Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator, and popularizer of Russian literature in the West. His life spanned from November 9, 1818, to September 3, 1883, marking him as a pivotal figure in the literary world during the 19th century.

His first significant publication, A Sportsman's Sketches (1852), was a milestone in Russian realism, offering realistic, affectionate portrayals of the Russian peasantry. This collection, alongside his novel Fathers and Sons (1862), is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century fiction. Fathers and Sons, in particular, is considered a masterpiece and one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century. Other notable works include the short-story collection A Sportsman’s Sketches and the novels Rudin (1856), Home of the Gentry (1859), On the Eve (1860), and Fathers and Sons (1862). These works provide penetrating studies of the Russian intelligentsia who were attempting to move the country into a new age.

Turgenev was a contemporary of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy, ranking as one of the towering figures of Russian literature. While his contemporaries wrote about church and religion, Turgenev focused on the social and political issues of his time, contributing significantly to the cultural and intellectual discourse of Russia and beyond.