In this blog post, we’ll take a brief look at Ivan Turgenev’s life, works, and the literary characteristics he left behind.
Among the many geniuses produced by Russian literature, Ivan Turgenev is regarded as a writer possessing an elegant artistic sensibility, a delicate sense of beauty, a rich writing style, and keen powers of observation. In this regard, he gained international recognition earlier than other Russian writers and became widely read; alongside Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, he emerged as one of the leading representatives of Russian literature in the global literary world. Turgenev has secured a firm place in literature through his self-expression, mastery of form, meticulous observation of life, in-depth character analysis, and the refined artistic sensibility that permeates his entire body of work.
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was born on November 9, 1818, into a wealthy landowning family in the village of Spasskoye-Rutovinovo, south of Moscow. To understand his art, it is necessary to first briefly examine his mother’s life, as her family background played an absolute role in his literary career.
His mother lost her father at a young age and was raised by her stepfather. Naturally unattractive and of a narrow-minded disposition, she could not endure her stepfather’s abuse and insults, so she moved to her uncle’s house at the age of fourteen, but even there she found no warm refuge. She lived a life akin to that of a prisoner until the age of thirty-five, when her uncle’s sudden death left her the heir to 5,000 serfs and a vast fortune, leading her to marry the well-proportioned and handsome Sergei Turgenev.
However, the household was plagued by constant turmoil due to her husband’s debauchery, which further fueled her mother’s hysteria. Her jealousy and anxiety always manifested as unjust verbal abuse and harsh punishments directed at her son, Turgenev. After her husband’s death, her hysteria worsened; she would inflict brutal beatings on servants and serfs for even the slightest mistake, or even send them into exile in distant Siberia.
Growing up in such an environment, Turgenev developed sympathy for the peasants from an early age, and a deep loathing for the serfdom system—the root of injustice and irrationality—became ingrained in his very being.
Academically, he studied at the Faculty of Literature at Moscow University and the Faculty of History and Philology at St. Petersburg University; at the age of twenty, he moved to Berlin to study at the University of Berlin.
He subsequently spent much of his life abroad, showing a particular affection for France—so much so that he referred to it as his “second home.”
His literary career began in 1843 with the publication of his debut epic poem, “Parasha,” when he was twenty-five years old.
Later, in 1848, he published the novel “Khori and Karineych” in the magazine “Sovremennik” (The Contemporary); this work became the cornerstone that defined his literary stature and career path.
The dazzling success of ‘Hori and Karinyich’ gave Turgenev—who had been doubting his own talent at the time—courage and hope. He continued to write peasant novels and finally completed ‘A Sportsman’s Sketches’ in 1852. Thereafter, he established himself as a leading figure in Russian literature by publishing numerous novels, including ‘Rudin’ (1856), ‘A Nest of the Gentry’ (1858), ‘The Night Before’ (1859), and ‘Fathers and Sons’ (1861), which depicted the conflict between the old and new generations.
The short story “First Love” is regarded as a masterpiece that, alongside the novella “Anya,” stands as one of the twin pillars of Turgenev’s oeuvre in terms of its artistic composition, perfection, in-depth character analysis, and delicate portrayal of female psychology.
Turgenev conceived the idea for “First Love” in 1858 and wrote the first draft; the work was published two years later, in 1860, in the St. Petersburg literary journal “The Reader’s Room.”
For an author hailed as the “singer of love” or a “master of female psychology,” the process of writing this work was by no means easy. This was because the story contained more autobiographical elements than any of his other works.
In his later years, Turgenev remarked: He confessed that “First Love” was the only work that still gave him satisfaction, explaining that this was because “First Love” was not a work of fiction but his own life. He described it as his past (this statement is recorded in a text published in 1883).
Because the work was so heavily autobiographical, he could not help but hesitate for a long time over how to depict the family relationships between the characters.
When “First Love” was published in 1860, it sparked both praise and criticism in society, though on the whole, positive reviews prevailed. While some conservative aristocrats criticized the author for using his own family as models for the story, most critics praised “First Love” and bestowed great honor upon the author.
In a letter to Turgenev dated May 18, 1860, the prominent Russian writer of the time, Gerzen, expressed his admiration, writing, “Your ‘First Love’ is a captivating work.”
A review published in a literary journal in March 1860 described Turgenev’s two works, “The Night Before” and “First Love,” as “jewel-like masterpieces that convey the passion of youth to the highest degree.”
In “First Love,” Turgenev skillfully employs a delicate touch, superb characterization, and rich artistic techniques to vividly portray a haughty woman. At the same time, he accurately depicts her relationships with the various men surrounding her. The heroine, Zinaida, is portrayed as an enigmatic figure who, despite possessing a sharp mind, abundant talent, and feminine charm, also exhibits a cynical disposition and haughty cruelty.
Surrounded by many ambitious suitors, she gives the impression of a resolute and chaste queen. Turgenev’s heroines possess a unique spirit and never seek the assistance of men. They are generally more resolute and passionate than men, and their emotions are sincere, pure, and devoted. In contrast, men are often portrayed as weak-willed, which also reflects a pathological aspect of the Russian intellectual class at the time.
Conflicts of love are evident throughout Turgenev’s works. The plots of his works primarily revolve around romance, and it is no exaggeration to say that the depiction of romance is at the core of his creative work. He possessed a deep understanding of human emotions and, in particular, delicately portrayed the psychology of a young, honest, and intelligent girl as she awakens to noble feelings and ideas and, before she knows it, falls into the throes of love.
When his female characters meet their ideal man, they abandon everything to fall in love, and they usually love only once in their lifetime. For them, love and death hold the same meaning, and the path by which pure and noble love leads a woman to ruin was a creative motif that Turgenev particularly enjoyed exploring. Consequently, his depictions of romance take on a melancholic tone, which may reflect the writer’s own melancholy—having failed in love and spent his life in solitude.
“Aasha” was published in ‘Sovremennik’ in 1859 and is regarded as a masterpiece on par with “First Love” in terms of artistic perfection, aesthetic sensibility, and superb depictions of nature.
The female protagonists depicted by Turgenev generally possess unique appearances and charms, but few characters radiate as distinctive and captivating a light as Aasha from “Aasha.” She is innocent and cheerful, possessing a burning passion and assertiveness; upon meeting her ideal man, she falls head over heels in love without hesitation. Her love is devoted and noble, never vulgar or artificial.
Aasha falls in love only once in her life, in a single, fleeting moment; for her, love and death are one and the same. However, the male protagonist of this work is excessively passive and self-centered compared to Aasha. Although he loves her, he is unable to confess his feelings, and only when she has vanished forever does he finally writhe in agony and search frantically for her. This aspect not only reveals the commonplace flaws of the Russian intelligentsia but may also reflect Turgenev’s own rationality and melancholy, as he himself failed in love and spent his life in solitude.
“Aasha” appears to be a fictionalized account of the author’s memories from his time studying in Germany. In a letter to Leo Tolstoy dated April 1859, Turgenev confessed that he had been fighting back tears throughout the entire process of writing this novel.
Upon the publication of “Aasha,” the renowned contemporary poet Nekrasov praised the work highly, stating, “It overflows with the vigor of youth; ‘Aasha’ is like an epic of pure gold. The aesthetic sensibility that flows throughout the entire work leads readers to a poetic realm.”
“The Dog of Love” was Turgenev’s final short story, published two years before his death in the 1881 issue of ‘European Review’. Drawing its inspiration from Italian classics, this work is regarded as a masterpiece that, despite its brevity, possesses a rich imagination and charm that draws readers into a mysterious world.
Contemporary critic Bvezensky, in a lengthy essay on “The Song of Love,” praised Turgenev’s talent and described the work as a masterpiece that captivates readers worldwide. He defended the author’s right to lean toward fantastical motifs while highly commending the delicate psychological analysis and passionate emotional expression.
Literary critic Bechuyko also highly praised the mystery of this short story, hailing “The Song of Love” as an epic filled with mysterious labyrinths and an emotionally noble pearl.
In particular, this work offers a glimpse into the author’s state of mind as he sought solace in the mysterious “Ode to Love” amid the solitude of his old age, having endured a broken heart in his youth and the lifelong loneliness that followed.
After writing “The Song of Love,” Turgenev fell ill and passed away on September 2, 1883, in the suburbs of Paris. His remains were transferred to Russia in early October of the same year and laid to rest in the St. Petersburg cemetery where Belinsky rests.
