What was Gogol's name? Interesting facts from the life of Gogol

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is one of the most famous classics of Russian literature. His biography is shrouded in secrets and mysteries. Perhaps this affected the work of the poet and prose writer, because his works are also full of mysticism.

The Mysterious History of Gogol

Gogol's life was rich and full of tragic moments. Even during his lifetime, the poet was faced with rumors, often embellished. There were many reasons for this: Gogol was known as a closed personality, practically isolated from society. And even though more than a century and a half has passed since the death of the writer, almost nothing is known about his life to this day.

Gogol, interesting facts from whose life continue to be revealed to this day, was inclined to mythologize his own biography. So, he deliberately kept silent about his life and even made up stories that never happened to him in reality.

The family of the great writer and playwright

Do you know what Gogol's real name was? Mysteries surrounded him from birth. The poet came fromrespected noble family Gogol-Yankovsky, originating in the 17th century. Family tradition says that the founder of this Ukrainian Cossack family was Ostap Gogol, the Hetman of the Right-Bank Ukraine.

Gogol's father - Vasily Afanasyevich Gogol-Yankovsky. Vasily Afanasyevich was a writer, poet and playwright. He wrote his works (mostly plays for small theaters) in Ukrainian. This affected the fate of young Nikolai Vasilyevich, who, unfortunately, lost his father quite early - the boy was barely 15 years old at the time of his death.

The mother of the poet and prose writer was Maria Ivanovna Gogol. It is she who is considered the "culprit" of her son's passion for religiosity and mysticism. In addition to Nikolai Vasilyevich, there were eleven more children in their family. Gogol was the third, and, in fact, the eldest child in the family - the first two babies were born dead.

Biographical mystery of the great genius: what was Gogol's name

So what was Gogol's name? Despite the fact that this fact of the biography is also actively discussed by historians and biographers, at birth, as we all know, the poet received the name Nikolai Vasilyevich. But few people know that at birth the boy was named Yanovsky. By the way, from the age of 12, the Russian classic bore a double surname: Gogol-Yanovsky. It is believed that the writer, not knowing the history of the origin of this surname, discarded it, as he considered it invented by the Poles.

Now that you know what Gogol's name was at birth, we'll tell you other interesting facts from Gogol's life.

Childhood influences on Gogol's work

The great playwright spent all his childhood in the countryside. The boy was constantly immersed in the atmosphere of Ukrainian life. Moreover, he knew no less about the life of peasants and workers than about the life of the nobility. This affected many of Gogol's works. He was strongly fascinated by Ukrainian culture and history. Even after leaving for St. Petersburg, the young writer did not stop replenishing his knowledge base - in letters he asked his mother to tell more about peasant and squire life.

The boy showed interest in literature and art in general quite early - back in his school years. As a student of the gymnasium, he was passionately interested in amateur theater, which he created with his comrades.

The writer's school years

At the age of ten, young Nikolai's parents sent him to the Nizhyn Gymnasium. Unfortunately for them, the boy did not excel at all in his studies, although this was largely the fault of the educational institution.

There were also problems with the study of Russian literature. The teacher of the subject in every possible way denied the importance in the culture of such modern writers and poets as Pushkin and Zhukovsky. The result of this approach was the genuine interest of high school students in the romantic literature of the 19th century.

The formation of N. V. Gogol as a writer

Having completed his studies at the gymnasium in 1828, the classic went to the city of great opportunities - St. Petersburg. This stage of life has become one of the most difficult in his life, but at the same time the most productive. The modest funds left to him by his noblewoman mother for life in a big city were barely enough, and Gogolgot a job in the civil service, which soon bored him.

Then Nikolai Gogol went into literature. His first works, published under pseudonyms, were criticized by the public, and the desperate writer went abroad in search of a better life. However, he stayed there for only a month, after which he returned to St. Petersburg.

According to the observations of the future genius of Russian literature, the way of life and culture of the Ukrainian people attracted not only Little Russians, but also Russians. It was then that the plan of the famous “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” began to take shape in his head. The young man persistently asked his mother, who lives in the village, to tell him about Ukrainian traditions and customs unknown to him, about Ukrainian legends, manuscripts and costumes. All this helped him most fully and accurately portray the Little Russian village and its inhabitants.

In 1830, Gogol's first successful work, "Evenings on the Eve of Ivan Kupala", published in the "Notes of the Fatherland" of 1830, was published. But the real fame and recognition of the young author was brought by "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka", "May Night" and "Sorochinsky Fair".

From that moment on, the life of the writer turned upside down.

What influenced Gogol's work?

In the 1830s, Nikolai Vasilyevich met P. A. Pletnev, V. A. Zhukovsky and A. S. Pushkin, who had a greater influence on Gogol's literary work.

Everything in the life of the literary classic was reflected in his works. Over time, he more and more plunged into the life of the capital. As a result, into the light"Petersburg Tales" was published, consisting of 5 stories:

• Nevsky Prospekt.
• Overcoat
• "Notes of a Madman".
• "Portrait".
• "Nose".

The collection is united not only by a common problem, but also by a common place of action - the city of St. Petersburg, where N. V. Gogol lived.

The author paid special attention to the image of St. Petersburg in his works. Many wrote about this city: both writers and poets. For them, St. Petersburg was not just a city - it was a symbol of the new Russia, its bright future.

Few raised the theme of the duality of the capital in their works. People saw in it not only the "City of Petrov", but also a refuge of evil. The greatest poet of the golden age, A. S. Pushkin, was one of the first to show the ambiguity of the “city on the Neva”. He described it like this: “The city is magnificent, the city is poor.”

This problem is especially clearly revealed in Nevsky Prospekt. Broken hopes and tragedies of ordinary citizens are hidden behind the gloss of the main street. In the story, the city is indifferent to the problems of people - everything is run by money and ranks. Ideas about good and evil in the capital have long been destroyed. The same idea was revealed by N. V. Gogol. The plot of many works develops precisely in St. Petersburg: this is the ambiguous "Nose", and "Notes of a Madman", "The Overcoat" and "Nevsky Prospekt". Petersburg in Gogol's work is a haven for homeless children and impoverished officials. This image is opposed to the generally accepted image of the capital - luxurious, idle, dazzling with its brilliance.

On the other hand, Gogol's capital– a city where mysticism and reality live as one.

Mirgorod in the life and work of Gogol

Although St. Petersburg played a significant role in Gogol's work, Ukrainian folklore occupied the first place in it. In addition to such wonderful works as "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka" and "May Night", the writer wrote a number of other cult stories, which were combined into the collection "Mirgorod". It was not for nothing that Gogol chose this name for his collection: the city of Mirgorod appears in his work “The Tale of how Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich.”

This collection also includes other works that are known to us from school:

• "Viy".
• "Taras Bulba".
• Old World Landowners.

Why exactly Mirgorod? Gogol deliberately chose this settlement. It was located near the village of Velikie Sorochintsy, where young Nikolai spent his childhood and youth. The same village appears in his work "Sorochinsky Fair".

Throughout Ukraine and, in particular, in the Mirgorod region, the memory of a great fellow countryman is still honored to this day. Everywhere you can find not only monuments dedicated to the writer, but also streets, hotels, sanatoriums, squares, hospitals, libraries named after him.

The originality of Gogol's stories

After analyzing all the works, we can highlight the specific features of Gogol's work. Some moments from the life of the writer are still objects of controversy, but in his works Gogol was onextremely accurate and straightforward.

The author's creative style is very recognizable. It was the uniqueness of his writing that allowed Gogol to become one of the greatest writers of the golden age. His first poem, "Hanz Küchelgarten", which he published under a pseudonym, failed miserably. The reason for this was an attempt to write a poem in the manner of the romantic Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky.

His subsequent novels were also written in a romantic manner, but the unique Gogolian character of writing begins to appear in them. A little later, the writer, under the influence of Pushkin, took a course towards critical realism. And although Gogol saw him as his mentor, he never tried to create on the model of Pushkin's creations.

The later works of the writer had an obvious social orientation. Gogol was one of the first to accurately depict the essence of the problem of the “little man” in corrupt Russia. He skillfully ridiculed the vulgarity and laziness of modern man, exposed the social contradictions of that time.

The early works of Nikolai Vasilievich deserve special attention. These works have common recognizable features. For example, mystery and romance, an expressive and "lively" description of Ukrainian life, references to Ukrainian folklore.

Such a passion is quite natural: the writer spent his childhood in Ukraine. For many years his life was closely connected with Ukrainian customs and culture. In these works, mysticism takes place to a greater extent - they are very similar to gloomy fairy tales. In his writings, Gogol skillfullycombined reality and mysterious otherworldly forces - witches, mermaids, and even devils lived next to the simple Ukrainian people.

Death of a genius

Many questions about the life of the great and mysterious writer excite people's minds. What was Gogol's name? Was he married? Did he have descendants? But the most important question, to this day not solved and causing a lot of controversy, is the cause of Gogol's death.

Until now, no one can say exactly how this genius of literary thought left the world. Many historians, biographers and literary critics put forward their own versions of his death. One of the most widespread, but still unconfirmed version says that the writer was buried alive.

This truly terrifying variation on the death of the classic was put forward in 1931. Since the cemetery where he was buried was liquidated, it was decided to rebury him. The ceremony was attended by many eminent writers, and when the coffin was opened, eyewitnesses were horrified to find that Gogol's skeleton lay with his head turned to his side.

This news caused a real flurry of discussions not only in the literary and historical environment, but also among ordinary people. As it turned out, there is a completely logical explanation for this phenomenon: the side boards of the coffin are the first to undergo decay processes, and the coffin lid, which does not have a solid support, begins to put pressure on the head of the deceased, causing it to turn on the “Atlantean” vertebra. According to burial experts, this is a normal practice, and Gogol is far from the first person afterburials were found in this position.

The situation was complicated by the fact that Nikolai Vasilyevich's biggest fear was being buried alive. Even during his lifetime, he noticed that he was subject to a state of so-called "lethargic sleep", when there is no reaction to the outside world, the heartbeat slows down significantly, and the pulse ceases to be felt. For this reason, he made a will in which he ordered that he be buried only when signs of cadaveric decomposition become apparent. This made the legend of the writer's burial alive even more mysterious.

Another, less frightening version of the death of a classic is calomel poisoning (a mercury-containing drug used in the 19th century). The writer himself was subject to many diseases, and therefore was treated by various doctors. It was a medical error that could have caused Gogol's premature death.

The latest version is the most widely used, but it is still not recognized as official.

So, it is believed that Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol died due to exhaustion caused by hunger. Contemporaries of the classic admitted that he was prone to depression and was overly passionate about religion, which prompted him to observe an ascetic lifestyle and renounce carnal pleasures.

In pursuit of the triumph of the spirit over the body, Gogol exhausted himself with a stubborn refusal to eat. A week before the start of Lent, he decided to give up creativity, food and limit contact with people as much as possible.

Before he dies, he burns his things, like himselfexplains, "under the influence of an evil spirit." Two days before his death, the writer's condition deteriorated significantly - he went to bed and stubbornly refused any help, mentally preparing for death. Doctors did not stop trying to cure the writer, but on February 21, 1852 Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol died.

Now Gogol is buried at the Moscow Novodevichy cemetery. The writer left this world in the prime of his life, but, as the literary critic V. A. Voropaev, this is “a death filled with spiritual meaning”, which is what the writer wanted.