Fathers and Sons

First published in 1862, Ivan Turgenev’s “Fathers and Sons” is widely considered to be the author’s greatest literary achievement. It is a novel about the clash of ideologies of two generations. The older generation, the fathers, represents an upper class whose power and influence is fading and giving way to the younger generation, the sons, who represent an increasing objection to the status quo. This conflict is embodied in the characters of Arkady Nikolaevich Kirsanov and Yevgeny Vasilevich Bazarov, two friends who have meet as students at St. Petersburg University. Arkady has recently graduated and has returned home to his father’s small estate in an outlying province of Russia bringing his friend Yevgeny with him. What follows is uneasiness amongst the family when Arkady and Yevgeny’s nihilistic views begin to emerge and are shown in conflict with the older generations more traditional views. “Fathers and Sons” is a brilliant work that captures the tension that existed among generations and class in the years leading up to the revolution in Russia. This edition follows the translation of Constance Garnett and a biographical afterword.