The Correspondence of Dostoevsky and Turgenev

Description

The mid-19th century was a unique period for Russian literature. Nowhere else in history or culture did so many talented writers and poets emerge, engaging in a complex web of relationships, sometimes forming friendships, other times engaging in bitter feuds and arguments, and perhaps even parting ways forever. Among this diverse literary milieu, one might encounter Ivan Turgenev and Fyodor Dostoevsky. This book explores the correspondence between two giants of Russian literature of the 19th century, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Ivan Turgenev, who left an indelible mark not only on Russian literature but also on world literature. It recounts the story of their meeting in Baden, Germany, and how they eventually fell out, quarreled, and parted ways permanently. The book offers a fascinating journey into the worlds of these two writers and a compelling interpretation of their human nature and behavior both outside of literature and in everyday life. It is impossible to fully grasp the details of a writer’s life without a meticulous examination of all their writings—biographies, diaries, and letters—which shed light on what lies hidden and obscured within the folds of the literary narrative.