{"product_id":"book-jb4e","title":"Ivan Turgenev: A BBC Radio Full-Cast Drama Collection","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNine classic works by the Russian literary giant, adapted for BBC Radio\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIvan Turgenev stands alongside Tolstoy and Dostoevsky as one of the three great Russian novelists of the 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century. He was also a consummate short story writer, poet and playwright, and the first Russian author to become popular in the West. This specially curated collection showcases his key works, from the most celebrated to the undeservedly underrated.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDescribed as ‘one of the most perfect things ever written’, the lyrical novella \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFirst Love\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e tells the story of 16-year-old Vladimir, whose longing for the capricious Zinaida informs his whole life. Dramatised for Radio 4, it stars \u003cb\u003eSimon Cadell, Rosalind Ayres\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eBill Nighy\u003c\/b\u003e. Succeeding it is Turgenev’s masterpiece, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFathers and Sons\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, an exploration of the eternal conflict between the reactionary older generation and the revolutionary younger one. \u003cb\u003eJohn Castle\u003c\/b\u003e stars as youthful nihilist Bazarov, with \u003cb\u003eMaurice Denham\u003c\/b\u003e as his father Nikolai. First published in 1855 as \u003ci\u003eTwo Women\u003c\/i\u003e, Turgenev’s best-known play \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Month in the Country\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e centres around a landowner’s wife who finds herself attracted to her son’s tutor. Translated by Isaiah Berlin, our Radio 3 version stars \u003cb\u003eMaureen O’Brien\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eGerard Murphy\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten a few years before \u003ci\u003eA Month in the Country\u003c\/i\u003e, the little-known play \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Poor Gentleman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is an emotional comedy about an elderly man’s devotion to a daughter he can never recognise publicly. It stars \u003cb\u003eFrank Finlay, Morag Hood\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eColin Baker\u003c\/b\u003e. Next up is \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSmoke\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, Turgenev’s only novel not to be set in Russia. Baden Baden is the setting for a tale that blends poignant love story and searing political satire, starring \u003cb\u003eGarard Green, Rachel Gurney\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003ePatricia Leventon\u003c\/b\u003e. Meanwhile, in the short story ‘\u003cb\u003eThe Dog’,\u003c\/b\u003e a mild Hussar (\u003cb\u003eTimothy West\u003c\/b\u003e) is the subject of a bizarre haunting…\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTurgenev’s debut novel, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRudin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, features that archetypal character in Russian literature, the ‘superfluous man’. \u003cb\u003eIan Holm\u003c\/b\u003e stars as the eponymous hero, an idealistic intellectual who is incapable of taking action: and suffers for it. Set just before the Crimean War, the romantic novella \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOn the Eve \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003ehas passion and patriotism as its themes. \u003cb\u003eAmanda Root\u003c\/b\u003e stars as the upper-class Elena, who embarks on a doomed affair with Bulgarian revolutionary Insarov (\u003cb\u003ePhilip Franks\u003c\/b\u003e). We conclude as we began, with a tale of first love – \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpring Torrents\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, one of Turgenev’s greatest and most autobiographical novellas. Adapted for Radio 4’s ‘Book at Bedtime’, it is read by \u003cb\u003eDavid Horovitch\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst published 1848 (\u003ci\u003eThe Poor Gentleman\u003c\/i\u003e), 1855\/1872 \u003ci\u003e(A Month in the Country)\u003c\/i\u003e, 1857 (\u003ci\u003eRudin\u003c\/i\u003e), 1860 (\u003ci\u003eFirst Love, On the Eve)\u003c\/i\u003e, 1862 (\u003ci\u003eFathers and Sons\u003c\/i\u003e), 1866 (‘The Dog’), 1867\u003ci\u003e (Smoke)\u003c\/i\u003e, 1872 (\u003ci\u003eSpring Torrents\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eProduction credits\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten by Ivan Turgenev\u003cbr\u003eWith thanks to Keith Wickham\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003eContents List \u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFirst Love\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFathers and Sons\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Month in the Country\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Poor Gentleman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSmoke\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Dog\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRudin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOn the Eve\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpring Torrents\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin UK","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49529965445424,"sku":"BDjb4e","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/615192-jb4e-Square.jpg?v=1739454552","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-jb4e","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}