Nikolai Turgenev went down in history as the brother of the writer Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev. He was born in the city of Orel on November 4, 1816. Date of death - January 7, 1879. Today we’ll talk about his life.
Parents Turgenev
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 felt completely independent and protected. A rich heiress who did not have an attractive appearance, very quickly found a young husband. At the time of their acquaintance, Barbara was twenty-eight years old, and I, her husband, Sergei Nikolaevich Turgenev, was only twenty-two.
Childhood and youth
Parents were extremely strict not only with Nikolai Turgenev, but also with his two brothers: Ivan and Sergey. Father preferred a Spartan upbringing with compulsory dousing with cold water, running in the mornings and rare mean caresses. The mother was also not particularly kind and regularly flogged her children with rods. One case put an end to such bullying. Little Kolya, beaten up once again, decided to leave home. He was intercepted in time by a German teacher. A long and difficult conversation took place. As a result, daily flogging in the house ceased.
Varvara Petrovna switched to a servant and literally started a royal court for herself. She had her own walkers, who, on any occasion, went long distances with any assignment. Some maids 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 in early childhood to fight serfdom.
Years of study
The wealthy landowners of the Turgenevs could afford an employer to the children of foreign teachers. Even when the youngest son was very young, the whole family went abroad to travel on their own horses and accompanied by servants. Highly educated was the father of the Turgenevs, who wrote articles in foreign magazines in different languages. Sons got their first education in Moscow and only then moved to Petersburg. The eldest of the brothers, Nikolai, entered the artillery school. After graduating, he served in horse artillery for some time. In order to be closer to his brother, Ivan also transferred to Petersburg.
Brothers Nikolai Turgenev
The youngest brother, Sergei, suffered from epilepsy and died at the age of fifteen. Ivan Turgenev, possessing a cheerful disposition and some windiness, 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, a similar lifestyle has borne fruit. Youthful hobbies gave rise to a storybook "Notes of the hunter." Fond of literature, Ivan, the brother of Nicholas, 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.
Memoirs of Contemporaries
The military career left an imprint not only on the appearance of Nikolai Sergeyevich 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 had excellent command of several languages. He was dismissive of writers and considered them jesters. In relations with women, Nikolai Sergeyevich 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 externally markedly differed, which can be seen from the photo of Nikolai Turgenev. If Ivan had a rather Russian appearance, then Nicholas was a pronounced European type. He was called "an English gentleman" by his eyes. And also the attitude of the brothers towards material wealth was different. If the youngest was unrestrained, the older was the exact opposite.
For example, a friend of the brothers, Athanasius Fet, describes a case in which, after the death of his mother, Nikolai Sergeyevich took out and appropriated all the family silver, bronze jewelry and diamonds that belonged to both brothers. Almost all friends and acquaintances described Nikolai Sergeyevich Turgenev's younger brother as an unusually kind and harmless person. However, if desired, he could stand up for himself and even snuck off the offender with acute impromptu.
Nicholas career
Having become a military man, the writer’s brother Nikolai Sergeevich Turgenev did not show any advantages. 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 wrong choice.
Personal life
The future wife of Nikolai served with his mother as a cameraman. Brother Ivan called her "rootless German", who, according to him, "has no penny behind her soul." To date, one painting has survived with Clara de Viaris, which depicts a rather spectacular thirty-seven-year-old woman. However, in their memoirs, contemporaries very often characterized her as a very ugly person.
According to the majority, despite her unattractive appearance, she tried to dress in fashion, looked after herself and looked pretty dignified. She had a slender, slightly thin figure and short stature. Varvara’s mother was very often dissatisfied with her chamberlain and sometimes called her stupid.
One case completely changed the attitude of Barbara to the future daughter-in-law. When a fire broke out in Turgenev’s house, one of the peasants tried to kidnap the box with family savings. Clara suddenly came in time to protect the values. She boldly rushed after and, according to witnesses, put at the feet of the mistress the conquered thing of family value. Touched by this attitude, Varvara became more attentive to her cameraman.
