Read this when
The Diary of a Superfluous Man
If you've ever felt like the extra person in every room, a dying man in 1850 literally wrote a diary about it. Relatable in the worst way. 🫠
Who it's for
Chulkaturin, a young man who knows he is dying, writes a diary to work out whether his life mattered, and concludes he was simply 'superfluous'.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Ivan Turgenev's novella, published in 1850 in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski, is written as the diary of Chulkaturin, a 31-year-old man dying of an unspecified illness who sets out to examine whether his life has mattered.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US (1850 original and Constance Garnett's translation, which is on Project Gutenberg in 'The Diary of a Superfluous Man and Other Stories'); free LibriVox audiobook. Modern transl.
Before you start
Heads up: A narrator dying of illness.
Age: Ages 14+
The roots below the earth claim no rewards for making the branches fruitful.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 134
