First Love

First Love is a classic tale of romance by Russian author Ivan Turgenev, famous for its autobiographical overtones. Originally published in 1860, the story begins at a party in which three middle-aged men are each telling the tale of their first love. When our protagonist Vladimir Petrovich has his turn to tell his, he proposes to write it down in a notebook and read it. Herein we are told about Vladimir's sixteen year old self, who is staying with his family in the countryside, wherein he meets his new neighbour Zinaida Alexandrovna Zasyekina. Although the girl is five years his senior, the young Vladimir falls for her immediately. However the beautiful and mischievous Zinaida has other suitors, and many are better placed in life compared with the teenage Vladimir…