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Virgin Soil, Vol. 1
Excerpt from Virgin Soil, Vol. 1: Translated From the Russian
The last words of Virgin Soil -
'A long while Paklin remained standing before this closed door.
"Anonymous Russia!" he said at last' -
lay bare the inner meaning of the book. Anonymous Russia! It was Anonymous Russia, as Turgenev saw, that had at last arisen to menace the doors which shut out Russia from political liberty. And it is of the spontaneous formation of the Nihilist party, and of the hurried and uncertain steps it took preparatory to the serious Terrorist struggle, that Virgin Soil treats with equal skill and force.
The last words of Virgin Soil -
'A long while Paklin remained standing before this closed door.
"Anonymous Russia!" he said at last' -
lay bare the inner meaning of the book. Anonymous Russia! It was Anonymous Russia, as Turgenev saw, that had at last arisen to menace the doors which shut out Russia from political liberty. And it is of the spontaneous formation of the Nihilist party, and of the hurried and uncertain steps it took preparatory to the serious Terrorist struggle, that Virgin Soil treats with equal skill and force.
270 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2008
8 people want to read
About the author
Ivan Turgenev
1,826 books2,806 followersIvan 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 portrayals of the Russian peasantry and penetrating studies of the Russian intelligentsia who were attempting to move the country into a new age. His masterpiece, Fathers and Sons, is considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century.
Turgenev was a contemporary with Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy. While these wrote about church and religion, Turgenev was more concerned with the movement toward social reform in Russia.
These works offer realistic, affectionate portrayals of the Russian peasantry and penetrating studies of the Russian intelligentsia who were attempting to move the country into a new age. His masterpiece, Fathers and Sons, is considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century.
Turgenev was a contemporary with Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy. While these wrote about church and religion, Turgenev was more concerned with the movement toward social reform in Russia.
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December 17, 2025
A good read 😊 or actually a good audiobook!
I listen to this one more for its entertainment value than for anything else, even though I am aware it carries a political value as well (to which I am not paying all that much attention, to be honest).
I listen to this one more for its entertainment value than for anything else, even though I am aware it carries a political value as well (to which I am not paying all that much attention, to be honest).
Displaying 1 of 1 review