Ivan Sergeievich Turguêniev foi um dos mais importantes romancistas e dramaturgos russos e autor de grandes clássicos da literatura, como Pais e Filhos que, para muitos, é o sua obra prima. Pais e Filhos foi publicado originalmente em 1862, uma época de grande perturbação social e política em seu país. Foi nesta obra que se popularizou o termo niilismo, aplicado ao protagonista Bazárov, para descrever uma espécie de rebeldia que ‘não se inclina a nenhuma autoridade nem aceita nenhum princípio sem exame’.
Ivan Turguêniev costuma ser colocado ao lado de Fiódor Dostoiévski e Leon Tolstói como um dos três maiores romancistas russos e o seu romance ‘Pais e Filhos’ é considerado uma das maiores obras da ficção russa do século XIX.
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was one of the most important Russian novelists and playwrights, author of great literary classics such as ‘Fathers and Sons, ‘ which for many is considered his masterpiece. ‘Fathers and Sons’ was originally published in 1862, a time of great social and political upheaval in his country. It was in this work that the term nihilism became popular, applied to the protagonist Bazarov, to describe a kind of rebellion that ‘does not bow to any authority or accept any principle without examination.’
Ivan Turgenev is often placed alongside Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy as one of the three greatest Russian novelists, and his novel ‘Fathers and Sons’ is considered one of the greatest works of Russian fiction of the 19th century.
A propos de l’auteur
Ivan Turgenev was born in Oryol, Russia, on November 9, 1818. The son of rural landowners, he moved with his family to the city of Moscow at the age of nine. In 1834, he enrolled at the University of St. Petersburg, where he studied Philosophy. At the age of 19, he published his first collection of poems. He then moved to Germany and attended the University of Berlin, where he joined French literary circles and befriended Gustave Flaubert and Émile Zola. In 1841, he returned to Russia and took a position in the Ministry of Interior.
In 1856, he published his first novel, ‘Rudin, ‘ which explores the incompatibility between liberal Western ideas and the rigid Russian society. In 1862, he published his most famous work, ‘Fathers and Sons, ‘ which sparked great controversy at the time. In the novel, the student Bazarov despises any authority, is antisocial, and calls himself a ‘nihilist.’ Turgenev was accused of being responsible for criminal acts committed by radicals influenced by his work. The controversy surrounding the novel led Ivan Turgenev to move to Germany. He spent time in London and settled in Bougival, near Paris, where he passed away on September 3, 1883.