Turgenev Complete Works (1-12)

Author: (Russian) Ivan Turgenev, translated by Li Gang and others
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-12-01
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 a Hunter's Log, Fathers and Sons, and Virgin Soil have become classic works that Chinese intellectuals turn to repeatedly. The Complete Works of Turgenev gathers the leading figures of Chinese translation circles, compiling the author's entire oeuvre in a single release, 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 this book, and to facilitate readers and scholars, 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 necessary annotations are provided. The book concludes with a biographical sketch of the author and a chronological table of his creative life. The letters volume includes a name and work index, and each volume is enriched with illustrative materials as a valuable supplement to the text.
Ivan Shemyakin 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 Poem published the year before his death, wrote dozens of volumes of poetry, plays, novels, sketches, letters, and essays over half a century, depicting an entire era of Russian social life. Turgenev's works represent 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, promptly reflecting the dynamics and direction of the entire society, raising critical questions about the future and destiny of the nation, and creating a series of iconic figures of the era. Turgenev excelled at portraying female characters, believing that women are inherently 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 On the Eve are unforgettable, especially Elena's selfless and admirable portrayal. He was also a master of describing landscapes, with his pen bringing the flowers, trees, rivers, mountains, grasslands, and ponds of Russia to life in picturesque beauty. In China, Turgenev is one of the most popular foreign classical writers, and his novels such as Notes from a Hunter's Log, Fathers and Sons, and Virgin Soil have become classic works that Chinese intellectuals revisit with great enthusiasm. (Zhou Bei) (Jiang Jiang compiled)