Ivan Turgenev: Biography, Books & Where to Start

Who was Ivan Turgenev?

Ivan Turgenev was the most European of the great Russian novelists and the first to win a wide readership in the West. His A Sportsman’s Sketches (1852), quiet portraits of peasants and landowners, are often credited with stirring public feeling against serfdom. Fathers and Sons (1862) introduced the young “nihilist” Bazarov and the generation gap that still defines families. Elegant, melancholy and precise, Turgenev spent much of his life in France, where he befriended Flaubert and Zola.

Where to start

Begin with Fathers and Sons.

Ivan Turgenev’s books, in order

1. A Sportsman’s Sketches (1852) — Hunting stories that helped turn opinion against serfdom.
   Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →
2. Rudin (1856) — A brilliant talker who can never act.
   Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →
3. A House of Gentlefolk (1859) — Also called Home of the Gentry.
   Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →
4. On the Eve (1860)
   Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →
5. First Love (1860) — A boy’s summer infatuation — Turgenev’s favourite of his own works.
   Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →
6. Fathers and Sons (1862) — The nihilist Bazarov and the generation gap (translated as Fathers and Children). Read free →
7. Smoke (1867)
   Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →

Part of our Russian Classics reading list — print it, email it to yourself or share it.

More Russian authors

Alexander Pushkin · Nikolai Gogol · Mikhail Lermontov · Fyodor Dostoevsky · Leo Tolstoy · Ivan Goncharov · Anton Chekhov · Maxim Gorky · Mikhail Bulgakov · Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ivan Turgenev?

Ivan Turgenev was the most European of the great Russian novelists and the first to win a wide readership in the West. His A Sportsman’s Sketches (1852), quiet portraits of peasants and landowners, are often credited with stirring public feeling against serfdom.

What is Ivan Turgenev’s most famous book?

Fathers and Sons is usually considered Ivan Turgenev’s best-known work, followed by A Sportsman’s Sketches, First Love, A House of Gentlefolk.

Which Ivan Turgenev book should I read first?

Most readers start with Fathers and Sons.

Is it Ivan Turgenev or Turgenev?

Both refer to the same writer.

Can I read Ivan Turgenev’s books free online?

Yes — 1 of Ivan Turgenev’s books are free to read online in Pagine, the free e-reader and reading tracker.