Any person with a claim to literacy is familiar with the names of Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoevsky and certainly can cite as an example the names of some of the most famous works of these authors. But who wrote Oblomov? Who was this writer? And why did his hero gain such symbolic popularity?
The childhood and youth of the future writer
Ivan Alekseevich Goncharov (the one who wrote Oblomov) was born in Simbirsk, now he is known as Ulyanovsk in 1812. He was the son of a wealthy merchant. But dad Ivan Alekseevich died seven years after the birth of the boy, the young Ivan was raised by his godfather, Nikolai Tregubov, a liberal-minded aristocrat. He opened for Goncharov wider cultural horizons and a refined lifestyle.
Studied Ivan Goncharov initially in a commercial school since 1822, continued education for eight years. As the
writer then recalled
, these were the most unfortunate years in his life. Ivan could not stand the low quality of education and the methods of severe discipline. His only consolation at that time was self-education.
Higher education and debut editions
And then at Moscow University, in an atmosphere of intellectual freedom and lively discussions, the spirit of Goncharov flourished. During the training, Ivan Alekseevich gets acquainted with some of the leading minds of his era, but does not enter into any of the student circles that were full of faith in the ideals of the philosophy of German romanticism.
Goncharov remained indifferent to the ideas of political and social changes that were gaining popularity at that time. His main occupation is reading and translation. In 1832, two chapters were published from the work of Eugene Sue, which was translated by Ivan Alekseevich. This became his debut edition.
Graduation and the beginning of adulthood
After graduating in 1834, Goncharov served for nearly thirty years as a government official. First, he returned home to enter the office of the Simbirsk governor, and a year later he moved to Petersburg and began working as a translator in the Ministry of Finance.
Unlike literary rivals such as Turgenev or Tolstoy, Ivan Goncharov was forced to earn a living, and not just rely on writing. Ivan Alekseevich, of course, became a member of the literary circle, based in the Maykovs house, even wrote poetry. But soon he completely stopped indulging in poetry. Many of Goncharov’s poems were included in the novel Ordinary History as the works of Aduev. A sure sign that the author has ceased to take them seriously.
The writing career of the one who wrote Oblomov. Photo of the author of the work
Goncharov’s first prose began to appear in Snowdrop. This is a satirical novel, "Dashing Sickness," in which he ridiculed romantic sentimentalism. Then came a secular drama with a touch of comedy, and the most significant work of the time was an essay entitled "Ivan Savich Podzhabrin." So began the literary career of the one who wrote Oblomov.
Despite the fact that Ivan Alekseevich began writing long ago, his first serious work is Ordinary History. She talks about the clash between the decaying Russian nobility and the new merchant classes. The most influential critic of the time, Vissarion Belinsky, described the novel as an attack on outdated romanticism.
The most popular work, or Second novel by Ivan Alekseevich
And in what year was Oblomov written? Ivan Alekseevich Goncharov began his second novel in the late 1840s, but the process was slow for many reasons. At one thousand eight hundred and fifty-fifth, he assumed the position of censor, traveled to England, Africa and Japan as secretary of Admiral Putyatin.
Only in 1849 was a short story or essay published entitled “Oblomov’s Dream. Episode from the unfinished novel”, which was later included as “Oblomov’s Dream” in the finished work of Ivan Alekseevich.
And the novel "Oblomov" first appeared in the journal "Domestic Notes" in 1859. It is dedicated to the midlife crisis of the protagonist. A distinctive feature of Ilya Ilyich is a lazy attitude to life. The author portrayed his character with sympathy, although he was the personification of the nobility.
The main questions in the work of Ivan Alekseevich
What primarily interests the simple reader? This, first of all, is what the work is about, and not just the one who wrote it. Oblomov is such a novel that describes the fate of the landowner Ilya Ilyich, and based on this plot, the author in his work considers many important issues that Russian society faces in the nineteenth century. This is the futility of many landowners and noblemen in society, the complex relationship between members of various classes of society, such as Oblomov and his servant Zakhar.
The main character is a young and generous nobleman, but it seems that he is generally not able to make important decisions or begin any significant actions. Throughout the entire work, he rarely leaves his room or bed. Moreover, during the first fifty pages, Ilya Ilyich very famously managed not to leave her at all.
The meaning of a famous work
Ivan Alekseevich Goncharov (the one who wrote the novel "Oblomov") probably did not assume that his work would become so popular that it would leave a significant imprint on Russian culture. Moreover, Goncharov’s work will add new words to Russian vocabulary. The name of the protagonist will often be used to describe who shows the features of a lazy and apathetic personality similar to the character of the novel.
The work caused unanimous recognition not only among readers, but also among critics. There were those who wrote: Oblomov is the last person in the series of “extra people” after Onegin, Pechorin and Rudin in the decaying serfdom of Russia. Nikolai Dobrolyubov noted that in the novel, very important problems of that era were transferred to the foreground and subjected to careful analysis. A special kind of laziness, leading to self-destruction of the individual.
The last years of the life of a famous writer and critic
These are the global problems that the writer of Oblomov was able to touch upon in his work. Nevertheless, Ivan Alekseevich was not a fruitful writer. He published only three of his novels. Ten years after the publication of the novel "Oblomov", another work entitled "Cliff" is published, which also has significant success with readers.
Goncharov plans a fourth novel, but dreams did not materialize. Instead, he becomes a critic and makes numerous theatrical and literary reviews. Toward the end of his life, Ivan Alekseevich wrote unusual memoirs, in which he accused his literary rivals of plagiarizing his works. He died in St. Petersburg on September 24, 1891 from pneumonia.
So the life of the remarkable writer and critic Ivan Alekseevich Goncharov, the one who wrote the novel Oblomov, passed. His photo is now known to every student. And the works are not only popular, but also loved among a wide range of readers.