Gogol Maria Ivanovna is the mother of the famous writer. She was born in a family of landowners in the Poltava region and was a real beauty. Her parents married her very early - at fourteen, the girl became the legal wife of a man who was twice her age.
So who is Gogol Maria Ivanovna? Her biography mainly revolves around her husband and famous son. The land where the Gogol family lived was full of mysticism. Very superstitious people lived in the Poltava region, and the boy often heard terrible legends. The mystical direction of his works was also influenced by suspiciousness and the gift of foresight of his mother.
The whole life of the man most dear to Gogol passed in painful anxieties. Mother had prophetic dreams. Sometimes, for months, Gogol Maria Ivanovna was impressed by what she dreamed. Most often, her worries were not in vain.
Vasily Afanasyevich Gogol
Nikolai's father also had a literary and acting talent. He belonged to the old family Gogol – Yanovsky. The future husband of Mary saw her in a dream. The Mother of God allegedly turned to him and showed a young girl - just a child. Having been in the house of Maria Ivanovna, he recognized in her that same girl from a dream. At that moment he decided that she would certainly become his wife.
In the 1920s, he made friends with the Minister of Justice, Dimitri Prokofievich Troshchinsky, who arranged a home theater on his estate. Vasily Afanasyevich Gogol became its leader. He was fluent in the Ukrainian language (then it was called Little Russian). He wrote plays for the theater on it. Two of his comedies have been preserved in the archives:
- "Sheep Dog";
- "A simpleton, or the Cunning of a woman outwitted by a soldier."
The plots of these plays strongly resembled folk tales.
Son Nikolai was a frequent guest in the theater. He practically grew up on stage, often attended rehearsals. Inspired by all this, the boy wrote the first poems at home. Unfortunately, his first attempts at writing did not reach our days. As a child, the writer had an interest in painting and even organized his own exhibition in his parents' house.
Vasily Afanasevich also transferred his acting talent to his son. When he studied at the Nezhin classical gymnasium, he was seriously carried away by the game in the student theater. At the school, he met people who in the future became famous writers:
- Nestor Puppeteer.
- Nikolai Prokopovich.
- Konstantin Bazili.
- Alexander Danilevsky.
All of them were in love with the theatrical stage. Friends also published the first literary journals with their own hands:
- "Meteor of literature."
- "Dawn of the North."
- "Star".
Nikolai Vasilievich could become a famous actor, but he was attracted to public service. After graduation, he went to Petersburg to pursue his career.
Husband's death
Two years before the wedding, Vasily Afanasevich survived a fever. Later, nothing threatened his health. But the gift of predictions and the subtle instinct of Mary never failed. He knew that she would outlive her husband and son, and this greatly depressed her, did not allow her to live in peace, tormented in incomprehensible terrible dreams. My father left this world when Nikolai was 16 years old. Gogol Maria Ivanovna no longer married, but completely devoted herself to her son. She foresaw that he would glorify his homeland.
Religious education of a son
Mother Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was engaged in his religious education almost from the cradle. Maria Ivanovna Gogol constantly took her son to church, read the word of God to him, but the child did not grow too religious. True faith came to him not from love for the Lord, but from a terrible fear, which was inspired by the picture of the Last Judgment described by her mother.
An impressive boy with an unbalanced psyche decided to lead a righteous lifestyle so as not to end up in hell. He was seduced by the prospect of going to heaven. His mother told him that the Lord brings the ladder to heaven to the righteous. This happens immediately after death.
Famous correspondence with son
Gogol had very tender filial feelings for his mother. They were real friends. Nikolai’s mother was not an educated woman and had little meaning in literature. At the same time, she was also not the most outstanding mistress, but her son tried to be very tactful so as not to even offend her with a hint. Nikolai Vasilievich loved his mother very much and all the time in letters he thanked her for her prayers. He told how good and warm since childhood he had been at heart from her appeals to God.
Help son
Maria Ivanovna Gogol – Yanovskaya was proud of her Nikolai. She became his faithful assistant and inspirer. When Gogol needed ethnographic material, she collected it bit by bit. At his request, she sent him epics, tales, legends. Mother made a huge contribution to the work of her son. To some extent, she can be called a co-author of his early works, since by and large they consisted of descriptions of rites. These were the customs that were used at weddings, christenings, commemorations, funerals. Nikolai Vasilievich also used the descriptions of the costumes that his mother procured.
Glory to Gogol
Fame came to Gogol after the publication of the books “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”. He dedicated it to his mother. On the day the book was published, he congratulated her on Angel Day. This work was highly appreciated by Pushkin, writing in a review that he did not see anything more cheerful and sincere. With the release of the book, popularity came to the author. His literary achievements were highly appreciated in the upper strata of society.
The works of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol are known and loved throughout the world. The writer himself believed that he had a prophetic talent, which he sought to use for the benefit of people. He knew that it affects the minds of people, and tried to address in his works the eternal problems of mankind, which are relevant to this day.