Turgenev's story set on the outskirts of Moscow, in the house of an old widow. The story was written in 1854 by Ivan Turgenev, a great Russian novelist of the nineteenth century. Turgenev wrote Mumu with such vivid images and reflections of the state of tsarist Russia that this piece, together with his other stories, was credited with having influenced public opinion in favour of the abolition of serfdom in 1861.
In this digitised age of shared information it is easy to take for granted the power of the printed word. Here Melvyn Bragg presents a vivid reminder of the book as agent of social, political and personal revolution. In the fascinating book accompanying the ITV series, Melvyn Bragg takes a look at the most important British books in history, and their long-lasting effects which can still be felt throughout the world today. Far from being a study of dry texts...