It is perhaps the least known of Turgenev’s novels. Rudin was the first of Turgenev’s novels, but already in this work the topic of the superfluous man and his inability to act (which became a major theme of Turgenev's literary work) was explored. Similarly to other Turgenev’s novels, the main conflict in Rudin was centered on a love story of the main character and a young, but intellectual and self-conscious woman who is contrasted with the main hero.

In this work the topic of the superfluous man and his inability to act was explored. The main conflict in Rudin was centered on a love story of the main character and a young, but intellectual and self-conscious woman who is contrasted with the main hero.

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (November 9, 1818—September 3, 1883) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches, is a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel Fathers and Sons is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century fiction.