Andrey Kolosov by Ivan Turgenev. Short summary

5 seconds

The narrator, a cynical and pompous man, describes the young man Andrei Kolosov. He is straightforward and truthful; he lives his life according to his conscience, which confuses those around him.

1 minute

The entire plot consists of the description of a small talk in the living room of a house. Two types of people are contrasted in the course of this conversation.

The narrator is by no means a positive person. He is selfish, cynical, and very dependent on public opinion. He cares most about making a good impression and getting the most out of it.

His antagonist is a certain Andrei Kolosov. He is still young, but he already has his own beliefs, which he is not shy about upholding. He is not after fame and fortune. He does not boast about his success with women. On the contrary, he believes that in order to meet love, he himself must learn to love.

Everyone in the living room, including the narrator, is taken aback by such talk. «Secular people» are used to having empty conversations when, between false pleasantries, they boast to each other about their accomplishments in life. But Andrei is not like that. And he doesn’t care what impression he makes in the «salon.» He wants sincerity and openness.