Gogol is a writer's real name. Biography of Gogol - one of the most mysterious writers
Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol - genius Russian writer, a person who is known, first of all, as the author of the timeless work “Dead Souls”, a person with tragic fate, which is still shrouded in a halo of mystery.
Brief biography and creative path
Gogol was born on March 20 (or April 1 according to the new style) 1809 in Sorochintsy, Poltava province in large family landowner. Gogol's childhood They were brought up on the principles of mutual respect, love of nature and literary creativity. After graduating from the Poltava School, the young man entered the Nizhyn Gymnasium to study justice. He was interested in painting, delved into the principles of Russian literature, but did not write very skillfully in those years.
Literary achievements
With Gogol's move to the northern capital in 1828, his literary journey as a unique author began. But everything didn’t work out smoothly right away: Nikolai Vasilyevich served as an official studied painting at the Academy of Arts and even made attempts to become an actor, but none of the activities mentioned brought the expected satisfaction.
Acquaintance with such influential figures in society as, and Delvig helped Gogol to show the originality of his talent. His first published work was “Basavryuk”, then “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala”, which gave the writer his first fame. Later world literature began to recognize Gogol from original plays such as “The Inspector General,” short stories (“The Nose”) and stories with a Ukrainian flavor (“Sorochinskaya Fair”)
Completion of life's journey
One of the last turns of the writer’s biography was traveling abroad influenced by the negative reaction of the public to the production of The Inspector General. In Rome, he works on “Dead Souls,” the first volume of which he publishes after returning to his homeland. But it seems that the author is not happy with anything: he falls into depression, breaks down spiritually, and on the eve of his death, February 21, 1852, he simply burned the second volume of the completed work.
Mysterious death
Surprisingly, there are rumors about what exactly did the great Russian writer die from? still haven't subsided. Even modern doctors cannot make an accurate diagnosis, although according to biographers, Gogol was sickly child. Despite the variety of diagnoses that could lead to death - from cancer to meningitis, from typhus to insanity - even version of poisoning writer with mercury.
Oddities and eccentricities
Russian and world literature knows Gogol as a man whose immortal creations call for good light, true reason and spiritual perfection. While the life of the writer himself is full of very strange and ambiguous phenomena. Some researchers are sure that Nikolai Vasilyevich suffered from schizophrenia, as well as attacks of psychosis and claustrophobia. The writer personally claimed that he had displaced organs in his body, some of which were placed upside down. Contemporaries said that he amazed everyone with atypical attachments for a person of his level, for example, needlework, sleeping in a sitting position, and writing, on the contrary, only while standing. The prose writer also had passion for rolling bread balls.
To others unusual facts From the writer’s biographical path, the following can be included:
- Gogol never married. He proposed to a woman only once, but was rejected.
- Nikolai Vasilyevich loved cooking and cooking, often treating his acquaintances to home-cooked dishes, including a special drink containing rum called “nog-mogol”.
- The writer always had sweets with him, which he never tired of chewing.
- He was a shy person and was very embarrassed about his own nose.
- Fears occupied a special place in Gogol’s life: a strong thunderstorm got on his nerves, and in general, he was a person not alien to religious, mystical and superstitious considerations. Perhaps this is why mysticism has always haunted the prose writer: for example, he himself said that his story “Viy” is nothing more than a folk legend that he once heard and simply rewrote. But neither historians, nor folklorists, nor researchers in other fields have found any mention of this.
Not only fate and creativity, but even the death of a writer is one continuous mystery. After all, during reburial, he was found turned to one side.
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Biography of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol - early years.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was born on April 1, 1809 into a poor landowner family in the village of Bolshiye Sorochintsy. Gogol's childhood years were spent in an atmosphere of mysterious superstitions and legends associated with the family's place of residence (his parents' estate Vasilyevka, near the village of Dikanka). Gogol's father was a theater fan and the author of several Ukrainian comedies, which could not but influence the future writer. The influence of his mother is considered the reason for Gogol’s religiosity in adulthood. Nikolai’s mother surrounded him with her adoration, which may have nurtured the future writer’s excessive self-esteem.
WITH early age Gogol was prepared to study at the gymnasium. At first he studied at home, and when he was ten years old, he was sent to Poltava to a district school. Gogol studied at the Nizhyn Gymnasium of Higher Sciences from 1821 to 1828. During his studies, he studied painting and playing the violin, and also successfully played comic roles in plays. Gogol achieved his greatest successes in Russian literature and drawing, and although he could not be counted among the diligent students, thanks to his excellent memory, he prepared for exams very well. short time and successfully moved from class to class. Gravitated towards justice and social activities, dreaming, in his own words, “to stop injustice.”
After finishing his studies in 1828, Gogol went to St. Petersburg.
I tried to get service, then become an actor, but failed everywhere. His first literary attempts also did not bring success.
Then, succumbing to the power of severe disappointment, Gogol went abroad, from where, however, he very soon returned to his homeland. In 1829 he entered the service, receiving the position of a minor official. Then he began to study painting at the Academy of Arts. Soon Gogol began to feel burdened by bureaucratic work. He was increasingly attracted to literary activity, and in 1829 he published one of his works, written while still studying at the gymnasium. Having received unfavorable reviews from critics, Gogol personally destroyed it.
In 1829 - 1830, Gogol was a clerical employee of the Department of State Economy and Public Buildings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In April 1830 he transferred to the department of appanages, where he served until 1832. In 1830, Gogol’s first story “Basavryuk” (later called “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala”) was published in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski., like Delvig, Zhukovsky, Pushkin, with whom he had warm friendly relations. Gogol especially singled out Pushkin among his friends: “When I was creating, I saw only Pushkin in front of me...”. It was Pushkin who introduced Gogol to artist Bryullov, who subsequently gave him plots for “The Inspector General” and “ Dead souls"(although according to some historians, the plots for these works were suggested to Gogol by Pushkin himself).
The first works that brought Gogol literary fame were “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”, the stories “Sorochinskaya Fair” and “May Night”.
In 1834, Gogol was appointed associate professor in the department of general history at St. Petersburg University. While studying works on the history of Ukraine, he came up with the idea of another great work - “Taras Bulba”. However, already in 1835 Gogol left the university and completely immersed himself in literary creativity.
In 1835, Gogol published a collection of his stories entitled “Mirgorod”. It included the works "Taras Bulba", "Old World Landowners", "Viy" and others. In the same year, another collection was published - "Arabesques", dedicated to themes of St. Petersburg life. The most significant work in this collection was the story "The Overcoat". At that time in creative biography Gogol's stories can be noted as his main genre. literary activity, however, he also tried his hand at drama: in 1835 he wrote The Inspector General, which was first staged in 1836.
The premiere of The Inspector General was unsuccessful, to which Gogol reacted rather painfully and went abroad. He visited Switzerland, Germany, then Paris and Rome. Abroad, the writer continued to work on " Dead souls", which he began in Russia. In March 1837 he settled in Rome, where he completed the poem " Dead Souls».
Gogol returned to Russia in October 1841. Not without difficulties associated with the obstacle of strict censorship, he achieved the publication of the first volume of Dead Souls. In many ways, he succeeded in this thanks to the support of influential friends, in particular Belinsky, who called “Dead Souls” “a creation that is profound in thought, social, public and historical.”
After the publication of the poem, Gogol again went abroad. He lived in Rome, Germany, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Nice, Paris, Ostend. This period can be noted in Gogol’s biography as crucial moment his spiritual and.
mental state
In 1848, after traveling to Jerusalem, Holy Sepulcher, Gogol finally settled in Russia. His stay in Jerusalem had the exact opposite effect on him to what he expected. As Gogol himself wrote, there he felt how much “coldness of heart he had, how much selfishness and pride” he had. In 1851 he moved to Moscow to live with Count A.P. Tolstoy and continued writing the second volume of Dead Souls. His mental and physical condition worsened. In 1852, Gogol began meeting with Archpriest Matvey Konstantinovsky, who had the reputation of a fanatic and mystic, which, according to some historians, can be considered an essential fact of Gogol’s biography, since his spiritual decline intensified after these meetings. Internal conflict the writer was acutely manifested in relation to his work: he burned the unfinished second volume of Dead Souls. On February 21, 1852, Gogol died.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was born in 1809 in the village of Bolshiye Sorochintsy, into a family of poor landowners - Vasily Afanasyevich and Maria Ivanovna Gogol-Yanovsky. The writer's father was the author of several comedies in Ukrainian. From 1821 to 1828, Nikolai Vasilyevich studied at the Nizhyn Gymnasium of Higher Sciences. Interest in literature and painting, as well as acting talent, appeared already during my studies. The great hobby of many students at the gymnasium was amateur theater, one of the creators of which was Gogol. He was a talented performer of many roles, as well as a director and artist, the author of funny comedies and scenes from folk life.
In the gymnasium future writer began to compile the “Little Russian Lexicon” (Ukrainian-Russian dictionary) and write down folk songs. The writer collected remarkable monuments of oral poetic creativity throughout his life. First literary experiments Gogol dates back to 1823-24. Two years after entering the gymnasium, he became one of active participants literary circle, whose members published several handwritten magazines and almanacs: “Meteor of Literature”, “Star”, “Northern Dawn”, etc. The first stories were published in these publications, critical articles, plays and poems by an aspiring writer.
After graduating from high school, Gogol went to St. Petersburg and a year later entered the public service, and then began teaching history in one of educational institutions. During this period, Nikolai Vasilyevich met V.A. Zhukovsky, P.A. Pletnev and A.S. Pushkin, who had a huge influence on his work. Gogol considered himself a student and follower of the great poet. Along with Pushkin, the romantic poetry and prose of the Decembrists had a great influence on the formation of the literary tastes of the future writer.
In 1831-32, Gogol’s book “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” was published, based on Ukrainian folk art- songs, fairy tales, folk beliefs and customs, as well as the personal impressions of the author himself. This book brought Gogol big success. The appearance of “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka,” according to Pushkin, was an extraordinary phenomenon in Russian literature. Gogol revealed to the Russian reader amazing world folk life imbued with romance folk legends and traditions, cheerful lyricism and playful humor.
1832-33 appeared turning point in the life of a writer. It was a time of persistent search for new themes and images suggested by life. In 1835, two collections were published: “Mirgorod” and “Arabesques,” which brought Gogol even greater recognition. The collection “Mirgorod” includes the stories “ Old world landowners", "Taras Bulba", "Viy" and "The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich." At the same time, work continued on “ Petersburg stories" - a series of works dedicated to St. Petersburg themes. The first sketches of the cycle date back to 1831. The most significant story in the St. Petersburg cycle, “The Overcoat,” was completed in 1841.
In 1836, at the Alexandrinsky Theater, the first performance of the comedy “The Inspector General” took place, in which the author mercilessly ridicules officials and landed nobility. The characters in the comedy were typical for all of Russia at that time, and many viewers who saw the comedy for the first time believed that the author was making fun of their city, its officials, landowners and police officers. But not everyone received the comedy favorably. Representatives of the bureaucracy saw comedy as a threat. Articles began to appear on the pages of the magazine accusing the author of the comedy of distorting reality. Those who recognized themselves in the heroes of the comedy argued that its content boiled down to an old empty joke.
Critical reviews deeply traumatized Gogol. In subsequent years, he continued to work hard on the composition of the play and the images of the characters. In 1841, the comedy, in a significantly revised form, was published a second time as a separate book. But this edition also seemed imperfect to the writer. Gogol included only the sixth version of The Inspector General in the fourth volume of his Works in 1842. But in this form, the comedy, due to censorship obstacles, was staged only 28 years later.
Almost simultaneously with the first edition of The Inspector General, the first issue of Pushkin’s journal Sovremennik was published, in the preparation of which Gogol took an active part. In one of his articles, he criticized editorial publications, after which attacks from the ruling classes noticeably intensified.
In the summer of 1836, Gogol decided to temporarily go abroad, where he spent a total of more than 12 years. The writer lived in Germany, Switzerland, France, Austria, the Czech Republic, but most of all in Italy. In subsequent years, he returned to his homeland twice - in 1839-40. and in 1841-42. Death of A.S. Pushkin deeply shocked the writer. The beginning of his work on the poem “Dead Souls” dates back to this time. Shortly before the duel, Pushkin gave Gogol his own plot, and the writer considered his work the “sacred testament” of the great poet.
At the beginning of October 1841, Gogol arrived in St. Petersburg, and a few days later he left for Moscow, where he continued to work on “Dead Souls.” In May 1842, the first volume of Dead Souls was published, and at the end of May Gogol went abroad again. Russian readers, who became acquainted with Gogol's new creation, were immediately divided into his supporters and opponents. Heated debates erupted around the book. Gogol at this time was resting and receiving treatment in the small German town of Gastein. The unrest associated with the publication of Dead Souls, material need, and attacks from critics became the cause of a spiritual crisis and nervous illness.
In subsequent years, the writer often moved from one place to another, hoping that a change of environment would help him restore his health. By the mid-40s spiritual crisis went deeper. Under the influence of A.P. Tolstoy, Gogol became imbued with religious ideas and abandoned his previous beliefs and works. In 1847, a series of articles by the writer in the form of letters was published entitled “Selected Passages from Correspondence with Friends.” the main idea This book is the need for internal Christian education and re-education of each and every one, without which no social improvements are possible. The book was published in a heavily censored form and was considered weak in artistically work. At the same time, Gogol also worked on works of a theological nature, the most significant of which is “Reflections on the Divine Liturgy” (published posthumously in 1857).
The last years of his life N.V. Gogol lived alone. In 1848, the writer intended to fulfill his main dream - to travel around Russia. But there was no longer any money for this, no physical strength. He visited his native places and lived in Odessa for six months. In St. Petersburg he met Nekrasov, Goncharov and Grigorovich, in April 1848 he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to the Holy Sepulcher, but most spent time in Moscow. Despite his illness, the writer continued to work, as he saw the meaning of his life in literature.
IN last years all Gogol's thoughts were absorbed in the second volume of Dead Souls. At the beginning of 1852, the writer showed signs of a new mental crisis; he refused food and medical care. His health condition worsened every day. One night, during another attack, he burned almost all of his manuscripts, including the completed edition of the second volume of Dead Souls (only 7 chapters survived in incomplete form). Soon after this, the writer died and was buried in the St. Daniel Monastery. In 1931, the writer's remains were reburied at Novodevichy Cemetery. Shortly before his death, Gogol said: “I know that after me my name will be happier than me...”. And he turned out to be right. About two hundred years have passed since the death of the great Russian writer, but his works still occupy an honorable place among the masterpieces of world classics.
Nikolai Vasilyevich was born into a large family, Vasily and Maria, Gogol’s parents, had 12 children. Gogol’s father saw his wife in a dream, considering this dream a prophecy, his father was looking for the one he saw in a dream. He found it very close, since childhood he tenderly and reverently courted the neighbor's girl Maria. It was his mother who instilled in little Nikolai Gogol-Yanovsky a love of literature and mysticism; Gogol's father was a writer and playwright. It is interesting that Gogol's great-great-grandfather, Ostap, was the hetman of Right Bank Ukraine.
Nikolai studied poorly, he only drew well and knew Russian grammar, but his teacher denied the importance of the works of Pushkin and Zhukovsky, welcomed foreign literature, thereby interested Gogol in romanticism and the classics, aroused admiration for Pushkin and Zhukovsky.. Having graduated from the gymnasium,
Gogol moves to St. Petersburg, the city of his dreams. Not finding himself in the civil service, Gogol begins to write. Having published his first poem “Hanz Küchelgarten” under the pseudonym Alov, Gogol was criticized to smithereens. He bought the entire edition, burned it and went abroad, however, he returned a month later. After a while, Rudy Panko tells St. Petersburg about “Evenings on the Farm”, the Little Russian author was greeted by St. Petersburg with a “Hurray!”, Gogol is recognizable in his pseudonym, Belinsky in print asks the author to show his face, not to hide behind masks. Gogol begins create under his own name, world masterpieces come from the pen of the writer: “The Inspector General”, “Marriage”, “Petersburg Tales”, “The Overcoat”, “Notes of a Madman”. Having complexes because of his appearance, Gogol writes “Nose”, and love “Viya”, “Ivan Kupala” give birth to miracles and mysticism.
Gogol is famous and recognized, he is part of the circle of Pushkin, Belinsky, Pletnev, Zhukovsky. The image of St. Petersburg is a symbol of new life in the writer’s work. Gogol does not leave his historical homeland, he is a patriot and passionately loves his people, dedicates many works to her, “Taras Bulba” is the most monumental. He asks his mother to send him all the news, folk songs and tales, costumes from Ukraine. Mirgorod was the name of his land classic.
His personal life did not work out, Gogol was rejected by his bride’s parents, but the brilliant work “Marriage” was born, and the writer himself gave up trying to arrange his personal life.
The uniqueness of writing, a special manner, truth-telling - all this makes the writer’s work unique. Gogol’s critical realism is a unique phenomenon of that time. Creative nature, a penchant for mysticism, belief in traditions and tales, all this made Gogol’s work and life mysterious, and his biography - controversial. Frequent mental breakdowns led the writer to depression and departures abroad. Negative reaction and criticism to the production of “The Inspector General” lead to another flight of the writer. Returning to Russia, Gogol works on the second volume of “Dead Souls,” but a mental crisis prevents him from finishing this work. The author burns the second volume, and 10 days later the writer died.
Gogol's biography causes more controversy than it illuminates the facts. There are more questions than answers about the life of the mysterious genius, about his work and descendants. In his will, Gogol asked not to erect a monument on his grave and not to bury him; immediately after his death, he suffered from bouts of lethargic sleep. But the will was violated, he was buried in the cemetery of the St. Daniel's Monastery, erecting a monument on the grave. Later, Gogol was reburied, the ashes were transferred to the Novodevichy cemetery, but the writer's skull disappeared from the coffin. Mysticism, vandalism, fans - history remains silent. This incident was found reflected in Bulgakov in “The Master and Margarita”, in the form of the head of the writer Berlioz stolen from the coffin, cut off by a tram on the Patriarch's Ponds. Even after his death, Gogol excited the imagination of writers and provided food for their creativity.
Gogol Nikolai Vasilievich (1809-1852)
Great Russian writer.
Born in the town of Velikie Sorochintsy, Mirgorod district, Poltava province, in the family of a landowner. Gogol spent his childhood years on his parents' estate Vasilievka (another name is Yanovshchina). Cultural center The region was Kibintsy, the estate of D.P. Troshchinsky, a distant relative of theirs, Gogol’s father acted as his secretary. In Kibintsi there was a large library, there was home theater, for which Gogol's father wrote comedies, being also its actor and conductor.
In May 1821 he entered the gymnasium of higher sciences in Nizhyn. Here he paints and takes part in performances. Tries himself in various literary genres(writes elegiac poems, tragedies, historical poem, story). At the same time he writes the satire “Something about Nezhin, or the law is not written for fools” (not preserved). However, he dreams of a legal career.
Having graduated from the gymnasium in 1828, Gogol in December, together with another graduate A.S. Danilevsky travels to St. Petersburg, where he makes his first literary attempts: at the beginning of 1829, the poem “Italy” appears, published by “Hanz Küchelgarten” (under the pseudonym “V. Alov”).
At the end of 1829, he managed to decide to serve in the Department of State Economy and Public Buildings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During this period, “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”, “The Nose”, “Taras Bulba” were published.
In the fall of 1835, he began writing “The Inspector General,” the plot of which was suggested by Pushkin; the work progressed so successfully that the play premiered in the spring of 1836 on the stage of the Alexandria Theater.
In June 1836, Gogol left St. Petersburg for Germany (in total, he lived abroad for about 12 years). He spends the end of summer and autumn in Switzerland, where he begins to work on the continuation of Dead Souls. The plot was also suggested by Pushkin.
In November 1836, Gogol met A. Mitskevich in Paris. In Rome he receives shocking news about the death of Pushkin. In May 1842, “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls” was published. The three years (1842-1845) that followed the writer’s departure abroad was a period of intense and difficult work on the second volume of Dead Souls.
At the beginning of 1845, Gogol showed signs of a mental crisis, and in a state of sharp exacerbation of his illness, he burned the manuscript of the second volume, on which he would continue to work some time later.
In April 1848, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Gogol finally returned to Russia, where he spent most of his time in Moscow, visiting St. Petersburg, and also in his native places - in Little Russia. In the spring of 1850, Gogol made his first and last attempt to organize his family life- proposes to A.M. Vielgorskaya, but is refused.
On January 1, 1852, Gogol informs Arnoldi that the second volume is “completely finished.” But in last days month, signs of a new crisis were revealed, the impetus for which was the death of E. M. Khomyakova, sister of N. M. Yazykov, a person spiritually close to Gogol.
On February 7, Gogol confesses and receives communion, and on the night of February 11-12, he burns the white manuscript of the second volume (only five chapters have survived in incomplete form). On the morning of February 21, Gogol died in his last apartment in the Talyzin house in Moscow. The writer's funeral took place with a huge crowd of people at the cemetery of the St. Daniel's Monastery, and in 1931 Gogol's remains were reburied at the Novodevichy cemetery.
