Biography of Gogol interesting facts briefly. Interesting facts from the life and biography of Gogol

Even remembering all the writers who contributed to the development of Russian literature, it is difficult to find a more mysterious figure than Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The biography briefly outlined in this article will help to get some idea of the personality of the genius. So, what interesting details are known about life path, passed through by the creator, his family, written works?

Gogol's father and mother

Of course, all fans of the writer’s work would like to have an idea about the family into which he was born. Gogol's mother's name was Maria, the girl came from a little-known family of landowners. If you believe the legend, there was no more beautiful young lady in the Poltava region than her. Married to father famous writer She entered at the age of 14, gave birth to 12 children, some of them died in infancy. Nikolai became her third child and first survivor. The memoirs of contemporaries say that Mary was a religious woman who diligently tried to instill the love of God in her children.

It is also interesting who became the father of such amazing person, like Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The biography briefly outlined in this material cannot fail to mention him. Vasily Yanovsky-Gogol was an employee of the post office for many years and rose to the rank of collegiate assessor. It is known that he was fond of magical world art, even composed poems, which, unfortunately, have practically not survived. It is possible that the son’s talent for writing was inherited from his father.

Biography of the writer

Fans of the genius are also interested in where and when Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was born. The biography briefly given in this article states that his homeland is the Poltava province. The boy, born in 1809, spent his childhood in the village of Sorochintsy. His education began at the Poltava School, then continued at the Nizhyn Gymnasium. It is curious that the writer could not be called a diligent student. Gogol showed interest mainly in Russian literature, and achieved some success in drawing.

Nikolai began writing back in adolescence, however, his first creations could not be called successful. The situation changed when he moved to St. Petersburg, already an adult youth. For some time, Gogol tried to achieve recognition as an actor, performing on the stage of one of the St. Petersburg theaters. However, having failed, he concentrated entirely on writing activity. By the way, a few years later he managed to become famous in the theater field, acting as a playwright.

What work allowed such a person as Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol to declare himself as a writer? The biography, briefly summarized in this material, claims that it was the story “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala.” Initially, the story had a different title, but the publishers, for unknown reasons, asked to change it before publication.

Famous works

“Dead Souls” is a poem without which it is difficult to imagine Russian literature; the work is included in school curriculum. The writer in it views his native state as a country suffering from bribery, mired in vices, and spiritually impoverished. Of course, predicts a mystical rebirth Russian Empire. It is interesting that it was after the writing of this poem that N.V. Gogol died.

"Taras Bulba" - historical story, when creating which the author was inspired real events 15-17 centuries, which took place on the territory of Ukraine. The work is interesting not only moral issues, which it raises, but also detailed description life of the Zaporozhye Cossacks.

"Viy" invites readers to plunge into the legends of the ancient Slavs, to get to know the world inhabited mystical creatures, allows you to get scared and overcome your fear. “The Inspector General” ridicules the lifestyle of provincial bureaucrats and the inherent vices of its representatives. "Nose" - fantastic story, which tells about excessive pride and the price to pay for it.

Death of a Writer

There's hardly any famous person, whose death is surrounded by the same a large number riddles and assumptions. It is with death that many interesting facts about Gogol are connected that haunt biographers.

Some researchers insist that Nikolai Vasilyevich committed suicide using poison. Others argue that his early death was the result of exhaustion associated with numerous fasts. Still others insist on what resulted from improper treatment of meningitis. There are also those who claim that the writer was buried alive while in prison. None of the theories could be proven.

All that is known for certain is that during the last 20 years of his life the writer suffered from manic-depressive psychosis, but avoided seeing doctors. Gogol died in 1852.

Curious facts

Nikolai Vasilyevich was distinguished by extreme shyness. It got to the point that the genius left the room, the threshold of which was crossed by a person unfamiliar to him. It is believed that the creator left this world without losing his innocence, he never had romantic relationships with a woman. Gogol was also very unhappy own appearance, his nose caused particular irritation. Apparently, this part of the body really worried him, since he even named the story after it. It is also known that when posing for portraits, he forced artists to change the appearance of his nose.

Interesting facts about Gogol are connected not only with his appearance and behavior, but also with his creativity. Biographers believe that there was a second volume of Dead Souls, which the writer himself destroyed shortly before his death. It is also curious that the plot of “The Inspector General” was suggested to him by Pushkin himself, sharing interesting story from life.

Nikolai Gogol is a world-famous Russian writer, whose works have been translated into all major languages of the world. Many people know him from his most famous work, perhaps, “Dead Souls,” the planned sequel of which never saw the light of day, but in his arsenal there are many other, no less iconic works.

According to family legends, Nikolai Gogol came from ancient family Cossacks, although this fact seems doubtful to historians.
Gogol's mother got married at the age of 14, and her husband was twice her age. Over the years of marriage, she gave birth to her husband 12 children, including the future classic of Russian literature. True, most of Gogol's brothers and sisters died at birth or in childhood.
After arriving in St. Petersburg, Nikolai Gogol planned to perform on stage, but he was never hired as an actor.
Gogol claimed that he did not intend to burn the second volume of “Dead Souls” and a number of other works, but he was forced “ evil spirit».
Nikolai Gogol was involved in needlework since childhood - he knew how to knit, weave belts and cut out outfits for his sisters.
The writer was very fond of miniature books - for example, he wrote down an encyclopedia on mathematics, despite all his dislike for this science, since the size of the book was about 10 centimeters in length and 7 in width.
While working on his masterpieces, Gogol often rolled bread crumbs into balls or ate sweets.
Gogol claimed that the plot of “Viy” is an ancient legend, which he memorized verbatim and then wrote down. True, not a single folklore expert has ever heard of such a legend.
Nikolai Gogol died a month before his 43rd birthday - the writer stopped eating, went to bed and fell into unconsciousness. All attempts by friends and doctors to save him were in vain.
After Gogol's death, his heirs were left with personal belongings worth just over 43 rubles. The only valuable thing the writer had was a gold watch that previously belonged to Vasily Zhukovsky and kept the memory of the deceased Alexander Pushkin - it was set to 2:45 pm, the time of death of the great poet.
The gravestone that originally lay on Gogol's grave was later replaced by a monument depicting the figure of the writer. The story of the block of marble did not end there - in the utility rooms of the Novodevichy cemetery it was found by the widow of Mikhail Bulgakov, who was looking for gravestone for my husband. She bought the tombstone, after which it was installed at the resting place of the author of The Master and Margarita.
Nikolai Gogol loved to serve his guests a drink he jokingly nicknamed “gogol-mogol” - it consisted of goat’s milk and rum.
The writer took sugar from the hotels where he stayed, so that he could eat it while working. Gogol was generally a big fan of sweets - he could eat an entire jar of jam in one sitting.
Gogol told his friends that French doctors allegedly discovered an anomaly in his body - the writer’s stomach was turned “upside down.”
Nikolai Gogol never married and had no children. There is no information left at all about him love affairs, therefore it is believed that the writer died a virgin.
Gogol loved to cook - he was especially good at dumplings and dumplings. At the same time, the writer’s favorite dish was Italian pasta with spices and parmesan.
The writer was terrified of thunderstorms.
Nikolai Gogol categorically did not like his nose, although he dedicated it to this part of the body separate work. It is interesting that in all the portraits of the writer his nose looks different - it is believed that this is how the artists intended to confuse future researchers of Gogol’s life.

Mysterious, sometimes even mystical art world Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol fascinates us early years. Even the most avid C students cannot escape the soulful “May Night” and the creepy “Viy”. These stories will definitely tickle your nerves. to the younger generation. Senior schoolchildren will also feel uneasy while reading the poem “Dead Souls” - Gogol’s psychological portraits still live in our society and, whether we like it or not, sometimes at a distance arm's length. How were these works created, which have no analogues in Russian classics and are comparable only to the Gothic literature of Allan Poe? The most mysterious Russian writer simply cannot have an ordinary fate. Both the life and death of Gogol are shrouded in secrets and guesses...

Interesting facts from the childhood of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was born on March 20, 1809 in a rural family. He became the third child, but remained the eldest, since two boys born before him died at birth. In total, 12 children were born into the large Gogol family. Apart from Gogol himself, only three of his most younger sisters. One of the most noticeable childhood shocks for Nikolai Vasilyevich was the death of his younger brother.
Gogol's mother was incredible beautiful woman. She married at barely 14 years old to a man twice her age. From her future writer inherited a reverent attitude towards death, rare intuition, suspiciousness, faith in prophetic dreams and other mysticism. When Gogol was still just a boy, his mother told him in vivid colors about the existence of the Last Judgment, before which everyone would have to face their sins and virtues after physical death.
From childhood, Gogol was withdrawn, shy and had little contact with others. He was sensitive and had a hard time dealing with adversity. One day, left at home alone, five-year-old Gogol was so scared domestic cat that he grabbed her and drowned her in the pond. Perhaps this is a memory from childhood, this terrible act then resulted in an episode with a witch who turned black cat, in the work “May Night, or the Drowned Woman.”
Gogol's school writings left much to be desired.
The future classic loved drawing, but no one took his “masterpieces” seriously. Criticism of what he loved had the most negative impact on the self-esteem of young Gogol.
In addition, Gogol had a hobby that was strange by the standards of those around him - he adored needlework. He knitted, cut and sewed, and wove belts. I took great pleasure in coming up with outfits for my sisters.
At the age of ten, Gogol was sent to study at the Poltava gymnasium. There he joined a literary circle.

Interesting facts about Gogol's adult writing life, his fears and habits

Laid back in childhood low self-esteem Nikolai Vasilyevich intensified with age and grew into mental disorder. The writer was very timid, but loved relatives, friends and their visits.
Your first literary works Gogol composed while secluded in the shade of the garden trees at the gymnasium, while his fellow students were having fun.
Gogol loved sweets. He always carried sugar cubes in his pockets, which he periodically took out to chew.
Gogol was an admirer of everything miniature.
There were often bread balls on the writer’s desk. He assured his friends that rolling these balls helped him concentrate and solve any problem.
Nikolai Vasilyevich was terrified of thunderstorms. Many attribute this to his increased nervousness.
Gogol was lucky enough to meet Pushkin. The great Russian poet gave him a miniature dog, the death of which was then very difficult for the writer, since this pet became the closest creature on earth to him.
Gogol did not immediately see the writer in himself. He tried acting and served in a department of the ministry.
At the gymnasium, Nikolai Vasilyevich was involved in the production of a magazine. There, under the pseudonym Alov, he published his first poem. She was severely criticized, the writer’s vulnerable psyche could not stand the failure, and he destroyed the entire batch of the magazine so that not a trace remained of his work.
About personal life Gogol walk various rumors. Some researchers are sure that Nikolai Vasilyevich considered relationships with the opposite sex to be something unworthy and unclean from a religious point of view. Some even talk about the writer's homosexuality. It is now impossible to determine who is right; the only fact remains that Gogol never married. Only one of his attempts to propose marriage to a lady is known. It was Countess Villegorskaya, who refused due to social inequality. This was another terrible blow to the writer’s self-esteem. Since then, Gogol has made no new attempts to connect his fate with a woman.
Being a teacher at the university, Gogol went to Italy in 1836. The trip dragged on for 10 years. There the writer fell ill with malaria and almost died. A serious illness left an indelible mark on Gogol’s nervous state. He still suffered from seizures, hallucinations, and prolonged loss of consciousness as complications.

Mysteries and controversies surrounding the death of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol

The illness suffered far from his homeland fatally affected Gogol’s psyche. His God-fearing mood increased a hundredfold. Due to frequent and prolonged fainting, the writer developed a fear of being buried alive. He bequeathed to bury himself only when, after death, signs of decomposition appeared on his body.
From then on, any death in Gogol’s circle became a blow for him and caused a storm of emotions. By 1845, a new mental crisis provoked the writer to be destroyed through the burning of the second volume of Dead Souls.
Nikolai Vasilyevich, in despair, even wanted to go to a monastery to live out the rest of his days there. But due to his nervous state and seizures, they did not leave him in the monastery.
The closer the writer came to death, the more he feared it. Gogol asked the pharmacist to find him a cure for fear. What scared him most was the prospect of waking up alive in a coffin. Nikolai Vasilyevich constantly saw about this scary dreams, which he himself considered prophetic.
On the night of February 12, 1852, Gogol again burned his manuscript. According to researchers of his biography, this was a newly written second volume of Dead Souls. After this, the writer finally fell ill. On February 21 he passed away.
According to rumors, a huge black cat was seen at the writer’s funeral, which disappeared immediately after the coffin was lowered into the grave.
In 1931, Gogol's body was exhumed in order to be transferred to a cemetery in Novodevichy Convent. Many of the witnesses to this event stated that the lid of the writer's coffin was scratched from the inside, and his head was turned to the side.

The facts about Gogol’s burial alive in the grave have not been documented. But his life and death are absolutely shrouded to this day mystical secrets. The visions that he included in the texts of his works create a special atmosphere between the lines. Anyone who reads Gogol, who often wrote on the verge of a nervous breakdown, gets goosebumps. psychological strength his literary works.

Square

Amazing mysterious world N. Gogol has surrounded many since childhood: the delightful images of “The Night Before Christmas”, bright folk festivals at the Sorochinskaya Fair, creepy stories about “May Night”, “Viya” and “ Terrible revenge", from which the whole body is covered with small goosebumps. This is just a small list famous works N.V. Gogol, who is considered the most mystical Russian writer, and abroad his plots are equated with the Gothic stories of Edgar Allan Poe. In this article, you will learn interesting facts from Gogol’s biography, which are considered mysterious and mystical. Get ready to be amazed!

Gogol was born in rural Ukrainian large family, he was the third child of twelve. His mother is a woman of rare beauty - she was 14 years old when she became the wife of a man twice her age. They say that it was the mother who developed a religious and mystical worldview in her son. Maria Ivanovna was distinguished by her natural view of religion; she told her son about ancient Russian pagan traditions, Slavic mythology. Gogol's letters to his mother dating back to 1833 have been preserved. In one of them, Gogol writes that the mother in childhood told the child in colors what Last Judgment, what will await a person for virtuous deeds, and what fate will befall sinners.

Childhood, adolescence and youth

From an early age, Nikolai Gogol was a closed and uncommunicative person; even his close relatives had no idea what was going on in his head and soul. The boy lived separately, had little contact with his brothers and sisters, but spent a lot of time with his beloved mother.

Gogol later said that at the age of five he first experienced panic fear

“I was about 5 years old. I was sitting alone in Vasilyevka. Father and mother left... Dusk was falling. I pressed myself to the corner of the sofa and, in the midst of complete silence, listened to the knocking of the long pendulum of an ancient wall clock. There was a noise in my ears, something was approaching and going somewhere. Believe it or not, it already seemed to me then that the knock of the pendulum was the knock of time going into eternity. Suddenly the faint meow of a cat disturbed the peace that was weighing me down. I saw her meowing and carefully sneaking towards me. I will never forget how she walked, stretching, her soft paws weakly tapping her claws on the floorboards, and her green eyes sparkling with an unkind light. I felt terrified. I climbed onto the sofa and pressed myself against the wall. “Kitty, kitty,” I muttered and, wanting to cheer myself up, I jumped off and, grabbing the cat, which easily gave itself into my hands, ran into the garden, where I threw it into the pond and several times, when it tried to swim out and go ashore, I pushed it away. her pole. I was scared, I was trembling, and at the same time I felt some kind of satisfaction, perhaps revenge for the fact that she scared me. But when she drowned and last laps they scattered on the water, there was complete peace and silence, I suddenly felt terribly sorry for the “kitty”. I felt remorse. It seemed to me that I had drowned a man. I cried terribly and calmed down only when my father, to whom I confessed my act, whipped me.”

Nikolai Gogol was from childhood sensitive person succumbing to fears, worries, and life’s troubles. Any negative situation reflected on his psyche when another person could withstand something like that. The child drowned the cat out of fear; he supposedly conquered his fear through cruelty and violence, but realized that panic could not be conquered this way. It can be assumed that the writer was left alone with his fears, since his conscience again did not allow him to use violence.

This situation is very reminiscent of the moment in the work “May Night, or the Drowned Woman,” when the stepmother turned into a black cat, and the lady, in fear, hit and cut off her paw.

It is known that Gogol drew as a child, but his drawings seemed mediocre and incomprehensible to those around him. Such an attitude towards his art could again have a negative impact on self-esteem.

From the age of 10, Nikolai Gogol was sent to the Poltava gymnasium, where the boy became a participant literary circle. It is not known why Gogol developed such low self-esteem, but it was precisely self-isolation that provoked mental illness in adulthood.

The first attempt to bring my work to public court

Nikolai Gogol began to create, he wrote a lot, but he risked showing his work “ Hanz Kuchelgarten" It was a failure, criticism was unfavorable to the story, then Gogol destroyed the entire circulation. Before becoming a writer, Gogol tried to become an actor and enter the bureaucratic service. But the love of literature still captured the young man, who was able to find a new approach to this type of art. It was Gogol who touched on a different side of life and showed how they live in Little Russia! The collection “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” created a sensation! His mother Maria Ivanovna helped the writer collect material and develop plots. For many years Gogol successfully created literary field, corresponded with Pushkin and Belinsky, who were delighted with his works. Despite his fame, Gogol never became an open person, but on the contrary, over the years he led an increasingly reclusive lifestyle.

By the way, Pushkin gave Gogol a pug Josie; after the death of the dog, Gogol was overcome with melancholy, because the writer definitely had no one closer to Josie.

Question about the writer's homosexuality

Gogol's personal life is surrounded by guesses and assumptions. The writer was never married to a woman, and perhaps did not even have intimacy with them. There is mention in a letter to his mother that Gogol wrote about a beautiful divine person whom he did not want to relate to an ordinary woman. Contemporaries say that it was unrequited love for Anna Mikhailovna Vielgorskaya. After this incident, more women There were no men in Gogol’s life, just like there were no men. But researchers believe that letters to men are highly emotional. In the unfinished work “Nights at the Villa” there is a motive of love for a young man suffering from tuberculosis. The work is autobiographical, which is why researchers have a hunch that perhaps Gogol had feelings for men.

Semyon Karlinsky argued that Gogol is a very religious person, fearing God, and therefore could not include any intimate relationships in his life.

But Igor Kon believes that it was fear of God that did not allow Gogol to accept himself as he is. Therefore, depression developed, fears of being incomprehensible appeared, as a result, the writer completely fell into religion and brought himself to death by starvation - these were attempts to cleanse himself of sinfulness.

Candidate philological sciences L. S. Yakovlev calls attempts to determine sexual orientation Gogol with “provocative, shocking, curious publications.”

Gogol-mogol

Nikolai Gogol was madly in love with goat's milk combined with rum. The writer jokingly called his amazing drink “mogol-mogol.” In fact, the dessert “mogol-mogol” appeared in ancient times in Europe, it was first made by the German confectioner Köckenbauer. So the famous beaten egg yolk with sugar has nothing to do with the famous writer!

Writer's phobias

Gogol was terribly afraid of thunderstorms.
When stranger in society, he would leave so as not to run into him.
IN recent years In general, he stopped going out and communicating with writers and led an ascetic lifestyle.
I was afraid of looking ugly. Gogol really didn’t like his long nose, so he asked artists to depict a nose that was close to ideal in their portraits. Based on his complexes, the writer wrote the work “The Nose”.

Lethargic sleep or death?

Gogol constantly thought about being buried alive and was terribly afraid of such a fate. Therefore, 7 years before his death, he drew up a will, where he indicated that he should be buried only when visible signs decomposition. Gogol died at the age of 42, after fasting for 15 days before Lent. On the night of February 11–12, a week before his death, the writer burns the second volume of “Dead Souls” in the oven, explaining that he was beguiled by an evil spirit. The writer was buried on the third day after death. In 1931, the necropolis where Gogol was buried was liquidated and a decision was made to move the writer’s grave to Novodevichy Cemetery. After opening the grave, they discovered that Gogol’s skull was missing (according to Vladimir Lidin); later a rumor appeared that there was a skull in the grave, but turned on its side. Publicize this information for many years did not indulge, and only in the 90s they started talking again about whether Gogol was accidentally buried in a state of lethargic sleep?

There are some facts confirming that Gogol could have been buried alive. I present what I managed to find.

After suffering malarial encephalitis in 1839, Gogol often fainted, which led to many hours of sleep. Based on this, the writer developed a phobia that he could be buried alive while he was unconscious.

But there is no official evidence that in 1931, during the opening of the grave, a skull was found turned on its side. Witnesses to the exhumation give different testimonies: some say that everything was in order, others claim that the skull was turned to the side, and Lidin did not see the skull in its proper place at all. The presence of a death mask completely debunks these myths. It cannot be done on a living person, even if he is in lethargic sleep, because the person will still react to high temperature during the procedure and will begin to suffocate from filling the external respiratory organs with plaster. But this did not happen; Gogol was buried after a natural death.

Death mask Gogol

And Natalya Letnikova studied interesting details about the writer’s life and work.

"A dream in your hand." Vasily Gogol-Yanovsky saw his betrothed in a dream. Found out expectant mother the great writer, when he was... only a year old. Nikolai is the third child in the family and the first to survive. Named after the vow of Maria Ivanovna at the icon of St. Nicholas.

Vasily Afanasyevich Gogol-Yanovsky and Maria Ivanovna Kosyarovskaya

Consign to fire. The sad fate befell not only last piece Gogol, but also the first. The attempt to write “Hans Küchelgarten” under the pseudonym Alov burned as brightly as the last work of the already venerable writer - Volume II of “Dead Souls”.

Unfulfilled plans. The story of Chichikov and " Divine Comedy» Dante. Gogol learned about real " dead souls"in the city of Bendery from Pushkin. I wanted to take my heroes through the peculiar circles of hell and purgatory to the “gates to heaven” through three volumes. It didn't work out.

Getting to know Pushkin. First visit to St. Petersburg. A glass of liqueur for courage, the doorbell rings and the servant’s answer: “They’re resting.” “Right, you worked all night? - Gogol clarifies. “I was playing cards...” The blow to youthful ideals did not hinder their long-term friendship.

Alexandra Smirnova-Rosset

The author as a prototype. The creator of The Inspector General was himself a bit of Khlestakov. On the way from Kyiv to Moscow, Gogol uses a proven technique - he spreads rumors about the arrival of the inspectorate. The draw was a success and provided fast horses.

Sweet tooth and subject of ridicule. For lunch in a Roman restaurant, Gogol could be visited by the entire salon of Princess Volkonskaya. The writer could feed himself at home: dumplings, dumplings and... eggnog. And it’s not a sin to snack on sugar: the writer always kept a piece or two in reserve.

"Fashionable color for tailcoats." The writer was keenly interested in outfits and even sewed scarves for the season. Gogol wove belts, knitted, cut dresses for his sisters and... shocked the audience. For example, showing up for dinner in yellow trousers and a turquoise vest.

Small format, but not small forms. The writer loved miniature books. The first edition of “Evenings...” came out exactly like this. Even the encyclopedia on mathematics - an unloved science - attracted Gogol... size - 10.5x7.5 cm. He bought the book for the format of a sixteenth of a sheet.

Muse of all life. Alexandra Smirnova-Rosset. Pushkin, Zhukovsky, and Lermontov were friends with the court lady. Gogol confided his secrets to the lovely maid of honor. Except for one thing. “And you seem to be in love with me!” The assumption has not been confirmed. The writer was confused and simply ran away...

"One tombstone for two." When Gogol was reburied, a bust was installed instead of a boulder. A stone similar to Golgotha was found by Bulgakov’s wife, who considered Gogol his mentor. So the tombstone from the grave of the “teacher” ended up on the grave of the “student”. “Teacher, cover me with your overcoat,” exclaimed the mystic of the 20th century in the 19th century. And was heard...