Evgeniia Tur
Evgeniia Tur, born Elizaveta Sailhas de Tournemir in Moscow on August 12, 1815, was a significant literary figure in 19th-century Russia, known for her contributions to both fiction and literary criticism. Coming from a prominent family that hosted literary salons, she received a solid education and began publishing anonymous translations by the age of 19. After a tumultuous marriage to a French count, which ended in hardship, she turned to writing to support herself and her three children. Her first novel, *Oshibka*, published in 1849, examines the constraints of societal expectations on both women and men, focusing on themes of marriage and female autonomy.
Tur is particularly known for her novella *Antonina*, which expands on themes of motherhood and self-identity within the context of societal pressures. She became an influential voice by hosting salons and critically engaging with foreign literature, particularly that of George Sand. After relocating to France in 1861 due to political reasons, she continued her literary pursuits, including children's literature and historical works. Her writings remain relevant today for their exploration of women's roles in society and their impact on the emerging discourse surrounding gender and identity during her time.
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Subject Terms
Evgeniia Tur
Nonfiction Writer
- Born: August 12, 1815
- Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
- Died: 1892
- Place of death: Warsaw, Poland
Biography
Evgeniia Tur, the pen name of Elizaveta Sailhas de Tournemir, was born in Moscow, Russia, on August 12, 1815, into a prominent Moscow society family well known for hosting literary salons. She was well educated by good tutors and began publishing anonymous translations in literary journals by 1834. After she nearly eloped with one of her tutors, her family arranged a marriage with an impoverished French count in 1837. By 1844, Count de Tournemir had spent her considerable dowry and was banished from Russia for dueling. Tur was left with three young children and was supported by a sister until she began to earn her own income from writing.
Her first novel Oshibka (1849) was well received by critics. The story concerns a proposed marriage between a society man and a woman of lower status, addresses the social codes which imprison both women and men, and describes new and unusual roles for women. Her next novel, the four-volume Plemiannitsa (1851), illustrates the problems of a young orphan who becomes the ward of her aunt. Both Oshibka and Plemiannitsa are told in the first person and examine the difficulties of unequal and unwanted marriage. The novels also depict young women’s mistreatment by their families and the law resulting from the women’s lack of freedom of choice. Tur is best known to English-speaking readers for the novella Antonina, volume three of Plemiannitsa, which was published separately in 1851 and appeared in an English translation under the same name in 1996. Antonina expands the role of the mother to include a woman’s sense of self and integrity.
Tur’s realistic, unsentimental writing and variations on the society novel mark her as a transitional figure between the Romantic and Realist movements. In the 1850’s, Tur became an important figure in literary Russia. She hosted a literary salon and was selected as a member of The Society of Lovers of Russian Literature in 1859. From the mid-1850’s, Tur began to publish literary criticism, writing many articles on foreign writers, including George Sand. She founded her own literary journal Russkaia rech’, becoming one of the first women to edit and publish a journal in Russia.
In late 1861, Tur left Russia for France for political reasons. She lived in France for ten years, holding salons and writing literary criticism. In her third period as a writer, beginning in the mid-1860’s, Tur wrote and translated children’s literature and historical works. She produced more than fifteen of these popular works, continuing until shortly before her death in 1892 at her son-in-law’s home in Warsaw.
Tur was an important literary figure, especially in salon culture, during her lifetime. Her fictional works are of interest to contemporary readers for their emphasis on the heroine, on women’s role in the society and culture of Tur’s Moscow, and on new roles for women. In her criticism as well, Tur focused on women’s concerns and the woman’s voice.