The author explicates the concepts of nihilism and the meaning of life as they have been presented by Ivan Turgenev in his masterpiece Fathers and Sons. She examines in detail the question whether Bazarov’s attitude, the novel’s main protagonist’s, challenges traditional ways of living and points to a deeper and more objective meaning of life, or whether his challenge is intended as an attempt to eliminate all prospect of objective meaning attributable to life, and leaves only one viable option, namely that life must be interpreted in purely subjective terms. Relying on her own analysis of Bazarov’s existential outlook, the author contrasts his qualms with the outlook of the main protagonist of the short story Rudin, which shows a man of a completely different character from Bazarov’s. These two incompatible conceptions of life adopted by entirely different characters evoke a somber image of Russian nihilism and help to illuminate ethical assumptions and practical implications of that attitude.

The purpose of this article is to indicate the most important aspects of the tragedy of human existence as they were encompassed in the philosophy of Emil Cioran. The first aspect is the non-existence of God and the consequences of this non-existence for man. With the disappearance of God, the consolation through the idea of salvation, the promise of life after death, and the meaning of existence also disappear. The second aspect is the fatality of the historical process. Man is the object of history rather than the subject. Progress is an illusion, as are utopias. The third aspect is Cioran’s perception of birth as a misfortune. We are born in order to die, but before we die, we must face suffering. Human is an abnormal animal. We are not able to maintain happiness. Doing evil comes too lightly to human beings and it is too natural. Consciousness is the fourth aspect of the tragedy of existence. Awareness is associated with suffering (and is a product of suffering). Awareness of having body is terrifying – and the awareness of inevitable death can be paralyzing for humans. Eventually there are two main ways of finding relief from the tragedy of existence, in the thought of Cioran: the idea of the suicide and laughter. They are effective, but to a small extent.