One of the great classics of Russian literature, Fathers and Sons follows two young men, their parents and their friendships at a time of great social change. It explores class and generational divide in a narrative that switches from fast-paced action to less exciting discussions on society, philosophy and politics. This translation by Peter Carson is solid and well annotated but at times a little stilted and opaque.

"...headstones have been displaced as if someone has pushed them aside from below..."

A slow start, but so much is compressed into this little novel; all of Pride and Prejudice or Middlemarch is condensed and conveyed in these pages. The characters are types in the same way as the characters in Turgenev’s short stories, but in that way they also somehow transcend themselves.

7/10

Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons" is driven by two elements: a character study of a 'nihilist' named Barazov and the difficulty of communication between generations. Bazarov is a provocative, frequently maddending, and occasionally inspiring character struggling to live life on his own terms. His nihilism is a kind of crude one - detesting all authroity, superstition, sentimentality, displays of emotion, etc. His strength of will and individualism give him a certain power and influence over others, but also a kind of weakness, which recurs in his inability manage romantic relationships or accept and endure his parents love and care. Turgenev avoids grandiose plot design, as the story mostly follows Bazarov's rather aimless wanderings with his friend Arkady in the country side on the way to visit their parents. Despite Bazarov's frequent rants against sentimentality, Turgenev sprinkles the text with moving, heart-rending scenes. My edition has a lecture from Isaiah Berlin which I skipped as it seemed to go into detail about the plot, but will return to now.

Дети такие же, как отцы, а отцы и сами, все до единого — как маленькие дети. Дети хорохорятся, но только до поры, пока не влюбятся. Базаров выкобенивается, потому как любовь ему не возвратили, и это практически сюжет последнего Саус Парка, в котором истоки злости списаны на длину известных органов. К концу Тургенев открыто разбомбил Базарова, да стоило ли его еще и убивать, лишь для того, чтобы победоносно провозгласить, что смерть отрицать нельзя?

The tussle between the old and the new generations, the conservative and the modern...which remains relevant even a century and a half after it was written

~3.25