H gogol famous works. Gogol's biography

Years of life: from 03/20/1809 to 02/21/1852

Outstanding Russian writer, playwright, poet, critic, publicist. The works are included in the classics of domestic and world literature. Gogol's works had and still have a huge influence on writers and readers.

Childhood and youth

Born in the town of Velikie Sorochintsy, Mirgorod district, Poltava province, in the family of a landowner. The writer's father, V. A. Gogol-Yanovsky (1777-1825), served at the Little Russian Post Office, in 1805 he retired with the rank of collegiate assessor and married M. I. Kosyarovskaya (1791-1868), according to legend, the first beauty in the Poltava region. There were six children in the family: in addition to Nikolai, son Ivan (died in 1819), daughters Marya (1811-1844), Anna (1821-1893), Lisa (1823-1864) and Olga (1825-1907). Gogol spent his childhood in the estate of parents Vasilievka (another name is Yanovshchina). As a child, Gogol wrote poetry. The mother showed great concern for the religious upbringing of her son, and it is to her influence that the religious and mystical orientation of the writer's worldview is attributed. In May 1821 he entered the gymnasium higher sciences in Nizhyn. Here he is engaged in painting, participates in performances - as an artist-decorator and as an actor. He also tries himself in various literary genres (writes elegiac poems, tragedies, a historical poem, a story). Then he wrote the satire "Something about Nizhyn, or the law is not written for Fools" (not preserved). However, he does not think about a literary career, all his aspirations are connected with the "state service", he dreams of a legal career.

The beginning of a literary career, rapprochement with A.S. Pushkin.

After graduating from high school in 1828, Gogol went to St. Petersburg. Experiencing financial difficulties, unsuccessfully fussing about the place, Gogol makes the first literary tests: at the beginning of 1829, the poem "Italy" appears, and in the spring of the same year, under the pseudonym "V. Alov", Gogol prints "an idyll in pictures" "Hanz Küchelgarten". The poem evoked very negative reviews from critics, which increased the heavy mood of Gogol, who throughout his life experienced criticism of his works very painfully. In July 1829 he burns the unsold copies of the book and suddenly makes a brief trip abroad. Gogol explained his step as an escape from a love feeling that suddenly took possession of him. At the end of 1829, he managed to find a job in the Department of State Economy and Public Buildings of the Ministry of the Interior (first as a clerk, then as an assistant clerk). Staying in the offices caused Gogol a deep disappointment in the "state service", but it provided rich material for future works. By this time, Gogol was devoting more and more time to literary work. Following the first story "Bisavriuk, or Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala" (1830), Gogol prints a series works of art and articles. The story "Woman" (1831) became the first work signed by real name author. Gogol meets P. A. Pletnev,. Until the end of his life, Pushkin remained an indisputable authority for Gogol, both artistically and morally. By the summer of 1831, his relationship with Pushkin's circle was becoming quite close. Gogol's financial position is strengthened thanks to his pedagogical work: he gives private lessons in the homes of P.I. Balabin, N.M. Longinov, A.V. Vasilchikov, and from March 1831 became a teacher of history at the Patriot Institute.

The most fruitful period of life

During this period, Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka (1831-1832) were published. They aroused almost universal admiration and made Gogol famous. 1833, the year for Gogol, is one of the most intense, full of painful searches for a further path. Gogol writes the first comedy "Vladimir of the 3rd degree", however, experiencing creative difficulties and foreseeing censorship complications, he stops work. During this period, he was seized by a serious craving for the study of history - Ukrainian and world. Gogol is busy about taking the chair of world history at the newly opened Kiev University, but to no avail. In June 1834, however, he was appointed adjunct professor in the department of general history at St. Petersburg University, but after a few classes he left this business. At the same time, in deep secrecy, he wrote the stories that made up his two subsequent collections - "Mirgorod" and "Arabesques". Their harbinger was The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich (first published in the book Housewarming in 1834). The publication of Arabesques (1835) and Mirgorod (1835) confirmed Gogol's reputation as outstanding writer. By the beginning of the thirties, work on the works that later formed the cycle “Petersburg Tales” also dates back. the work progressed so successfully that on January 18, 1836, he read a comedy at the evening at Zhukovsky's, and in the same year the play was staged. Along with the resounding success, the comedy also caused a number of critical reviews, the authors of which accused Gogol of slandering Russia. The heated controversy adversely affected the state of mind of the writer. In June 1836 Gogol leaves Petersburg for Germany and begins almost 12 summer period the writer's stay abroad. Gogol is taken to writing " dead souls". The plot was also suggested by Pushkin (this is known from the words of Gogol). In February 1837, in the midst of work on Dead Souls, Gogol receives shocking news of Pushkin's death. In a fit of "inexpressible longing" and bitterness, Gogol feels "the current work "as a "sacred testament" of the poet. In early March 1837, he first arrived in Rome, which later became one of the writer's favorite cities. In September 1839, Gogol arrives in Moscow and begins reading the chapters of Dead Souls, which evoke an enthusiastic reaction. In 1940 Mr. Gogol leaves Russia again and at the end of the summer of 1840 in Vienna, he suddenly suffers one of the first bouts of severe nervous illness.In October, he arrives in Moscow and reads the last 5 chapters of Dead Souls in the Aksakovs' house. However, in Moscow, censorship did not allow the novel for publication, and in January 1842 the writer forwarded the manuscript to the St. Petersburg Censorship Committee, which approved the book, but with a change in title and without The Tale of Captain Kopeikin. In May, The Adventures of Chichikov a, or Dead Souls" came out. And again, Gogol's work caused a flurry of the most controversial responses. Against the background of general admiration, sharp accusations of caricature, farce, and slander are heard. All this controversy took place in the absence of Gogol, who went abroad in June 1842, where the writer is working on the 2nd volume of Dead Souls. Writing is extremely difficult, with long stops.

Last years of life. Creative and spiritual crisis of the writer.

At the beginning of 1845, Gogol showed signs of a new mental crisis. The period of treatment and moving from one resort to another begins. At the end of June or at the beginning of July 1845, in a state of sharp exacerbation of his illness, Gogol burned the manuscript of the 2nd volume. Subsequently, Gogol explained this step by the fact that the "paths and roads" to the ideal were not clearly shown in the book. Improvement in Gogol's physical condition was outlined only by the autumn of 1845, he begins work on the second volume of the book anew, however, experiencing increasing difficulties, gets distracted by other things. In 1847, Selected passages from correspondence with friends were published in St. Petersburg. The release of "Selected Places" brought a real critical storm to their author. Moreover, Gogol received critical reviews from his friends, V.G. was especially harsh. Belinsky. Gogol takes criticism very close to his heart, tries to justify himself, his spiritual crisis deepens. In 1848 Gogol returned to Russia and lived in Moscow. In 1849-1850 he reads separate chapters of the 2nd volume of "Dead Souls" to his friends. The approval inspires the writer, who now works with redoubled energy. In the spring of 1850, Gogol makes his first and last attempt to arrange his family life- makes an offer to A. M. Vielgorskaya, but is refused. January 1, 1852 Gogol reports that the 2nd volume is "completely finished." But in the last days of the month, signs of a new crisis were clearly revealed, the impetus for which was the death of E. M. Khomyakova, a person spiritually close to Gogol. He is tormented by a premonition of imminent death, aggravated by renewed doubts about the beneficence of his writing career and the success of his work. In late January - early February, Gogol meets with his father Matvey (Konstantinovsky), who arrived in Moscow; the content of their conversations remained unknown, however, there is an indication that Father Matthew advised to destroy some of the chapters of the poem, motivating this step with the “harmful influence” that they would have. The death of Khomyakova, the condemnation of Konstantinovsky, and, perhaps, other reasons convinced Gogol to abandon creativity and start fasting a week before Lent. On February 5, he sees off Konstantinovsky and from that day on he eats almost nothing, stops leaving the house. At 3 o'clock in the morning from Monday to Tuesday, February 11-12, 1852, Gogol woke Semyon's servant, ordered him to open the oven valves and bring a briefcase with manuscripts from the closet. Having taken a bunch of notebooks out of it, Gogol put them in the fireplace and burned them (only 5 chapters belonging to various draft editions have been preserved in incomplete form). On February 20, the medical council decides on the compulsory treatment of Gogol, but the measures taken do not give a result. On the morning of February 21, N.V. Gogol died. Last words the writer were: "The stairs, hurry up, let's get the stairs!".

Information about the works:

At the Nizhyn gymnasium, Gogol was not a diligent student, but he had an excellent memory, he prepared for exams in a few days and moved from class to class; he was very weak in languages and made progress only in drawing and Russian literature.

It was Gogol who, in his article A Few Words about Pushkin, was the first to call Pushkin the greatest Russian national poet.

The next morning after the burning of the manuscripts, Gogol told Count Tolstoy that he wanted to burn only some things that had been prepared for it in advance, but he burned everything under the influence of an evil spirit.

A bronze cross was erected on Gogol's grave, standing on a black tombstone ("Golgotha"). In 1952, instead of Golgotha, a new monument was erected on the grave, Golgotha, as unnecessary, was for some time in the workshops of the Novodevichy cemetery, where it was discovered by the widow of E. S. Bulgakov. Elena Sergeevna bought the tombstone, after which it was installed over the grave of Mikhail Afanasyevich.

The film Viy of 1909 is considered the first domestic "horror film". Yes, the film has not survived to this day. And the film adaptation of the same Viy in 1967 is the only Soviet "horror film".

Bibliography

poems

Ganz Küchelgarten (1827)

appendices to the Auditor, some of them are journalistic in nature
unfinished

Publicism

Screen adaptations of works, theatrical performances

The number of theater productions of Gogol's plays around the world is incalculable. Only the Auditor and only in Moscow and St. Petersburg (Leningrad) were staged more than 20 times. Based on the works of Gogol, a huge number of feature films. far from full list domestic adaptations:
Viy (1909) dir. V. Goncharov, short film
Dead Souls (1909) dir. P. Chardynin, short
The Night Before Christmas (1913) dir. V. Starevich
Portrait (1915) dir. V. Starevich
Viy (1916) dir. V. Starevich
How Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich (1941) dir. A. Kustov
May Night, or the Drowned Woman (1952) dir. A. Rowe
The Auditor (1952) dir. V. Petrov
Overcoat (1959) dir. A. Batalov
Dead Souls (1960) dir. L. Trauberg
Evenings on a farm near Dikanka (1961) dir. A. Rowe
Viy (1967) dir. K. Ershov
Marriage (1977) dir. V. Melnikov
Incognito from Petersburg (1977) dir. L. Gaidai, based on the play The Government Inspector
The Nose (1977) dir. R. Bykov
Dead Souls (1984) dir. M. Schweitzer, serial
The Auditor (1996) dir. S. Gazarov
Evenings on a farm near Dikanka (2002) dir. S. Gorov, musical
The Case of the Dead Souls (2005) dir. P. Lungin, TV series
Witch (2006) dir. O. Fesenko, based on the story Viy
Russian game (2007) dir. P. Chukhrai, based on the play Players
Taras Bulba (2009) dir. V. Bortko
Happy ending (2010) dir. Ya. Chevazhevsky, modern version based on the novel The Nose

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol is the literary talent of Russia in the 19th century. The first work - the poem "Italy" - was published in 1829. He has been writing almost last days life.

His creations are very original, here mysticism is closely intertwined with reality. calling card the writer began to sketch the "naturalness" of ordinary life, a reflection of the bare Russian reality without embellishment and smoothing. He first created social types, endowing his heroes with common features people of a certain social stratum, surprisingly accurately summarized everything characteristic of Russian cities, creating a single image of the province and big city. Each character of Gogol is not some well-known personality, but a collective image that embodies the characters and customs of a whole generation or social stratum.

Best works

Without taking into account the destroyed 2nd volume of Dead Souls, Gogol's literary baggage totals 68 works. The most famous of them:

"Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka",
"Viy",
"The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich"
"Nose",
"Overcoat",
"Diary of a Madman",
"Selected places from correspondence with friends."

The list is far from complete, but these works are able to represent the author's work as much as possible.

Perhaps the most famous work of the writer is the play-comedy "The Government Inspector" in 5 acts. The author began work on it in the autumn of 1835, and just six months later - in January 1836 - he finished writing. The main character is a petty St. Petersburg official Khlestakov, whom everyone took for an important inspector. The sly bureaucrat quickly realized what was happening, and began to take advantage of the state of affairs with might and main, accepting bribes, gifts and eating for free at secular dinners. Everyone fawned over him, trying to appease and please.

When he leaves the city, everyone accidentally becomes aware that Khlestakov is a swindler, and then a real auditor comes to the town. Silent scene.

The play has been staged more than once on the stage of theaters, including European ones. And although the first production in St. Petersburg was not successful, all subsequent ones were very warmly received by the public.

In Gogol's diaries, a mention was found that the idea of "The Government Inspector" was given to him by Pushkin, who was one of the first listeners of the play and accepted it with great enthusiasm.

Genius work. Deep in essence and complete in artistic design. One of the most significant works of the author, which, according to the notes of Gogol himself, was originally conceived as a three-volume work. The first volume was published in 1842. The second was never published. According to the generally accepted version, based on the testimony of the writer's servant, "being in a state of physical weakness and mental disorder," Nikolai Vasilievich burned the already finished manuscript of the second volume. After Gogol's death, handwritten first 5 chapters were found in his drafts. Today they are kept in the personal collection of Timur Abdullayev, an American businessman of Russian origin. The only thing known about the third volume is that it was conceived as a description of the heroes of the poem who had reformed after the "purgatory".

The plot of the work was also suggested by Pushkin. As a result, a literary masterpiece was born, telling about the adventures of the protagonist, the collegiate adviser Chichikov, who in the city of N bought up “dead souls”, that is, dead serfs, from the landowners. Why did he need it? In the future, he planned to mortgage them in a bank and use the loan received to buy some kind of estate for arranging his future. Events developed in such a way that the scam failed, and Chichikov ended up in the gendarmerie, from where he was rescued with difficulty by the millionaire Murazov. This is where the first volume ends.

The most colorful characters:

"Sweet to the point of cloying" landowner Manilov, a man of no use to society, an empty dreamer;
Korobochka is a landowner known for all her greed and pettiness;
Sobakevich, whose all efforts are aimed only at arranging life and strengthening material well-being;
Plyushkin is the most caricatured character. Extremely stingy, regrets throwing away even the sole that has come off the boot. Incredibly suspicious, he refused not only from society, but even from his own children, believing that everyone wants to rob him and let him go around the world.

These and many other heroes reflect the world of inverted values, lost ideals. Their souls are empty, dead... Such a view allows one to interpret the title "Dead Souls" allegorically.

The poem has withstood many theatrical productions, film adaptations. Has been translated to different languages.

This story is a very serious work. It highlights the heroism of the Ukrainian people in the fight against the Turks and Tatars. It is large-scale in content and events covered by it, the images of its heroes are epic, the epic heroes served as the basis for their creation.

The main scenes of the story are the battles of the Zaporozhye Cossacks with foreign invaders. They are painted close-up, attention is paid to details. The course of the battle, the actions of individual soldiers, their appearance described in detail, with bright strokes.

Every fictional character in the story is hyperbolic. The images reflect not individual historical figures, but entire social strata of that time.

To write "Taras Bulba" Nikolai Vasilyevich studied many historical sources, chronicles, epics, folk songs and legends.

Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka

This two-volume edition was published in 1832. Each volume contains 4 stories, the action of which covers the 17th-19th centuries. Gogol very thinly rings the past and the present, weaves a true story and a fairy tale, giving his work a historical and spiritual unity.

"Evenings ..." received very high marks from literary critics - the author's contemporaries, as well as such masters as Pushkin, Baratynsky. The collection fascinates the reader not only with fabulous plots, but also with high poetic style.

In fact, "Evenings ..." is a fantasy, masterfully crafted folklore. On the pages of the work, witches, sorcerers, mermaids, goblins, devils and other evil spirits settled next to people.

Final chord

Gogol is a writer with a capital letter. It is difficult to single out the most famous work of this author. It is difficult to convey in words the depth, poetry and richness of his works. Only by directly familiarizing yourself with each work, you can not only understand, but feel the lively, rich and original talent of Gogol. The reader will definitely enjoy reading his writings.

"To be in the world and not signify one's existence in any way - that seems terrible to me." N. V. Gogol.

The genius of classical literature

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is known to the world as a writer, poet, playwright, publicist and critic. A man of remarkable talent and an amazing master of words, he is famous both in Ukraine, where he was born, and in Russia, where he moved over time.

Especially Gogol is known for his mystical heritage. His stories, written in a unique Ukrainian language, which is not literary in the full sense of the word, convey the depth and beauty of Ukrainian speech, known to the whole world. The greatest popularity of Gogol was given by his "Viy". What other works did Gogol write? Below is a list of works. These are sensational stories, often mystical, and stories from the school curriculum, and little-known works of the author.

List of writer's works

In total, Gogol wrote more than 30 works. Some of them he continued to finish, despite the publication. Many of his creations had several variations, including "Taras Bulba" and "Viy". Having published the story, Gogol continued to reflect on it, sometimes adding or changing the ending. His stories often have multiple endings. So, next we consider the most famous works of Gogol. The list is in front of you:

"Ganz Kühelgarten" (1827-1829, under the pseudonym A. Alov).
“Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” (1831), part 1 (“Sorochinsky fair”, “Evening on the eve of Ivan Kupala”, “Drowned woman”, “Missing letter”). The second part was published a year later. It includes the following stories: "The Night Before Christmas", "Terrible Revenge", "Ivan Fedorovich Shponka and his Aunt", "The Enchanted Place".
Mirgorod (1835). Its edition was divided into 2 parts. The first part included the stories "Taras Bulba", "Old World Landowners". The second part, completed in 1839-1841, included "Viy", "The Tale of how Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich."
"Nose" (1841-1842).
"Morning business man". It was written, like the comedies Litigation, Fragment and Lakeyskaya, from 1832 to 1841.
"Portrait" (1842).
"Notes of a Madman" and "Nevsky Prospekt" (1834-1835).
"Inspector" (1835).
The play "Marriage" (1841).
"Dead Souls" (1835-1841).
Comedies "Players" and "Theatrical tour after the presentation of a new comedy" (1836-1841).
"Overcoat" (1839-1841).
"Rome" (1842).

These are published works that Gogol wrote. The works (a list by year, to be more precise) indicate that the writer's talent flourished in 1835-1841. And now let's go through the reviews of Gogol's most famous stories.

"Viy" - the most mystical creation of Gogol

The story "Viy" tells about the recently deceased lady, the centurion's daughter, who, as the whole village knows, was a witch. The centurion, at the request of his beloved daughter, forces the funeral worker Khoma Bruta to be read over her. The witch, who died through the fault of Khoma, dreams of revenge...

Reviews of the work "Viy" - continuous praise for the writer and his talent. It is impossible to discuss the list of Nikolai Gogol's works without mentioning everyone's favorite Viy. Readers note bright characters, original, unique, with their own characters and habits. All of them are typical Ukrainians, cheerful and optimistic people, rude but kind. It is impossible not to appreciate the subtle irony and humor of Gogol.

They also highlight the unique style of the writer and his ability to play on contrasts. During the day, the peasants walk and have fun, Khoma also drinks, so as not to think about the horror of the upcoming night. With the advent of evening, a gloomy, mystical silence sets in - and Khoma again enters the circle outlined in chalk ...

A very short story keeps you in suspense until the last page. Below are stills from the 1967 film of the same name.

Satirical comedy "The Nose"

The Nose is an amazing story, written in such a satirical form that at first it seems fantastic absurdity. According to the plot, Platon Kovalev, a public person and prone to narcissism, wakes up in the morning without a nose - it is empty in its place. In a panic, Kovalev begins to look for his lost nose, because without it you won’t even appear in a decent society!

Readers easily saw the prototype of Russian (and not only!) Society. Gogol's stories, despite being written in the 19th century, do not lose their relevance. Gogol, whose list of works for the most part can be divided into mysticism and satire, very subtly felt modern society, which has not changed at all over the past time. The rank, the external gloss are still held in high esteem, but the inner content of a person is of no interest to anyone. It is Plato's nose, with an outer shell, but without inner content, that becomes the prototype of a man richly dressed, rationally thinking, but soulless.

"Taras Bulba"

"Taras Bulba" is a great creation. Describing the works of Gogol, the most famous, the list of which is provided above, it is impossible not to mention this story. In the center of the plot are two brothers, Andrei and Ostap, as well as their father, Taras Bulba himself, a strong, courageous and utterly principled man.

Readers especially emphasize the small details of the story, on which the author focused, which enlivens the picture, makes those distant times closer and more understandable. Writer for a long time studied the details of the life of that era, so that readers could more vividly and vividly imagine the events taking place. In general, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, whose list of works we are discussing today, always attached special meaning trifles.

Charismatic characters also made a lasting impression on readers. The tough, merciless Taras, ready to do anything for the sake of the Motherland, the brave and courageous Ostap and the romantic, selfless Andrey - they cannot leave readers indifferent. In general, the famous works of Gogol, the list of which we are considering, have interesting feature- an amazing, but harmonious contradiction in the characters of the characters.

"Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka"

Another mystical, but at the same time funny and ironic work by Gogol. The blacksmith Vakula is in love with Oksana, who promised to marry him if he gets her little slippers, like the queen herself. Vakula is in despair... But then, quite by chance, he comes across evil spirits, having fun in the village in the society of a witch. It is not surprising that Gogol, whose list of works contains numerous mystical stories, involved a witch and a devil in this story.

This story is interesting not only for the plot, but also for the colorful characters, each of which is unique. They, as if alive, appear before the readers, each in his own image. Gogol admires some with slight irony, he admires Vakula, and teaches Oksana to appreciate and love. as if caring father, he chuckles good-naturedly at his characters, but it all looks so soft that it causes only a gentle smile.

The character of the Ukrainians, their language, customs and foundations, so clearly described in the story, could only be described in such detail and lovingly by Gogol. Even joking about the "Muscovites" looks cute in the mouths of the characters in the story. This is because Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, whose list of works we are discussing today, loved his homeland and spoke of it with love.

"Dead Souls"

Sounds mystical, right? However, in reality, Gogol did not resort to mysticism in this work and looked much deeper - into human souls. Main character Chichikov seems to be a negative character at first glance, but the more the reader gets to know him, the more positive features he notices in him. Gogol makes the reader worry about the fate of his hero, despite his hard-hitting actions, which already says a lot.

In this work, the writer, as always, acts as an excellent psychologist and a real genius of the word.

Of course, these are not all the creations that Gogol wrote. The list of works is incomplete without the continuation of Dead Souls. It was his author who allegedly burned it before his death. Rumor has it that in the next two volumes, Chichikov was supposed to improve and become a decent person. Is it so? Unfortunately, now we will never know for sure.

The writer, whose life and work is covered with mystical details, is considered one of the most prominent persons in the school of Russian literary realism. However, Gogol's works combine the features of satire, romanticism and national folklore, which makes them attractive to a reading audience of all ages. The life of the author fell on the first half of XIX century, when social unrest began to take actual form, and freedom of speech, albeit somewhat veiled due to censorship, ceased to seem a categorically dangerous and anti-state phenomenon.

So, we present to your attention Gogol's most famous works worth reading.

1. Dead souls

Gogol decided to create a poem and present it in the form of a three-volume prose (in fact) work. The fate of only the first book, which was published in 1842, was relatively successful. Work on the second volume was almost completed, but the creator chose not to publish the results of his labors (according to the common version, the pages were burned). The process of writing the third volume stopped at the stage of creating outlines, separate notes, where ideas were only partially formulated.

The plot of "Dead Souls" was formed with the deft presentation of A. S. Pushkin. There is an assumption that the poet reluctantly parted with the ideas he intended to work on himself. During the period of southern exile, the disgraced poet heard a curious story about a Transnistrian village, where, according to official data, people do not die at all for several years. Later it turned out that the documents of the dead were handed over to fugitive serfs.

Chichikov, a petty official, travels around Russia under the guise of a wealthy landowner. Skillfully rubbing himself into people's trust, the adventurer buys peasants for next to nothing, who died long ago, but are considered alive according to the documents kept by their owners. Landlords, different in nature and priorities, fearlessly open the doors of their houses to the swindler.

2. Evenings on a farm near Dikanka

In 1829-32, Gogol wrote a series of stories that appeared on the pages of popular publications when the author turned 22. Gogol adopted ideas for sketches and pictures of peasant life from his mother's letters. The writer asked his mother to describe to him ancient customs, beliefs and superstitions that filled the Ukrainian land. The mother complied with the request, and Gogol received valuable material, which he reworked into a masterpiece of folklore literature. The book consists of two parts, each - 4 stories.

Foma Grigoryevich was once a brave Cossack, a warrior who managed to pay his debt native land. Now, in his old age, the Cossack became a minister of the church. He has in his “piggy bank” many stories about witches, mermaids, evil spirits, which invades human life on certain days, on great spiritual holidays and not only.

3. Viy

Closes the top three most famous works of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "Viy". The short story, structurally divided into three parts, appeared in the collection Mirgorod, published in 1835. In his personal notes, the author indicates that the main character belongs to Ukrainian folklore. However, there are prerequisites to believe that the hero was completely invented by the writer, the infernal demon is a collective image.

Viy is mentioned as the betrothed of a witch in the fairy tale "Ivan Bykovich", as well as in the tales of Kasyan the Merciless, both characters had similarities in their external description: the hero's eyebrows, eyelids and eyelashes fell so low that they had to be raised with outside help and even, according to some folklore sources, using an iron fork.

Church student educational institution goes on vacation. On the way, he asks a woman for an overnight stay, who later turns out to be a witch, only prayers manage to get rid of her spell. Frightened by what he saw, Homa decides to immediately leave the cursed place and return to the seminary. However, in Kiev, an order comes to send the student back to the ill-fated village: there, for three nights, it is necessary to conduct a funeral ceremony for a young girl.

4. Taras Bulba

The first edition of Taras Bulba dates from 1835. Before writing one of his most famous works, Gogol studied many historical sources. There are two versions as to who the real prototype of the protagonist was. According to one, the image is written off from the Cossack chieftain with the surname Makukha. The valiant leader took the life of his own son Nazar, accusing him of treason when he went over to the side of the Poles during the Khmelnitsky uprising. The second version tells that Gogol was inspired by a folk song about Sava Chal, who was executed on the orders of his own father because of the betrayal of popular interests.

The colonel of the Cossack army meets his two sons, who arrived in native home after completing his studies in Kiev. The father does not give young men time to be with their mother and goes with them to the Zaporizhzhya Sich, considering the combat military situation best school life for the youth from the village. There, the fates of the brothers diverge, the youngest, Andriy, chooses the path against his father, obeying the call of a loving heart.

5. The night before Christmas

This work opens the second part of Gogol's famous book, dedicated to mystical events on a Ukrainian farm. The story was published in 1832. Gogol's birthplace is considered to be a place near Poltava. Memories of life in his native settlement, impressions, stories heard in childhood, the author embodied in the story. A distinctive feature is demonic female images. In such a heat, Gogol preferred to portray women as evil, but not deprived of natural expressive beauty.

In a small Ukrainian village during the reign of Empress Catherine II, strange phenomena occur: at night, a terrifying tandem of the Witch and the Devil rules the ball, who arrange bad weather to interfere with the plans of the villagers. Most of all, the Devil hates Vakula, who just the day before was going to visit Oksana, the daughter of Korniy Chub. The tailed demon tries in every possible way to prevent the girl's stern father from leaving the hut and going to the clerk's kutya, allowing the blacksmith to be alone with Oksana.

6. Nevsky prospect

"Nevsky Prospekt" is a famous work by Gogol, which is part of the "Petersburg Tales", written in the period from 1833 to 1834. The publication took place a year after the completion of the creative work. The idea of the plot arose in 1831, when the first drafts of literary sketches dedicated to the northern capital were made.

The artist Piskarev meets a beautiful lady on the main street of St. Petersburg. The beauty captivates and invites guests. Entering the premises, the young man realizes that he has ended up in a brothel, and his chosen one is a worker here. Offended, embarrassed and confused, the man leaves the hall and rushes to his apartment. Thus, a series of mysterious visions arises that begin to haunt an inexperienced creative nature against the backdrop of a picturesque change of days and nights in the city on the Neva.

7. Auditor

The first publication of Gogol's comedy play "The Inspector General" took place in 1836, the second - in 1842. Gogol attended literary circles, where he met with A. S. Pushkin more than once. Once, being in a creative search, the writer turned to Alexander Sergeevich with a request to tell him an amusing story. Nikolai Vasilyevich promised to embody the plot in a work that would turn out to be “funnier than hell,” in his own words. The poet responded and told an anecdote about a certain citizen Crispin, who, while passing through the provinces, was mistaken by local officials for a checking inspector, which earned extraordinary attention and privileges.

A petty employee Khlestakov arrives in the Saratov province with his servant, following from St. Petersburg. A significant loss at cards put the visiting citizen in an extremely difficult financial situation. However, the difficulties were quickly resolved: the governor and his subordinates fearfully awaited the arrival of the auditor from the capital and jointly decided that Khlestakov was the most important, influential person.

8. Overcoat

In the third volume of stories about St. Petersburg published at the end of 1842, there is a work that eventually became a literary declaration on the need to create equality in society among social strata and on the importance of the personal rights of each person. The story has become exemplary in the genre of describing the fate and social role of the "little man". The idea arose when Gogol, being in the company of his comrades, heard a joke about a poor official who had been saving money to buy a gun for a very long time, and when he could afford the purchase, he instantly lost the “trophy”. The story made the audience laugh, and Gogol became sad and dreary. He wrote his own plot and carefully reworked it over the course of three years, gradually reducing the ironic component in favor of a more extensive pathos with hints of sentimentality.

Akaki Akakievich serves as a titular adviser and receives a rather modest salary. One day he notices that his overcoat is leaky, it is necessary to hand it over for repair. The tailor refuses to mend clothes and edifyingly recommends sewing new thing. Having saved up money and cut expenses, the official becomes the owner of a new overcoat, but then a fatal accident occurs.

9. Nose

A satire on the verge of absurdity - this is what Gogol's famous story "The Nose", published in 1836, was. Initially, the writer intended to create a work that would equally ridicule the outdated serfdom, corruption in the ranks of civil servants and the lack of rights of the common people. Ideas had to be conveyed through the internal conflict of the protagonist. However, in the process of trying to publish the finished material, the author encountered a number of difficulties, the work was called trivial and vulgar, after which Gogol rewrote the finale several times.

The petty official Kovalyov wakes up one morning and discovers ... the loss of his nose. In desperation, the collegiate assessor turns to the police and independently sets off in search of him along the way. At the Kazan Cathedral, the Nose suddenly appears, dressed in a uniform and with weapons, but the owner does not manage to return the lost part of the face, which becomes the beginning of a swift fantastic pursuit.

10. Portrait

Gogol's famous story "Portrait" with various changes in content was published in 1834 and 1842. It is generally accepted that the plot was inspired by the influence of Western authors, the features of Ernst Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe, V. Irving are guessed.

Chartkov is a poor artist who barely has enough money to pay for a room in St. Petersburg. Once a difficult period comes, the young man cannot afford to rent a house in the future. The sad fact was preceded by a spontaneous purchase. Chartkov saw a portrait in an antique shop, which impressed him with the technique of writing, which gives special vivacity to the features of the hero's face. The next night, the artist had a dream that the person depicted in the painting was handing him a bag of gold coins. Waking up, the young man understands: the dream is connected with reality, because he has the same money in his hands.