Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev was born into a noble family in 1818. I must say that almost all the major Russian writers of the 19th century came out of this environment. In this article we will consider the life and work of Turgenev.
Parents
The acquaintance of Ivan's parents is noteworthy. In 1815, young and handsome cavalry guard Sergei Turgenev arrived in Spasskoye. He made a strong impression on Varvara Petrovna (the mother of the writer). According to a contemporary close to her surroundings, Varvara ordered Sergey to be transferred through acquaintances to make a formal proposal, and she would gladly agree. For the most part, it was a marriage of convenience. Turgenev belonged to the nobility and was a war hero, and Varvara Petrovna had a great fortune.
Relations in the newly-minted family were strained. Sergei did not even try to argue with the sovereign mistress of their entire fortune. In the house there was only alienation and barely restrained mutual irritation. The only thing the spouses converged on was the desire to give their children a better education. And for this they spared neither strength nor money.
Moving to Moscow
That is why the whole family moved to Moscow in 1927. At that time, wealthy nobles gave their children exclusively to private educational institutions. So the young Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev was given a boarding school at the Armenian Institute, and a few months later was transferred to the Weidenhammer boarding house. Two years later, he was expelled from there, and his parents no longer made attempts to get his son in any institution. The future writer continued to prepare for university admission at home with tutors.
Study
Having entered Moscow University, Ivan studied there for only a year. In 1834, he moved with his brother and father to St. Petersburg and transferred to a local educational institution. Young Turgenev graduated from it two years later. But in the future, he always mentioned Moscow University more often, giving him the greatest preference. This was due to the fact that the St. Petersburg Institute was known for its strict supervision of students by the government. In Moscow there was no such control, and freedom-loving students were very pleased.
First works
We can say that the work of Turgenev began with a university bench. Although Ivan Sergeyevich himself did not like to recall the literary experiments of that time. The beginning of his writing career, he considered the 40s. Therefore, most of his university works never reached us. If we consider Turgenev a demanding artist, he did the right thing: the available samples of his works of that time belong to the category of literary apprenticeship. They can be of interest only to literary historians and those who want to understand how Turgenev's work began and how his writing talent was formed.
Passion for philosophy
In the mid and late 30s, Ivan Sergeyevich wrote a lot to hone his writing skills. On one of his works he received critical review of Belinsky. This event had a great influence on the work of Turgenev, briefly described in this article. After all, the point was not only that the great critic corrected the mistakes of the inexperienced taste of the âgreenâ writer. Ivan Sergeyevich changed his views not only on art, but also on life itself. Through observation and analysis, he decided to study reality in all its forms. Therefore, in addition to literary studies, Turgenev became interested in philosophy, and so seriously that he was thinking about professorship at the department of a university. The desire to pull this area of ââknowledge led him to the third university in a row - Berlin. With long breaks, he spent about two years there and very well studied the work of Hegel and Feuerbach.
First success
In the years 1838-1842 Turgenevâs work was not marked by violent activity. He wrote little and mostly only lyrics. The poems published by him did not attract the attention of either critics or readers. In this regard, Ivan Sergeyevich decided to devote more time to such genres as drama and poem. The first success in this field came to him in April 1843, when Porosh was published. A month later, in the "Notes of the Fatherland" Belinsky's laudatory review was published on it.
In fact, this poem was not original. She became extraordinary only thanks to the recall of Belinsky. And in the review itself he spoke not so much about the poem, but about Turgenevâs talent. But nevertheless, Belinsky was not mistaken; he definitely discerned outstanding writing skills in the young author.
When the review was read by Ivan Sergeyevich himself, it caused him not joy, but rather embarrassment. The reason for this was doubts about the correct choice of his vocation. They defeated the writer from the beginning of the 40s. Nevertheless, the article encouraged him and forced him to raise the bar of requirements for his activities. Since that time, Turgenevâs work, briefly described in the school curriculum, received an additional incentive and went uphill. Ivan Sergeevich felt responsible to critics, readers and, above all, himself. Therefore, he worked diligently to improve his writing skills.
Arrest
In 1852, Gogol died. This event greatly influenced the life and work of Turgenev. And the point here is not at all in emotional experiences. Ivan Sergeyevich wrote a âhotâ article on this occasion. The Petersburg Censorship Committee banned her, calling Gogol a "lackey" writer. Then Ivan Sergeyevich sent the article to Moscow, where, thanks to the efforts of his friends, it was printed. An investigation was immediately ordered, during which Turgenev and his friends were declared the perpetrators of state unrest. Ivan Sergeevich received a month of imprisonment with subsequent expulsion to his homeland under supervision. Everyone understood that the article was only an excuse, but the order came from the very top. By the way, during the "imprisonment" of the writer one of his best stories was published. On the cover of each book there was an inscription: âIvan Sergeevich Turgenevâ Bezhin Meadow â.
After his release, the writer went into exile in the village of Spasskoye. There he spent almost a year and a half. At first, nothing could captivate him: neither hunting, nor creativity. He wrote very little. The then letters of Ivan Sergeyevich abounded with complaints of loneliness and requests to come to visit him at least for a while. He asked his fellow craftsmen to visit him, because he felt a strong need for communication. But there were positive points. As the chronological table of Turgenevâs work says, it was at that time that the writer had the idea of ââwriting âFathers and Sonsâ. Let's talk about this masterpiece.
"Fathers and Sons"
After publication in 1862, this novel provoked a very heated debate, during which most readers dubbed Turgenev a reactionary. This polemic scared the writer. He believed that he would no longer be able to find mutual understanding with young readers. But it was they who addressed the work. In general, Turgenevâs work was going through hard times. "Fathers and Sons" became the reason. As at the beginning of his writing career, Ivan Sergeevich doubted his own vocation.
At this time, he wrote the story "Ghosts", which perfectly conveyed his thoughts and doubts. Turgenev reasoned that literary fantasy is powerless in the face of the secrets of popular consciousness. And in the story âEnoughâ he generally doubted the fruitfulness of the activity of an individual for the benefit of society. The impression was that Ivan Sergeyevich was no longer concerned about the success of the public, and he was thinking about ending his career as a writer. Pushkinâs work helped Turgenev change his mind. Ivan Sergeevich read the arguments of the great poet regarding the opinion of the public: âShe is inconsistent, diverse and subject to fashion trends. But a true poet always appeals to the public given to him by fate. His duty is to awaken good feelings in her. â
Conclusion
We examined the life and work of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. Since then, Russia has changed a lot. Everything that the writer put in the foreground in his works remains in the distant past. Already there is no majority of the noble estates found on the pages of the author's works. And the topic of evil landowners and nobility no longer has a social acuteness. And the Russian village is now completely different.
Nevertheless, the fate of the heroes of that time continues to arouse genuine interest in the modern reader. It turns out that everything that Ivan Sergeyevich hated is also hateful to us. And what he saw as good is also from our point of view. Of course, one can disagree with the writer, but hardly anyone will argue that Turgenevâs work is timeless.