Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov went down in the history of Russian literature as the author of three novels on Ob: Ordinary History, Oblomov and Obryv. This fact is often the subject of discussion. However, the biography of Ivan Goncharov is full of mystical coincidences, which could become the basis for questions in the literary quiz. By the way, if you look for funny or unusual moments in the author’s biography, then it will be remembered better. Well, let's get started.
Goncharov's biography: interesting facts (a little about numbers)
1.
The future famous writer was born on the same day as Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin - on June 6, only Goncharov - in the old style, and the great poet - in a new way.
2. Ivan Goncharov was born in 1812. Just a few days after his birth, Napoleon Bonaparte's troops invaded Russia, and the Patriotic War went on all summer and autumn. In the same year, a devastating earthquake occurred in the capital of Venezuela - Caracas, which practically wiped out the city from the face of the Earth. By the way, in February 1812 another great writer was born in Britain - Charles Dickens.
Goncharov's biography: interesting facts (a little about cities)
- The author of Oblomov was born on the Volga, in Simbirsk, into a merchant family. As you know, this is also the birthplace of V.I. Ulyanov-Lenin, A.F. Kerensky and N.M. Karamzin. In turn, the historian Karamzin comes from a noble family, the minister of the Provisional Government Kerensky from the clergy, and the revolutionary Lenin from the intelligentsia.
- Goncharov received higher education in Moscow, at the verbal (philological) faculty of the university, from 1831 to 1834. At the same time, Vissarion Belinsky (Faculty of Philosophy), Alexander Herzen (Faculty of Physics and Mathematics), as well as Ivan Turgenev and Mikhail Lermontov studied in the famous brainchild of Lomonosov. However, Mikhail Yurievich studied at the university for less than two years.
Goncharov's biography: interesting facts (a little about professional activity)
- The first place of work of Ivan Alexandrovich was the reception of the Simbirsk governor, where he was offered the post of secretary. A year later, without any patronage, Goncharov managed to get a job as a translator in the foreign trade department of the Ministry of Finance in St. Petersburg. In parallel, the young man worked as a tutor, teaching the children of the poet Maykov Latin and the Russian language.
- Goncharov made a round-the-world trip from St. Petersburg to the shores of Japan on the famous frigate "Pallas" - for business affairs. In parallel, he kept a detailed diary, which formed the basis of the book of the same name - "Frigate" Pallas. "
- The writer managed to work as a censor, but at the age of 45 he retired to concentrate fully on literature.
Goncharov's biography: interesting facts (a little about literary works)
- The first in 1847 in the journal Sovremennik was published Ordinary History. A year later, in the journal "Domestic Notes" gathered to publish a translation of the novel by the Englishwoman Elizabeth Inchbold-Simpson. By fateful accident, he bore the same name - “Simply story”. Many readers have already met him in the original. Goncharov begged the editor-in-chief to publish a novel entitled “A Simple (Not an Ordinary) Story”, as he was accused of plagiarism.
- Meanwhile, Ivan Alexandrovich himself constantly accused Turgenev of intellectual theft. Once the writers were friends, and Goncharov read to his friend sketches of the future novel "Cliff". He wrote for a long time, because the work was released only after 14 years. Over the years, the author saw the influence of his novel either in the Turgenevsky “Noble Nest” or in the novel “On the Eve”. Then he thought that “Spring Water” is very similar to “Ordinary History”. Even Madame Bovary and Flaubert’s Parenting Feelings were suspiciously reminiscent of Cliff. He was sure that the insidious Turgenev transmitted literary material to Flaubert. Writers almost got into a duel.
We talked only about some moments in the fate of a famous writer. Perhaps, if you combine them together, you would get an interesting brochure called “Goncharov. Biography. Interesting Facts". Acquainted with them, perhaps someone would like to slowly, relishing, re-read all the works of the author: three novels on "O" and several essays.