Ivan Turgenev is widely regarded as one of the best Russian novelists of the 19th century. Though overshadowed by his contemporaries, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, his economical and compassionate detailing of the human condition lends his work its great and lasting appeal. By concealing himself and his sympathies, Turgenev offers the reader an objective account of his story. This “objective detachment” is the art of his realism (Freeborn). His grasp of human psychology allows him to create such understandable and relatable characters. Turgenev’s works are often deeply influenced by the social and political events of mid-19th century Russia. His greatest works are always topical, and offer realistic illustrations of the peasantry and the intellectuals of Russia during a time of unbridled change and development. His deeply resounding writings have earned him great praise; the American author Henry James called Turgenev “the only real beautiful genius” and Nabokov lists him as the fourth greatest Russian author (Freeborn, Nabokov).
As any 19th century Russian author, Turgenev inevitably finds influence in Pushkin and Lermontov. The two towering figures heavily inspired his early attempts at poetry. Pushkin stands as an idol for all 19th century Russian authors and poets, and his influence is inescapable. Turgenev likely found some inspiration for Bazarov in Lermontov’s Pechorin. Like many other Russian authors, Turgenev also was greatly inspired by the writings of Lord Byron. His early poems were largely modeled off of works by the British master. Bazarov, like Pechorin, is an example of a Byronic hero in his Romantically non-Romantic ideals. Turgenev also openly admired Nikolai Gogol. After Gogol’s death in 1852, Turgenev wrote a glowing and mournful obituary for him. Turgenev, like all Russian authors (in a quote attributed to Dostoevsky), seemingly sprung from Gogol’s overcoat.
Turgenev’s writing was also shaped by his time in Berlin, where he went to University. Here he was exposed to the German romantic works of Goethe and Schiller. Turgenev did not only find inspiration in Russian sources. Unlike some of the other great Russian authors of the time, Turgenev spent much time outside of Russia. Perhaps his works are unique because of the author’s partially non-Russian background and interests.
Much of Turgenev’s works are deeply influenced by his friends and contemporaries. He became friends with several Russian literary critics, as well as with Tolstoy and the French author Gustave Flaubert. He frequently had impassioned philosophical discussions with his friends, most notably the critic Vissarion Belinsky (Moser). These discussions certainly influenced Turgenev’s works, possibly serving as the basis for the philosophical dialogues that lie at the heart of his Fathers and Sons.