A Lear of the Steppes and Other Stories [Paperback]

Ivan Turgenev (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

The tragedy of King Lear is transformed and taken to a different level in the title work of this collection of three shorter works by the great Russian classical writer Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev (1818-1883). Harlov, the "Lear," and in particular his daughters are vivid and lifelike; indeed, Turgenev has a penchant for portraying sympathetic profoundly spiritual women. A LEAR OF THE STEPPES AND OTHER STORIES also contains "Acia" and "Faust."

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Russian (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Born in Orel in central Russia in 1818 Ivan Turgenev studied at the universities in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Berlin and worked briefly for the civil service before turning to writing. He wrote several novels that examined the social, political and philosophical issues of the time as well as many plays and short stories. Living mainly in Baden-Baden and Paris Turgenev was acquainted with a variety of influential writers and met Dickens and Trollope among others on his travels to England. He was widely perceived to be the first major Russian writer to achieve great success in Europe. Turgenev died in Paris in 1883. The subtitle of Richard Garnett's biography (reissued in Faber Finds) of his grandmother, Constance Garnett (1861-1946) is A Heroic Life. It couldn't be more apt. She remains the most prolific English translator of Russian literature: twelve volumes of Dostoevsky, five of Gogol, six of Herzen (his complete My Past and Thoughts), seventeen of Tchehov (her spelling), five of Tolstoy, eleven of Turgenev and so on. Many of these will be appearing in Faber Finds. In all she translated over sixty works. It is not, however, the sheer quantity that is to be celebrated, though that in itself is remarkable, it is more the enduring quality of her work. Of course there have been critics - translation is a peculiarly controversial subject, but there have been many more admirers. Tolstoy himself praised her. Of her Turgenev translations, Joseph Conrad said 'Turgeniev (sic) for me is Constance Garnett and Constance Garnett is Turgeniev'. Katherine Mansfield declared the lives of her generation of writers were transformed by Constance Garnett's translations, and H. E. Bates went so far as to say that modern English Literature itself could not have been what it is without her translations. This extraordinary achievement was accomplished despite poor health and poor eyesight, the latter being ruined by her labours on War and Peace ,a tragic if fitting sacrifice; hers indeed was A Heroic Life. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592243835
• ISBN-13: 978-1592243839
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,997,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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