Education of Gogol. Biography of Gogol - one of the most mysterious writers

Gogol Nikolai (03/20/1809 – 02/21/1852) - Russian writer, poet, author of dramatic works, publicist. He is a classic of Russian literature.

Early years

Nikolai Vasilyevich received the surname Yanovsky at birth; he was born in the village of Sorochintsy, Poltava province. Biographers have different opinions regarding his origins; most of them consider him a Little Russian; there are also versions about his Polish roots. Gogol's grandfather received a noble title, his father after civil service He devoted a lot of time to theatrical life, wrote plays and was an excellent storyteller. Perhaps, thanks to his activities, Nikolai developed an early passion for theater.

Gogol's mother, according to contemporaries, was a rare beauty, half the age of her husband. It is believed that she influenced the writer's interest in mysticism. In total, eleven children were born in the family, many of them died in infancy, two were born dead. When Nikolai was ten years old, he was sent to study in Poltava.

From 1821 to 1828 he was educated at the Nizhyn gymnasium. He was not diligent in his studies; he was helped through each class by good memory, thanks to which he could short time prepare for exams. Gogol had a hard time with languages, he received good marks for literature and fine arts.

At the gymnasium, students organized literary circle, where they subscribed to periodicals together and also organized their own magazine, which was written by hand. Gogol often posted his poems there. In 1825, his father died, which greatly undermined the spirit of the family; as the eldest son, Nikolai’s shoulders fell on the shoulders of worries about the family and material problems.

High school student N.V. Gogol, 1820s

Initiation into the literary world

After high school, Gogol moved to St. Petersburg. He made big plans for his life in the capital, but here he faced many difficulties. There wasn’t enough money, and at first it was impossible to find a decent job. Nikolai tried many times to become an actor, but was not accepted; he was completely unsuitable for bureaucratic service. As a result, Gogol still found his calling in literature.

While still in Nizhyn, he wrote the poem “Hanz Küchelgarten,” which was published in 1829. The author signed himself as V. Alov. Having met a wave of negative responses, Nikolai bought the edition and burned the books with his own hands. Failure brought new disappointments, after which Gogol undertook a trip to Germany, then served briefly in the political police, after which he served for two years in the department of appanages.

In 1831, Gogol entered the social circle of Zhukovsky, Pushkin, and other literary figures. After the unsuccessful "Gantz" he realizes the need for a change literary style. From the beginning of his stay in St. Petersburg, Nikolai asked his mother to send him stories of Little Russian life, information about customs, and ancient manuscripts. He collected this data for his new works “Sorochinskaya Fair”, “The Missing Letter”, etc.

Having become close to Zhukovsky and Pletnev, Gogol got a job as a teacher at the Patriotic Institute, and he was finally noticed in the literary field. In 1834 he became an assistant at the history department at the University of St. Petersburg. Nikolai received extensive new knowledge about art, expanded his horizons, while improving his skills.

Literary activity

The first successful brainchild of Nikolai Vasilyevich was “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”, consisting of two parts, which in turn included separate stories. These works made a great impression with their unique description of Ukrainian life combined with a humorous style. The author quickly became famous and strengthened his success in 1835 by publishing “Mirgorod” and “Arabesques”, which were also collections of works. This was the time when Gogol was most active as a writer.

His manuscripts testify to the meticulousness with which the author approached the writing of his works. The initial essay gradually acquired many details before being presented to the reader. In 1834, Gogol began work on “The Inspector General,” the idea of ​​which was told to him by Pushkin (later he would be the source of the idea about “ Dead souls Oh"). This comedy had special meaning for the writer, it was evidence of his love for the theater. Particularly exciting for him was the challenge to a society that had never seen anything like it before. Opinions about The Inspector General were divided: some greeted it with admiration, others with protest. The reason was the author’s surprisingly accurate depiction of the situation of that time.

Pushkin from Gogol (M. Klodt)

Gogol decided to interrupt the period of intense creativity with a change of scenery. In 1836 he went abroad. For ten years he managed to live in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Abroad, he completes his outstanding work “ Dead souls"(first volume), writes new stories. In 1841 he comes to Russia to publish his main creation. Here he again experiences experiences associated with the public reaction. With some delays, the first volume of Dead Souls was finally released, slightly corrected by censorship. In 1842, Gogol's collected works were also published for the first time.

After the writer returned abroad, all this time he developed a sense of his high destiny. Religious sentiments became increasingly stronger, especially due to the serious illnesses that he had to endure. In 1845, all this resulted in an internal crisis. Having decided to become a monk, Gogol leaves a will and destroys the sequel to Dead Souls. Then he nevertheless leaves thoughts about serving in a monastery, rushing to worship through literature and studying church books.

Nikolai Vasilievich decides to publish new look creativity, putting together his moralizing letters to friends. The book was published in 1847, but was not successful. The failure greatly undermined the author’s mood and forced him to take a fresh look at his work. In search of spiritual food, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, after which he returned to Russia. He lived alternately in his native village, Odessa, and Moscow. I worked on the second part of Dead Souls, constantly adding to what I had written, as usual. Health problems returned, and by 1952 Gogol gave up literary activity, turning to prayer and fasting and anticipating his imminent death.

Gogol on his deathbed (V. Rachinsky, 02.22.1952)

Death

At the beginning of 1952, the writer had communication with Archpriest M. Konstantinovsky, whom he had previously known. It was he who became the only person who read the second part of “Dead Souls,” and his review of the work was negative. In February, Nikolai Vasilyevich no longer traveled anywhere; one night he burned his last manuscripts. Three days before his death, he refused food and brushed off any attempts to help. As a result, they decided to treat him forcibly, but this worsened the writer’s condition. After his death, Gogol left practically no property, except for a gold watch and a library, books from which, without an inventory, were immediately sold for pennies. He did not consider the proceeds from the sale of his own books to be his own and donated them to charity.

The funeral service for Nikolai Vasilyevich was held in the church at the university, and he was buried in Moscow at the Danilov Monastery. A black stone and a bronze cross were placed on the grave. After the monastery was closed in 1931, Gogol was reburied at Novodevichy Cemetery. In 1952, a bust was installed on the grave, and the old tombstone was sent to the workshop. There it was bought by M. Bulgakov’s wife for her husband’s grave. In honor of the writer’s bicentenary, the monument was restored to its original appearance.

Mysterious person

Nikolai Vasilyevich amazingly combined a satirist and a religious thinker; he is one of the most mysterious figures in Russian literature. His work united Russian and Ukrainian cultures. He was not only the author works of art, but also numerous articles and even prayers. Both during his life and after his death, there were many rumors and assumptions around Gogol’s personality. Thus, the lonely and secluded life of Nikolai Vasilyevich became the source of rumors about his unconventional orientation. At the same time, practically no data has been preserved about his personal life.

Monument to Gogol (Moscow, Gogolevsky Boulevard)

Many legends are associated with the death of the writer. There is speculation that he suffered from a mental disorder before his death. Another hypothesis claims that Gogol did not die, but only fell into lethargic sleep. According to some evidence, when the grave was opened, his remains were in an unnatural position. In addition, some scientists suggest that the writer starved himself to death. Finally, another version is poisoning with a medicine containing mercury.

Nikolai Vasilyevich had a huge influence on Russian culture, he became the author of more than a dozen most interesting works. In Russia his name is known to everyone, individual works are mandatory for school curriculum. They have been filmed more than once, performances, operas and ballet performances. Many streets bear the name of the writer, educational institutions. There are more than 15 monuments to Gogol in the world.

On March 20 (April 1), 1809, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was born in the Poltava province of Mirgorod district. The boy was named after St. Nicholas. His family had an old Ukrainian Cossack family.

Childhood

Nikolai spent his childhood in the village, on his parents’ estate, not far from the village of Dikanka. This region is full of legends and tales, which left many impressions on his soul.

He loved listening to his grandmother's stories about the exploits of the Cossacks of the Zaporozhye Sich. He was distinguished by his deep religiosity, believed in God, and he later embodied his beliefs in his work.

At the age of 10, Nikolai was taken to Poltava to see a teacher who was supposed to prepare the boy for the gymnasium. In 1821 he entered the Gymnasium of Higher Sciences in the city of Nizhyn, where he studied until 1828.

He was shy, but proud. He understood people well and loved to play pranks on them. He had an excellent memory, he knew Russian literature well, he drew well, but foreign languages ​​were weak. The boy learned and fell in love with the theater and began to read a lot.

Biography. Creation

In December 1828, Nikolai Gogol arrived in St. Petersburg. IN big city he had a hard time. He tried to enter the theater to become an actor, but he was not accepted; he did not like serving as an official, but literature attracted him more and more.

Having published the book “Ganz Küchelgarten” (1829) under the pseudonym V. Alov, he received a lot of negative criticism. Having bought the circulation, Gogol destroyed them. In 1830, he met P. Pletnev. And in 1831, he was already communicating in the circle of Zhukovsky and Pushkin.

He made a huge impression on N. Gogol, he literally idolized the poet, listened to and admired his words. The name of Gogol became widely known after the publication of his book “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” (1832). Ordinary life becomes fabulous and fantastic, wonderful adventures take place in the huts. In this work, Nikolai Vasilyevich described the strength of the people, humanity and richness of the language.

While working at the University of St. Petersburg in the history department, he decided to write. The author had the opportunity to read historical documents, and childhood knowledge from his grandmother and traveling kobzars contributed to the writing of the story. Cossacks in the book - epic heroes who heroically fight for their freedom.

Gogol wrote the play at the suggestion of A. Pushkin (1835). And already on April 19, 1836 in Alexandrinsky Theater The premiere of “The Inspector General” took place in St. Petersburg, which was a widespread success. But the officials didn’t like her, and the reviews weren’t the most flattering. Maybe that’s why the author went abroad, where he continued to work on “Dead Souls.”

In the spring of 1838 he was in Rome. Polish priests tried to convert Gogol to Catholicism, but the writer was faithful to Christianity, while recognizing other faiths. Arriving in 1842, he published the first volume of “Dead Souls” and completely devoted himself to working on the second part. It was difficult to write; the author was too self-critical of his work; it seemed to him that he was getting away from the topic.

Experiencing hard state of mind, Gogol burned the almost completed manuscript. For some time, he put aside his work and wrote several articles in the form of letters of correspondence with friends. In 1848, Gogol decided to fulfill his dream - a trip around Russia. He was in his native places, traveled to the Moscow region, St. Petersburg.

I visited the Optina Hermitage three times, where I communicated with high clergy and asked for their blessing to continue work on “ Dead souls" This work took a long time, because the author’s idea was not simple. He wanted to restore the soul and make this idea effective and unquestionable. To affirm the height of the ideal, but at the same time reject idealization, avoid obsession and moralizing.

Death of a Writer

In 1852, Nikolai Gogol becomes depressed and has a premonition. imminent death. After a meeting at the end of January with Archpriest Matvey Konstantinovsky and a conversation with him, he destroyed the second volume of Dead Souls. Gogol stopped eating and took communion on February 7. And on February 21 he died. Russian society was shocked by the death of the writer. Many people came to say goodbye to Nikolai Gogol. He was buried in the St. Daniel Monastery, and in 1931 the writer’s remains were transferred to the Novodevichy Cemetery.

The books of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol are sad and funny, serious and very deep - relevant today and always.

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Brief biography of Gogol

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol born in Sorochintsy, in Little Russia, in March 1809. The year in which he was born was the year of “literary miracles,” for in the same year Charles Darwin, Alfred Tennyson, Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allan Poe, Gladstone, Holmes, as well as Chopin and Mendelssohn were born. Gogol's father was fond of literature and wrote dramatic works for your own pleasure. Little Nikolai spent his childhood on the old family estate.

At the age of twelve, Nicholas was sent to school in Nezhin, a city near Kiev. He stayed there from 1821 to 1828. He was a poor student and had no enthusiasm to study. He was indifferent to science. Fortunately, the school had its own theater, and Gogol, who hated mathematics and cared little about studying foreign languages, here I found my purpose. He soon became a recognized master in the school in matters of drama, knew the theater thoroughly, performing arts. He was preparing for his future career.

Brief biography of Gogol in St. Petersburg.

In December 1828, Gogol settled in St. Petersburg, bringing with him several manuscripts that he wrote while at school. He dared to publish one of them and was very cruelly ridiculed by critics; young Gogol, in despair, burned all unsold copies. He then tried in vain to find a means of subsistence. Suddenly he decided to leave for America, to seek his happiness there, but along the way he became so homesick, and also became seasick, that before the ship left the Baltic states, he fled back to St. Petersburg. Then he tried to become an actor, but his voice was not strong enough. In a short time he managed to achieve an insignificant official position, and a little later he became a professor of history. All this time he continues to write. Little by little people began to learn about Gogol in St. Petersburg. His sketches of rural life in Ukraine attracted great attention in literary circles of the capital.

In 1831, he had the good fortune to meet the great poet Pushkin and a few months later in the same year he was introduced to Mrs. Smirnova, these friends gave him the opportunity to visit salons, fashionable at that time, where he was going high society St. Petersburg. It was Pushkin who suggested him topics for two of his most famous works, The Inspector General (The Inspector General) and Dead Souls. Another friend, Zhukovsky, in to a large extent influenced creative path Gogol, provided assistance in difficult moments of life. Zhukovsky translated the Iliad and the Odyssey, his passion for Greek poetry was infectious, and inspired by Zhukovsky's work, Gogol began work on Taras Bulba (1834). This work was accepted by the public, it became proof of the writer's genius. This story stands alongside his other works: “The Inspector General,” “Dead Souls,” “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.” These works are included in the collection of masterpieces of Russian literature and will remain there forever.

From 1836 until his death in 1852, Gogol lived mainly abroad, and spent a lot of time traveling. His favorite place of residence was Rome; he returned to this city many times with great desire and love. In 1848 he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Gogol never abandoned the Christian faith in which his mother raised him, and towards the end of his life he became a mystic. Recent years The writer's life was overshadowed by an illness - nervous depression. He died in Moscow, February 21, 1852.

Role and place in literature

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol - an outstanding classic of Russian literature XIX century. He made great contributions to drama and journalism. According to many literary critics, Gogol founded a special direction called “ natural school" The writer with his creativity influenced the development of the Russian language, focusing on its nationality.

Origin and early years

N.V. Gogol was born on March 20, 1809 in the Poltava province (Ukraine) in the village of Velikiye Sorochintsy. Nikolai was born the third child in the family of a landowner (there were 12 children in total).

The future writer belonged to an old Cossack family. It is possible that the ancestor was Hetman Ostap Gogol himself.

Father - Vasily Afanasyevich Gogol-Yanovsky. He was involved in stage activities and instilled in his son a love of theater. When Nikolai was only 16 years old, he passed away.

Mother - Maria Ivanovna Gogol-Yanovskaya (nee Kosyarovskaya). She got married at a young age (14 years old). Her beautiful appearance was admired by many of her contemporaries. Nikolai became her first child to be born alive. And that’s why he was named after St. Nicholas.

Nikolai spent his childhood in a village in Ukraine. The traditions and way of life of the Ukrainian people greatly influenced the future creative activity writer. And the mother’s religiosity was passed on to her son and was also reflected in many of his works.

Education and work

When Gogol was ten years old, he was sent to Poltava to prepare for his studies at the gymnasium. He was taught by a local teacher, thanks to whom Nikolai entered the Gymnasium of Higher Sciences in Nizhyn in 1821. Gogol's academic performance left much to be desired. He was only strong in drawing and Russian literature. Although the Gymnasium itself is to blame for the fact that Gogol’s academic success was not great. Teaching methods were outdated and not useful: rote learning and rods. Therefore, Gogol took up self-education: he subscribed to magazines with his comrades and became interested in theater.

After finishing his studies at the gymnasium, Gogol moved to St. Petersburg, hoping for a bright future here. But reality disappointed him somewhat. His attempts to become an actor failed. In 1829, he became a minor official, a scribe in a department of the ministry, but did not work there for long, becoming disillusioned with this matter.

Creation

Working as an official did not bring joy to Nikolai Gogol, so he tries his hand at literary activity. The first published work was “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala” (at first it had a different name). Gogol's fame began with this story.

The popularity of Gogol’s works was explained by the interest of the St. Petersburg public in the Little Russian (as some regions of Ukraine were previously called) existence.

In his work, Gogol often turned to folk legends, beliefs, and used simple folk speech.

The early works of Nikolai Gogol belong to the movement of romanticism. Later he writes in his original style, many associate it with realism.

Major works

The first work that brought him fame was the collection “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.” These stories are considered to be Gogol's main works. In them, the author stunningly accurately depicted the traditions of the Ukrainian people. And the magic that lurks on the pages of this book still surprises readers.

Important works include historical story"Taras Bulba". It is included in the cycle of stories “Mirogorod”. The dramatic fate of the heroes against the backdrop of real events makes a strong impression. Films have been made based on the story.

One of the great achievements in the field of Gogol’s dramaturgy was the play “The Inspector General”. The comedy boldly exposed the vices of Russian officials.

Recent years

The year 1836 became the time for Gogol to travel around Europe. He is working on the first part of Dead Souls. Returning to his homeland, the author publishes it.

In 1843, Gogol published the story “The Overcoat”.

There is a version that Gogol burned the second volume of Dead Souls on February 11, 1852. And in the same year he passed away.

Chronological table (by dates)

Interesting facts from the life of the writer

• A passion for mysticism led to the writing of Gogol’s most mysterious work, Viy.
• There is a version that the author burned the second volume of Dead Souls.
• Nikolai Gogol had a passion for miniature publications.

Writer's Museum

In 1984, the museum was opened in the village of Gogolevo in a solemn ceremony.

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 “Hurrah!”, 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, truthfulness - 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 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, providing food for their creativity.