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Fathers and Children/Sons

  • Writer: Kathy Miller
    Kathy Miller
  • Nov 11, 2023
  • 1 min read

Updated: Aug 30

Ivan Turgenev, 1862

Date Read: 11/10/23



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Because it is translated from Russian, this novel has two possible titles. The edition I read was Fathers and Children, but Sons is more fitting really.


I don't even know with this one. Essentially, it is about nihilism. (Knee-hil-ism or Nigh-hil-ism?) The main character is a nihilist and he's trying to spread nihilism, I think. It isn't very clear what his end goal is really. But he doesn't care about very much, and shits on everything.


Then he gets sick and dies. He remains nihilistic while dying so at least it isn't a deathbed conversion story, but it is very pointless and depressing.


After I finished it, I read some stuff online and I think the nihilism is actually the point, that nothing matters, not even the death of a young man. How very Russian.


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