On the Eve

Author
Ivan Turgenev

Original title
Накануне

Translator
Constance Garnett

Country
Russia

Language
Russian

Genre(s)
Political, Romance novel

Publication date
1860

Media type
Print (Hardback and Paperback)

ISBN
NA

Preceded by
Home of the Gentry

Followed by
Fathers and Sons

On the Eve (Russian: Накану́не) is the third novel by famous Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, best known for his short stories and the novel Fathers and Sons. This is a fairly simple and typical love story. Turgenev embellishes it with observations on middle class life and interposes some art and philosophy. Turgenev is highly thought of as a descriptive artist, and embellishes his work with some nice descriptive passages.

Plot introduction

The story revolves around Elena, a nubile girl with a very affected mother and a father a retired guards lieutenant who keeps a mistress. On the eve of the Crimean War, Elena is pursued by a free-spirited sculptor (Shubin) and an uptight student (Berzeniev). But when Berzeniev’s dashing Bulgarian friend Insarov meets Elena, they soon fall in love. Secretly marrying the Bulgarian revolutionary, Elena invites the ire of her parents, who had hoped to marry her to a more respectable suitor. Insarov falls ill, but partly recovers. On the outbreak of the Crimean war Insarov’s call home only complicates matters further. Insanov returns with Elena to Bulgaria, but dies on the way in Venice. Elena is never heard of again

Main characters

• Pavel Shubin – sculptor
• Andrei Bersyenev – student philosopher
• Dmitri Insarov – Bulgarian student
• Elena Nikolayevna – young girl

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Categories: 1860 novels | Novels by Ivan Turgenev | Political novels | Romance novels | 19th century novel stubs