Stories by Turgenev

A Quiet Spot

"Like a dream- no, it was not a dream; at least, not for me. It was the time of youth, of gaiety and happiness, the time of infinite hopes and invincible powers; and if it was a dream, it was a beautiful dream. But now you and I have grown older; have grown more stupid, and we dye our mustaches, and we wander along Nevsky, and we have become good for nothing, like broken down nags; we're played out; we've been buffeted about, but we try to look important and put on airs, and we idle about and, I'm afraid, drink rivers of wine- now, that is more like a dream, and a most hideous dream. Life is spent, and spent in vain, stupidly, trivially- that's the bitterness of it! Now, if we could shake that off like a dream, if we could only wake up from that!...And then, everywhere, always, one horrible memory, one specter-"

What a comparison to youth! My goodness, life seems dreadful after the energy of youth has passed through it...but everything has to take its course. It cannot go on forever...

The Diary of a Superfluous Man

"What stupid fifth wheel to a cart!"

I thought this exclamation was rather amusing...

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This story was very to Dostoevsky and even Gogol's characters...I love the insanity of it all. How insecure and unsure of themselves they are. This is Turgenev's only story that is so similar to the others. It makes the reader feel human, and even flatters him...for one always thinks the character is more insane than him- hopefully he is right!

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The Vintage Turgenev Vol 2. Pub. Vintage Russian Library 1950