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Fathers and Sons

by Ivan Turgenev, George Reavy (Translator), Jane Costlow (Introduction)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 21,775 ratings · 663 reviews

Bazarov—a gifted, impatient, and caustic young man—has journeyed from school to the home of his friend Arkady Kirsanov. But soon Bazarov’s outspoken rejection of authority and social conventions touches off quarrels, misunderstandings, and romantic entanglements that will utterly transform the Kirsanov household and reflect the changes taking place all across nineteenth-ce...more

Paperback, 244 pages

Published February 1st 2005 by Signet Classics (first published 1862)

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Nov 24, 2012 knig rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fathers and Sons (FS) apparently pleased no one on in Russia on publication, and if not precisely ‘shocked’ the muchadumbre, then surely ruffled feathers and rubbed salt in fresh wounds: that, in any event, is the general promise in the blurb on the back cover of the book. Goody. I like a scandal better than the next person, for sure. So I tore into it with gusto.

Alas, though. There is no scandal to be had here. I mean, not even remotely: not even a whiff of it. The big brouhaha seems to evolve...more Fathers and Sons (FS) apparently pleased no one on in Russia on publication, and if not precisely ‘shocked’ the muchadumbre, then surely ruffled feathers and rubbed salt in fresh wounds: that, in any event, is the general promise in the blurb on the back cover of the book. Goody. I like a scandal better than the next person, for sure. So I tore into it with gusto.

Alas, though. There is no scandal to be had here. I mean, not even remotely: not even a whiff of it. The big brouhaha seems to evolve around the character of Bazarov, a self proclaimed nihilist, who does naught else but pontificate grandly throughout: rejects everything on principle (or perhaps as a principle) (as being outmoded, unscientific and stupid), but has no new platform to offer. As he puts it, ‘first lets destroy everything, raze it to the ground, and we’ll worry about re-building later’. Having said that, there is no razing to be done here either: FS is really very peaceful: the plot line is singularly simple (in fact, if it were any simpler, there’d be NO plot line). Two rather lazy graduates, Arcady and Bazarov, travel from one paternal home to another, back and forth, stopping off on the way at Nicholshoe, the estate of two sisters (Katya and Anna Odinskaya, who become the love interests respectively) which conveniently lies exactly on the ‘flight path’, thus ensuring a straightline trajectory back and forth, the main point of which is not to bother the reader too much with the intricacies of plot. Just for the sake of completeness, although this is a character driven novel, there isn’t an overabundance of those either. Arcady and Bazarov are conveniently ‘only’ children (a rather contrived coincidence at a time when there were just no stoppers on procreation). This of course is a ploy to create an chamber ensemble where philosophical ideas can flow purely and purposefully without dilution from multiple voices. So, having set up this simple mis-en-scene, Turgenev sets on to the nitty gritty then.

Bazarov isn’t going to shock anyone today. In fact, his raison d’etre is practically the building blocks of our modern ‘yoof’: rebels without a cause. Bazarov (who did have a cause) has, in fact, been reincarnated in that iconic trope of our times, the ‘Kevin’. This might very well be a Britishism, but everyone will know what I mean.

But why was Bazarov so shocking back then? Clearly, I can’t let this go. I mean, Bazarov shocked a whole nation in 1861, what kind of apathetic reader can let this slide by without further investigation if they don’t know why? Deep internet trawls reveal a background of a humiliated intelligentsia on the back of the loss of the Crimean War, aware Russia has been left behind in the European technological, ideological and ‘business development’ stakes, and deeply split on how to fix this. The Slavophiles, whose Bakunin style popular concept of negation and denouncement of Alexander II reforms (including the emancipation of serfs in 1861) vs. The Westernisers, (Turgenev amongst them), who, although operating without a clear and consistent political doctrine, support all things western in their search for progression. The former view Bazarov as an insulting caricature of their cause, and the latter view him as a dirty rotten nihilistic scoundrel. Meanwhile, the West view him as the first proper literary nihilist and take to Turgenev like a house on fire.

Bazarov of course is only a half baked nihilist. He throws over his ideology at the alter of Madame Odinskaya’s feet, asks his mother for superstitious style old world blessings and engages in a positively Romantic style duel with Arkady’s uncle. Academics are having a field day, as we speak, at tracing the Byronic influences on his character.
The Slovophile vs. Westerniser match off is fascinating. This isn’t merely a semantic stand-off, a few after dinner soundbites being bandied about over brandy and a cigar. Now that I know about it, I can spot the elephant in the room practically in every chapter. At one point, Arkady and Bazarov praise Anna for her excellent use of Russian. This is a passing sentence, and its easy to just gloss over it, but ..really....exactly what language, I wonder, should Anna Odinskaya, a Russian aristocrat, born, raised and living in Russia, be speaking, if not Russian? Well, apparently, French. Knock me over with a feather, but those Russian aristocrats, from Catherine the Great’s time (circa 1799) to late nineteenth century got so big for their britches they started parleying in French from cradle to grave and couldn’t even speak their own language!! Of all, I say, all the high falutin’, sycophantic, preposterous things you could do, if this just doesn’t take the cake. (Well, I know the English did it too, but a full 1000 years earlier. After William of Normandy conquered and unified England in 1066, the court spoke French for the next 300 years. But, thats because the Normans were French to begin with!). My point is, in a situation like this, a Slavophile vs Westerniser disagreement might just take on slightly larger proportions than just a semantic joust.

One thing neither side disagreed on was the need to free the serfs. (Which partially happened in 1861). Russian serfs, from what I can gather, were little better off than slaves. They were, in fact slaves. Tied to the estate, forbidden to marry outside the estate, or move out of the estate, propelled into wars by their ‘masters’, toiling, unpaid, all day long.....yup, definitely slaves. This agreement to free the serfs, though should not be taken as a carte blanche acknowledgement of an intrinsic serf worth: on the contrary, both sides are united in a blanket wave of derision and general despising of the peasants. FS is littered with condescending and derogatory remarks about the serfs, who are invariably being flogged for being fools, drunkards and thieves. Having said that, they are also an integral part of country living, in the way Mamie rules the roost at Tara in Gone with the Wind.

Midway through the novel Turgenev does a very naughty love quadrangle turn and twist worthy of a Shakesperean aficionado. Everybody falls in love with everyone else before they shakily settle into the ultimate equilibrium. The Bazarov/Anna Odinskaya link is easily recognisable although none the less sad for it: two cynics who are too jaded for each other.

So then, thats for background. How does Turgenev do, with all of this? I got to shout it loud and clear from the mountaintop now: he delivers! I bawled like a baby twice in this reading, and thats saying something: I can’t remember the last time I had a teary eye. It was Bazarov ‘wot done it both times: first when he left his parents after only a three day soujourn, and in the end.....(you know what I mean). So this novel was shocking, in the end: I was shocked at how easily it moved me. I even had a moment of self doubt: was I going soft in the head? Well, much to my relief, I gather Turgenev elicits similar responses from many a reader, and in particular his contemporaries. Apparently Flaubert was astounded by him, George Sand looked up to him, James was influenced by him and only, apparently Meredith matches his pathos in terms of the ‘dying scene’ in terms of contemporaries. I haven’t read any Meredith whatsoever. Its looking like Egoist and the Ordeal of Richard Feverel might be next.

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Feb 06, 2013 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A proto-punk and a proto-metrosexual demand satisfaction from one another because the first macked on the latter's bro's baby mama. The gentry can't really rage against the machine, they're jackdaws, domesticated dogs. Guys in their early twenties have apparently always sort of sucked, albeit in an intellectually sexy way as long as they don't lack confidence. Repudiate, repudiate, repudiate, champion only what's useful, no authority other than oneself. Blame testosterone plus higher education?...more A proto-punk and a proto-metrosexual demand satisfaction from one another because the first macked on the latter's bro's baby mama. The gentry can't really rage against the machine, they're jackdaws, domesticated dogs. Guys in their early twenties have apparently always sort of sucked, albeit in an intellectually sexy way as long as they don't lack confidence. Repudiate, repudiate, repudiate, champion only what's useful, no authority other than oneself. Blame testosterone plus higher education? But then you get older and believe principles are necessary and dress a little better. Interesting structural repetition of crisscrossing "two on two" dynamics throughout: two brothers and two younger dudes; two younger dudes and two sisters; two younger dudes and their parents. Good to see the young toughs either settle down or succumb. Overall, I loved this once Pavel showed up, one of those batchelors described as "queer" and "gay" in an 1861 way that probably helped establish current meanings. Loved the generational conflict, the intellectual argumentation that only required 25 pages to reach a boil, not 500+ like Naptha and Settembrini in The Magic Mountain. Loved the setting, and loved how the two young nihilistic gallants basically meet a hottie for a minute at a fancy dance and then hang at her place for a fortnight and lust after her but for the most part maintain their distance. A very modern novel in some ways -- and not at all in others. Loved the variously liberated ladies, best of all Bazarov's superstitious mah. Loved fatherly love for spirited sons. Generally, other than a few dips I was engaged and visualizing the world and following the explicit ideas throughout. Admired the complexity of the characters but didn't love the characters themselves, and therefore wasn't particularly moved by the requisite youthful struggles with love. I rooted for all of them, really, but more so hoped the novel would maintain its high-qual stability and maybe even take it up a notch or breakout. May have read it more interested in the structure than the story. Definitely a major canonical novel of ideas that seems ahead of its time at times but maybe I could've used some more wisdom and lyricism or a bit that broke from its established patterns? Monotextured but not dull, necessarily. A cute bastard child, a duel, "the jerky trot of shivering horses," a Russian anti-poetic rebel without a cause other than sarcasm and negation with which he'll change the world versus a principled quasi-aristocratic manscaper capable of high feeling and obtuse articulation providing high contrast for less exagerrated, more common characters. Solid but maybe without the peaks expected when hiking the canonical Russian mountain chain?(less)

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Dec 19, 2012 [P] rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The last time I cried, like really cried, was some years ago when an ex-girlfriend of mine thought she was pregnant. Happily, she wasn’t, and as she came out of the bathroom and told me the good news it was tears of relief that poured forth from my eyes. I felt like a drowning man who had been suddenly thrown up on shore and was taking his first unhampered breath.

Everyone seems to be having kids at the moment, knocking them out with frightening regularity. Everyone except me, that is. I don’t i...more The last time I cried, like really cried, was some years ago when an ex-girlfriend of mine thought she was pregnant. Happily, she wasn’t, and as she came out of the bathroom and told me the good news it was tears of relief that poured forth from my eyes. I felt like a drowning man who had been suddenly thrown up on shore and was taking his first unhampered breath.

Everyone seems to be having kids at the moment, knocking them out with frightening regularity. Everyone except me, that is. I don’t intend to ever have any; the prospect terrifies me. I believe that I have only this one life, and I do not intend to spend a large proportion of it in service to a child. I would, in any case, be the worst father: 'can you change the baby's nappy, [P].' 'But I'm reading Balzac, dear.'

So, I’ll probably never find myself in the same position as the father in this novel [although I do know what it is like to be a son, of course], having your progeny bring home an unpleasant, arrogant, little twerp who thinks he knows it all; a poster boy for a new generation, one that alienates and ultimately despises you. In Fathers and Sons this poster boy is called Bazarov, who is a young man that considers himself the living example of a new way of thinking about, and relationship with, the world. This new way is Nihilism, there being no better way of winding up one’s elders than rejecting all their values and claiming that nothing has any meaning. Kids are still pulling this trick, dressing themselves in black, listening to obnoxious and blatantly ridiculous music, and scoffing at their parents’ attempts to engage with them.

Nikolai, the father, bears all this with good grace; certainly much better than I would. He’s a slightly fawning character, more eager to impress than challenge his son’s friend despite being routinely insulted. His brother, Pavel, is not so accommodating. He can’t bear the impertinent little imp, and gives the impression of being on the verge of giving Bazarov a slap throughout their encounters and eventually challenges him to a duel. Pavel prides himself on being a man of the world, someone who is still au courant, and so Bazarov’s rejection of him, his sneering response when he airs his views, is particularly galling.

Had these interactions been the sole focus of the novel I probably would have given it 5 stars. However, Turgenev introduces a love story, which I cared little for [although it makes a pertinent point about how one’s steadfast beliefs or ideologies can be compromised once there is a woman pouting provocatively on your horizon]. On the whole, though, Fathers and Sons is a thoroughly enjoyable, witty, and still relevant read.(less)

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May 16, 2007 Tim Wagner rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thegreats

If you want to read a great Russian novel, but your wrists are to weak for Karenina or Brothers K, this is your jam. It's almost allegorical in its deployment of the characters' various philosophies, but they're so human it's like watching Chekhov play across the page. For a book written in the mid-late 19th century, it's amazingly relevant: a pithy study of conservativism, liberalism, radicalism, quietism, and filial love and rebellion. The bad-tempered anarchist, Bazarov, is a character for th...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Lavinia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Mult mai interesanta decit "Un cuib de nobili". Habar n-aveam ca e considerata cea mai buna lucrare a lui Turgheniev si primul roman modern rusesc.

Evident, cum bine reiese si din titlu ("Parinti si copii" in romana) trateaza relatiile si diferentele dintre parinti si copii pe de o parte, si vechiul mod de gindire si modernism (vezi nihilismul lui Bazarov) pe de alta parte.

Turgheniev are un stil putin diferit de a-si pune in scena povestile. Incepe prin a descrie o situatie - o cina, de pilda - i...more

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Nov 04, 2007 Kathaileen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: russian, fiction-novels

This novel could also be called “Generations” It’s how two different sons and fathers deal with the changes happening around them. The book starts when Arkady returns home from school with his friend Bazarov to the home of his father, Nicholas. His uncle Pavel also lives there. Nicholas is trying to stay with the times and has set his serfs free, but his estate has fallen into disrepair. He also has been having a relationship with a former servant, Fenichka, and has fathered a child.
Bazarov is v...more This novel could also be called “Generations” It’s how two different sons and fathers deal with the changes happening around them. The book starts when Arkady returns home from school with his friend Bazarov to the home of his father, Nicholas. His uncle Pavel also lives there. Nicholas is trying to stay with the times and has set his serfs free, but his estate has fallen into disrepair. He also has been having a relationship with a former servant, Fenichka, and has fathered a child.
Bazarov is very outspoken and immediately irritates Pavel with his opinions. Arkady looks up to Bazarov and his new “nihilistic” ideas and is a little embarrassed about his father’s old ways but obviously loves him very much.
Pavel, I think, is the “superfluous man” of Russian literature. He is tired of life but thinks it should at least continue on as it always has.
The young men stay at the estate for a while and stir things up and then move on to stay with Anna Sergeyevna, Madame Odintzov for a while. They are both enamored with her, Arkady with a schoolboy crush but Bazarov, much to his surprise, falling deeply in love. It goes against all of the beliefs he thought he had down so well. After he declares his love for her and is disappointed with himself and her reaction, the “sons” decide to move onto where Bazarov’s parents have been waiting patiently for him to visit.
After some travels back and forth to Arkday’s home and Madame Odintzov’s, Bazarov ends up back at home with his parents where he contracts typhus while carelessly performing an autopsy. Did he commit suicide? He was set in his “nihilistic” ways and didn’t see any purpose for emotions and then he fell madly in love with Madame Odintzov. I’m sure he was questioning everything about his beliefs.
Arkady and Katya get married and also Nicholas and Fenichka.
This was interesting to read about Russia at that time, the serfs etc. It was a Russian story, but also a universal one of the traditional vs. contemporary, younger generation and older generation – change.
The time was very similar to the Deep South after the Civil War:
—old landowners (Nicholas) trying to progress but not knowing how to go about it – the serfs have been set free like the slaves being emancipated,
—the young (Basarov) coming in brash and telling it how they see it,
—the young heir (Arkady) loving his parents and his past way of life but very impressionable by the new ideas of his slightly older contemporaries,
—the older generation that can’t quite get used to the idea of change (Pavel-the “superfluous man”)(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Arwen56 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romanzi

Lascio a penne più esperte ed edotte in materia di quanto non sia la mia il compito di delineare e sottolineare gli aspetti prettamente storici che fanno da sfondo a questo romanzo: la riforma agraria, il nichilismo e la società russa in generale. Nel mio piccolo preferisco soffermarmi solo sulla vicenda narrata.

Confesso di non avere oggi, né di avere avuto mai un buon rapporto con gli scrittori russi. Mi sono ostici. Li trovo, in linea di massima, dispersivi, cervellotici, confusi, contradditt...more Lascio a penne più esperte ed edotte in materia di quanto non sia la mia il compito di delineare e sottolineare gli aspetti prettamente storici che fanno da sfondo a questo romanzo: la riforma agraria, il nichilismo e la società russa in generale. Nel mio piccolo preferisco soffermarmi solo sulla vicenda narrata.

Confesso di non avere oggi, né di avere avuto mai un buon rapporto con gli scrittori russi. Mi sono ostici. Li trovo, in linea di massima, dispersivi, cervellotici, confusi, contraddittori e dotati di uno stile di scrittura che ti fa venire il latte alle ginocchia, tanto sono “pesanti”. Mai che vi sia un concetto espresso direttamente, mai che vi sia un’emozione descritta e vissuta appunto per quel che è, ossia un moto spontaneo dell’anima e, proprio per questo, molto spesso passeggera e da godere solo per quell’attimo di effimera gioia o di intenso dolore che sia. “Seghe mentali”, invece, tante. Oh, yes … sino alla nausea.

Ma vi sono due eccezioni: Il maestro e Margherita, di Bulgakov e Padri e figli di Turgenev. Non che si somiglino questi due romanzi … oh, no … proprio per niente. Sono diversi come il giorno dalla notte. Ma sono entrambi pregevolissimi. Sul primo, scriverò prima o poi nello spazio della mia libreria che lo riguarda, sul secondo mi va di farlo ora.

L’ho letto molto tempo fa, ma il ricordo non si è offuscato. Il conflitto tra generazioni ed il tipo di scrittura sono straordinariamente moderni, soprattutto se consideriamo che sono passati quasi 150 anni dalla sua stesura. Per essere un russo,
Turgenev è davvero diretto nell’esprimere i pensieri, le idee ed i sommovimenti istintivi di chi vive. Certamente è Bazarov a farla da padrone in queste pagine, ma sarebbe un vero peccato sorvolare sulle intense e tenerissime figure dei suoi
stessi genitori e sul padre di Arkadij. Lo scontro frontale, e più evidente, avviene, senza dubbio, tra Bazarov e Pavel, che si pongono, sin da subito, come “duellanti”, come “contendenti”, come “nemici”. Ma il dramma vero sta in quel
sommesso e dignitoso dolore, in quella affettuosa ritrosia, in quel pudore a chiedere attenzione che accomuna i “padri” nei confronti dei “figli”. Paradossalmente, infatti, non è un “padre” a voler imporsi ed a sostenere la bontà delle
sue idee (Pavel non ha figli, è solo lo zio di Arkadij). I “padri” e le “madri” di questa storia sono padri e madri che amano, proteggono e comprendono, anche se si rammaricano di non poter condividere i diversi ideali ed i diversi stili di vita dei
figli. Anche se vorrebbero protrarre il più possibile la vicinanza, anche fisica, con loro. Sanno che il destino dei figli è vivere una vita differente dalla loro. Sanno che è giusto che sia così. Comunque la vita vada a finire. Per parte loro,
i “figli” fanno ciò che da sempre hanno fatto i figli: vivono e cercano la loro strada. Non sempre la troveranno, ma poco importa, purché lo possano fare.

Al di là, dunque, delle figure che sembrano giganteggiare nella narrazione, è nei più modesti ritratti di Nikolaj Petrovič, di Vasilij Ivanovič, di Arina Vlas'evna e di Fenička che risiede la grandezza di questo romanzo senza tempo.
“Senza tempo” perché infinite volte si rinnoverà la catena. Infinite volte una madre o un padre, col passere del tempo, penseranno “Beh, non aveva tutti i torti mio figlio …”. Infinite volte un figlio, col passare del tempo, penserà:
“Beh, mia madre e mio padre non avevano tutti i torti …”.

Se solo potessimo comprenderci e comunicare di più ora e subito …

In buona sostanza, bel romanzo. Ve lo consiglio. Un tantino “datato” come linguaggio, ma nulla cui non si possa rimediare con una traduzione più moderna di quella in mio possesso.
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Aug 21, 2012 Ilyena rated it 4 of 5 stars

I started reading this book upon my sisters recommendation. So far I had not read many Russian classics, besides Gogol, Bulgakov and Turgenev´s "First Love". I found myself very fast indulged into the characters and could even identfy myself with certain sentiments each character had to offer. Be it the "older" or the "newer generation". Even though the story eveolves around the times where ideologies as materialism, nihilism and marxism just were "infants" and clashed with the old aristrocratic...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Peppy Woosterr rated it 3 of 5 stars

As a Russian person, I must say this is a terrible novel. Nothing can express how deeply I hate all these endless theories about how poor our Russia is. All these nihilists and the other useless people who were not even worth having been written about. I was pretty surprised when I knew that so many foreigners actually read it. Are you so deeply interested in the Russian society? Because even we are not interested in this because it has always been the same.
So what I hate about this book is that...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Karlo Mikhail Mongaya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, excellent

Set in 19th Century Russia, Fathers and Sons by Turgenev takes us deep into the Slavic provinces – outside of the town and into the estates and agricultural fields – among the rural gentry and their peasants.

Bazarov and Arcady, two newly graduated students brimming with new ideas from the cities and the universities returns to the country, to their homes and fathers, where old-fashioned tradition and domestic life reigns. The book, which is now one of my favorites, touched more than just the the...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Evan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: __in-my-collection, philosophy, russian-soviet-etc, 2011-reads, favorites, my-faves

"Every single man hangs by a thread, a bottomless pit can open beneath him any minute, and yet he still goes on thinking up unpleasantness for himself and making a mess of his life." -Bazarov, in Fathers and Sons

Finally, a dusty old classic that lives up to its reputation. Turgenev's Fathers and Sons is pleasingly warm and crisply distilled vodka, a rich and pungent family saga that even a mildly disappointing heart-tugging finale can't ruin. It's like Russia's Catcher in the Rye but from way wa...more "Every single man hangs by a thread, a bottomless pit can open beneath him any minute, and yet he still goes on thinking up unpleasantness for himself and making a mess of his life." -Bazarov, in Fathers and Sons

Finally, a dusty old classic that lives up to its reputation. Turgenev's Fathers and Sons is pleasingly warm and crisply distilled vodka, a rich and pungent family saga that even a mildly disappointing heart-tugging finale can't ruin. It's like Russia's Catcher in the Rye but from way way back in 1862. Unlike Salinger, the narrator is omniscient, not first person, but in terms of zeitgeist this book has the same rebellious freshness. It remains one of the best novels ever written on inter-generational strife, and the way in which parents and their children negotiate those gaps. It is timeless and uncannily familiar.

The book's most famous character, Bazarov, is the beatnik hippie punk slacker of his day, convinced that nothing matters and that all oldsters are hopelessly squaresville. Bazarov's nihilism is, of course, absurd, and Turgenev knows it but generously allows Bazarov to be a well-rounded sympathetic character, deeper than a mere ideologue; much of what the young man says offers great food for thought. In his hard-headed youthful stubbornness, though, Bazarov fails to see the arbitrariness and lack of balance of his worldview, and in the mere reliance on scientific empiricism rejects his own assertions of nihilism unawares. With his arrogance, it seems somehow fitting that he is studying to be a doctor.

Even though the book delves into the histories of three families, the story is streamlined, intimate and never unwieldy. The back story and yearning of Pavel, the aristocratic uncle of Bazarov's best friend, Arkady, is very moving; a prime case in literature of an unsympathetic character fleshed out to gain the reader's empathy. The relationship between Bazarov and his father, who practices folk medicine to the mild amusement of his son, is incredibly touching. The romances are handled beautifully and are full of irony.

I loved the book and have to consider it, to date, my favorite Russian novel.(less)

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Jun 25, 2007 Wil rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: bookgroup

Turgenev's Fathers and Sons deals with the return of a son to his father's estate, after graduating from university. Nikolai, the father, has attempted to be liberal and progressive, but can not help feel that his son's new ideas have dated his own. This ideological struggle between generations begins the story that brought about one of the biggest literary controversies in Russia.

Traditionalists felt vindicated in their beliefs by the book, while the new 'nihilists' felt ridiculed in the charac...more

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Mar 14, 2008 Lawrence A rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, book-club-selection

"Kids---I don't know what's wrong with these kids, today!" A wonderful view of the life of the Russian gentry, and the widening generation gap, during the liberalizing era of the late 1850s. Bazarov, a recent college graduate and medical student, is the Dr. Gregory House of his day---a nihilist, unromantic, smarter than everyone else, and impolite and nasty to a fault. In short, he's a fascinating character, and his character is drawn in such a way as to represent the progress of Russian society...more

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Jan 05, 2008 Skylar Burris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics

At times, Turgenev's use of the language borders on poetry. The characters are intriguing and sympathetic. The novel deals beautifully with man's inability to live without holding something sacred, and its tragic "hero" goes to the grave realizing that he has been trying to fill that void with "straw" instead of something more meaningful--like faith, or family, or true love. Some critics have said that Turgenev supported the "nihilists," the young men who scoffed at all things sacred. They say...more

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Jun 09, 2013 Rich Knight rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Fathers and Sons" is a very good, but also, very sad book. Its major claim to fame (or at least, it seems like it given that it's mentioned on the back of the book) is that it features literature's first nihilist in Bazarov, a physician who doesn't see the need to indulge in life's trivial pursuits. This is a character who doesn't see the point of music and detests himself when he begins to fall in love, since love is meaningless in the long run by his perception. In short, this is my kind of c...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Jill rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have too much to say about how much I loved this, because there are too many reasons to love it. I love how many things this novel explores, and how it somehow explores them so simply but does them so much more justice than many other hefty epics of Russian literature.

I know that the ultimate take-away of this novel by critics was it's opinions on radicals and conservatism, and I really do love that Turgenev is one of the only novelists from this era of literature to kind of be like, "Man, ev...more I have too much to say about how much I loved this, because there are too many reasons to love it. I love how many things this novel explores, and how it somehow explores them so simply but does them so much more justice than many other hefty epics of Russian literature.

I know that the ultimate take-away of this novel by critics was it's opinions on radicals and conservatism, and I really do love that Turgenev is one of the only novelists from this era of literature to kind of be like, "Man, everyone has these really fervently held beliefs, and while I can see where they can go wrong, I also see and can sympathize with where they are coming with. I genuinely don't know who is 'right', so lemme just let the characters explain themselves and leave it up to the reader to decide". I like that it was less a morality play and more just a realistic picture of the political landscape of the time - you can feel Turgenev's sympathy for every character bleed through, even when they say and do ridiculous things.

Truthfully, though, what I appreciated the most was the novel's exploration of generational alienation and where it comes from, and how differences and a lack of understanding do not mean a lack of love. This may have just stuck out to me because I often struggle with, for instance, understanding where my parents are coming from but not agreeing that what worked with them will work in the land and time I am growing up in, and in feeling guilty when I think about how it must feel from their point of view for me to be deaf to things that they consider obvious facts. Regardless, the relationships between Nikolai Petrovich and his brother and Arkady and Bazarov are so nuanced, and once again, sympathetic to all. It's a shame that this really complex, and once again, realistic and non-judgmental study of families got lost under political critiques.

I guess what I ultimately love about this novel and Turgenev in general is his sympathy, balance, and uncertainty, which just strike me as very relateable and admirable sentiments for my generation as well. (less)

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Dec 30, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Russianists, fans of Russian literature, intellectual historians

Recommended to Michael by: Professor Braun

Shelves: classics, literature

I read this book in a course on Russian history, which I took on returning to school after a ten-year hiatus, prior to beginning work on my Master’s degree in History. Atypically, it was also the first fiction I had read in almost an equally long period. One thing I recall from that class discussion is that one girl was very critical of the translation in this edition. I also remember that she told me that learning Russian would be “easy,” so I don’t know how seriously to take any of her opinion...more I read this book in a course on Russian history, which I took on returning to school after a ten-year hiatus, prior to beginning work on my Master’s degree in History. Atypically, it was also the first fiction I had read in almost an equally long period. One thing I recall from that class discussion is that one girl was very critical of the translation in this edition. I also remember that she told me that learning Russian would be “easy,” so I don’t know how seriously to take any of her opinions.

I find this book in this translation to be a very compelling and interesting read, and surprisingly quick for a “classic.” The basic story is a sort of coming-of-age for two young University graduates in Russia’s rural society, who return to the estates owned by their families and discover a kind of “generation gap” between themselves and the “fathers” of the title. One, Bazarov, declares himself to be a nihilist and challenges any accepted or traditional ideas as oppressive. The narrator is less committed, but idolizes Bazarov and generally follows his lead. This is all set at the time of the emancipation of the serfs by the Czar, and in some ways reflects Turgenev’s reflections on the powerlessness of his own liberal reformist generation to create change of any lasting kind, and a sense that the next generation were both more radical and less predictable in where they would go.

This volume includes a very good introduction by the translator, explaining some of the choices he made but also placing the text and its author into the context of intellectual history at the time. I didn’t know a lot of the names he mentioned in the intro (Chernyshevsky, Herzen) at the time, but looking at it now I realize that there’s a lot there which would help a Russian historian to figure out who Turgenev’s influences were and what he was trying to do. Another thing that he mentioned was the degree to which Turgenev focused on character and character development, working out detailed biographies before beginning to write and treating the characters as real, even as collaborators in his creative process. As a relatively novice fiction writer myself, I tend to take a more controlling, but also less precise approach to my characters, but in the case of this book, I can see where the character-driven approach pays off in giving a story in which a lot happens internally, without a lot of flashy action or obvious plot devices.(less)

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Dec 05, 2012 Helen Kichigina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-and-modern

Нигилист Базаров. А стоило ли стольким поколениям молодежи ему подражать?

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Sep 10, 2012 the mad hatter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hip hip hurray for Ivan!

Turgenev presents a multitude of various philosophies deployed through his very human characters. His philosophies are very relevant to today. The novel is set in 19th century Russia. Turgenev takes us on a journey into the Slavic provinces, among the gentry and peasants where we are introduced two our two main characters, Bazarov and Arcady, two graduate students with new ideas from their universities. The story gets interesting when the boys return home to their fathers...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cheap and ubiquitous. I bought a copy once for the price of a newspaper. Months later, forgetting that I already have a copy, I bought another one because it was priced so low that it was practically a giveaway. Recently, seeing my two almost identical copies I decided to finally read it already, fearing that if I don't do so, I might forget again and be lured into buying another copy, cheaper and more handsome.

About halfway through the novel was where it lost a lone star from me. And 'twas not...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Tatjana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, russian, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 20, 2012 V rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, i-tried-to-like-it, fiction

I only managed to get halfway through this book before I found myself seething with rage and an incredible drive to rant at the unfortunate friend that recommended this book to me.

Perhaps that's a bit harsh.

It was interesting, and I could see the beginnings of some major philosophical themes. Those are always good - I love me some philosophy.

But damn did the book have to be packed to the brim with so many douchebags? I need to latch on to a character to enjoy a book - find someone sympathetic, l...more

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Apr 01, 2012 R.a. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like Ford's The Good Soldier, I simply loved this novel. After reading a number of 19th century texts, one can easily begin to feel a little weary. And, although Turgenev's novel seems to have many of the 19th century trappings, its examination of youth through the character of Bazarov is simply wonderful.

This was not only a groundbreaking novel, but also one of those problemmatic work, positioning various ideas, politics, and currents of the time in various parallels and foils.

The narrator's pe...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons" is set during the social transformations of late 1850's Russia. While a reader might profit from knowledge of that period, much in the novel achieves significance well beyond its setting. The relationship between fathers and sons, as the title indicates, is at its heart. Two young men, Arkady and Bazarov, have become nihilists, the former something of a "soft" nihilist, if one can use such a term, the latter definitely "hard." As such, they reject all sentimentality...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Ramona Tudor rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. Turgenev’s style is… beautiful. I think that’s the best word to convey my feelings towards his style and the book in itself. It is beautiful. I have enjoyed every bit of it. I have rated it with only 4 stars from 5 because my system of rating kind of changed lately and I cannot say ‘Oh my God, it is amazing!’ but something like ‘Yes, I love it!’ This sounds a little bit off for everybody else, most probably, but that doesn’t matter in the lea...more This is one of the best books I have read in a while. Turgenev’s style is… beautiful. I think that’s the best word to convey my feelings towards his style and the book in itself. It is beautiful. I have enjoyed every bit of it. I have rated it with only 4 stars from 5 because my system of rating kind of changed lately and I cannot say ‘Oh my God, it is amazing!’ but something like ‘Yes, I love it!’ This sounds a little bit off for everybody else, most probably, but that doesn’t matter in the least.

Howsoever, I was saying that I liked the novel very much. It is beautiful. Turgenev’s style makes one to keep reading the lines he wrote: the story and the characters are very well and beautifully structured. I found Bazarov tremendously interesting and I cannot even find a good reason to explain that fact. He is one of the best characters I’ve been up to until now, I just love him. Turgenev made his way through my heart with his book, but his character Bazarov was surely the one to conquer it. This guy – and we must not forget he is only a… dead character, in the end, seems to be a nihilist. But let’s think about it… in the end, he is just cynic, he believes himself not to believe in anything, but he is just probably a typo for a new generation, I guess. Bazarov has a lot of faults, but I like his… courage, if I can say it so. He is a courageous character, at some point. He doesn’t struggle through life that much, one could say and he is, most probably, frustrated! I don’t think he doesn’t respect anything, I believe he doesn’t want to respect or believe in anything. He just wants to protect himself, at some point and he is jealous of all those who are ‘bigger’ than he is. Oh, I surely believe the fact that he’s jealous, he is tremendously jealous of others, even though he doesn’t seem to express that, I believe he is an egocentric, jealous brat. And I love him.
His character is not beautiful – he is not a nice guy, he is not one of those little characters that smile all the times and are full of warmth and good thoughts – only the contrary. He seems to be crusty all the time. He is a critic and seems to think that nothing’s too good. He does things – he is on his way to become a doctor – without really believing in what he’s doing (he says that himself, but who knows!) We perceive he is just a human being only when he falls in love, in his own weird way and he confesses like a normal, damned man who cannot bear his lonely feelings anymore. I like the fact that, at some point, he looked so vulnerable. We perceive the fact that he’s not an Evil God. He is just a… new-human in comparison with the other characters. To tell the truth, he is just different and that’s why people try to deceive him, or they admire him. He tends to attract people, in a good or a bad way, but he does it. I think I like Bazarov because of his mask of cynicism… but in the end, he is not evil, he is just Himself, the new-man.

I like the other characters as well, but they don’t strike me as Bazarov strikes me, even though Odinţova is a very interesting character… She cannot remain too much in the spot light because of Bazarov, I guess and for me there’s just one gorgeous character in the book, and that’s Bazarov with his ‘heartwhole’ –which is more or less a lie, because Odinţova is probably worse than Bazarov. He loves her, but she is nothing but an egocentric woman, insecure that’s not sure of her feelings and in the end she realizes she doesn’t love him or any other man because she is not bound for love. I like her, in a way or another, but to another point, I despise her as well.

In the end, I can’t say much about the book. I’m still overwhelmed with its content which I found beautiful. What’s so interesting and catchy in Turgenev’s book is the Russian society, the abolition of bondage, the peasants and the Russian specific demeanor, not only the father-and-son relationship, but even what’s beyond of that.
I strongly recommend it.

(less)

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Feb 26, 2012 Laurie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Memorable quotes:

"But for Nikolai there remained the feeling of a well-spent life, and his son was growing up under his eyes; Pavel, on the contrary, a lonely bachelor, was entering into that indefinite twilight period of regrets which resemble hopes and of hopes which are akin to regrets, when youth is over and old age has not yet started." -- p. 35

"...only depraved or stupid people can live in our time without principles" -- p. 37

"Formerly young men had to study. If they didn't want to be call...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Ensiform rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, russian

Translated and annotated by Michael R. Katz.

A short novel set in Russia just before the emancipation of the serfs, it deals with class and generational differences, the conflict between the old order and new political ideas such as nihilism, and the conflict between the characters' feelings and what they see as their interests (love versus propriety, romanticism versus nihilism). It also lays bare the vast love of parents for their children, showing that this love can override all these conflict...more

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Oct 29, 2011 LadySabrina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Turgenev, Ivan. Fathers and Sons. New York: Penguin Classics, 1965.

Turgenev’s novel Father and Sons was published in 1861, the same year as the emancipation of serfdom in Russia took place. Bazarov, the protagonist and
self -described nihilist, is the on his way to visit his family in a province in Russia, and stops for a visit with his college friend at Arkady’s family’s estate. During Bazarov’s sojourn he challenges Arkady’s father, Nikolai Petrovich, and his brother, Pavel Petrovich to quest...more

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Aug 26, 2011 bobbygw rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, literary-classics, russian-literature

Because there are several editions of this novel available to buy, and some much cheaper than this one, I first wanted to highlight that I believe this one is by far the best to date, for two reasons: the translator, Rosemary Edmonds's version, is elegant and smooth, and her own introduction is excellent - providing meaningful reflection and understanding not only of the novel, but Turgenev's talent, other works, and the political and literary times he lived through. The second major reason is b...more Because there are several editions of this novel available to buy, and some much cheaper than this one, I first wanted to highlight that I believe this one is by far the best to date, for two reasons: the translator, Rosemary Edmonds's version, is elegant and smooth, and her own introduction is excellent - providing meaningful reflection and understanding not only of the novel, but Turgenev's talent, other works, and the political and literary times he lived through. The second major reason is because this edition (I think) is the only one that contains Isaiah Berlin's brilliant, insightful lecture on the novel that he first gave in 1970, and was included in this edition from 1975 onwards, and that offers much insight into the novel's historical context and background in terms of philosophy and politics in Russia during Turgenev's lifetime.

While I also love the fiction of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, having read this, still Turgenev's most famous and popular novel, followed then by reading Edmonds introduction, I was not surprised to learn from her that it was Turgenev who proved to be the most popular Russian novelist in Europe during the shared lifetimes of these three giant authors and, throughout the 1850s and 60s, Turgenev was likewise and the most famous and popular in Russia - while, fascinatingly, also being the most controversial - there was passionate debate both for and against Turgenev and this novel - that continued at least up until the 1950s! - despite having spent most of his life abroad, living in Paris, in particular (while always devoted to Russia and its people, he was definitely a passionate Europhile).

Turgenev's greater popularity, compared with his two most famous counterparts, I feel, rests on the deeper humanity and, thereby, psychological and emotional complexity, he breathes into his principal characters from their first introduction; whereas with Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, it seems to me that their own characters' complexity originates more from subsequent experiences of trauma, crisis and conflict in their lives.

Of the characters themselves, there is much to enjoy, be engaged as well as challenged by. Bazarov and Arkady, university students, take a holiday together, visiting Arkady's landlord and liberal-minded, caring father (Nikolai) and uncle (Pavel), formerly a distinguished army captain, at Nikolia's farm and home, with whom Pavel also lives. The conflict between `fathers and sons' is played out primarily in this holiday, arising because of Bazarov's deepseated nihilism and his insistent, relentlessly stern advocacy of his negative, annihilistic views as he expresses them towards Nikolai and Pavel.

The story is worth reading just two characters alone: Bazarov himself, who is vividly infuriating and an anti-hero one will never forget on reading. He is supremely arrogant and contemptuous of others; recognising no rules of conduct or recognition of anything of value, save that which he himself defines and determines; is rude to his charming and much devoted friend, Arkady, who is himself in such awe of Bazarov and he can't help but give allegiance to him and his negative vision and attitude towards society, history, life in general (and particular). Even though this allegiance, along with Bazarov's comments, confound and upset Arkady's father - and frankly infuriate Pavel, ironically it is Bazarov's nihilistic own rejection of Arkady's friendship that brings Arkady to his senses, thereby explicitly reaffirming his humanism, empathy and love he always felt for both his father and uncle.

While Nikolai and Arkady are also very well drawn, besides Bazarov, the other character who is memorable, amusing - with a caustic sense of humour and irony -superbly realised, and great fun to read about - is Pavel. He's a Russian who, while now elderly, remains as he was from his youth: distinguished, handsome, a reputation as a `lady-killer', with an aristocratic flair, and besotted with English bespoke and colourful tailoring and fancy accoutrements (handkerchiefs, cufflinks, neckerchiefs). He's also deeply civilised, graceful, yet in no doubt of his views, with a strong and independent viewpoint and depth of character. He is also deeply generous and caring, having giving much of his money to Nikolai, to help him keep his farm and land.

And the intense debates between Pavel (increasingly infuriated), and Bazarov (bored, steely, deeply rude and negative), are worth the price of the novel many times over. (less)

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Jul 12, 2011 Jennyreadsexcessively rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a nice read this was! Arkady returns home after college to his father and uncle bringing with him his mentor, Bazarov. Bazarov shocks the older generation with his nihilistic views of the futility of art and traditional Russian values. The novel really took off in the second half when the young men meet a like-minded woman and then later when they visit Bazarov's overzealous, loving parents. And there's even a duel! Won't tell you who's involved but look at this fun dialogue:

"I have the hon...more

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About Ivan Turgenev

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (Cyrillic: Иван Сергеевич Тургенев) was a novelist, poet and dramatist, and now ranks as one of the towering figures of Russian literature. His major works include the short-story collection A Sportsman’s Sketches (1852) and the novels Rudin (1856), Home of the Gentry (1859), On the Eve (1860), and Fathers and Sons (1862). These works offer realistic, affectionate portray...more

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“We sit in the mud my friend and reach for the stars” — 73 people liked it

“Whereas I think: I’m lying here in a haystack... The tiny space I occupy is so infinitesimal in comparison with the rest of space, which I don’t occupy and which has no relation to me. And the period of time in which I’m fated to live is so insignificant beside the eternity in which I haven’t existed and won’t exist... And yet in this atom, this mathematical point, blood is circulating, a brain is working, desiring something... What chaos! What a farce!” — 39 people liked it

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