A Great Honor Sometimes unexpected things happen when you are asked to speak and perform in the provinces. Humor
On the Eve Turgenev's third novel, set on the eve of the Crimean War, discusses the destiny of Russia through the story of a young woman named Elena, who marries a foreign revolutionary. Literature
The Petersburg Feuilletons A journalistic piece from 1847, in which Fyodor Mikhailovich lambasts "the dreamer" omnipresent in St. Petersburg life. Literature
On Tverskoy Boulevard A run in with a traffic cop gives the author some perspective on the importance of literature. Humor
Hamlet and Don Quixote A vitally important bit of literary (and social) criticism by Turgenev, in which he divides the world up into Hamlets and Quixotes. Literature
The Many Faces of Fyodor Mikhailovich Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky is known for huge, intense, philosophical works, but this reputation ignores the great variety of his writing. Literature
A House of Gentlefolk Extract from the author's least controversial and most widely read work during his lifetime. Yet Goncharov (he of Oblomov fame) accused Turgenev of plagiarizing the story from him. Literature
My City Now is Drowsing A final poem by Okudzhava to close out this issue devoted to his beloved city. Music
Genius An autobiographical story about the author's earliest attempt to get his poetry published. Literature
Rudin An excerpt from the finale of Turgenev's first novel, about Rudin, a "Titan in word but a pygmy in deed." Literature
Faust Extract from this epistolary novella, loosely inspired by Turgenev's infatuation with a married woman who lived next door. Literature
