First love, and other stories

by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev

"First love, and other stories" by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev is a collection of short fiction first published in 1860. The title novella tells the story of a sixteen-year-old boy's infatuation with a capricious twenty-one-year-old neighbor. Turgenev considered it his most autobiographical work, drawing from a youthful episode involving a young princess who captured his heart. The tale explores the complexities of passion when Vladimir discovers unexpected truths about Zinaida's affections, creating a narrative that divided critics yet captivated readers, including the Russian emperor himself.