Project Gutenberg 2005-09-01 Public domain in the USA. 455 Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich 1818 1883 Тургенев, Иван Сергеевич Tourgueneff, Ivan Turgénieff, Iván Toergenev, Ivan Turgenjeff, Iwan Turgenev, I. S. Turgenieff, Iwan Garnett, Constance 1861 1946 Black, Constance Clara A Desperate Character and Other Stories A desperate character -- A strange story -- Punin and Baburin -- Old portraits -- The brigadier -- Pyetushkov. Text files produced by Distributed Proofreaders HTML file produced by David Widger "A Desperate Character and Other Stories" by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev is a collection of short stories written in the late 19th century. The stories reflect Turgenev's keen observations on Russian society and deep psychological character studies, particularly focusing on themes of desperation, dissatisfaction, and the quest for meaning. The opening tale introduces Misha Poltyev, a seemingly aimless young man who spirals from a sheltered upbringing into a life of reckless abandon, showcasing his transformation from a well-mannered boy to a desperate adult seeking solace in self-destructive behavior. At the start of the story, the narrator recounts a discussion about the nature of desperation among contemporary individuals, leading to the tale of Misha Poltyev told by an older relative, referred to as P. Misha begins as a delicate boy raised under strict parental guidance, but following the death of his parents, he rapidly descends into a life marked by debauchery and capricious whims. As an adult, this character embodies the chaos and disillusionment of youth, as he spends extravagantly and engages in reckless behaviors, including heavy drinking and even mocking his own nobility. Misha's frequent wild adventures and self-destructive impulses create a poignant portrait of a desperate character burdened by the weight of societal expectations and personal failures. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 82.3 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Russia -- Social life and customs -- Fiction Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich, 1818-1883 -- Translations into English PG Text Category: Short Stories Category: Russian Literature 522520 2025-08-04T07:24:44.060079 text/html 554458 2021-02-25T22:56:04 text/html 263784 2025-08-04T07:24:52.996007 application/epub+zip 272465 2025-08-04T07:24:47.249016 application/epub+zip 260907 2025-08-04T07:24:45.990010 application/epub+zip 508226 2025-08-04T07:24:57.652976 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 466723 2025-08-04T07:24:52.158029 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 440255 2022-09-04T12:14:54.153102 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 443069 2025-08-04T07:24:42.927092 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 442898 2016-10-26T07:51:36 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 432183 2013-04-23T09:59:18 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 432174 2013-04-23T09:59:02 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 23569 2025-08-04T07:24:57.802955 application/rdf+xml 14958 2025-08-04T07:24:46.503017 image/jpeg 3549 2025-08-04T07:24:46.248013 image/jpeg 169485 2016-10-26T07:54:48 application/octet-stream application/zip 168015 2013-04-23T09:59:34 application/octet-stream application/zip 180239 2021-02-25T22:56:07 application/octet-stream application/zip 167953 2013-04-23T09:59:34 application/octet-stream application/zip 256026 2025-08-04T07:24:44.098028 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia