First Love - Turgenev, Ivan

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Résumé :
First published in 1860, 'First Love' is a novella by Ivan Turgenev, a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator, and popularizer of Russian literature in the West. Some criticized its light subject matter that did not touch upon any of the pressing social and political issues of the day. But it had its many admirers, including the French novelist Gustave Flaubert, who gushed in a letter to Turgenev, What an exciting girl that Zinochka is! It tells the love story between a 21-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy. Like many of Turgenev's works, this one is highly autobiographical. Indeed, the author claimed it was the most autobiographical of all his works. Here Turgenev is retelling an incident from his own life, his infatuation with a young neighbor in the country, Catherine Shakovskoy (the Zinaida of the novella), an infatuation that lasted until his discovery that Catherine was in fact his own father's mistress.

Biographie:
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818-1883) was a Russian novelist, dramatist, short-story writer, and translator. He is considered to be a founder of the Russian realistic novel and ranks as one of the greatest stylists in the Russian language....

Sommaire:
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was born in 1818 into a noble Russian family and grew up on their estate, Spasskoye-Lutovinovo. He studied literature and philosophy at Moscow and Saint Petersburg universities before continuing his education in Berlin. His exposure to Western European ideas deeply influenced his views on Russian society and reform.Turgenev gained recognition with A Sportsman's Sketches (1852), which criticized serfdom and fueled discussions on its abolition. His novel Fathers and Sons (1862) introduced the nihilist Bazarov, sparking intense debate about generational conflict and ideological change. Though controversial, his works played a key role in shaping Russian literary and social thought.Spending much of his life in France and Germany, Turgenev formed lasting friendships with writers like Gustave Flaubert. His love for opera singer Pauline Viardot influenced his travels and personal life. He died in 1883 in Bougival, France, leaving behind a literary legacy of social critique and psychological depth....