Product Description

When the down-at-heel Princess Zasyekin moves next door to the country estate of Vladimir Petrovich’s parents, he instantly and overwhelmingly falls in love with his new neighbour’s daughter, Zinaida. But the capricious young woman already has many admirers and as she plays her suitors against each other, Vladimir’s unrequited youthful passion soon turns to torment and despair – although he remains unaware of his true rival for Zinaida’s affections. Set in the world of nineteenth-century Russia’s fading aristocracy, Turgenev’s story depicts a boy’s growth of knowledge and mastery over his own heart as he awakens to the complex nature of adult love.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49960 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-29
• Original language: Russian
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

About the Author
Turgenev (1818-83) studied philosophy at Petersburg University, Russia. When he was nineteen he began to publish poems before moving to study in Berlin. In 1843 he fell in love with a young Spanish singer, whose influence remained throughout his life. He followed her round Europe, and was accepted by her and her husband as a friend. He had one daughter with a sempstress. After 1856 he lived mainly abroad and was well-known in Paris, where he was a friend of Flaubert. He wrotes six novels, all after 1855. Isaiah Berlin was a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, Professor of Social and Political Theory at Oxford and the first President of Wolfson College, Oxford. He received many honours and awards throughout his lifetime. On his death in 1997, he was described by The Times as 'one of the most influential figures in the intellectual life of the country.' V.S. Pritchett was Visiting Professor at several American universities and President of the Society of Authors. He wrote critical works, novels and short stories throughout his lifetime. When he died in 1991 he was described by The Guardian as 'one of the towering English literary figures of the century.'

Customer Reviews

Beautiful contrasts in mood and variations on love.
These six stories offer subtle variations on the theme of first love, often beautifully evoked through the first person narrative to highlight the autoboigraphical nature of some of the episodes. Turgenev creates contrasts of moods which capture either the ecstacy or misery of falling in love. For example, in the title piece, 'First Love', the young boy feels the bliss of his first crush and first kiss, which is finally defeated by his own father. The main message of the book is that nothing is permanent, and that love does not lead to a happy marriage nor to fullfilment. This is enhanced by the episodic nature of the tales which often capture just one moment of a larger timescale. The book is also historically interesting as it contains some of the first Russian literature to have become widely known throughout Europe in the nineteenth century. If you enjoy these stories I would recommend you try some of Turgenev's longer novels.

Turgenev, Pritchett, Berlin
Simply beautiful. One of the most overlooked of the nineteenth-century writers, Turgenev (like his friend Maupassant) was a master craftsman as well as an amzing observer of people and scenes; this little book, together with Scenes From a Hunter's Album, is his best. And here is surely the best of all the translations into English from the Russian novels: V.S. Pritchett's lucid, pared-down style fits the bill so well. Don't look further for a translation of First Love. It also has a terrific little essay by Isaiah Berlin as an introduction. Well done to Penguin for keeping this in print for almost 30 years. Maybe they should try now to reprint the marvellous collections of short stories by Pritchett, too...

Moving short story about youth and love

An accessible translation allowed me to read this like any other story; nothing difficult about it. It is extremely moving in parts, as he loves for the first time a girl who many love, including his own father. And the memory of her and his father is memorable for us all, with some universal writing about love's nature, its effects and youth. I wish i'd read this earlier!