Отцы и дети

1862 novel by Ivan Turgenev

Fathers and Sons («Отцы и дети»; Otcy i deti, ; pre 1918 spelling Отцы и дѣти), literally Fathers and Children, is an 1862 novel by Ivan Turgenev, published in Moscow by Grachev & Co. It is one of the most acclaimed Russian novels of the 19th century.

University graduate Arkady Kirsanov returns to his father's modest estate, called Marino. Arkady brings his friend, Eugene Bazarov. His father, Nikolay, gladly receives the two young men at his estate, but Nikolay's brother, Pavel, soon becomes upset by the strange new philosophy called "nihilism" that the young men advocate. Nikolay, initially delighted to have his son return home, slowly begins to feel uneasy. A certain awkwardness develops in his regard toward his son, as Arkady's radical views, much influenced by Bazarov, make Nikolay's own beliefs feel dated. Nikolay has always tried to stay as current as possible, by doing things such as visiting his son at school so the two can stay as close as they can, but this in Nikolay's eyes has failed. To complicate this, the father has taken a servant, Fenechka, into his house to live with him and has already had a son by her, named Mitya. Arkady, however, is not troubled by the relationship; on the contrary, he is delighted by the addition of a younger brother. The two young men stay at Marino for some weeks, then decide to visit a relative of Arkady's. There, they observe the local gentry and meet Madame Anna Sergevna Odintsova, an elegant woman of independent means, who cuts a seductively different figure from conventional types of the local provincial society. Both are greatly attracted to her, and she, intrigued by Bazarov's singular manner, invites them to spend a few days at her estate, Nikolskoye. At Nikolskoye, they also meet Katya, Madame Odintsova's sister. Although they stay for just a short time, Arkady steadily becomes more independent of Bazarov's influence. Bazarov finds falling in love distressing because it runs counter to his nihilist beliefs. Eventually, prompted by Madame Odintsova's own cautious expressions of attraction to him, he announces that he loves her. She does not respond positively to his declaration; she finds his devaluation of feelings and of the aesthetic side of existence unattractive. She does not see the possibility of a good future with him. After his avowal of love, and her failure to make a similar declaration, Bazarov proceeds to his parents' home, and Arkady goes with him. At Bazarov's home, they are received enthusiastically by his parents, who adore him. Bazarov's social cynicism is still on display as he settles back into his own family's home again. Arkady, who has delighted Bazarov's father by assuring him that his son has a brilliant future in store, reproves his friend for his brusqueness. Later, Bazarov and Arkady nearly come to blows after Bazarov speaks insultingly of Arkady's uncle and chides Arkady for expressing himself too romantically. Arkady becomes more openly skeptical of Bazarov's ideals. After a brief stay, much to the parents' disappointment, they decide to return to Marino, stopping on the way to see Madame Odintsova, who receives them coolly. Embarrassed, they leave almost immediately and return to Arkady's home. Arkady remains for only a few days and makes an excuse to leave in order to go to Nikolskoye again. Once there, he realizes he is not in love with Odintsova, but instead with her sister Katya. Bazarov stays at Marino to do some scientific research, and tension between him and Pavel increases. Bazarov enjoys talking with Fenechka and playing with her child, and one day he kisses her, against her will. Pavel observes this kiss and challenges Bazarov to a duel. Pavel is wounded in the leg, and Bazarov must leave Marino, going to his parents' home. Meanwhile, Arkady and Katya have fallen in love and have become engaged. While back at home, Bazarov begins to help his father as a country doctor. He cannot keep his mind on his work, though, and while performing an autopsy, he cuts himself and becomes infected. On his deathbed, he sends for Madame Odintsova, who arrives just in time to hear Bazarov tell her how beautiful she is. She kisses him on the forehead and leaves; Bazarov dies the following day. Arkady marries Katya and assumes the management of his father's estate. His father marries Fenechka and is delighted to have Arkady home with him.

The fathers and children of the novel refers to the growing divide between the two generations of Russians, and the character Yevgeny Bazarov, a nihilist who rejects the old order. Turgenev wrote Fathers and Sons as a response to the growing cultural schism that he saw between liberals of the 1830s/1840s and the growing nihilist movement. Both the nihilists (the "sons") and the 1830s liberals (the "fathers") sought Western based social change in Russia. Additionally, these two modes of thought were contrasted with the Slavophiles, who believed that Russia's path lay in its traditional spirituality. Turgenev's novel was responsible for popularizing the use of the term nihilism, which became widely used after the novel was published. Fathers and Sons might be regarded as the first wholly modern novel in Russian literature (Gogol's Dead Souls, another main contender, was referred to by the author as a poem or epic in prose as in the style of Dante's Divine Comedy, and was at any rate never completed). The novel introduces a dual character study, as seen with the gradual breakdown of Bazarov's and Arkady's nihilistic opposition to emotional display, especially in the case of Bazarov's love for Madame Odintsova. The novel is also the first Russian work to gain prominence in the Western world, eventually gaining the approval of well established novelists Gustave Flaubert, Guy de Maupassant, and Henry James. The Bolshevik revolutionary Vladimir Bazarov adopted his pseudonym from the character of Yevgeny Bazarov in this novel.

Canadian playwright George F. Walker's 1988 play Nothing Sacred is a stage adaptation of Fathers and Sons. Irish playwright Brian Friel has also adapted the novel, under the same title.