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| First Written | 1870 |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Origin | Russia |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| My Copy | very small. |
| First Read | March 07, 2010 |
A Lear of the Steppes
This translation by Coulsen is the most delightful and lyrical I've ever found - but maybe 'Lear' is outstanding for Turgenev. Either way, I've found a new favorite from this author. As usual, the characters are the big draw here, and they're deftly drawn without too being too specific. I won't forget Evlampia any time soon. The giant Martyn Petrovich Karlov, a sort of prototype for JK Rowling's Hagrid, is delightful. But beyond it characters, the climactic scene in which Karlov destroys a building like a force of nature is burned into my memory. A thrilling moment, and a delightful little story.
Noted on March 8, 2010
It was not the first time I had seen the house and it always moved my curiosity: there was something mysterious about it, something secretive, uncommunicative, something reminiscent of a prison or a hospital.
Quoted on March 8, 2010
..everywhere he was driven away, but he only cowered and screwed up his squinting little eyes, and laughed in a nasty, gurgling way, like somebody rinsing out a bottle.
Quoted on March 8, 2010