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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9781592246519
ISBN number: 1592246516
Label: Wildside Press
Manufacturer: Wildside Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: May 01, 2003
Publishing house: Wildside Press
Sale Popularity Level: 822019
Studio: Wildside Press
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FATHERS AND SONS was the most closely studied of Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev's works in the Soviet high school curriculum. An inadvertent political agenda favorite, juxtaposing two generations, 'the fathers,' or the fading aristocracy, and 'the sons,' or the new fresh blood of the middle class and the nihilists, the novel seemed a perfect vehicle for portraying the brewing unrest of the pre-revolutionary era, and introduced the character of Bazarov -- the spirited nihilist who was seen as a brilliant idealistic rebel, the new kind of perfect man who rejected the old notions of class and came to disrupt nobility's status quo. Growing up, Turgenev witnessed much class injustice in Russia, and his themes reflect his overwhelming concern with the suffering of the poor and the voiceless serfs. But FATHERS AND SONS is not merely a convenient socio-political piece; Turgenev is a lyrical romantic. At the novel's heart lies the ultimately tragic human story of Bazarov's flippant kiss of a servant girl and the bizarre tension it causes in a cozy country gentry household where he is a guest. An important period classic.
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Rated by buyers 
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A great book, in my estimation, is one that touches your heart and causes you to change for the better. Ivan Turgenev's novel, Fathers and Sons is, in my view, such a book. Turgenev was not well liked in Russia in his lifetime and is not now, even, regarded as among the foremost of Russian novelists and for good reason. Turgenev scorned his mother country, spending much of this life in France living with the woman he loved and her husband. In the novel he also has a son (Arcady) gently remove from his father a book by Puskin he was reading, substituting for it a book by a German writer no less--high sacrilege even in 19th century Russia. More to the point, in the two young men who are the focal point of the story, Turgenev created characters who display a negative and even hostile view of Russia.
The novel has three settings. The very first is at the country estate of Nicholas Petrovich Kusimov whose son, Arcady has just graduated from the university and is returning home accompanied by his fellow graduate and mentor, Eugene Vassilich Bazarov. It is Bazarov who becomes the lighting rod and center of the plot. He instantly quarrels with Nicholas' brother, Paul, an aristocratic defender of the status quo. Arcady shares Eugene's nilistic view of life, but is clearly softer and less critical than his intense friend.
After a time the pair go to town where they meet Madame Anna Sergeyevna Odinizov, a youngish (29) widow living in relative luxury with her younger sister, Katya. Both young men fall in love with the widow, Arcady with the sort of hopeless puppy love attraction for an older woman and Eugene without admitting it, in a more mature manner. Madame Odinizov is drawn to Eugene's mental acuities and intensity, but it is not clear that she loves him. Arcady, for his part, finds solace with the younger and more submissive Katya. Finally Bazarov blurts out his love for Madame Odinizov which she seemingly rejects and the two young men leave to visit Bazarov's parents.
Vassily Ivanich Bazarov is a retired army doctor who now lives with his kind-hearted wife, Arina, on a farm. Both parents, especially, Arina, are thrilled that their son has returned home, but Eugene scorns them as he has all others. Finally after some days he says he is bored and wants to leave. The parents are heartbroken, but understand that their son has greatness in him and cannot be confined to living in obscurity. Arcady then returns to Madame Odinizov's and develops his relationship with Katya, while Eugene returns to the Kusimov estate to resume his biological experiments.
The greatness of the book, where it leaves an indelible impression, comes in the last 50 pages. The tragedy that occurs comes suddenly and unexpectedly and touches the lives of all the characters. It will touch your life too and leave you with a greater appreciation for life in all its wonders and futility.
Rated by buyers -
Fathers and Sons
First off, I love Russian literature. There is an exception and that being, "War and Peace,". This is a fat book with alot of words and one can veer off course in a hurry.
"Fathers and Sons" is not only written well, but hits home. Two old parents,each with a son and each son a different value system and outlook on life. This book, written in the true Turgenev style is an easy read and a marvelous one that is applicable to today. To say more would spoil the suspense and delight that is in store for you. Buy it and read it, put it on the shelf for a few months, read it again. You will find out more and be amazed at what you did not read the very first time.Karl Olson
Rated by buyers -
I read this for fun, and it wasn't a waste of time. It was a little a slow, but the passion for life Trugenev has is clear and beautiful. This is a classic as good as anything I've ever read.
It does have slow points, and some of the plot may seem cliché. But, at the time it was original, and even now the dialogue is never (NEVER) cliché.
I was shocked by how much I loved this book.
Read it. Use a library if you can't afford it.
Rated by buyers -
Isn't it so true! -- and it always will be so, as it has in the past. Perhaps Baby Boomers reading this review will recall what their parents thought of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc. ... and what many of us, at the same time thought about the Nixonian "Establishment" *.* Who was right? I'll encourage you to answer this one.
But, as to this book, it's one of the finest Russian Classics I've ever read (and I've read many -- see my listmania lists on Russian works). It's a MYTH that all Russian novels are dreary -- you can even find humour stowed away here and there in Dostoyevsky if you actually read him. You'll find this book especially upbeat, for the most part. It has its serious moments but it also conveys notable hilarity and absurdity as well, ergo, "the duel"!
Two young educated men: 1) come into philosophical conflict with their respective elders, and, 2) fall in love with their respective female fancies. "It's as simple as that," as Tolstoy would say!
The ending is one of the most compelling closings I've ever encountered. It's quite moving and the Hallmark of a shrewd novelist. I think that the ending, in particular, makes this work as savoury for women as it is for men, perhaps even moreso. At 157 pages, it's a pretty fast read.
Michael Katz, (Professor of Slavic Languages, University of Texas), did a fine job on this particular translation -- very fluid and smooth reading. There are also some very informative, but brief, footnotes in this edition which are imperative for the reader who is not much apprised of Russian culture of this period (it takes place just prior to the elimination of Russian serfdom which happened in the early 1860s).
This work is also a good warm up prequel, as some have mentioned, to the Russian Mother of All Novels: "War and Peace" (Tolstoy). However, I will point out one chief difference between the writing styles of Tolstoy and Turgenev... Tolstoy is DEEP, psychologically speaking and exudes tons of sub-plots. Turgenev is straightforward and he writes directly that to which he has witnessed in life... nothing more. It's infinitely readable to all.
This is a fine novel for anyone who enjoys peeking into the daily inner-workings and inevitable peccadillos of the average family. If I have a complaint with this edition, I confess to finding myself squinting at the notably small fonts.
But then, I am getting on in life and I can't see as good as I used to *.*
Rated by buyers 
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I took a Russian Literature course a year ago, and out of all the assigned readings, Ivan Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons" was the only one I read all the way through. The story kept me reading, but although it was probably the easiest read out of the list, it is not as simple as one would think. The story isn't actually as important as the message/opinion Turgenev was trying to send out, through the interactions of his characters. If at all interested in Russian historical/cultural issues, this book offers a nifty way to think about it as it might have affected individuals living it.
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