Great love story. Ivan Turgenev and Pauline Viardot

Their relationship is one of the most dramatic and long love stories. But it would be better to say that it"s a love story of only one person, Ivan Turgenev. Forty years of the great Russian writer lived in the status of eternal friend of the family," на the edge of someone else"s nest", side by side with her husband, Opera singer Pauline Viardot. He swapped life at home family and personal happiness in a passionless friendship of his beloved, and even in old age was ready" хоть janitor" to follow her to the edge of the world.

Ivan Turgenev was first introduced to Pauline Viardot first of November 1843 as" великорусский landlord, a good shooter, a nice companion and a bad poet". Not to say that the recommendation contributed to his happiness: Polina herself later noted that is not identified future writer of a circle of new friends and numerous admirers of her talent. The young Turgenev, who was barely 25 at first glance fell in love with the 22-летнюю the singer, who arrived in Saint-Петербург with the Paris Italian Opera. All of Europe at that time worshipped her talent, and even unattractive appearance Viardot did not prevent her fame beautiful actress.
Contemporaries remembered as the beginning of the singing of the prima in the hall if I ran the spark, the audience fell into a perfect ecstasy and the image of the singer had ceased to be of any-то value. According to the composer Saint-Санса, Pauline Viardot had a bitter as bitter orange, a voice created for the tragedies, and elegiac poems. On stage she captivated passionate operas, and musical evenings captivated listeners with a beautiful piano playing — discipleship Liszt and Chopin was not in vain." Хорошо sings, the damned Gypsy!" — without jealousy admitted, having heard the speech of Pauline, the mother of Turgenev.

In the inconspicuous round-shouldered woman with eyes starting out of his head really was that-то Gypsy: South of the line they took over from his father, Spanish singer Manuel Garcia." Она desperately ugly, but if I saw it for the second time, certainly would love", — one of the Belgian artist on the singer her future husband, Louis Viardot. With art historian, critic and Director of the Paris Italian Opera, Pauline, introduced George sand. The writer believed forty Louis sad," как nightcap", but recommended his young friend grooms the best of intentions. Being absolutely charmed singer, George sand documented in the main female image of the novel" Консуэло" dissuaded from marriage with writer and poet Alfred de Musset, and later turned a blind eye to the affair are already married Pauline with her son.
And temperament talented singer was not to occupy: in her youth, her first passion was Franz Liszt, whom Polina took piano lessons, later she was fascinated by the composer Charles Gounod, to which Turgenev was very jealous of her. The other novels of Madame Viardot will remain unknown, but judging by the paradoxical attraction of the prima Donna, numerous. However, then still married Pauline Garcia out of love, and what-то time was really passionate about her husband. However, all passes — and soon Pauline was admitted to George sand that is tired of the passionate expressions of married love.
But what is our part? He became Madame Viardot, one of the many fans, not deprived, however, of a certain value. A rare man could cheer her amusing story told so skillfully that his invitation to the dressing room no longer seemed so futile. In addition, Turgenev with the great hunt decided to teach Pauline Viardot Russian language, which was required for her flawless execution of romances by Glinka, Dargomyzhsky and Tchaikovsky. This language was the sixth in the Arsenal of the singer and later helped her become the first to hear Turgenev"s works." Ни one row of Turgenev did not get into print before he did not set me up with her. You are Russian, don"t know how you owe me that Turgenev continues to write and work", — once said Viardot.

in order to be useful to your beloved, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev — then still an unknown and poor landlord — went for Pauline and her husband to France when touring artist in Russia ended. Louis Viardot, the writer found a common language on the background of the passion for hunting and interest in translations of Russian writers into French. He often visited the family estate Certainely that near Paris, took part in home plays, a collection of guests and artistic evenings. When Polina Viardo went on tour, Turgenev followed her:" Ах, my feelings for you are too high and mighty, — writes Ivan in one of his many letters to his beloved. —, I can"t live away from you I need to feel your closeness, to enjoy it. The day when I wouldn"t Shine your eyes, — a day lost". Compatriots coming to visit Turgenev abroad, marveled at his condition -" Никогда didn"t think he was capable of so much love", — according to Leo Tolstoy after a date with a friend in Paris.

In his love, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev almost forgotten homeland, finally Rusyaev thereby mother: her features can be traced in the form of harsh landowner from the novel" Му-му". In 1850 the writer was forced to come to his estate Spasskoye-Лутовиново. Conversation with the landowner Turgenevo ended with the fact that Ivan was deprived of the landlords " money, took his illegitimate daughter Pelagia, born of a seamstress, and sent her beloved Pauline. The family Viardo took eight years of savage sympathetic and with family feelings toward Turgenev. After some time, the illiterate peasant girl through the efforts of Madame Viardot became Mademoiselle Palinet, good drawing and writing letters to the father exclusively по-французски.

the Couple Viardot, however, not devoid of their children, eventually was replaced by Ivan Turgenev family." Судьба sent me own my family, and I was attached, became part of the alien family, and accidentally fell out of the family is French. Since my life is intertwined with the life of this family. There looking at me not as a writer but as a person, and among her I am calm and warm". Especially happily the writer felt in 1856 when Paulina was born the son of Paul. Unusual excitement, with the incomparable joy of the birth of previous children, Madame Viardot, Turgenev was gripped. However, Polina herself had not expressed vivid feelings, and having her at the time lover Ari Shaffer, who wrote her portrait, making a certain amount of doubt as to the paternity of the Russian writer. But the descendants of Viardot believe the opposite. Especially just in time for the birth of a boy Turgenev graduated from the short connection at home: trying to love a meek and a young distant relative was unsuccessful. Turgenev lost the girl"s interest, leaving the poor, bewildered, as usual at that time transfered to the disease.
Without reciprocity and the Baroness Vrevskaya, as well as the actress Maria Savina. With them the writer, though, and there was closeness, but the image of Pauline Viardot did not leave him. And even the desire to spend more time in Russia broke on the first call Polina. If you had to go to her, Turgenev abandoned everything and left. The biographer of Ivan Turgenev notes:" Если would have offered him the choice to be the world"s first writer, but never to see family Viardot, or to serve as their watchman, janitor and to follow them where-нибудь on the other end of the world, he would prefer the position of janitor". And Turgenev himself, already held by the writer, in 1856, admits to a friend Afanasy FET:" Я is submitted to the will of this woman. No! She shielded me from everything else, so I should be. I only then there is bliss, when a woman"s heel stepped on my neck and push me face nose in the dirt". A friend of the writer, people mentioned that he needed just such a love — bringing misery, generating a movement of the soul, unrequited.

After the death of Ivan Turgenev, Pauline Viardot took from the archive of the writer all his letters. And it remains only to guess how many great female characters and tragic stories of love in the works of the great writer gave life to this passion, which lasted forty years.