TURGENEV - A Giant in the Shadow

Today Dostoevsky and Tolstoy are two of the most famous Russian writers. In the 1880s, however, the picture was very different. Ivan Turgenev was the most famous Russian writer in the west. In fact, it was Turgenev who introduced both Dostoevsky and Tolstoy to a western audience and made them popular. Today he’s somehow obscured in the shadow of those two giants. In this video I will try to change that by making a case as to why you should consider Turgenev on the same level as Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. When it comes to artistic ability, I think he is even better, especially in his writing about nature, failed romance, and parental love. In this video, I will try to justify my claim by looking at Turgenev’s life, his writing style, and compare him to Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Turgenev is sometimes considered a writer’s writer. His most famous work, Fathers and Sons I think, had a big influence on both Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. It was published in 1862, four years later Dostoevsky published his most famous novel, Crime and Punishment and 7 years later Tolstoy published his own masterpiece, War and Peace. So Turgenev was the first of those great Russian giants. I will also explain why he is often called the most un-Russian Russian writer, almost French in his style. Support the channel ► Monthly donation with perks: ► One-time donation: WHERE TO FIND ME: ► Instagram: ► E-mail: fictionbeastofficial@ ► Audio Podcast: 🕔Time Stamps🕔 00:00 Intro 01:27 Turgenev’s Life 06:15 Turgenev’s Novels 09:12 Turgenev was an artist 14:24 Generational divide 17:27 Beauty in failure 19:37 Nature 22:54 final words Music: We Are Here by Declan DP Licensing Agreement: Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library #turgenev #russianliterature #dostoevsky #tolstoy