Turgenev Complete Works

Author: (Russian) Turgenev
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-05-01
Features: Turgenev, a distinguished representative of Russian literature and a great realist writer, is not unfamiliar to Chinese readers. His novels such as Notes from the Hunter, Fathers and Sons, and Red Earth have become classic works that Chinese intellectuals turn to repeatedly. The Complete Works of Turgenev gathers the leading figures of Chinese translation, compiling all of the author's works into one volume, reflecting the new achievements in Turgenev studies in China. In addition to long, medium, and short stories, it includes his plays, poems, prose poems, literary essays, literary memoirs, and letters. To highlight the academic nature and research value of the book, and to facilitate readers and researchers, the preface features three complementary general introductions written by Ye Shuifu, President of the China Translation Workers' Association and President of the Russian Literature Research Association; Chen Shen, a renowned Turgenev expert; and Zhu Xiansheng, a rising young researcher in Russian literature. These introductions comprehensively evaluate Turgenev's thoughts and art. Each genre has its own preface, each volume contains brief prefaces for each work, and each piece is accompanied by concise annotations. The book concludes with a biographical sketch and a chronology of Turgenev's life and creative works. The letters volume includes a name and work index, and each volume is enriched with illustrative images as a valuable supplement to the text.
I. S. Turgenev (1818–1883) was born into a noble family in Oryol Province, Russia. This great Russian writer, from his first published work, the poetic drama Steno, in 1834 to the Prose Poems he published the year before his death, produced dozens of volumes of works in poetry, drama, novels, sketches, letters, and essays over half a century, depicting an entire era of Russian social life. Turgenev's creative work represents a new stage in the development of Russian realism, particularly contributing significantly to the evolution of the Russian novel. Turgenev was an extremely sensitive writer who observed issues from a broad perspective, identifying and reflecting in a timely manner the dynamics and direction of society, raising critical questions about the future and destiny of the nation, and creating a series of typical figures of the era. Turgenev excelled at portraying women, believing that their nature is passionate, uncompromising, sensitive, and imaginative, endowed with an innate expectation for new, heroic things. Natalia in Rodya, Lisa in A House of Noble Families, and Elena in Evening are unforgettable, especially Elena's selfless female image, which inspires deep respect. He was also a master of describing landscapes, painting vivid pictures of Russia's flowers, trees, rivers, mountains, grasslands, and ponds. In China, Turgenev is one of the most popular foreign classical writers, and his novels such as Notes from the Hunter, Fathers and Sons, and Red Earth have become classic works that Chinese intellectuals cherish. (Zhou Bei) (Jiang Jiang compiled)