III

TURGENEV




Turgenev was born on the 28 October 1818, at Orel, in south central
Russia, about half-way between Moscow and Kiev. Thus, although the
temperament of Turgenev was entirely different from that of Gogol, he
was born not far from the latter's beloved Ukraine. He came honestly
by the patrician quality that unconsciously animated all his books,
for his family was both ancient and noble. His mother was wealthy, and
in 1817 was married to a handsome, unprincipled military officer six
years younger than herself. Their life together was an excellent
example of the exact opposite of domestic bliss, and in treating the
boy like a culprit, they transformed him--as always happens in similar
cases--into a severe judge of their own conduct. The father's
unbridled sensuality and the mother's unbridled tongue gave a
succession of moving pictures of family discord to the inquisitive
eyes of the future novelist. His childhood was anything but cheerful,
and late in life he said he could distinctly remember the salt taste
of the frequent tears that trickled into the corners of his mouth.
Fortunately for all concerned, the father died while Turgenev was a
boy, leaving him with only one--even if the more formidable--of his
parents to contend with. His mother despised writers, especially those
who wrote in Russian; she insisted that Ivan should make an