Life and work of Goncharov. Works by Goncharov

By its nature, Ivan Aleksandrovich was very different from most thinkers born in the 1960s, active and energetic. In his life there was a lot of uncharacteristic for that time, as if the stormy social activity and various changes of the sixties had not touched him at all. The concentration, tension, impulsiveness inherent in the writers of this era, in Ivan Alexandrovich are replaced by poise, sobriety, simplicity. Goncharov's life and work are briefly described in this article.

Chronological table of life

Young years

The chronological table of Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov opens in 1812. This year, in Simbirsk, he was born. Ivan Aleksandrovich belonged to the merchant class, which at that time was a rare exception for the intelligentsia, since it was usually represented by the nobility. In the writer's environment, however, there was little merchant himself, this environment had almost no effect on his upbringing and education, or on the surrounding environment. Ivan's father, who died early, was very well-off, which allowed Goncharov not to save on expenses and live quite richly.

Simbirsk of that time was a collection of mostly wooden, old houses and buildings, and the population of the city was not numerous. In this place were the first ten years of life of the future writer. The first education Ivan Goncharov, whose biography and creativity are closely related, was received in private boarding houses of the city, as well as from a local priest who kept a boarding school for children from noble families. In this pension, Ivan Alexandrovich discovered a small library and enjoyed spending time reading the fiction of Russian and foreign authors.

Study in Moscow

In 1822, at the age of ten, to continue his studies, he was taken to Moscow for an average institution for the nobility. So the life and work of Goncharov go to a new stage of independent life, without the care of parents. He came home only for the summer, spending the rest of the time in Moscow. Here, Ivan Alexandrovich, among other things, got acquainted with the works of French writers, and one of the novels of Eugene Syu even translated into Russian. An excerpt from this translation was published in the journal Telescope for 1832.

Eight years of training passed very quickly, not bringing, in general, no particular benefit, no particular harm.

University of

In 1830, 18 years old, Goncharov was already preparing to enter the university, but cholera began, and he was shut down, so Ivan Alexandrovich could only enter there in the following year, 1831. By that time he already knew several languages: French, German, English and Latin.

At the university, Goncharov's life and work, briefly familiarized with in this article, are entering a new stage. He listened to the lectures of Kachenovsky, Shevyrev, Nadezhdin, Pogodin, Davydov and others, and subsequently recalled them with gratitude. Goncharov was an exemplary student. Attended almost all lectures, diligently wrote down lecturers, did homework. Ivan Alexandrovich eschewed the circles. Herzen and Ogaryov studied at the university at the time, but he did not meet with either of them, and met with Lermontov only in the classroom.

The chronological table of Goncharov Ivan Aleksandrovich continues with the next date, June 1834, when he successfully passed the final exams and left with his brother home, to Simbirsk. The life and work of the young writer begin now in his homeland.

At home

Goncharov Ivan Alexandrovich writes: "I was overwhelmed with domestic pampering like a ferry." In this "sweet Oblomovka" there was a full, contented life, the days were replaced by days, and years by years, there was no noticeable change. In provincial Simbirsk, the tough atmosphere of the Nicholas regime was practically not felt. For a whole year Goncharov simply rested, not doing anything particularly. Balls and social events took turns. When the young man thought about the future from time to time, it seemed to him in the form of a service, although it all seemed very far away, and only the case accelerated the business, namely, the friendship that Goncharov initiated (the biography and creativity of the writer of subsequent years are described below) with Governor Uglitsky, Who offered him to become a clerk in his office.

From this moment for Ivan Alexandrovich began a routine bureaucratic routine, from which there were not very pleasant, but useful impressions and memories of bribery and other evils of officials. Photo by Goncharov is presented below.

Petersburg. The first literary activity

The stages of Goncharov's life and creativity continue with the St. Petersburg period. By someone's denunciation in 1835 Uglitsky was recalled from his native Simbirsk and headed to Petersburg, and Ivan Alexandrovich went with him along. Here he entered the Ministry of Finance for service, in the Department of Foreign Trade, first as an interpreter, and then as chief of staff. His smooth, calm character was consistent with this service, and the measured office atmosphere was not at all burdensome for Ivan Alexandrovich.

In the first years after his arrival in Petersburg in his spare time, he translated Schiller, Winkelmann, Goethe, and also English novelists. However, Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov did not think about his own work at this time. Only at the beginning of the forties did his first independent works appear. Below, see the photo of Goncharov.

"Ordinary story"

In 1847, the first novel of the novice writer, "Ordinary History", appeared on the pages of Sovremennik. By this time the writer was already 35 years old, the life and work of Goncharov entered the phase of maturity.

It was a story of disappointment, a collapse of hopes of young pupils of various Oblomovok flocking to the capital with a souvenir from the lady of the heart and a volume of Schiller in his pocket, cheerful, spoiled, fattened. Petersburg immediately relieved them of all illusions and daydreams, ruined all hopes, so this story could be called the "Ordinary tragedy."

In the novel, a biographical element is clearly felt. According to the author himself, this work reflected his life experience, the period when he turned from a romantic and a dreamer into a cold and efficient official. Ivan Goncharov, whose biography is offered to your attention, experienced a transformation similar to that experienced by the protagonist.

Alexander Aduyev, a dreamy romantic from the province, a fan of Schiller, blindly believing in eternal friendship and love, comes to the capital, Petersburg of the forties, from the care of his selflessly loving mother. He falls in love, but love betrays him, and changes friendship too. From this, Alexander comes to despair. He returns to the province, forgets all his aspirations and ideals and ends his life with a rich bride, respectable belly and good salary.

"Ordinary story" was rewritten three times, the author spent about 5-6 years creating it before the work was published. She immediately attracted attention, and Goncharov received recognition as a writer. Responded to this novel and the famous shrewd critic Belinsky, who greeted the new talented author and predicted his success.

In 1846 Ivan Alexandrovich personally met Belinsky, but he did not get close to either him or other members of the literary circle. Then to this circle belonged Nekrasov, Panayev, Turgenev, Botkin, Granovsky, Herzen and others.

"The Pallas Frigate"

In 1852, Ivan Alexandrovich in the post of secretary of Admiral Putyatin went on an expedition to Russian possessions in America. The purpose of the trip was to formalize a trade agreement with Japan, a country that at that time was almost unknown to Europeans. The journey was not easy for the writer, especially the first months of the voyage-he had seizures of neuralgia with headaches, and in the cabin it was often cold. Only gradually, upon his arrival in England, Ivan Aleksandrovich managed to get used to sea life with its rolling, cold and fog and feel at home. In addition to official reports and reports, he wrote letters that appeared in the "Sea Compendium", in which he described his impressions. Later, from these letters, a description of the voyage called "Frigate Pallas," published in two volumes.

This work was noted as one of the best descriptive works in Russian literature. It could be read by both adults and children, educated and uneducated. The book describes the nature of various exotic countries, where the ship visited, compared the customs of foreigners with the inhabitants of their native country, there are also humorous episodes. He paid tribute to the beauty of the local nature, but still his heart was dearer to his native landscapes, which Goncharov, whose books spoke for the writer himself, always remembered with love.

I.A. Goncharov: "Oblomov"

Novels Goncharova continues "Oblomov." His idea came to the writer in the forties. And during the above-described expedition the prototype of Ilya Ilyich greatly occupied him. Take for example the first chapter of the first book, Frigate Pallas, which contrasts the busy, active, hurried Englishman with a Russian gentleman, calm and lazy.The description of the life of the master is very similar to that of Oblomov.

"Oblomov" is a whole new stage in which Goncharov's life and work entered. The table of his biography and creativity is not without mentioning 1857. This year, while resting on the waters in Kissingen, this work was conceived, conceived back in the forties.

Life and work of Goncharov with the release of this novel open a new stage. Immediately after publication, the work became a real sensation, talked about and argued in all camps without exception. The two best critics, Dobrolyubov and Pisarev, dedicated their witty critical articles to Oblomov. Article Dobrolyubova "What is Oblomovism?" Put Oblomov on a par with the most famous heroes of the time - Pechorin, Onegin, Beltov, Rudin. "Oblomovka is our direct homeland," writes Dobrolyubov, who equated in his article the entire Russian intelligentsia to Oblomov's type. For Nikolai Alexandrovich Oblomovism is, above all, effeminacy, lazy laziness, which many servants indulge. Of course, Dobrolyubov does not express the slightest sympathy for either the main character or Oblomovism as a whole.

Pisarev in his article pays much more attention to psychological characteristics, noting the harmful effect of mental apathy caused by a variety of reasons. Goncharov himself noted that Pisarev's article is the best of all that was written about his novel, as he described the complexity of such seemingly elementary Oblomov type. After all, the hero, it turns out, was a sick man, as Goncharov points out. Oblomov not only does not want to work, but is afraid of work, because he brings him physical torment. And in fact he is sometimes capable of active activity, albeit under the influence of others. Olga managed to encourage him to activity, various occupations.

The hero trembles literally throughout the entire work of Goncharov, except, perhaps, his most recent pages. He is afraid of everything: dampness, movement, through wind, love, decency, a loud word. And this fear is a characteristic symptom of atrophy of will, psychiatric illness.

In addition, Oblomov is always between two opposites: he was raised in an Old Russian manner and atmosphere, accustomed to inaction and luxury, satisfaction of his own whims. His childhood passed under the relentless, thoughtless supervision of his relatives, who were as listless and passive as he.

His non-lives and spoiled, tried to suppress the impulses of activity and speed, natural for a young age, as well as curiosity and interest in anything. The fruits of such education are known - laziness, which took its extreme form, as well as fear of any changes and demands of life.

This disease, according to Goncharov, is rooted in all of Russian life and history. In this sense, Oblomov was a true embodiment of the baroque Russia of pre-reform time. However, can we assume that after the abolition of serfdom, the situation has changed so radically? Did Ilya Ilyich really die?

No, he can not die. That is why this novel now, as always, remains relevant.

Oblomov, understood as an accusatory novel, ridiculing the gentry and Russian laziness, had a huge readership success. Goncharova even compared with Gogol.

Returning from the round-the-world trip, Ivan Alexandrovich again took up the civil service, working all in the same department of foreign trade in the post of chief of staff. However, soon, in 1858, he entered the service in the censorship department under the Ministry of Public Education. In 1862 he became editor of the then-issued "Northern Mail", the official magazine. Goncharov served in good faith and achieved significant success in the service: he was promoted several times in office - from the censor to a member of the General Directorate of Press Affairs.

I.A. Goncharov: novel "The Cliff"

Goncharov's novels do not end with the publication of Oblomov. In 1868, the magazine "The Messenger of Europe" appeared his next novel after Oblomov - "The Cliff". It was conceived almost simultaneously with Oblomov, but it took him more than 20 years to write this work! Over the years, a whole generation has changed, a whole era. From the gloomy period of Nicholas's reign, Russia moved to revival and renewal. But Goncharov's view was still fixed on the past, from which he drew his images and characters. Criticism did not appreciate this novel, perhaps because of the uncertainty of the time when it appeared. By this time the magazines Sovremennik and Russkoye Slovo were closed, and criticism lost its best representatives, including Pisarev. "Domestic notes" have only just got to their feet. Journalism was dominated by confusion in the moods and minds. And suddenly in this troubled time a work appears, imbued with a certain view of life, and, one might say, an optimistic look ... Goncharov recognizes the old as strong, healthy and correct, hopes for reconciliation of the old with the new. Naturally, at that time such a position could not have supporters.

Let's say briefly about two central figures of the novel - Paradise and Grandmother. Paradise struggles against the old order, effeminacy, but sleeps on a comfortable bed and does not deny himself anything, allows even Egorka to take off his boots. He still lives in the era of serfdom, and fights against him only in words that are not backed by deed: he simply advises his grandmother to let go of the serfs, but he does not want to interfere in this matter, although the estate belongs to him. This indecision is very typical, typical for the entire Russian society at that difficult time, as for any transitional era.

Grandma is much more efficient than her grandson. She speaks the language of her ancestors, in the words of proverbs, ancient wisdom. Through this outdated wisdom she can see much more common sense than Paradise. It was a stubborn, firm, imperious woman who did not like to give in, though at heart and understanding often that Paradise was right. However, despite all her confidence and conviction in her rightness, she still does not have a self-respecting rejection of the new. Simply she is happy with the old, and is afraid of the new, but if necessary she is inferior to him.

So through the whole novel there passes this theme: struggle of the obsolete with the new. Goncharov does not come to the defense of either side, he seeks only their reconciliation and unification.

last years of life

Ivan Alexandrovich, naturally, was offended by how his novel was accepted. By the time he was already under 60 years old, and behind him were major literary victories. After the release of the "Cliff" Goncharov very rarely showed himself to the public and wrote little. Among his last works include "Literary evening", "Millions of torment", "Notes on the identity of Belinsky," "Better late than never", "Servants", "Memoirs".

The failure of a beloved child, illness and approaching old age lead him to melancholy and melancholy. In 1873, in the rank of general, Goncharov resigned, hardly having borne out of more than forty years service at least one good memory. However, after this, Ivan Aleksandrovich was destined to live for almost 20 years. He had few friends, close ones too, he rarely received guests and spoke somehow reluctantly. In recent years, Ivan Aleksandrovich was tormented by health problems, and Goncharov died of pneumonia on September 15, 1891.