Fathers and Sons

Fathers and Sons

By Ivan Turgenev

According to his Wikipedia entry, Nabokov thought Turgenev was the 4th-best Russian author (above Dostoevsky) and he has the the largest recorded brain-weight. For these reasons alone I wanted to read his best-regarded novel.

Fathers and Sons is about two sets of pre-revolutionary Russian fathers and sons and their ideas about life and society. The new generation's philosophical nihilism is pitted against their fathers' traditional (albeit modernizing) beliefs.

I was surprised how much the character depictions and conflicts remain relevant to this day. It's definitely a good read for radical sons and liberal fathers. It teaches us that our kitchen-table arguments aren't that original. (Dad, I swear I just call you a fascist sometimes because it pisses you off).

The novel also deals with reconciling philosophical dogmas with the reality of human feelings and desires. Can a doctrine like nihilism overthrow the desire for family and love?

The depictions of college-age radicals is right on. They're not portrayed as petulant or dumb, but still in the process of solidifying their beliefs. The adults aren't condescending but are legitimately afraid of the generational shift. The parents also aren't aristocratic autocrats, but rather good-hearted men trying to keep up with changing times. Their interactions have a very realistic nuance.

Tom Stoppard seems to have stolen a lot of Turgenev's ideas in his Coast of Utopia play trilogy. Yet he lacks Turgenev's sympathy for the young men. Stoppard sees them as arbitrary and immature while Turgenev sees that they're bright and forward-looking, if not fully clear on their complete philosophies. The conflict and writing are both engaging and it's a quick read. I generally trust a guy smart enough to write Lolita in his third language, and he didn't let me down.