In this rediscovered literary gem, Turgenev explores the elusive nature of love, suggesting that with the loss of love comes a sense of resignation—and the conviction that the essence of life lies in self-denial. It is published here with the short story Yakov Pasynkov. In a series of letters to a friend, the narrator relates how he has managed to convince a married woman—hitherto shielded from the powerful effects of poetry and fiction—of the importance of developing the imagination. By introducing her to Goethe’s masterpiece, he sets in motion a chain of crucial events. In this poetic exploration of spiritual awakening, Turgenev demonstrates his preoccupation with the culture of Western Europe and the nature of human relations. Ivan Turgenev was a Russian novelist and playwright who spent much of his life in Western Europe. His writing profoundly affected the course of European literature.