Diary of a Superfluous Man
Author: Ivan Turgenev
Desc: When Turgenev published Diary of a Superfluous Man in 1850 he created one of the first literary portraits of the alienated man. Turgenev once said that there was a great deal of himself in the unsuccessful lovers who appear in his fiction. This failure along with painful self-consciousness is a central fact for the ailing Chulkaturin in this melancholy tale. As he reflects on his life he tells the story of Liza whom he loved and a prince whom she loved instead and the curious turns all their lives took.