Virgin Soil: Volume 1

by Ivan Turgenev, Constance Garnett

Gives an analysis of the future of Russia that was prescient as it sketches out the historical justification of the Nihilist movement - why it was necessary - and then prophesises its failure. This novel takes a simple story line and creates an intricate and in-depth look at life in Russia as seen through the eyes of ordinary Russians.

266 pages, Paperback

First published July 17, 2008

About the author

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 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.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

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).