The life of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is so vast and multifaceted that historians are still researching the biography and epistolary materials of the great writer, and documentarians are making films that tell about the secrets of the mysterious genius of literature. Interest in the playwright has not waned for two hundred years, not only because of his lyric-epic works, but also because Gogol is one of the most mystical figures of Russian literature of the 19th century.

Childhood and youth

To this day it is unknown when Nikolai Vasilyevich was born. Some chroniclers believe that Gogol was born on March 20, while others are sure that the true date of birth of the writer is April 1, 1809.

The master of phantasmagoria spent his childhood in Ukraine, in the picturesque village of Sorochintsy, Poltava province. He grew up in a large family - in addition to him, 5 more boys and 6 girls were raised in the house (some of them died in infancy).

The great writer has an interesting pedigree, going back to the Cossack noble dynasty Gogol-Yanovskikh. According to family legend, the playwright’s grandfather Afanasy Demyanovich Yanovsky added the second part to his surname to prove blood ties with the Cossack hetman Ostap Gogol, who lived in the 17th century.

The writer's father, Vasily Afanasyevich, worked in the Little Russian province in the postal department, from where he retired in 1805 with the rank of collegiate assessor. Later, Gogol-Yanovsky retired to the Vasilyevka estate (Yanovshchina) and began farming. Vasily Afanasyevich was known as a poet, writer and playwright: he owned the home theater of his friend Troshchinsky, and also performed on stage as an actor.

For productions he wrote comedy plays, based on Ukrainian folk ballads and tales. But before modern readers Only one work by Gogol Sr. has survived - “The Simpleton, or the Cunning of a Woman Outwitted by a Soldier.” It was from his father that Nikolai Vasilyevich adopted his love for literary art and creative talent: it is known that Gogol Jr. began writing poetry from childhood. Vasily Afanasyevich died when Nikolai was 15 years old.

The writer's mother, Maria Ivanovna, née Kosyarovskaya, according to contemporaries, was pretty and was considered the first beauty in the village. Everyone who knew her used to say that she was a religious person and was involved in the spiritual education of children. However, Gogol-Yanovskaya’s teachings were reduced not to Christian rituals and prayers, but to prophecies of the Last Judgment.

It is known that the woman married Gogol-Yanovsky when she was 14 years old. Nikolai Vasilyevich was close to his mother and even asked for advice on his manuscripts. Some writers believe that thanks to Maria Ivanovna, Gogol’s work is endowed with fantasy and mysticism.

Nikolai Vasilyevich’s childhood and youth were spent surrounded by peasant and gentleman’s life and were endowed with those bourgeois characteristics that the playwright meticulously described in his works.

When Nikolai was ten years old, he was sent to Poltava, where he studied science at school, and then learned to read and write from a local teacher, Gabriel Sorochinsky. After classical training, the 16-year-old boy became a student at the Gymnasium of Higher Sciences in the city of Nizhyn, Chernihiv region. In addition to the fact that the future classic of literature was in poor health, he was also not strong in studies, although he had an exceptional memory. Nikolai’s relationship with the exact sciences did not work out, but he excelled in Russian literature and literature.

Some biographers argue that the gymnasium itself is to blame for such an inferior education, rather than the young writer. The fact is that in those years the Nizhyn gymnasium had weak teachers who could not provide students with decent education. For example, knowledge in lessons moral education were presented not through the teachings of eminent philosophers, but through corporal punishment with a rod, the literature teacher did not keep up with the times, preferring the classics of the 18th century.

During his studies, Gogol gravitated toward creativity and zealously participated in theatrical productions and improvised skits. Among his comrades, Nikolai Vasilyevich was known as a comedian and a perky person. The writer communicated with Nikolai Prokopovich, Alexander Danilevsky, Nestor Kukolnik and others.

Literature

Gogol began to be interested in the writing field back in student years. He admired A.S. Pushkin, although his first creations were far from the style of the great poet, but were more like the works of Bestuzhev-Marlinsky.

He composed elegies, feuilletons, poems, tried himself in prose and other literary genres. During his studies, he wrote a satire “Something about Nezhin, or the law is not written for fools,” which has not survived to this day. It is noteworthy that the young man initially regarded his craving for creativity as a hobby rather than as his life’s work.

Writing was for Gogol “a ray of light in dark kingdom"and helped to distract from mental torment. Then Nikolai Vasilyevich’s plans were not clear, but he wanted to serve the Motherland and be useful to the people, believing that a great future awaited him.

In the winter of 1828, Gogol went to cultural capital- Petersburg. In the cold and gloomy city, Nikolai Vasilyevich was disappointed. He tried to become an official, and also tried to join the theater, but all his attempts were defeated. Only in literature was he able to find opportunities for income and self-expression.

But failure awaited Nikolai Vasilyevich in his writing, since only two works by Gogol were published in magazines - the poem “Italy” and romantic poem"Hanz Küchelgarten", published under the pseudonym V. Alov. “Idyll in Pictures” received a number of negative and sarcastic reviews from critics. After his creative defeat, Gogol bought all editions of the poem and burned them in his room. Nikolai Vasilyevich did not abandon literature even after a resounding failure; the failure with Hanz Küchelgarten gave him the opportunity to change the genre.

In 1830, Gogol’s mystical story “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala” was published in the famous journal Otechestvennye zapiski.

Later, the writer meets Baron Delvig and begins to publish in his publications “Literary Newspaper” and “Northern Flowers”.

After creative success Gogol was warmly received in literary circle. He began to communicate with Pushkin and. The works “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”, “The Night Before Christmas”, “Enchanted Place”, seasoned with a mixture of Ukrainian epic and everyday humor, impressed the Russian poet.

Rumor has it that it was Alexander Sergeevich who gave Nikolai Vasilyevich the background for new works. He suggested ideas for the plots of the poem " Dead Souls"(1842) and the comedy "The Inspector General" (1836). However, P.V. Annenkov believes that Pushkin “did not quite willingly cede his property to him.”

Fascinated by the history of Little Russia, Nikolai Vasilyevich becomes the author of the collection “Mirgorod”, which includes several works, including “Taras Bulba”. Gogol, in letters to his mother Maria Ivanovna, asked her to talk in more detail about the life of the people in the outback.

In 1835, Gogol's story "Viy" (included in "Mirgorod") about the demonic character of the Russian epic was published. In the story, three students lost their way and came across a mysterious farm, the owner of which turned out to be a real witch. The main character Khoma will have to face unprecedented creatures, church rituals and a witch flying in a coffin.

In 1967, the first film was staged by directors Konstantin Ershov and Georgy Kropachev. Soviet film horror based on Gogol's story "Viy". The main roles were played by and.

In 1841, Gogol wrote the immortal story “The Overcoat”. In the work, Nikolai Vasilyevich talks about the “little man” Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, who becomes poor to such an extent that the most ordinary thing becomes a source of joy and inspiration for him.

Personal life

Speaking about the personality of the author of The Inspector General, it is worth noting that from Vasily Afanasyevich, in addition to a craving for literature, he also inherited fatal fate– psychological illness and fear early death, which began to appear in the playwright from his youth. Publicist V.G. wrote about this. Korolenko and Doctor Bazhenov, based on Gogol’s autobiographical materials and epistolary heritage.

If during times Soviet Union It was customary to keep silent about Nikolai Vasilyevich’s mental disorders, but today’s erudite reader is very interested in such details. It is believed that Gogol suffered from manic-depressive psychosis (bipolar affective personality disorder) since childhood: a cheerful and perky mood young writer gave way to severe depression, hypochondria and despair.

This troubled his mind until his death. He also admitted in letters that he often heard “gloomy” voices calling him into the distance. Because of life in eternal fear, Gogol became a religious person and led a more reclusive life as an ascetic. He loved women, but only from a distance: he often used to tell Maria Ivanovna that he was going abroad to visit a certain lady.

He corresponded with lovely girls of different classes (with Maria Balabina, Countess Anna Vielgorskaya and others), courting them romantically and timidly. The writer did not like to advertise personal life, especially amorous affairs. It is known that Nikolai Vasilyevich has no children. Due to the fact that the writer was not married, there is a theory about his homosexuality. Others believe that he never had relationships beyond platonic ones.

Death

The early death of Nikolai Vasilyevich at the 42nd year of his life still excites the minds of scientists, historians and biographers. Mystical legends are written about Gogol, and about the real reason The death of the visionary is still debated to this day.

IN last years In his life, Nikolai Vasilyevich was overcome by a creative crisis. It was associated with the early death of Khomyakov’s wife and the condemnation of his stories by Archpriest Matthew Konstantinovsky, who sharply criticized Gogol’s works and, moreover, believed that the writer was not pious enough. Gloomy thoughts took possession of the playwright's mind, and from February 5 he refused food. February 10 Nikolai Vasilyevich “under the influence evil spirit“He burned the manuscripts, and on the 18th, while continuing to observe Lent, he went to bed with a sharp deterioration in his health.

The master of the pen refused medical help, expecting death. Doctors, who diagnosed him with inflammatory bowel disease, probable typhus and indigestion, eventually diagnosed the writer with meningitis and prescribed forced bloodletting, dangerous to his health, which only worsened Nikolai Vasilyevich’s mental and physical condition. On the morning of February 21, 1852, Gogol died in the count's mansion in Moscow.

Memory

The writer's works are required for study in schools and universities. educational institutions. In memory of Nikolai Vasilyevich in the USSR and other countries were issued stamps. Streets are named after Gogol Theatre of Drama, pedagogical institute and even a crater on the planet Mercury.

Based on the works of the master, hyperbole and grotesque are still created theatrical performances and works of cinematic art are filmed. Thus, in 2017, Russian viewers can expect the premiere of the gothic detective series “Gogol. The Beginning" with and starring.

The biography of the mysterious playwright contains Interesting Facts, it is impossible to describe all of them even in a whole book.

• According to rumors, Gogol was afraid of thunderstorms because a natural phenomenon affected his psyche.
• The writer lived poorly and wore old clothes. The only expensive item in his wardrobe is a gold watch, donated by Zhukovsky in memory of Pushkin.
• Nikolai Vasilyevich's mother had a reputation strange woman. She was superstitious, believed in the supernatural and constantly told amazing stories, embellished with fiction.
• According to rumors, Gogol’s last words were: “How sweet it is to die.”

• Gogol's work was inspiring.
• Nikolai Vasilyevich loved sweets, so he always had sweets and pieces of sugar in his pocket. The Russian prose writer also loved to roll bread crumbs in his hands - this helped him concentrate on his thoughts.
• The writer was sensitive to his appearance; he was mainly irritated by his own nose.
• Gogol was afraid that he would be buried while in lethargic sleep. Literary genius He asked that in the future his body be interred only after the appearance of cadaveric spots. According to legend, Gogol woke up in a coffin. When the writer’s body was reburied, the surprised those present saw that the dead man’s head was turned to one side.

Bibliography

• “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” (1831–1832)
• “The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich” (1834)
• "Viy" (1835)
• "Old World Landowners" (1835)
• "Taras Bulba" (1835)
• "Nevsky Prospekt" (1835)
• "The Inspector General" (1836)
• "The Nose" (1836)
• "Notes of a Madman" (1835)
• "Portrait" (1835)
• "The Carriage" (1836)
• "Marriage" (1842)
• "Dead Souls" (1842)
• "The Overcoat" (1843)

→ Gogol Nikolay Vasilievich

Biography - Gogol Nikolai Vasilievich

Childhood

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was born on March 20 (April 1), 1809 in the Poltava province, the town of Velikie Sorochintsy, Mirgorod district.

Nikolai Vasilyevich was born into the family of a middle-income landowner. On his father’s side, his ancestors were priests, but the writer’s grandfather was the first to enter the civil service. It was he who added to his hereditary surname Yanovsky, which is now more familiar to us - Gogol.

Gogol's father worked at the post office. He married the writer's mother, the first beauty of those places, when she was only 14 years old. Over the years of marriage they had 6 children.

The future writer spent his childhood mainly in four estates: in Vasilyevka (Yanovshchina), which belonged to their family, Dikanka - where the Minister of Internal Affairs V. Kochubey managed, Obukhovka - the estate of the writer V. Kapnist, and Kibintsy, where a relative on his mother’s side lived.

First strong impressions Gogol became worried about the prophecies told by his mother about Last Judgment which he remembered for the rest of his life. In Kibintsy, Nikolai first became acquainted with his relative’s extensive library and saw the play of domestic actors.

Start of studies and move to St. Petersburg

In 1818-1819, Gogol studied at the Poltava district school, then took lessons from one of the private teachers. In 1821 he entered the Nizhyn gymnasium. He studies there mediocrely, but devotes a lot of time to the gymnasium theater, playing in plays and creating scenery. Here Gogol tries to write for the first time. But at that time he was more attracted to the career of a civil servant.

After graduating from high school, Nikolai Vasilyevich goes to St. Petersburg with the hope of finding a job. But here his first life disappointments await him. It is not possible to get a place, the first published poem is completely trashed by criticism, love attractions end in nothing. Gogol leaves for Germany for a short time, but returns to his homeland in the same year.

He finally manages to get a job, although the work of an official does not bring Gogol any pleasure. The only positive thing about this work was that it gave the writer many new impressions and characters, which he later showed in his works.

During this period, the story “Bisavryuk, or the Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala” was published, which for the first time drew the attention of the entire literary community to Gogol. At the end of 1829, he was already familiar with the best writers of St. Petersburg. P.A. Pletnev introduces Gogol to A.S. Pushkin, who will play a significant role in the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich.

Creative takeoff

The success of “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala” inspired Gogol. In the same year, the first part of the collection “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” was published, which was greeted with great enthusiasm by Pushkin. IN next year The second part of this work is coming out. Gogol soars to the pinnacle of fame.

In 1832 he visited Moscow, where he also met famous writers and theatrical figures. Since 1835 - Gogol leaves teaching activities at St. Petersburg University and begins to study fully literary activity. In the same year, the collections “Arabesques” and “Mirgorod” were published, the comedy “The Inspector General” was almost finished, and the first edition of the comedy “Marriage” was being written. Gogol begins work on the poem “Dead Souls”. These works indicate something new artistic direction in the writer's work. Instead of strong and bright characters, vulgar townsfolk and the disturbing world of the big city appear.

The tragedy of "Dead Souls"

In the summer of 1836, Gogol went abroad for more than 12 years. During this time, he visits Russia twice, but not for long. During these years he has been working on his main literary work- the poem “Dead Souls”. Its plot, like “The Inspector General,” was suggested to Gogol by Pushkin, but was developed in many ways by Nikolaev Vasilyevich himself. In 1842, thanks to Belinsky, Gogol published Volume I in Russia. The work is highly appreciated by leading writers of the time.

Work on the second volume is going on painfully. At this time, the writer is overtaken by a mental crisis. He doubts that literature can change anything in the life of society for the better. Being in a difficult mental state, Gogol burns the manuscript of the finished work. In order to somehow justify his action, Nikolai Vasilyevich publishes “Selected Passages from Correspondence with Friends,” where he tries to explain the reason for his actions. Here he writes about the paramount importance of Christian education of society, without which improvements in life are simply impossible. During the same period, works of a theological nature were written, the most significant of which is “Reflections on Divine Liturgy».

After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in April 1848, Gogol returned to Russia forever. He travels from Odessa to Little Russia, from St. Petersburg to Moscow, and visits Optina Pustyn. In the first months of 1852, he finally settled in Moscow. Ready by this time new edition the second volume of Dead Souls, which Gogol reads to his friends and receives their full approval. But the writer’s soul is filled with mystical and religious thoughts; Archpriest Father Matvey (Konstantinovsky), who has been close to Gogol in recent years, expresses his dissatisfaction with the work. At the same time, Nikolai Vasilyevich is unsuccessfully trying to arrange his personal life. Under the power of deep mental turmoil, on the night of February 11-12, 1852, the writer burns the manuscript of the second volume of “Dead Souls”, ready for printing. He has very little time left to live. On February 21 (March 4), 1852 in Moscow, on Nikitsky Boulevard, Gogol ends his earthly journey.

Initially, the writer is escorted to last way at the cemetery of the St. Daniel Monastery, in Soviet time his remains are reburied at the Novodevichy cemetery.

This is interesting:

Gogol received the name Nikolai in honor of the icon of St. Nicholas, which was kept in the local church.

Gogol enjoyed doing handicrafts: knitting, sewing dresses and scarves.

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol lived a short but eventful life. They talk a lot about him to this day, more than one generation has grown up on his works, they are in demand in schools, and based on them, art paintings. The name of this writer certainly left a significant mark on history.

Childhood

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

The future writer spent his childhood 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

At the end homeschooling, Gogol spent 2 years in the district school of the Poltava province, after which he successfully entered the gymnasium in Nezhin. This institution was created to educate provincial noble children.

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

Despite the unsuccessful auditions, which 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.

In 1829 he became a minor official. His monotonous, boring life was brightened up by painting, which he studied 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 “The Evening on the Eve of I. Kupala”.

In his social circles, young Gogol had many famous people: Pushkin, Vyazemsky, Bryullov and many others. Such acquaintances broadened 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”.

The following year, Gogol decided to connect his activities with scientific and pedagogical practice, and already in 1834 he was appointed associate professor at the university St. Petersburg(department general history). This experience and the study of Ukrainian history served as the basis for the creation of his new work “Taras Bulba”.

A year after his appointment, Gogol left the department and became completely absorbed in 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, was the story “The Overcoat”. Nikolai Vasilyevich worked on this work for about 7 years, finishing only in 1842, although the draft version was ready already in 1836. At the same time, he was working on other works. In 1841 he wrote Dead Souls, the first volume of which was published a year later. Since the creation of this work, the writer began to experience attacks 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. Afterwards he returned, left Russia again (he spent more than a year in Vienna), then again ended up in his homeland.

Work on the second volume of Dead Souls coincided with a writer's crisis. His works were criticized, Belinsky condemned the writer’s religiosity and mysticism. All this influenced state of mind the writer was driven 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 passed away.

• “Portrait”, analysis of Gogol’s story, essay
• “Dead Souls”, analysis of Gogol’s work

Born on March 20, 1809 in the town of Velikiye Sorochintsy, Mirgorod district, Poltava province, in the family of a poor landowner. The writer's father, Vasily Afanasyevich Gogol-Yanovsky (1777-1825), served at the Little Russian Post Office, in 1805 he retired with the rank of collegiate assessor and married Maria Ivanovna Kosyarovskaya (1791-1868), who came from a landowner family. According to legend, she was the first beauty in the Poltava region. She married Vasily Afanasyevich at the age of fourteen. There were six children in the family: in addition to Nicholas, son Ivan (died in 1819), daughters Marya (1811-1844), Anna (1821-1893), Lisa (1823-1864) and Olga (1825-1907).

My childhood years were spent on my parents’ estate Vasilyevka, near the village of Dikanka, the land of legends, beliefs, historical legends. His father, Vasily Afanasyevich, a passionate admirer of art, a theater lover, and the author of poetry and witty comedies, played a certain role in the upbringing of the future writer. .In 1818-19, Gogol, together with his brother Ivan, studied at the Poltava district school, and then, in 1820-1821, took private lessons.

In May 1821 he entered the gymnasium of higher sciences in Nizhyn. Here he is engaged in painting, participates in performances - as a decorative artist and as an actor, and performs with particular success comic roles. He also 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).

After graduating from high school in 1828, Gogol went to St. Petersburg. Experiencing financial difficulties, unsuccessfully fussing about a place, Gogol made his first literary attempts: at the beginning of 1829 the poem “Italy” appeared, and in the spring of the same year, under the pseudonym “V. Alov”, Gogol published the “idyll in pictures” “Ganz Küchelgarten”. The poem caused a lot negative reviews critics, which strengthened the difficult mood of Gogol, who throughout his life experienced criticism of his works very painfully.

In July 1829, he burns unsold copies of the book and suddenly leaves abroad, to Germany, and by the end of September, almost as suddenly, returns to St. Petersburg. 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. From April 1830 to March 1831 he served in the department of appanages (first as a scribe, then as an assistant to the clerk), under the command of the famous idyllic poet V.I. Panaev. His stay in the offices caused Gogol deep disappointment in the “state service”, but it provided rich material for future works depicting bureaucratic life and the functioning of the state machine.

In 1832, 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.

At the end of 1832, Gogol came to Moscow already famous writer, where he becomes close to M.P. Pogodin, family S.T. Aksakova, M.N. Zagoskin, I.V. and P.V. Kireevsky, who had a great influence on the views of the young Gogol. In 1834, Gogol was appointed associate professor in the department of general history at St. Petersburg University. The study of works on the history of Ukraine formed the basis of the plan for "Taras Bulba".

In 1835 he left the university and devoted himself entirely to literary creativity. In the same year, a collection of stories “Mirgorod” appeared, which included “Old World Landowners”, “Taras Bulba”, “Viy”, etc., and a collection “Arabesques” (on themes of St. Petersburg life).
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 on January 18, 1836, he read the comedy at an evening with Zhukovsky (in the presence of Pushkin, P. A. Vyazemsky and others), and in February-March he was already busy staging it on the stage of the Alexandria Theater. The play premiered on April 19. May 25 - premiere in Moscow, at the Maly Theater.

Also in 1935, the work “The Nose” was completed - the height of Gogol’s fantasy (published in 1836), an extremely bold grotesque that anticipated some trends in the art of the twentieth century.

Soon after the production of "The Inspector General", hounded by the reactionary press and the "secular rabble", Gogol went abroad, settling first in Switzerland, then in Paris, and continued work on " Dead souls", begun in Russia. The news of Pushkin's death was a terrible blow for him. In March 1837 he settled in Rome.

In September 1839, Gogol arrived in Moscow and began reading the chapters of " Dead souls", which evoke an enthusiastic reaction. In 1940, Gogol left Russia again and at the end of the summer of 1840 in Vienna, he suddenly suffered one of the first attacks of severe nervous disease. In October he comes to Moscow and reads the last 5 chapters of “Dead Souls” in the Aksakovs’ house. However, in Moscow, censorship did not allow the novel to be published, and in January 1842 the writer forwarded the manuscript to the St. Petersburg Censorship Committee, where the book was approved, but with a change in title and without “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.” In May, “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls” was published. And again Gogol’s work caused a flurry of the most controversial responses. Against the background of general admiration, sharp accusations of caricature, farce, and slander are heard. All this controversy took place in the absence of Gogol, who went abroad in June 1842, where the writer was working on the 2nd volume of Dead Souls.

Nikolai Vasilyevich spent the entire summer of 1842 in Germany and only in October moved to Rome. It takes him a lot of time to prepare for the publication of his collected works, but he manages to work on the second volume of Dead Souls. “The Works of Nikola Gogol” began to be published in 1843, however, there was also some delay (by one month) due to censorship quibbles. The beginning of 1845 is marked for Gogol by a new mental crisis. He begins to move from resort to resort in order to find peace of mind. At the end of June or beginning of July 1845, in a state of sharp exacerbation of the disease, Gogol burns the manuscript of the 2nd volume. Subsequently (in “Four Letters to Various Persons Concerning “Dead Souls” - “Selected Places”) Gogol explained this step by saying that the book did not show “paths and roads” to the ideal clearly enough. And starts working again.

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 person, without which no social improvements are possible. The book was published in a heavily censored form and was considered an artistically weak 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).

His refuge remained a religious feeling: he decided that he could not continue work without fulfilling his long-standing intention to venerate the Holy Sepulcher. At the end of 1847 he moved to Naples and at the beginning of 1848 he sailed to Palestine, from where he finally returned to Russia through Constantinople and Odessa.

Spring 1850 - Gogol proposes marriage to A. M. Vielgorskaya, but is refused. 1852 - Nikolai Vasilyevich regularly meets and talks with Archpriest Matvey Konstantinovsky, a fanatic and mystic.

At 3 a.m. from Monday to Tuesday, February 11-12, 1852, Gogol woke up his servant Semyon, ordered him to open the stove valves and bring a briefcase with manuscripts from the closet. Taking out a bunch of notebooks from it, Gogol put them in the fireplace and burned them (only 5 chapters relating to various draft editions of “Dead Souls” were preserved in incomplete form). On February 20, a medical council decided to compulsorily treat Gogol, but the measures taken did not produce results. On the morning of February 21, N.V. Gogol died. Last words The writer was: “Stairs, quickly, give me the stairs!”

From school we know the work of N.V. Gogol, his main works. But here we will focus on only one aspect: how life circumstances influenced the writer’s personality. Researchers note that the classic of Russian literature consistently experienced different periods: naturalistic, passion for Ukrainian folklore and mysticism, religious and journalistic, and so on. What influenced the formation and formation of such a complex genius?

N.V. Gogol. Biography: short pedigree

Everyone knows that this mysterious Russian of origin was born in 1809 in the village of Velikiye Sorochintsy (Poltava province, Mirgorod district). It is also no secret that his parents were landowners. But few researchers delved into the writer’s genealogy. But she is very interesting. Gogol's biography indicates that the child's worldview was formed under the influence of his father and mother. Their stories also left a lasting impression on him. Maria Ivanovna Kosyarovskaya was from a noble family. But my father was from a hereditary line of priests. True, the writer’s grandfather, whose name was Afanasy Demyanovich, left the spiritual field and signed up for service in the hetman’s office. He, in fact, added the prefix Gogol to his surname - Yanovsky, which “related” him to the glorious 17th century colonel Eustachius.

Childhood

My father's stories about Cossack ancestors instilled to young Nikolai love for Ukrainian history. But even more than the memories of Vasily Afanasyevich, the very area where he lived influenced the writer. Gogol's biography tells that he spent his childhood years in family estate Vasilyevka, which is located in close proximity to Dikanka. There are villages in Ukraine where local residents say that sorcerers and witches live there. In the Carpathian region they are called malfars, in the Poltava region they were simply passed on from mouth to mouth. horror stories, in which the inhabitants of Dikanka appeared. All this left an indelible imprint on the boy’s soul.

Parallel reality

Having completed his studies at the gymnasium in 1828, Nikolai left for the capital, St. Petersburg, in the hope that a bright future would now open before him. But severe disappointment awaited him there. He failed to get a job; his first attempts at writing caused derogatory criticism. Gogol's biography defines this period in the writer's life as realistic. He works as a minor official in the allotments department. Gray, routine life proceeds, as it were, in parallel with the creative search of the writer. He attends classes at the Academy of Arts, and after the success of the story “Basavryuk” he meets Pushkin, Zhukovsky, and Delvig.

Biography of Gogol and emigration

Subject " little man", criticism of the Russian bureaucracy, grotesque and satire - all this was embodied in the cycle Petersburg stories, the comedy “The Inspector General”, as well as the world famous poem “Dead Souls”. However, Ukraine did not leave the writer’s heart. In addition to “Evenings on the Farm,” he writes historical story"Taras Bulba" and the horror film "Viy". After the reactionary persecution of “The Inspector General,” the writer leaves Russia and goes first to Switzerland, then to France and Italy. Gogol's biography makes us understand that somewhere in the second half of the 1840s, the writer's work took an unexpected turn towards fanaticism, mysticism and praise of autocracy. The writer returns to Russia and writes a series of publications that alienate his former friends. In 1852, on the verge of a mental breakdown, the writer burned the second volume of Dead Souls. A few days later, on February 21, Gogol died.