Fathers and Sons - by Ivan Turgenev

Published in 1862, Fathers and Sons explores generational conflict through the story of Arkady Kirsanov and his friend, Yevgeny Bazarov. Arkady returns home from university with Bazarov, a self-assured nihilist who rejects traditional values and believes in a world without inherited authority or emotion. The novel contrasts the older generation's attachment to noble traditions with the younger generation’s radical, dismissive attitude.