
Rudin
- First published
- 1856
- Reading level
- Easy
- Price
- Free
About the book
"Rudin: A Novel by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev" is a novel first published in 1856. It explores the "superfluous man"—a brilliant, eloquent intellectual incapable of translating words into action. When the educated nobleman Rudin arrives at a country estate, his powerful speeches captivate everyone, especially the intelligent seventeen-year-old Natalya. As their relationship deepens, the central question emerges: can this man of magnificent ideas overcome his paralyzing inability to act? Set during Russia's reformist awakening, the novel examines a generation caught between grand ideals and practical impotence.
- Man-woman relationships
- Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich, 1818-1883
- Russia
- Upper class
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #6900. Rudin on Wikipedia.











