Two Hussars

Summary

The novella «Two Hussars» by Leo Tolstoy tells the story of two generations of hussars—a father and a son. Set in the early 19th century, the first hussar, Count Fyodor Ivanovich Turbin, is a vivid representative of his time: he is brave, generous, and lives extravagantly. The story describes his arrival in a provincial town, where he throws wild parties, gambles, and falls in love with a local beauty. Twenty years later, his son, also a hussar, arrives in the same town, but he is a man of a different nature: more calculating and pragmatic. Through the fates of these two characters, Tolstoy illustrates societal and moral changes, contrasting the romantic idealism of the past with the practicality of the present. The novella explores themes of honor, love, and generational legacy.