Smoke
New Translation
(Author) Ivan TurgenevOne of the most celebrated novels by the author of Fathers and Children, presented with pictures and a section on his life and works On his way back to Russia after some years spent in the West, Grigory Mikhailovich Litvinov, the son of a retired official of merchant stock, stops over in Baden-Baden to meet his fiancée Tatyana. However, a chance encounter with his old flame, the manipulative Irina—now married to a general and a prominent figure in aristocratic expatriate circles—unearths feelings buried deep inside the young man's heart, derailing his plans for the future and throwing his life into turmoil. Around this love story Turgenev constructs a sharply satirical exposé of his countrymen, which famously embroiled its author in a heated quarrel with Dostoevsky. A melancholy evocation of impossible romance, Smoke represents the apogee of Turgenev's later fiction.
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Turgenev was a Russian novelist, playwright, and short story writer, known for his insightful portrayals of Russian society and his exploration of the human condition. His most notable works include "Fathers and Sons," "A Month in the Country," and "First Love." Turgenev's writing style is characterized by its realism, psychological depth, and lyrical prose. He is considered a pioneer of the Russian realist novel and is credited with influencing the development of the Russian literary tradition. "Fathers and Sons" is Turgenev's most famous work, exploring generational conflict and the clash of ideologies in 19th-century Russia. Ivan Turgenev's contributions to literature have had a lasting impact on the genre of the novel and continue to be studied and admired by readers and scholars around the world.