Fathers and SonsFathers and Sons

Fathers and Sons (1862), Turgenev's masterpiece, represents in its hero, Bazarov, 'the new man', a nihilist liberated from age-old conformities and at odds with the previous generation, questioning the very fabric of society. A novel of ideas, Fathers and Sons is also a moving story of human relationships. Alain de Botton is a writer and critic. He is the author of Essays in Love (1993), The Romantic Movement (1994), Kiss and Tell (1995), How Proust can change your Life (1997) and The Consolations of Philosophy (forthcoming, 2000).