The Diary of a Superfluous Man
Ivan Turgenev
Read by Martin Geeson
Turgenev's shy hero, Tchulkaturin, is a representative example of a Russian archetype - the "superfluous man", a sort of Hamlet not necessarily dignified with the title Prince: an individual of comfortable means leading a dreary existence, without purpose and led on by events which may, as in this story, engulf him. The novella takes the form of a diary started by Tchulkaturin in the shock of being diagnosed as having a terminal illness. The journal entries cover a period of two weeks, leading to his death. Tchulkaturin quickly homes in on the only significant event in his life - an unreciprocated falling-in-love leading haphazardly to a non-fatal duel that leaves him desolated and fully conscious of the futility of his inactive existence.(Summary by Martin Geeson) (2 hr 37 min)
Chapters
| March 20, 18-- to March 23 | 31:09 | Read by Martin Geeson |
| March 24 | 23:39 | Read by Martin Geeson |
| March 25 and 26 | 29:17 | Read by Martin Geeson |
| March 27 | 33:04 | Read by Martin Geeson |
| March 29 to April 1 | 39:55 | Read by Martin Geeson |
Reviews
An excellent reading and an excellent short piece of fiction
Philippe Horak
Tchulkaturin, the hero of Ivan Turgenev’s 1850 work, The Diary of a Superfluous Man, has just two weeks to live. Facing the prospect of his own mortality, Tchulkaturin decides to take stock of his feelings, thoughts, and beliefs about life and the world around him. He realizes that his contributions to society are few—he has led an indolent life without much purpose, a man “superfluous” to the world. Yet, the realizations the young man comes to over the course of his writings prove both revelatory and moving. Here is an emotional tour-de-force about the universal truths that define all lives, however grand or humble; a more honest testament to the human condition you are unlikely to find. Many thanks to Martin Geeson. His reading of Turgenev's novella is excellent and I enjoyed it throughly. Highly recommended!
Powerful & Moving
Kydiana
This short novel plumbs to the core the human experience. We watch the protagonist delude himself, defeat himself and isolate himself, and can recognize those tendencies within ourselves. Yet there is a redemptive quality to the narrator's unflinchingly honest appraisal of his own life. I wept at the end of the reading, something I rarely do. Beautifully and movingly read. Thank you so much.
The Diary of a Superfluous Man
stbalbach
<br /><i>The Diary of a Superfluous Man</i> (1850) is about a "Superfluous Man", a recurring Russian literary meme about upper class nihilistic men who resort to gambling, dueling and women to give meaning to an otherwise disconnected and alienated existence. The story starts of slow but eventually take on a strong narrative direction dealing with "love" lost. Some great imagery and insights on the human condition. I think the 19thC Russian "Superfluous Man" archetypal character is not well known to most English readers, but this is a good introduction (see Wikipedia for other stories), and I believe the origin of the term. Alexsandr Kuprin's masterpiece <i>The Duel</i> (1905) is another Superfluous Man story. Martin Geeson's passionate <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/diary_superfluous_man_0904_librivox" rel="nofollow">narration for LibriVox</a> deserves special attention. It's as good or better than professional and obviously a labor of love. The sort of antique sound quality I believe was done on purpose in-line with the novella's first person diary voice, and the occasional sound of an old typewriter adds to the atmosphere. I'm now a fan of Geeson and would listen to anything he narrated in the future. [STB, 07-2009, 574]
Literary Magic
Andy Mak
In college, The Diary of a Superfluous Man (Turgenev) mesmerized the girls and gays who majored in Russian Literature. The boys in science and math were oblivious to its magic. The reader plunged into the intricate mind of a long dead Russian author as if they all experimented dying. Both were splendid teachers about a subject of which mankind is ignorant. But nonetheless is a great read.
another must listen book!
Kia'i Kealohalani
No one can argue the effort in construction put into the main character plight but the reader helps us envision it with the way he molds his reading to give it a live voice. It is so much the easier to absorb the material when it is as if you are talking to the characters directly. great listen! ! *;)
Rambles a bit but good.
amlaskis
Several times throughout the story I wondered where it was going but stuck with it and was glad. I found it humorous, self indulgent, and long winded at times. The writing style absolutely fit the character and it was delightful! The reader did a great job bringing the story to life.
great book
Erin Erin
my favorite work by turgenev and read by one of my favorite readers. however, the new formatting for playing, perusing chapters, finding similar titles, other books read by the reader etc are all EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND NOT USER FRIENDLY! I can't find books I saved or stared. It's ridiculously complicated!!!
Very Russian!
adam
An enjoyable story, well read. I love the sadness and gloomy outlook, which is contrasted with descriptions of beauty, spring and youthful love.