories of his time. Many consider him to be the father of the modern Russian novel.