Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883)

Um livro sobre o choque de gerações vivido na Rússia durante a Reforma Emancipadora de 1861.

A história começa com a chegada do jovem recém formado, Arkadi Kirsanov, na casa do pai, uma propriedade rural russa. Arkadi trazia o amigo e mentor Bazarov, um niilista, que recusava as tradições da sociedade aristocrática russa.

Turgueniev mostra em Bazarov a decadência de uma vida niilista, extremamente materialista, positivista e racional. Que, sem amor se torna vazia, sem propósito, e onde até a razão de viver perde o sentido.… (more)

On the surface this is a novel of manners depicting life among the upperclasses in rural 19th century Russia.
At a deeper level it is about the generations and about the role of beliefs/ideas vs passion. Two young men return from the city to visit their respective parents. They pit their ideas against the traditions of their roots, betraying all the self-certainty of youth.
On the other side, the parents must come to terms with the fact that their sons are individuating.
Simultaneously, the young men wrestle with the role of passion and desire in their lives.
It is a subtle tale that sticks with the reader well after the last page is turned.… (more)

An impressive work. Most people who know Turgenev’s name know him for one work: Fathers and Sons. The “story” is a conventional story of a young man and young woman falling in love—though it should be noted that much of the action takes place in Frankfurt. (It is also worth noting that substantial biographical element in the story.) Soon enough, however, the story follows a tangent that turns out not to be a tangent and most readers, I suspect, will begin to have the tiniest inkling that something isn’t altogether “right.” (Maybe it would be somewhat more accurate to say “the tiniest inkling that something horrific might be on the horizon.”) I won’t say more but Turgenev tells his story brilliantly. Even though the shocker isn’t really a shocker, what happens has terrific impact. Definitely recommended.… (more)