The Torrents of Spring(1872)

A young man named Sanin travels through Europe and meets a young Italian woman, gradually falling in love with her. Thinking about marriage, he goes on business to Wiesbaden, where he is seduced by a noble lady… 

Turgenev became one of the first writers who put women an order of magnitude above men in terms of strength of mind and moral qualities. The image of the so-called “Turgenev's girl” appears in many of his novels alongside will-less, impoverished men. 

‘Torrents of Spring’ (1872) inspired German composer Philipp Scharwenka to create a symphonic poem of the same name. A ballet and several performances based on the story have also been staged in Russia.

Translated by Constance Garnett, Publisher Heinemann, 1897