These two stories are magnificently brilliant and I loved them. The Diary of a Superfluous Man is a rather sad story about a man who isn't even the main character in his own life, a life which is soon to end despite of his youth. There are beautiful passages and one of the most beautiful short stories I have ever read. I love the way he writes in the characters perspective and it is a very agreeable short story. First Love is a short story as brilliant as the other. It is about a man's account of his first love, a very queer one. At the age of 16 Valdimir fell in love with a woman of 21 named Zinaida, but she does not reciprocate this love. She has a long line of lovers who would die for her, but she loves none of them. In fact, it is Valdimir's father whom her heart is set upon! It is a great tale and I loved the way it was written and the characters are beautiful and tragic. I love these stories very much, I dare say they are the best short stories I have ever read. I love them dearly and I highly recommend it.

“Asya” too


Superflous Man: “in the face of eternity, all is vanity”

These two novellas from the 1800s depict first love and unrequited love better than any romance book you can find today. Turgenev managed to craft characters so timeless and so grounded in reality that I felt like my thoughts were being mirrored on the page:

"What was the reason of this trivial fretting at myself? -- who knows? who can tell?"

"It positively strikes me as extraordinary the way people manage to talk, and so simply and freely."

"[About Zinaïda] But the feeling of rapture I experienced then has never come a second time in my life. It turned to a sweet ache in all my limbs and found expression at last in joyful hops and skips and shouts. Yes, I was still a child."

"I did not want to know whether I was loved, and did not want to acknowledge to myself that I was not loved."

Like? Turgenev is a genius, I rest my case.

I was frankly blown away by these two longer short stories of Turgenevs. He jumps straight in there and doesn't let up. The power of perception and sensitivity mixed with the way he attacks his subject is awesome.

Interesting, with some beautiful descriptions.