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Vor helt Grigóry
Den russiske godsejersøn Grigóri Michájlovitsch Litvinof, har efter en lettere omtumlet ungdom fået retning på sit liv. Han er omkring de 30 år, og har brugt nogen tid i Vesteuropa på at uddanne sig til at overtage farens gods.

Nu er han i det tyske kursted, Baden-Baden, hvor han afventer sin tilkomne, kusine Tatjàna Petróvna Schestóf, og dennes guvernante (ja, vi befinder os i 1860’erne i de højere samfundslag, så en guvernante er nødvendig).

Grigóry fordriver ventetiden i selskab med det russiske jetset, der underholder sig ved spillebordene og i salonerne i Baden-Baden, når de ikke fordriver tiden i Paris.

Amors pil
Men ud af det blå dukker en gammel kærlighed op, Irina Osinin, og Grigóry slås helt ud af kurs. Også Irinas kærlighed genvækkes.

Men hun har trods alt droppet ham en gang før og giftet sig til anden side. Kan han stole på at hun vil det samme som han? Skal Grigóry droppe alle sine planer og løbe bort sammen med Irina?

Ja, se: det må du selv læse romanen, for at få svaret på 🙂

Moder Rusland
”Røg” er en realistisk roman om en mand splittet i et skæbnevalg, mellem det sikre valg både økonomisk, socialt og hvad angår kærligheden, og det vilde impulsive her-og-nu valg til fordel for følelser og lidenskab.

Men på et symbolsk plan er romanen også en kommentar til forholdene i Rusland, som kan ses stå ved samme vadested som Grigóry: skal overklassen forsætte deres uansvarlige skørlevned, eller skal det vende sig mod den vesteuropæiske samfundsorganisering?

Det russiske jetset beskrives ekstremt hånligt i romanen. De er en forsamling utålelige skræppende luxusdyr uden selvindsigt eller livsindhold. Det er skæg læsning 🙂

Turgenjev sammenligner et sted forskellige nationaliteter: englænderne taler om praktiske spørgsmål; tyskerne om geopolitik (ja, allerede dengang!); franskmændene om kvinder; russerne derimod, taler uden hoved eller hale om deres fremtid.

Turgenjev (1818-1883)
Forfatteren var selv rig russisk godsejer. Da han på et tidspunkt kritiserede styret, fik han husarrest på sit eget gods nogle år. Han benyttede tiden til at få gang i forfatterskabet og gå på jagt, så det var jo sådan set godt nok.

Så snart husarresten udløb tog Turgenjev straks til vesteuropa, og der blev han resten af sine dage, på nær en årligt tilbagevendende sommerferie på godset i Rusland.

Konklusion
En rigtig god roman, med flere gode portrætter, ikke mindst af Grigóry og Irina. Og sine steder ret sjov. Ham skal jeg læse mere af.

Romanen minder mig i øvrigt om Zolas ”Nana”, der også har en handling der på det symbolske plan handler om nationens (her: Frankrigs) skæbne.

Mere om Turgenjev her hos Wikipedia.

Ivan Turgenjev: Røg. Gyldendal, 1924 (1867) Oversat af Ingeborg Johansen.
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Smoke

Our hero Grigory
After af turbulent youth, the son of a Russian landowner Grigory Michájlovitsch Litvinoff, has pulled himself together and set direction to his life. He is around 30 years and has spent some time in Western Europe to educate himself to overtake his father’s estate.

Now he is in the German spa resort of Baden-Baden, where he awaits his fiancée, cousin Tatjana Petrovna Schestóf, and her governess (yes, we are in the 1860s in the higher strata of society, therefore a governess is a necessity).

Grigory is killing time in the company of the Russian jetset, who is entertaining themselves at the gaming tables and salons in Baden-Baden, when they are not spending their time in Paris.

Cupid’s Arrow
But out of the blue pops up an old love, Irina Osinin, with her husband, and Grigory is beaten completely off course. Also Irinas love resurgence.

But nevertheless, she dropped him once before and married herself to another man. Can he trust that she her love this time? Will Grigory abandon all his plans and run away with Irina?

Yes, well: you have to read the novel yourself to get the answer 🙂

Mother Russia
“Smoke” is a realistic novel about a man torn in a fate choice between the safe choice, both economically, socially and in terms of love, and the wild impetuous here-and-now choices in favor of emotion and passion.

But on a symbolic level, the novel is also a commentary on the situation in Russia, which can be seen standing at the same ford as Grigory: should the upper class continue their irresponsible debauchery, or should it turn against the Western European way of organizing the country?

The Russian jetset is extremely contemptuously described in the novel. They are an assembly of obnoxious characters without self-insight or life content. It is fun reading 🙂

Turgenev compares different nationalities: British, talking about practical matters; Germans about geopolitics (yes, even then!); The French on women; Russians, however, speaks without head or tail about their future.

Turgenev (1818-1883)
The author himself was a wealthy Russian landowner. When he at one time criticized the regime, he was put under house arrest at his own estate for some years. He used the time to get the writing going and to go hunting, so it was in a way not so bad.

As soon as house arrest expired Turgenev immediately went to Western Europe, and there he was to stay for the rest of his days, except an annual summer holiday at the estate in Russia.

Conclusion
A really good novel, with several good portraits, not least the portraits of Grigory and Irina. And at several places pretty funny. I shall read more of Turgenev for certain.

The novel reminds me of Zola’s “Nana” which also has a symbolic level about the nations (here: France’s) fate.

More on Turgenev here at Wikipedia.

Ivan Turgenev: Smoke. Gyldendal, 1924 (1867) Translated by Ingeborg Johansen.