Two Landowners

work by Turgenev

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July 14, 2026

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"Two Landowners" is a story by Ivan Turgenev, featured in his collection A Sportsman's Sketches. The work explores two distinct types of despotic serf-owners, offering a glimpse into the social dynamics and injustices of serfdom in Russia. Turgenev's compassionate observation of these characters, alongside his broader portrayal of peasant life, aimed to raise awareness and potentially influence reform, contributing to the eventual emancipation of the serfs in 1861.1

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Ivan Turgenev
Sketches of rural life
…these, the most important are “Two Landowners,” a study of two types of despotic serf-owners, and “Hamlet of Shchigrovsky Province,” which contains one of the most profound and poignant analyses of the problem of the “superfluous man.” Far more significant are the sketches that tell of Turgenev’s encounters with peasants…
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…these, the most important are “Two Landowners,” a study of two types of despotic serf-owners, and “Hamlet of Shchigrovsky Province,” which contains one of the most profound and poignant analyses of the problem of the “superfluous man.” Far more significant are the sketches that tell of Turgenev’s encounters with peasants…
Read More