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In this rediscovered literary gem, Turgenev explores the elusive nature of love, suggesting that with the loss of love comes a sense of resignation—and the conviction that the essence of life lies in self–denial. It is published here with the short story Yakov Pasynkov. Foreword by Simon Callow.

In a series of letters to a friend, the narrator relates how he has managed to convince a married woman—hitherto shielded from the powerful effects of poetry and fiction—of the importance of developing the imagination. By introducing her to Goethe’s masterpiece, he sets in motion a chain of crucial events. In this poetic exploration of spiritual awakening, Turgenev demonstrates his preoccupation with the culture of Western Europe and the nature of human relations. Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883) was a Russian novelist and playwright, who spent much of his life in Western Europe. His writing profoundly affected the course of European literature.