Fathers and Sons

The novel "Fathers and Sons" narrates not only the eternal conflict between generations but also the clash between supporters of new and old views. Published in 1862, it conveys the sentiments prevailing in the mid-19th century: an important ideological dispute erupted between liberal nobles and nihilist commoners.
V. Nabokov wrote: "The novel portrays a moral conflict between virtuous weak-willed failures of the 1840s and a new generation of strong young revolutionaries — 'nihilists'." At the same time, N. Strakhov compared Turgenev's novel to the works of Nikolai Gogol, who said about his "The Government Inspector" that there is one honest face in it — laughter; so it can be said about "Fathers and Sons" that it has a face that stands above all faces and even above Bazarov — life."

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818–1883) was a Russian writer, publicist, and translator, recognized worldwide. He was one of the first to study the "new man," and thanks to him, the nihilist movement received wide attention in society.