Nikolai Turgenev went down in history as the brother of the writer Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. He was born in the city of Orel on November 4, 1816. Date of death - January 7, 1879. We will talk about his life today.
Turgenev's parents
The mother of the famous writer Ivan and his brother Nikolai was six years older than her husband. She lived a rather difficult youth and no less difficult childhood. Left at the age of sixteen without a mother, Varvara Lutovinova was forced to live with her despot stepfather. When he once again locked her in the basement, Varvara got out and lived with her closest relatives for three years. A few years later, she became the owner of a huge fortune, and only then did she feel completely independent and protected. The rich heiress, who does not have an attractive appearance, very quickly found herself a young husband. At the time of their acquaintance, Varvara was twenty-eight years old, and I, her husband, Sergei Nikolayevich Turgenev, was only twenty-two.
Childhood and youth
Parents were extremely strict not only with Nikolai Turgenev, but also withtwo of his brothers: Ivan and Sergei. My father preferred a Spartan upbringing with obligatory dousing with cold water, jogging in the mornings and occasional stingy caresses. The mother was also not very kind and regularly flogged her children with rods. One case put an end to such bullying. Little Kolya, beaten once again, decided to leave home. He was intercepted in time by a German teacher. There was a long and difficult conversation. As a result, the daily spanking in the house stopped.
Varvara Petrovna switched to a servant and literally got herself a royal court. She had her own runners, who, at any time, went long distances with any assignment. Some servants were forbidden to marry, which was also a sign of the absolute tyranny of the landowner. All this influenced the psyche of little Ivan, who vowed to fight against serfdom at an early age.
Years of study
The rich landowners Turgenevs could afford to hire the children of foreign teachers. Even when the youngest son was very young, the whole family went to travel abroad on their own horses and accompanied by servants. Turgenev's father was also highly educated, writing articles for foreign magazines in different languages. The sons received their first education in Moscow and only then moved to St. Petersburg. The eldest of the brothers, Nikolai, entered the artillery school. After his graduation, he served for some time in the horse artillery. In order to be closer to my brother, to PetersburgIvan also transferred.
Nikolai Turgenev's brothers
The youngest brother, Sergei, suffered from epilepsy and died at the age of fifteen. Ivan Turgenev, who has a cheerful disposition and some frivolity, was very burdened by the home environment. He preferred to make friends with ordinary peasants and spend the night in hunting houses. In the end, this way of life paid off. Youthful hobbies gave rise to a collection of short stories "Notes of a Hunter". Fascinated by literature, Ivan, Nikolai's brother, easily entered the university, where he began to study German philosophy. Later, he continued his studies in St. Petersburg, where he wrote his first romantic poem called "The Wall". And after he received his Ph. D., he moved to Germany to continue his studies in German philosophy.
Memories of contemporaries
The military career left its mark not only on the appearance of Nikolai Sergeevich Turgenev, but also on his manner of speaking. Unlike Ivan, he spoke quite loudly and gave the impression of a straightforward person. His speech was harsh and abrupt. Nevertheless, he was quite eloquent and was fluent in several languages. He treated writers with disdain and considered them jesters. In relations with women, Nikolai Sergeevich was silent and somewhat shy. According to contemporaries, many ladies did not like to be alone with him and tried to get rid of a boring interlocutor as quickly as possible.
The brothers outwardly noticeablydiffered, which can be seen from the photo of Nikolai Turgenev. If Ivan had a rather Russian appearance, then Nikolai was a pronounced European type. Behind his back, he was called "the English gentleman." The attitude of the brothers to material we alth also differed. If the younger one was unmercenary, then the older one was the complete opposite.
For example, a friend of the brothers, Afanasy Fet, describes a case in which, after the death of his mother, Nikolai Sergeevich took out and appropriated all the family silver, bronze items and diamonds that belonged to both brothers. Almost all friends and acquaintances described Turgenev's younger brother Nikolai Sergeevich as an unusually kind and harmless person. However, if he wished, he could stand up for himself and even sarcastically in the direction of the offender with a sharp impromptu.
Nikolai's career
Becoming a military man, the writer's brother Nikolai Sergeevich Turgenev did not show any merit. While his colleagues received high ranks, he was still in the position of ensign. In addition, various troubles often happened to him, which once again proved the erroneous choice.
Private life
The future wife of Nikolai served as his mother's maid. Her brother Ivan called her a “rootless German woman,” who, in his words, “has not a penny in her soul.” To date, one painting with Clara de Viaris has survived, which depicts a rather spectacular thirty-seven-year-old woman. However, in their memoirs, contemporaries very often characterized her as very ugly.person.
According to most, despite her unattractive appearance, she tried to dress in fashion, took care of herself and looked quite decent. She had a slender, slightly thin figure and short stature. Mother Varvara was very often dissatisfied with her maid and sometimes called her stupid.
One incident completely changed Varvara's attitude towards her future daughter-in-law. When a fire broke out in Turgenev's house, one of the peasants tried to steal a box with family savings. Clara suddenly appeared in time to defend the valuables. She boldly rushed after her and, as witnesses say, laid at the feet of the mistress a reclaimed item of family value. Touched by this attitude, Varvara became more attentive to her maid.
The fate of children
Falling in love without memory, Nikolai Turgenev and Anna (that was the name of Clara after baptism) gave birth to three children. The young hid the fact of marriage from a despotic mother. As it turned out, not in vain. Varvara Petrovna after a while demanded to show her grandchildren, but when she saw the portraits of the children, she simply tore them up. Such behavior was quite in the spirit of the mother, who never accepted the choice of her son. The biography of Turgenev Nikolai Sergeevich is overshadowed by the fact that all of his children were destined to die in childhood.
Turgenev's beloved wife was rather cold, capricious and somewhat despotic. For example, she required the maid to stand barefoot by her bed every night. Nevertheless, Nikolai was extremely kind to his wife and was very upset by her departure. Apparently it has become oneof the reasons that undermined he alth.
As the official biography says, the writer's brother, Nikolai Sergeevich Turgenev, died at the age of sixty-two in the village of Turgenevo. It happened on January 7, 1879.
