Who was Gogol other than the writer. Biography of Gogol - one of the most mysterious writers

"To be in the world and not designate your existence with anything - it seems terrible to me." N.V. Gogol.

The genius of classical literature

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is known to the world as a writer, poet, playwright, publicist and critic. A man of remarkable talent and an amazing master of words, he is famous both in Ukraine, where he was born, and in Russia, where he moved over time.

Gogol is especially famous for his mystical heritage. His stories, written in a unique Ukrainian language that is not literary in the full sense of the word, convey the depth and beauty of Ukrainian speech, known to the whole world. The greatest popularity was given to Gogol by "Viy". What other works did Gogol write? We will consider the list of works below. These are sensational stories, often mystical, and stories from school curriculum, and few famous works the author.

List of the writer's works

In total, Gogol wrote over 30 works. He continued to finish some of them, despite the publication. Many of his creations had several variations, including Taras Bulba and Viy. Having published the story, Gogol continued to reflect on it, sometimes adding or changing the ending. Often his stories have several ending options. So, further we will consider the most famous works of Gogol. The list is in front of you:

1. « Ganz Kuchelgarten"(1827-1829, under the pseudonym A. Alov).
2. "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka" (1831), part 1 (" Sorochinskaya fair"," Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala "," Drowned "," The Lost Letter "). The second part was published a year later. It included following stories: "Christmas Eve", " Terrible revenge"," Ivan Fedorovich Shponka and his aunt "," Enchanted place ".
3. Mirgorod (1835). Its editorial office was divided into 2 parts. The first part included the stories "Taras Bulba", "Old World Landowners". The second part, completed in 1839-1841, included "Viy", "The Tale of how Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich."
4. The Nose (1841-1842).
5. "Morning business person". She wrote, like the comedies "Lawsuit", "Fragment" and "Lackey", in the period from 1832 to 1841.
6. "Portrait" (1842).
7. "Notes of a Madman" and "Nevsky Prospect" (1834-1835).
8. The Inspector General (1835).
9. The play "The Marriage" (1841).
10. « Dead Souls"(1835-1841).
11. Comedies "The Players" and "Theatrical Patrol after the Presentation of a New Comedy" (1836-1841).
12. The Overcoat (1839-1841).
13. Rome (1842).

These are published works written by Gogol. The works (a list by year, more precisely) indicate that the flowering of the writer's talent came in 1835-1841. Now let's go over the reviews of the most famous stories Gogol.

"Viy" - the most mystical creation of Gogol

The story "Viy" tells about the recently deceased lady, the centurion's daughter, who, as the whole village knows, was a witch. The centurion, at the request of his beloved daughter, makes the burial student Homa Bruta read over her. The witch, who died through the fault of Khoma, dreams of revenge ...

Reviews of the work "Viy" are a continuous praise for the writer and his talent. It is impossible to discuss the list of Nikolai Gogol's works without mentioning the beloved Viy. Readers note bright characters, original, unique, with their own characters and habits. All of them are typical Ukrainians, cheerful and optimistic people, rude but kind. It is impossible not to appreciate the subtle irony and humor of Gogol.

They also highlight the unique syllable of the writer and his ability to play on contrasts. During the day, the peasants walk and have fun, and Khoma also drinks so as not to think about the horror of the coming night. With the coming of evening, a gloomy, mystical silence sets in - and Khoma again enters the circle outlined in chalk ...

A very small story keeps in suspense up to last pages... Below are shots from the 1967 film of the same name.

Satirical comedy "Nose"

"The Nose" is an amazing story, written in such a satirical form that at first it seems fantastic absurdity. According to the plot, Platon Kovalev is a public person and prone to narcissism, wakes up in the morning without a nose - in his place is empty. In a panic, Kovalev begins to look for a lost nose, because without him and in a decent society you will not appear!

Readers easily saw the prototype of Russian (and not only!) Society. Gogol's stories, despite the fact that they were written in the 19th century, do not lose their relevance. Gogol, whose list of works for the most part can be divided into mysticism and satire, felt very subtly modern society, which has not changed in the past. The rank, the outer gloss have still been held in high esteem, but the inner content of a person is not interesting to anyone. It is Plato's nose, with an outer shell, but no inner content, that becomes the prototype of a man richly dressed, reasonably thinking, but soulless.

"Taras Bulba"

Taras Bulba is a great creation. Describing the works of Gogol, the most famous, the list of which is provided above, one cannot fail to mention this story. In the center of the plot are two brothers, Andrei and Ostap, as well as their father, Taras Bulba himself, a strong, courageous and utterly principled man.

Readers especially highlight small parts stories, on which the author focused attention, which revives the picture, makes those distant times closer and more understandable. Writer long time studied the details of the life of that era, so that readers could more vividly and vividly imagine the events taking place. In general, Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, whose list of works we are discussing today, has always attached particular importance to trifles.

The charismatic characters also made a lasting impression on the readers. Tough, merciless Taras, ready for anything for the sake of the Motherland, brave and courageous Ostap and romantic, selfless Andrey - they cannot leave readers indifferent. In general, the well-known works of Gogol, the list of which we are considering, have interesting feature- an amazing, but harmonious contradiction in the characters of the characters.

"Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka"

Another mystical, but at the same time funny and ironic work of Gogol. The blacksmith Vakula is in love with Oksana, who promised to marry him if he gets her the slippers, like the queen herself. Vakula is in despair ... But then, quite by chance, he comes across evil spirits, having fun in the village in the company of a witch. It is not surprising that Gogol, whose list of works includes numerous Mystic stories, involved a witch and a devil in this story.

This story is interesting not only for the plot, but also for the colorful characters, each of which is unique. They, as if alive, appear before the readers, each in his own image. Some Gogol admires with light irony, he admires Vakula, and Oksana teaches to appreciate and love. Like a caring father, he chuckles good-naturedly at his characters, but it all looks so soft that it causes only a gentle smile.

The disposition of Ukrainians, their language, customs and foundations, so clearly described in the story, could only be described in such detail and lovingly by Gogol. Even making fun of the "Muscovites" looks cute in the mouths of the characters in the story. This is because Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, whose list of works we are discussing today, loved his homeland and spoke of it with love.

"Dead Souls"

Sounds mystical, right? However, in fact, Gogol in this work did not resort to mysticism and looked much deeper - into human souls. The main character Chichikov seems to be a negative character at first glance, but the more the reader gets to know him, the more positive features notices in it. Gogol makes the reader worry about the fate of his hero, despite his impartial actions, which already says a lot.

In this work, the writer, as always, acts as an excellent psychologist and a real genius of the word.

Of course, these are not all of the creations that Gogol wrote. The list of works is incomplete without continuation " Dead souls". It was his author who allegedly burned before his death. Rumor has it that in the next two volumes, Chichikov had to improve and become a decent person. Is it so? Unfortunately, now we will never know for sure.

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Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809 - 1852) - classic of Russian literature, writer, playwright, publicist, critic. The most important works of Gogol are: the collection "Evenings on a Farm near Dykanka", dedicated to the customs and traditions of the Ukrainian people, as well as greatest poem"Dead Souls".

Among the biographies of great writers, Gogol's biography stands in a separate row. After reading this article, you will understand why this is the case.

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol is a generally recognized literary classic. He worked expertly in the most different genres... Both his contemporaries and writers of subsequent generations spoke positively about his works.

Talk about his biography has not ceased to this day, since from among the intelligentsia of the 19th century, he is one of the most mystical and mysterious figures.

Childhood and youth

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was born on March 20, 1809 in the town of Sorochintsy (Poltava province, Mirgorodsky district) into a family of poor local Little Russian nobles who owned the village of Vasilyevka, Vasily Afanasyevich and Maria Ivanovna Gogol-Yanovsky.

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol's belonging to the Little Russian nationality from childhood had a significant impact on his world outlook and writing. Psychological features Little Russian nationality affected the content of its early works and on artistic style his speech.

Childhood years were spent in the estate of Vasilyevka's parents, Mirgorodsky district, not far from the village of Dikanka. An hour's drive from Vasilyevka along the Oposhnyansky tract was the Poltava field - the place famous battle... From his grandmother Tatyana Semyonovna, who taught the boy to draw and even embroider with a garus, Gogol listened winter evenings Ukrainian folk songs... Grandma told her grandson historical legends and legends about the heroic pages of history, about the Zaporozhye Cossack freemen.

The Gogol family stood out for their stable cultural demands. Gogol's father, Vasily Afanasyevich, was a talented storyteller and theater lover. He became close friends with a distant relative, the former Minister of Justice D.P. Troshchinsky, who lived in retirement in the village of Kibintsy, not far from Vasilyevka. A wealthy nobleman set up a home theater in his estate, where Vasily Afanasyevich became a director and actor. He composed his own comedies in Ukrainian for this theater, the plots of which he borrowed from folk tales... VV Kapnist, a venerable playwright, author of the famous "Yabeda", took part in the preparation of the performances. On the stage of the stage in Kibintsy, his plays were performed, as well as Fonvizin's "Minor", Krylov's "Podshchip". Vasily Afanasyevich was friends with Kapnist, sometimes the whole family was staying with him in Obukhovka. In July 1813 little Gogol saw here G.R.Derzhavin, who was visiting a friend of his youth. Gogol inherited his writing and acting talent from his father.

Mother, Maria Ivanovna, was a religious, nervous and impressionable woman. Having lost two children who died in infancy, she fearfully awaited a third. The couple prayed in the Dikan church in front of the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas. Having given the newborn the name of a saint revered among the people, the parents surrounded the boy with special affection and attention. From childhood, Gogol remembered his mother's stories about the last times, about the death of the world and The last judgment, about hellish torments sinners. They were accompanied by instructions on the need to maintain spiritual purity for the sake of future salvation. The boy was especially impressed by the story about the stairs that angels descend from heaven, giving a hand to the soul of the deceased. On this staircase there are seven measures; the last, the seventh, raises the immortal soul of man to the seventh heaven, to the heavenly abodes, which are accessible to few. The souls of the righteous go there - people who have spent their earthly life "in all piety and purity." The image of the ladder will then pass through all of Gogol's reflections on the fate and vocation of man to spiritual perfection.

Gogol inherited from his mother a subtle mental organization, a penchant for contemplation and a God-fearing religiosity. Kapnist's daughter recalled: "I knew Gogol as a boy who was always serious and so thoughtful that it worried his mother extremely." The boy's imagination was also influenced by the pagan beliefs of the people in brownies, witches, mermaids and mermaids. Discordant and colorful, sometimes comically funny, and sometimes frightening and awe-inspiring mysterious world From childhood, the impressionable Gogol soul absorbed folk demonology.

In 1821, after two years of study at the Poltava district school, the parents assigned the boy to the Prince Bezborodko's gymnasium of higher sciences that had just been opened in Nizhyn in the Chernigov province. It was often called the Lyceum: like the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, the gymnasium course was combined with university subjects, and the classes were taught by professors. Gogol studied in Nizhyn for seven years, visiting his parents only for the holidays.

At first, the teaching was difficult: insufficient home preparation... Children of wealthy parents, Gogol's classmates, entered the gymnasium with knowledge of Latin, French and German languages... Gogol was jealous of them, felt slighted, shunned his classmates, and in letters home he begged to be taken away from the gymnasium. The sons of wealthy parents, among whom was N.V. Kukolnik, did not spare his pride, ridiculed his weaknesses. From his own experience, Gogol experienced the drama of the "little" man, learned the bitter value of the words of the poor official Bashmachkin, the hero of his "Overcoat", addressed to the scoffers: "Leave me! Leave me!" Why are you offending me? " Painful, frail, suspicious, the boy was humiliated not only by his peers, but also by insensitive teachers. Rare patience, the ability to silently endure grievances gave Gogol the first nickname he received from high school students - "Dead Thought."

But soon Gogol discovered an extraordinary talent in drawing, far outstripping the successes of his offenders, and then an enviable literary ability. There were like-minded people with whom he began to publish a manuscript journal, placing in it his articles, stories, poems. Among them - historical story"Brothers Tverdislavichi", a satirical essay "Something about Nizhyn, or the Law is not Written to Fools", in which he ridiculed the customs of local inhabitants.

The beginning of the literary path

Gogol early became interested in literature, especially poetry. His favorite poet was Pushkin, and he copied his "Gypsy", "Poltava", and the chapters of "Eugene Onegin" in his notebooks. Gogol's first literary experiments date back to this time.

Already in 1825 he collaborated in a handwritten gymnasium magazine, composing poetry. Theater was another hobby of Gogol as a schoolboy. He took an active part in staging school plays, played comic roles, and painted scenery.

Gogol's dissatisfaction with the musty and dull life of the Nezhin "creatures" was early awakened in Gogol, dreams of serving noble and lofty goals. The thought of the future, of "serving humanity," even then captures Gogol. These youthful - enthusiastic aspirations, this thirst for socially useful activity, a sharp denial of philistine calmness found their expression in his first poetic work, the poem "Ganz Küchelgarten" that has come down to us.

Dreams and plans future activities drew Gogol to the capital, to the distant and tempting Petersburg. Here he thought to find an application for his abilities, to give his strength for the good of society. After graduating from high school, in December 1828, Gogol left for St. Petersburg.

Petersburg unkindly greeted an enthusiastic young man who had arrived from distant Ukraine, from a quiet provincial wilderness. Gogol is failing on all sides. The bureaucratic and bureaucratic world reacted with indifferent indifference to the young provincial: there was no service, the life in the capital for the young man, who had very modest means, turned out to be very difficult. Gogol also experienced bitter disappointment in the literary field. The hopes he placed on the poem "Gantz Kuchelgarten", brought from Nizhyn, did not come true. Published in 1829 (under the pseudonym V. Alov), the poem was not successful.

An attempt to enter the stage also ended in failure: Gogol's true rhyolistic talent as an actor turned out to be alien to the then theatrical management.

Only at the end of 1829 Gogol managed to get a job as a minor official in the department of state economy and public buildings. However, Gogol did not stay in this position for long and in April 1830 he entered the department of destinies as a scribe.

During these years Gogol recognized the hardships and poverty experienced in St. Petersburg for the most part of the servants, the needy people. Whole year Gogol served as an official in the department. However, the bureaucratic service attracted him little. At the same time, he attended the Academy of Arts, painting there. Resumed it literary pursuits... But now Gogol no longer writes dreamy-romantic poems like "Gantz Kuchelgarten", but turns to the well-known Ukrainian life and folklore, starting work on a book of stories, which he titled "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka."

In 1831, the long-awaited acquaintance with Pushkin took place, which soon turned into a close friendship between both writers. Gogol found an older comrade in Pushkin, a literary leader.

Gogol and theater

In 1837, he appeared in Sovremennik with the article “Petersburg Notes of 1836,” in a significant part devoted to drama and theater. Gogol's judgments broke the established canons and asserted the need for a new artistic method- realism. Gogol criticized two popular genres that took possession of the "theaters of the whole world" in those years: melodrama and vaudeville.

Gogol sharply condemns the main vice of this genre:

Our melodrama lies in the most shameless way

Melodrama does not reflect the life of society and does not produce the proper impact on it, arousing in the viewer not participation, but some kind of "anxiety". Vaudeville, "this light, colorless toy", in which laughter "is generated by light impressions, fluent wit, pun" does not correspond to the tasks of the theater.

The theater, according to Gogol, should teach and educate the audience:

We made a toy out of the theater, like those trinkets with which children are lured, forgetting that this is such a pulpit from which a live lesson is read at once to the whole crowd.

In a rough version of the article, Gogol calls the theater a "great school." But the condition for this is the fidelity of the display of life. “Indeed, it’s time to know,” Gogol writes, that only one correct portrayal of characters, not in general outlines, but in their nationally expressed form, striking us with liveliness, so we say: “Yes, it seems, this is a familiar person”, - only such an image is of significant benefit. " Here and elsewhere, Gogol defends the principles of realistic theater, and it is only such a theater that he attaches great social and educational significance.

For God's sake, give us Russian characters, give us ourselves, our rogues, our eccentrics! to their stage, to the laughter of everyone!

Gogol reveals the meaning of laughter as a powerful weapon in the fight against social vices... “Laughter, Gogol continues, is a great thing: it takes neither life nor property, but before him the guilty one is like a tied hare ...” In the theater “with the solemn brilliance of lighting, with the thunder of music, with unanimous laughter, an acquaintance appears, hiding vice". A person is afraid of laughter, Gogol repeats many times, and refrains from "from which no strength would keep him." But not every laughter has such power, but only “that electric, life-giving laughter,” which has a deep ideological basis.

In December 1828, Gogol said goodbye to his native Ukrainian places and took the path to the north: to a strange and tempting, distant and desired Petersburg. Even before his departure, Gogol wrote: “From the very times of the past, from the very years of almost incomprehension, I was burning with inextinguishable zeal to make my life necessary for the good of the state. I went over in my mind all the states, all positions in the state and settled on one. At justice. - I saw that here only I can be a blessing, here I will only be useful for humanity. "

So. Gogol arrived in St. Petersburg. The very first weeks of his stay in the capital brought bitterness to Gogol. He failed to fulfill his dream. Unlike Piskarev, the hero of the story "Nevsky Prospect", Gogol does not perceive the collapse of his dreams so tragically. Changing many other activities, he still finds his calling in life. Gogol's vocation is to be a writer. “... I wanted, - wrote Gogol, - in my work to expose mainly those superior properties of Russian nature, which are not yet fairly valued by everyone, and mainly those low ones who are not yet sufficiently ridiculed and amazed by everyone. I wanted to collect here some vivid psychological phenomena, to place those observations that I have been making for a long time intimately over a person. " Soon the poem was completed, which Gogol decided to make public. It came out in May 1829 under the name Ganz Küchelgarten. Critical reviews soon appeared in print. They were sharply negative. Gogol took his failure very painfully. He leaves Petersburg, but soon returns again.

Gogol possessed new dream: theater. But he did not pass the exam. His realistic manner playing clearly contradicted the tastes of the examiners. And here again failure. Gogol almost fell into despair.

After a short time, Gogol received a new position in one of the departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After 3 months, he could not stand it here and wrote a letter of resignation. He moved to another department, where he then worked as a scribe. Gogol continued to look closely at the life and life of his fellow officials. These observations then formed the basis of the stories "The Nose", "The Overcoat". After serving another year, Gogol leaves the department service for good.

Meanwhile, his interest in art not only did not fade away, but every day more and more dominated him. The bitterness with "Gantz Küchelgarten" was forgotten, and Gogol continued to write.

His new collections and works are coming out soon. 1831 - 1832 Gogol writes the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, 1835 - the collection Mirgorod, in the same year he begins to create Dead Souls and The Inspector General, in 1836 the novel The Nose was published and the premiere of the comedy Inspector ”in the theaters of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Later, after his death, some stories depicting Petersburg "in all its glory", with officials, with bribe-takers were combined into "Petersburg stories". These are such stories as: "The Overcoat", "The Nose", "Nevsky Prospect", "Notes of a Madman". Petersburg stories reflected both high and by no means best properties Russian character, the way of life and customs of different strata of St. Petersburg society - officials, military men, artisans. Literary critic A. V. Lunacharsky wrote: "The vile faces of everyday life teased and called for a slapstick." The story "Nevsky Prospect" with its Pirogov, Hoffman and Schiller, with ladies, generals and officials of departments, flitting along Nevsky Prospekt "from two to three o'clock afternoon ... "

In St. Petersburg, Gogol had Difficult life full of disappointments. He could not find his calling in any way. And finally I found it. Nikolai Gogol's vocation is to be a writer depicting the vices of the human soul and the nature of Little Russia.

Gogol died at the age of 43. Doctors who treated him last years, were in complete bewilderment about his illness. A version of depression was put forward.

It began with the fact that at the beginning of 1852, the sister of one of Gogol's close friends, Ekaterina Khomyakova, died, whom the writer respected to the core. Her death provoked severe depression, resulting in religious ecstasy. Gogol began to fast. His daily diet consisted of 1-2 tablespoons of cabbage brine and oat broth, and occasionally prunes. Considering that Nikolai Vasilyevich's body was weakened after an illness - in 1839 he contracted malarial encephalitis, and in 1842 suffered cholera and miraculously survived - starvation was mortally dangerous for him.

On the night of February 24, he burned the second volume of Dead Souls. After 4 days, a young doctor, Alexei Terentyev, visited Gogol. He described the state of the writer as follows:

He watched as a man for whom all tasks were solved, every feeling fell silent, all words were in vain ... His whole body became extremely thin, his eyes became dull and sunken, his face was completely sunken, his cheeks were hollow, his voice weakened ...

Doctors invited to the dying Gogol found that he had severe gastrointestinal disorders. They talked about the "intestinal catarrh", which turned into "typhoid", about the unfavorable course of gastroenteritis. And, finally, about "indigestion" complicated by "inflammation".

As a result, doctors diagnosed him with meningitis and prescribed bloodletting, hot baths and douches, which are deadly in this state.

The writer's miserable withered body was immersed in a bath, his head was watered cold water... They put leeches on him, and with his weak hand he frantically tried to brush away the clusters of black worms that stuck to his nostrils. How could anyone think of the worst torture for a man who had been loathing all his life in front of everything that was creeping and slimy? "Remove the leeches, lift the leeches from your mouth," Gogol groaned and prayed. In vain. He was not allowed to do it.

A few days later, the writer was gone.

Gogol's ashes were buried at noon on February 24, 1852 by the parish priest Alexei Sokolov and deacon John Pushkin. And 79 years later, he was secretly, thieves removed from the grave: the Danilov Monastery was transformed into a colony for juvenile delinquents, in connection with which his necropolis was subject to liquidation. It was decided to move only a few of the most dear to the Russian heart burials to the old cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent. Among these lucky ones, along with the Yazykov, Aksakovs and Khomyakovs was Gogol ...

On May 31, 1931, twenty to thirty people gathered at the grave of Gogol, among whom were: the historian M. Baranovskaya, writers Vs. Ivanov, V. Lugovskoy, Yu. Olesha, M. Svetlov, V. Lidin and others. It was Lidin who became almost the only source of information about Gogol's reburial. From his light hand began to walk around Moscow scary legends about Gogol.

The coffin was not found right away, - he told the students of the Literary Institute, - for some reason it was not where they were digging, but somewhat at a distance, to the side. And when it was taken out of the ground - covered with lime, seemingly strong, from oak planks - and opened it, bewilderment was added to the heartfelt trembling of those present. In the coffin lay a skeleton with a skull turned to one side. Nobody found an explanation for this. Someone superstitious, perhaps, then thought: "Well, after all, the publican - as if not alive during his life, and not dead after death, is this strange great man."

Lidin's stories stirred up old rumors that Gogol was afraid of being buried alive in a state lethargic sleep and seven years before his death he bequeathed:

Do not bury my bodies until they seem clear signs decomposition. I mention this because even during the illness itself they found moments of vital numbness on me, my heart and pulse stopped beating.

What the exhumators saw in 1931 seemed to indicate that Gogol's behest was not fulfilled, that he was buried in a lethargic state, he woke up in a coffin and experienced nightmarish moments of a new dying ...

For the sake of fairness, it must be said that the Lidin version did not inspire confidence. The sculptor N. Ramazanov, who took off Gogol's death mask, recalled: "I did not suddenly decide to take off the mask, but the prepared coffin ... finally, the constantly arriving crowd of people who wanted to say goodbye to the dear deceased forced me and my old man, who pointed out the traces of destruction, to hurry ..." explanation of the turn of the skull: the side boards of the coffin were the first to rot, the lid lowers under the weight of the soil, presses on the dead man's head, and it turns on its side on the so-called "Atlantean vertebra".

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol - genius Russian writer, a person who is known, first of all, as the author of the work Dead Souls, which is relevant for all times, a person with tragic fate, which is still shrouded in an aura 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 a large family landlord. In Gogol's childhood brought up on the principles of mutual respect, love for 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 in those years he did not write very skillfully.

Literary achievements

With the move of Gogol to northern capital in 1828 it began literary path as a unique author. But everything went smoothly not at once: Nikolai Vasilievich served as an official studied painting at the Academy of Arts and even attempted to become an actor, but none of the activities mentioned brought the expected satisfaction.

Acquaintance with such influential figures in society as Delvig and 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 by original plays such as "The Inspector General", novellas ("The Nose") and stories with a Ukrainian flavor ("Sorochinskaya Yarmarka")

Completion of life's journey

One of the last rounds of the biography of the writer was travel abroad influenced negative reaction public for 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 gets depressed, breaks down spiritually, and on the eve of his death, on February 21, 1852, he simply burns the second volume of the finished work.

Mysterious death

Surprisingly, misinterpretation about from what exactly the great Russian writer died, do not subside until now. Even modern doctors cannot make an accurate diagnosis, although, according to biographers, Gogol was a sickly child from childhood. Despite the variety of diagnoses that could lead to death - from cancer to meningitis, from typhoid to insanity - even version of poisoning a writer with mercury.

Oddities and eccentricities

Russian and world literature knows Gogol as a person 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 has displaced organs in the body, some of which are even placed upside down. Contemporaries said that he amazed everyone with attachments atypical 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 biographical path of the writer, the following can be attributed:

• Gogol has never been married. He proposed to a woman only once, but was rejected.
• Nikolai Vasilyevich loved cooking and cooking, he often treated his friends to home-made dishes, including a special drink with rum called "eggnog".
• The writer constantly had sweets with him, which he never tired of chewing.
• He was a shy man and was very shy about his own nose.
• A special place in Gogol's life was occupied by fears: a strong thunderstorm acted on his nerves, and in general, he was a man not alien to religious, mystical and superstitious considerations. Perhaps that is why mysticism has always pursued the prose writer: for example, he himself said that his story "Viy" is nothing more than folk tradition which he had once heard and simply re-recorded. 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 the reburial, he was found turned to one side.

If this message is useful to you, it's good to see you.

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol lived a short but eventful life. There is a lot of talk about him to this day, more than one generation has grown up on his works, they are in demand in schools, on their basis they are created art paintings... The name of this writer has certainly left a significant mark on history.

Childhood

In 1809, in the spring of March 20, in the family of a simple landowner Gogol, a boy was born, whom they began to call Nikolai, by his patronymic Vasilyevich. His family lived in a small town in the Poltava province. Then it was called the Great Sorochintsy.

The childhood of the future writer took place near the village of Dikanka, where his parents had their own estate. Creative nature in little Gogol it was revealed by his father, who was a fan of art and theater, a writer of comedies and poetry. The boy received his education within the walls of the house.

Youth

After completing home schooling, Gogol spent 2 years in the district school of the Poltava province, after which he successfully entered the gymnasium in the city of Nizhyn. This institution was created to educate provincial noble children.

Young Gogol learned to draw here, play on stage and on the violin. In his future, he saw himself as a lawyer, dreaming of administering justice. But literature prevailed over his dreams.

Despite the unsuccessful attempts that he failed in December, after graduating from high school (1828), his attitude towards literature and the desire to develop in this direction did not fade away.

In 1829 he became a minor official. His monotonous boring life was brightened by painting, which he was engaged in at the Academy of Arts, and literature.

Creation

In 1830, Gogol wrote his first work. It was the story "Basavryuk", which was later reworked into "Evening on the Eve of I. Kupala".

In his social circles, the young Gogol had many famous people: Pushkin, Vyazemsky, Bryullov and many others. Such acquaintances expanded his horizons, helping in the development of his activities. He was friends with Pushkin.

Literary famous Nikolai Vasilyevich became after the publication of the book "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka", to the creation of which he devoted 1831-32 years of his life. It includes the famous story "Sorochinskaya Fair".

In the following year, Gogol decided to link his activities with scientific and pedagogical practice, and already in 1834 he was appointed an adjunct professor at the university. St. Petersburg(department world history). This experience and study Ukrainian history contributed to the creation of his new work "Taras Bulba".

A year after his appointment, Gogol left the department and completely absorbed literary work having written such works as: "Viy", "Taras Bulba", "The Inspector General" and collections of stories "Mirgorod" and "Arabesques" ...

Most significant work, dedicated to St. Petersburg, became the story "The Overcoat". Nikolai Vasilyevich worked on this work for about 7 years, finishing only in 1842, although a rough version was ready already in 1836. At the same time, he worked on other works. In 1841 he wrote Dead Souls, the first volume of which was published a year later. From the moment this work was created, the writer began to experience bouts of nervous disorders.

From 1837 to 39, Gogol traveled, and he left after the unsuccessful production of The Inspector General. He visited Switzerland, Paris and Rome. Then he returned, left Russia again (he spent more than a year in Vienna), then again found himself in his homeland.

The work on the second volume of Dead Souls coincided with the writer's crisis. His works were criticized, Belinsky condemned the religiosity and mysticism of the writer. All this influenced state of mind writer, drove to despair.

In 1852, the writer began to communicate with Archpriest Matvey Konstantinovsky, who was a mystic and fanatic. In the same year, in a state of severe mental breakdown, the writer burned his works of the second volume of the poem about dead souls.

Gogol died in 1852, 10 days after the destruction of the second volume of the poem. On February 21, the writer died.

• "Portrait", analysis of Gogol's story, composition
• "Dead Souls", analysis of the work of Gogol

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Biography, life story of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol is a famous Russian prose writer, playwright, poet, publicist, critic, one of the greatest classics Russian literature.

Childhood and youth

Nikolai Vasilievich was born on March 20 (April 1), 1809 in the village of Sorochintsy, Poltava province. It got its name in honor of St. Nicholas. At birth, he received the surname Yanovsky, a little later - Gogol-Yanovsky. Subsequently, he refused the second part of the surname.

Nikolai's father - Vasily Afanasyevich Gogol-Yanovsky - was born in 1777, died in 1825, when his son was only 15 years old. Vasily Afanasyevich was fond of stage activities, created plays for home theater... There is a version that it was these hobbies that influenced Nikolai Vasilyevich's penchant for art.

Nikolai's mother - Maria Ivanovna Kosyarovskaya - was born in 1791, died in 1868. Contemporaries claim that this was a woman of unearthly beauty. In addition to Nikolai, she had 11 more children. Not all of them, alas, were able to grow up, some of them were born dead, some died in early childhood.

When Nikolai Vasilyevich was 10 years old, he went to Poltava to see a local teacher to prepare for studying at the gymnasium. After some time, he, Nikolai, began his studies at the Gymnasium of Higher Sciences in the city of Nizhyn, where he studied from May 1821 to June 1828. He cannot be called a diligent student, but thanks to his phenomenal memory, he never failed in exams. He was especially good at Russian literature and drawing.

At the gymnasium, Nikolai met like-minded people who shared his passion for literature - Gerasim Vysotsky, Alexander Danilevsky and others. Together they subscribed to magazines and even created their own handwritten magazine, in which Nikolai Vasilyevich published his poems.

At the age of 15, when Gogol's father passed away, Nikolai takes care of his mother, who, considering her son a genius, helps him financially in his education. Realizing how difficult his education is for his family, Nikolai Vasilyevich responds to her with sincere love. And later, the abandonment of the inheritance in favor of the sisters.

CONTINUED BELOW

Creative way

In December 1828, Gogol left for the city of St. Petersburg. Here he is met by the hardships and sorrows of life. big city, poverty and despair. But, despite this, it was here that his first publications appeared in such eminent publications as "Son of the Fatherland" and "Northern Archive". Some time later, his works "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka" and "The Inspector General" were published in separate books.

A year after arriving in St. Petersburg, Nikolai got a job in the Department of State Economy and Public Buildings, and a year later in the Department of Appanages. After that, he taught history at the Patriotic Institute and was an adjunct professor at St. Petersburg University in the department of general history. Moving up the career ladder for 6 years, Gogol made many useful acquaintances, and also made a good name for himself. In 1834 Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was admitted to the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature at Moscow University, at the same time he was awarded a diamond ring from the Empress for his work at the Patriotic Institute. In February 1845, Gogol was awarded the title of honorary member of Moscow University.

In 1836, Nikolai went abroad, where he stayed for about 10 years. Intermittently, he lived in Switzerland, France, Switzerland, Rome, Germany, Jerusalem. In Paris, Gogol met Count Tolstoy. They quickly became friends on the basis of common religious and moral convictions. This is evidenced by several letters "Selected Passages from Correspondence with Friends", which were addressed to Count Tolstoy from Gogol.

From 1835 to 1852 Nikolai Vasilyevich worked tirelessly on his most important work - the poem "Dead Souls". The first volume of Dead Souls was completed in the summer of 1841. And already in September, Gogol went to Russia to publish his book. Initially, it was decided to ban the book, but thanks to the help of Gogol's influential friends, it was allowed to print with only minor changes. The second volume was never seen by the public. The author burned it “under the influence evil spirit"In February 1852.

Death

A few days after the second volume of Dead Souls disappeared, Nikolai Vasilyevich stopped eating. They tried to help him, but to no avail - Gogol himself was ready for death and patiently waited for her. Compulsory treatment only worsened the condition of the writer. Not having lived another day, Gogol died of exhaustion.