The purpose of this article is to determine the Horatian motives in Turgenev’s correspondence. The Russian writer was quite familiar with the works of the Roman poet. Turgenev not only had an excellent knowledge of ancient literature, but also acted as an editor of Horace’s translations made by A. Fet. By following the tradition established in antiquity, Turgenev used the form of letter not only as an element of the documentary genre: many of his letters were small masterpieces of style and thematic sophistication. Also important is the inner, substantive potential of the letter: the writer’s reflections on philosophical and deeply personal topics (happiness, death, loneliness, creative work). Comparative and contrastive analysis of Horace’s Epistles and Turgenev’s letters made in the article confirms that the authors belong to a common philosophical and aesthetic tradition originating from antiquity.
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