99-460: Oblomov (Russian: Обломов ; [ɐˈbɫoməf] ) is the second novel by Russian writer Ivan Goncharov , first published in 1859. Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is the central character of the novel, portrayed as the ultimate incarnation of the superfluous man , a symbolic character in 19th-century Russian literature. Oblomov is a young, generous nobleman who seems incapable of making important decisions or undertaking any significant actions . Throughout
198-540: A natural school psychological sketch. Published in Sovremennik six years later, it failed to make any impact, being very much a period piece, but later scholars reviewed it positively, as something in the vein of the Nikolay Gogol -inspired genre known as the "physiological essay", marked by a fine style and precision in depicting the life of the common man in the city. In the early 1840s Goncharov worked on
297-496: A follower of Vissarion Belinsky and a leading literary critic, believed strongly that literature should promote positive change, and his essay praised Oblomov as an effective warning against the Russian social disease of "Oblomovism". Aside from introducing Oblomov to a large literary circle, the essay catalyzed Oblomov ' s presence as a novel of social significance and became Dobrolyubov's best-known work. Goncharov himself
396-421: A fourth novel, set in the 1870s, but it failed to materialize. Instead he became a prolific critic, providing numerous theater and literature reviews; his "Myriad of Agonies" (Milyon terzaniy, 1871) is still regarded as one of the best essays on Alexandr Griboyedov 's Woe from Wit . Goncharov also wrote short stories: his Servants of an Old Age cycle as well as "The Irony of Fate", "Ukha" and others, described
495-547: A guest lecturer to have a public debate with professor Mikhail T. Katchenovsky on the authenticity of The Tale of Igor's Campaign . "It was as if sunlight lit up the auditorium. I was enchanted by his poetry at the time...it was his genius that formed my aesthetic ideas – although the same, I think, could be said of all the young people of the time who were interested in poetry", Goncharov wrote. Unlike Alexander Herzen , Vissarion Belinsky or Nikolay Ogaryov , his fellow Moscow University students, Goncharov remained indifferent to
594-506: A harsh censor: he created serious problems for Nekrasov's Sovremennik and Russkoye Slovo , where Dmitry Pisarev was now a leading figure. Openly condemning ' nihilistic ' tendencies and what he called "pathetic, imported doctrines of materialism , socialism , and communism ", Goncharov found himself the target of heavy criticism. In 1863 he became a member of the State Publishing Council and two years later joined
693-526: A larger connection between Oblomov and Goncharov's other novels. Oblomov spends much of his adult life attempting to remain within his childhood, a time that he remembers for its peacefulness and the safety provided by his mother. His memory of childhood in Oblomovka is dominated by its cyclical time, with "births, celebrations, feasts...new faces take the places of the old, baby boys grow into marriageable young men who duly marry and reproduce themselves. Such
792-607: A longtime friend of Milligan, that Spike was making a mockery of their hard work Kerr replied, "We have to put up with all the shit, mate, because it pays the rent." The play kept running as an improv comedy. This decision soon caused it to break all box office records at the Lyric. After five weeks it was rechristened Son of Oblomov and on December 2, 1964, moved to the Comedy Theatre in the West End . It would run there for
891-469: A lot of dialogue within his works. Therefore, the characters in Oblomov reveal themselves primarily through their own speech, with very limited comments by the author. "The colloquial exchanges here coexist with long passages that characterize the novel's inhabitants more directly". Goncharov wrote three novels over the course of his life: The Same Old Story , Oblomov , and The Precipice . Each novel
990-525: A new and more demanding job as a censor. The summer of 1857 finally found Goncharov, alone in Marienbad , completely exhilarated and writing Oblomov in full swing. By the end of August the novel was complete. He spent the following year revising and rewriting the novel until finally, on January 14, 1859, Oblomov was published serially in Otechestvennye zapiski . A later edition in 1862 included
1089-590: A novel called The Old People , but the manuscript has been lost. Goncharov's first novel, The Same Old Story , was published in Sovremennik in 1847. It dealt with the conflict between the excessive romanticism of a young Russian nobleman who has recently arrived in Saint Petersburg from the provinces, and the sober pragmatism of the emerging commercial class of the capital. The Same Old Story polarized critics and made its author famous. The novel
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#17327915822201188-430: A number of changes made by Goncharov. An 1887 edition also featured revisions to the 1859 text and was his last approved edition. Scholars do not agree on which text should be considered canonical. The novel focuses on the life of the main character, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov. Oblomov is a member of the upper middle class and the son of a member of Russia's nineteenth-century landed gentry. Oblomov's distinguishing characteristic
1287-401: A person can maintain his full dignity only in repose". A character named "Oblomov" in art patron Peggy Guggenheim 's memoir Out of This Century was identified by poet Stephen Spender as Samuel Beckett , her one-time lover. Oblomov's place in the context of Russian history became the focus of much literary criticism when it was first published. Goncharov himself thought of Oblomov more as
1386-606: A rather traditional third-person narrator. In the beginning of the novel he is largely invisible and lets the characters do the talking. As the novel progresses he comes far less neutral and actually begins to not only describe the characters but he begins to judge them, like criticizing Oblomov's family for being overly protective of Ilya as a child, or calling Oblomov's false friends "parasites". The narrator's strongly developed moralizing tendencies are constantly upset by an equally strong note of ambivalence that undermines his judgements. The narrator seems to be someone who may wish he knew
1485-399: A romance and end up marrying. However, not even Oblomov could go through life without at least one moment of self-possession and purpose. When Taranteyev's behavior at last reaches insufferable lows, Oblomov confronts him, slaps him, and finally kicks him out of the house. Sometime before his death he is visited by Stoltz, who had promised to his wife a last attempt at bringing Oblomov back to
1584-530: A secret Masonic lodge member, who knew some of the Decembrists personally, and who was one of the most popular men amongst the Simbirsk intelligentsia , was a major early influence upon Goncharov, who particularly enjoyed his seafaring stories. With Tregubov around, Goncharov's mother could focus on domestic affairs. "His servants, cabmen, the whole household merged with ours; it was a single family. All
1683-541: A short story that was published in the literary journal Sovremennik . At that point Goncharov had just started writing his novel, and Oblomov was published ten years later, with "Oblomov's Dream" as Chapter 9 in Part 1. The character that would become Oblomov originally appeared in 1838 in the Maikovs' handwritten magazine written by Goncharov, as one of the protagonists in "Likhaia bolest". Nikon Ustinovich Tiazhelemko, or
1782-592: A single personality; "they are but one tremendous structure, one mirror reflecting in miniature three epochs: Old Life, Sleep, and Awakening." Aduev, Oblomov, and Raysky (the protagonist of The Precipice ) therefore form "but one personality in its successive rebirths." Oblomov represents the epoch of "Sleep" in Goncharov's vision. Yet many literary critics have found Goncharov's vision to be lacking. Belinsky and Dobrolyubov , two well-known literary critics who wrote famous reviews of Goncharov's works, failed to recognize
1881-532: A son. This instilling of contentment through repetition renders Oblomov ill-equipped for the expectations placed on his adulthood in a rapidly changing society. Adulthood constantly discourages Oblomov, whose main desire is to retreat into the safety of his childhood sense of time. He attempts to take on jobs and responsibilities for Oblomovka, but upon realizing the tasks these require, he becomes easily defeated and retreats into metaphorical and literal sleep. Even his desire to return to Oblomovka cannot be realized, as
1980-411: A straight line and is therefore driven by the desire to continually move forward. The words Oblomovism and Oblomovitis (translations of Russian : обломовщина , oblomovshchina ) refer to the fatalistic slothfulness that Oblomov exhibits. Nikolai Dobrolyubov , in his 1859 article "What is Oblomovism?", described the word as an integral part of Russian avos' . Stolz suggests that Oblomov's death
2079-445: A thousand miles into the country. As he sleeps, a dream reveals Oblomov's upbringing in Oblomovka. He is never required to work or perform household duties, and his parents constantly pull him from school for vacations and trips or for trivial reasons. In contrast, his friend Andrey Stoltz, born to a German father and a Russian mother, is raised in a strict, disciplined environment, and he is dedicated and hard-working. Stoltz visits at
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#17327915822202178-400: A total of 559 performances. As the play was substantially new for each performance it drew record numbers of repeat traffic. On April 22, 1965, Queen Elizabeth and her family attended as part of her 39th birthday celebration. Shortly after the play began, a group of four latecomers attempted to slink to their seats directly in front of the royal family. Milligan immediately shouted "Turn up
2277-875: A translator at the Finance Ministry 's Foreign commerce department. Here, in the Russian capital, he became friends with the Maykov family and tutored both Apollon Maykov and Valerian Maykov in the Latin language and in Russian literature . He became a member of the elitist literary circle based in the Maykovs' house and attended by writers like Ivan Turgenev , Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Dmitry Grigorovich . The Maykovs' almanac Snowdrop featured many of Goncharov's poems, but he soon stopped dabbling in poetry altogether. Some of those early verses were later incorporated into
2376-542: A treatise on human nature than as commentary on Russian society, but Dobrolyubov focused heavily on Oblomov and Stoltz as social and ethical antitheses; Oblomov became an allegory for the superfluousness of Russian aristocracy in a time when serfdom was soon to be abolished. This contrast is further drawn by the name Stoltz, or pride in German. As a member of the old nobility, Oblomov's inertia and fear of change represent old socioeconomic ideals that become out of place throughout
2475-414: A well-read man and a specialist in the history and economics of the countries he visited, proved to be a competent and insightful writer. He warned against seeing his work as any kind of political or social statement, insisting it was a subjective piece of writing, but critics praised the book as a well-balanced, unbiased report, containing valuable ethnographic material, but also some social critique. Again,
2574-471: A young man" so as to show that "all the decent people were to have Pyotr Ivanovich for a role model, when in fact this Pyotr Ivanovich is nothing more than a well-glued-up automaton, surely not a human being." Moskvityanin also came up to defend Romanticism and romantics as being attacked by the author. For Belinsky, the discussion was a handy pretext to wage another ideological war against those whom he regarded "old-timers". In an essay called "A Look at
2673-516: Is a bit of a musician, a bit of a poet, a bit of an artists and even - at times of need, a bit of a critic and writer, but these talents of his are such that he is unable not only to make himself a name, but even support himself minimally." Anti-romanticism crusade being one of his major issues at the time, Belinsky wrote: "Romantics tend to think its them who have the privilege of having strong feelings, while others do not - just because these others do not cry of their feelings aloud. [...] But sometimes
2772-436: Is his slothful attitude towards life. Oblomov raises this trait to an art form, conducting his little daily business from his bed. The first part of the book finds Oblomov in bed one morning. He receives a letter from the manager of his country estate, Oblomovka, explaining that the financial situation is deteriorating and that he must visit to make some major decisions. But Oblomov can barely leave his bedroom, much less journey
2871-561: Is the Russian spelling of " Pallas "), began to appear, first in Otechestvennye Zapiski (April 1855), then in The Sea Anthology and other magazines. In 1858, Frigate "Pallada" was published as a separate book; it received favourable reviews and became very popular. For the mid-19th-century Russian readership, the book came as a revelation, providing new insights into the world, hitherto unknown. Goncharov,
2970-418: Is the pattern according to which life weaves itself this seamless length of identical fabric to be snipped gently only at the grave itself." The Oblomovka of his childhood keeps track of time through the cyclical events of birth, death, and natural seasons, relying on the repetition of events to pass through life. Even Oblomov's name and patronymic, Ilya Ilyich, reveal him as a repeat of his father instead of just
3069-416: Is very easy, sitting in a cabinet, to be overcome all of a sudden by fiery love to all mankind, far easier than to spend one sleepless night by the bed of a seriously ill person." In 1848, the book came out as a separate edition. It was re-issued in 1858 and 1862, each time with minor edits made by the author. Major changes, involving stylistic re-hash and drastic cuts, were made by Goncharov when he prepared
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3168-530: The Lyric Theatre , Hammersmith , on October 7, 1964. During the first performance Milligan was struck by stage fright and forgot nearly all of his lines. He quickly began making up things to say to the cast, turning the drama into an impromptu improv session. Noticing that a drama critic who'd given rave reviews to Milligan's other stage comedies was in the audience, Milligan ended the first performance by shouting "Thank God, Milton Shulman 's in!" The play
3267-509: The emancipation reform of 1861 , embraced the well-publicized notion of the government's readiness to "be at the helm of [social] progress", and found himself in opposition to the revolutionary democrats. In the summer of 1862 he became an editor of Severnaya Potchta (The Northern Post), an official newspaper of the Interior Ministry, and a year later returned to the censorship committee. In this second term Goncharov proved to be
3366-412: The 'Oblomov malaise', for the first time one single feature, that of social apathy, a self-destructive kind of laziness and unwillingness to even try and lift the burden of all-pervading inertia, had been brought to the fore and subjected to a thorough analysis. Fyodor Dostoyevsky , among others, considered Goncharov a noteworthy author of high stature. Anton Chekhov is quoted as stating that Goncharov
3465-415: The 19th century. Stoltz and Olga become Oblomov's main connections to present Russia, but Oblomov ultimately rejects the social changes they represent when he marries Agafya and lives the rest of his life in a second Oblomovka. Despite Oblomov's own inertia, Oblomovka successfully integrates into present Russia thanks to Stoltz's efforts at modernization. Stoltz introduces new infrastructure and education for
3564-753: The Novoye Nikolskoe Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra . In 1956 his ashes were moved to the Volkovo Cemetery in Leningrad . The Same Old Story (novel) The Same Old Story ( Russian : Обыкнове́нная исто́рия , romanized : Obyknovennaya istorya ) is the first novel by Ivan Goncharov , written between 1844 and 1846 and published in 1847. It has also been published in English under
3663-522: The Russian Literature of 1847", he mentioned several worthy novels of the year, picking up two – Alexander Hertzen 's Who is to Blame? and Ivan Goncharov's The Same Old Story – as the best. Belinsky gave such a characteristic to Aduev-junior: "He's thrice a romantic: by nature, by upbringing and by circumstances of life, while one single reasons would have been enough to misguide a good man and prompt him doing lots of silly things. [...] He
3762-459: The Russian government's Department of Publishing. All the while he was working on his third novel, The Precipice , which came out in extracts: Sophia Nikolayevna Belovodova (a piece he himself was later skeptical about), Grandmother and Portrait . In 1867, Goncharov retired from his censorial position to devote himself entirely to writing The Precipice , a book he later called "my heart's child", which took him twenty years to finish. Towards
3861-417: The Russian press, introduced another new term, oblomovshchina , to the literary lexicon and is regarded as a Russian classic. In his essay What Is Oblomovshchina? Nikolay Dobrolyubov provided an ideological background for the type of Russia's 'new man' exposed by Goncharov. The critic argued that, while several famous classic Russian literary characters – Onegin , Pechorin , and Rudin – bore symptoms of
3960-626: The University, leading peaceful lives under their kind and protective mother's wings, then breaking away from all this tenderness, coming through lots of tearful farewells to find themselves in Saint Petersburg, this arena for all activity… And only there to experience this first spark of consciousness, this still dim realization that one needs to work, not go through some kind of bureaucratic motions, but real work to overcome this all-Russian stagnation." The conservative press reaction to
4059-514: The age of seven, and worked in St. Petersburg as a translator after graduating from Moscow State University. Aduev, the protagonist of The Same Old Story , also isolates himself from reality and prefers to live within his imagination much like Oblomov does. With these thematically linked protagonists, Goncharov envisioned Oblomov as part of a thematic "trilogy", fitting between his other two novels. Goncharov imagined his novels as different reflections of
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4158-487: The answers but is honest enough to admit that he does not. Goncharov is eager by the end of the novel to make a distinction between himself and the narrator by making the narrator an invented character. However, Goncharov chooses to reveal the identity of the narrator only when the revelation would not affect our reading of the novel. There are many moments when the narrator reveals himself to be uncharacteristically chatty, digressive, and not entirely "reliable". Goncharov used
4257-411: The anti-romantic tendency prevailed: it was seen as part of the polemic with those Russian authors who tended to romanticize the "pure and unspoiled" life of the uncivilized world. According to Nikolay Dobrolyubov , The Frigate Pallada "bore the hallmark of a gifted epic novelist." Throughout the 1850s Goncharov worked on his second novel, but the process was slow for many reasons. In 1855 he accepted
4356-717: The around the world voyage of the naval frigate Pallas . When Pallas finally ended its journey in August 1854 in Russia's far east, Goncharov spent another half a year getting acquainted with Siberia and slowly making his way back to St. Petersburg. Although Goncharov was not working on Oblomov during his long journey it appears he was thinking about the book, as Oblomov shows up in many of his letters home. When he tried to begin writing again in February 1855, he blamed his delays and inability to write on exhaustion, loss of momentum, and
4455-410: The author credit for being a fine stylist, reviled the irony aimed at patriarchal Russian ways. The novel itself, though, appeared only ten years later, preceded by some extraordinary events in Goncharov's life. In 1852 Goncharov embarked on a long journey through England, Africa , Japan, and back to Russia, on board the frigate Pallada , as a secretary for Admiral Yevfimy Putyatin , whose mission
4554-557: The author took a short break, he gave an ironic cry: "So, Yazykov, is it a 'weak one', is it 'unworthy'?" "Even three months after this presentation Belinsky, each time we met, was bursting into congratulations, speaking of the bright future that awaited for me," Goncharov wrote in his Uncommon Story memoirs. On April 1, 1846 Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote in a letter to his brother: "The real host of new writers has emerged, some of them surely my rivals. Most remarkable are Herzen (Iskander) and Goncharov. The former has been published already,
4653-405: The book was the product of an unstable mind, while others praised it as an eye-opening, if controversial piece of writing. It wasn't published until 1924. Goncharov, who never married, spent his last days absorbed in lonely and bitter recriminations because of the negative criticism some of his work had received. He died in Saint Petersburg on 27 September 1891, of pneumonia . He was buried at
4752-542: The college, and in 1831 (having missed one year because of a cholera outbreak in Moscow), he enrolled in Moscow State University 's Philology Faculty to study literature , arts , and architecture . At the University, with its atmosphere of intellectual freedom and lively debate, Goncharov's spirit thrived. One episode proved to be especially memorable: when his then-idol Alexander Pushkin arrived as
4851-517: The course of one month the whole of the novel might be written... But it'd been growing in me for several years, so what I had to do then was just sit and write everything down," he later remembered. Goncharov's second novel Oblomov was published in 1859 in Otechestvennye Zapiski . It had evolved from the earlier "Oblomov's Dream", which was later incorporated into the finished novel as Chapter 9. The novel caused much discussion in
4950-651: The critic. Yevgeny Utin in Vestnik Evropy argued that Goncharov, like all writers of his generation, had lost touch with the new Russia. The controversial character Mark Volokhov, as leftist critics saw it, had been concocted to condemn 'nihilism' again, thus making the whole novel 'tendentious'. Yet, as Vladimir Korolenko later wrote, "Volokhov and all things related to him will be forgotten, as Gogol 's Correspondence has been forgotten, while Goncharov's huge characters will remain in history, towering over all of those spiteful disputes of old." Goncharov planned
5049-411: The curious men of letters became all of a sudden! Everybody wanted to know details of the new author’s life, past and present, which class did he come from, what circles did he belong to, et cetera." Years later, explaining the plot's major dilemma, Goncharov wrote in his "Better Late Than Never" essay: "This nephew versus uncle opposition was the reflection of the process that has been just starting at
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#17327915822205148-403: The damage each time. The last time, Oblomov ends up living in penury because Taranteyev and Ivan Matveyevich are blackmailing him out of all of his income from the country estate, which lasts for over a year before Stoltz discovers the situation and reports Ivan Matveyevich to his supervisor. Meanwhile, Olga leaves Russia and visits Paris, where she bumps into Stoltz on the street. The two strike up
5247-481: The end of Part 1, finally rousing Oblomov from sleep. As the story develops, Stoltz introduces Oblomov to a young woman, Olga, and the two fall in love. However, his apathy and fear of moving forward are too great, and she calls off their engagement when it is clear that he will keep delaying their wedding and avoiding putting his affairs in order. Oblomov is swindled repeatedly by his "friends" Taranteyev and Ivan Matveyevich, his landlady's brother, and Stoltz has to undo
5346-422: The end of this tormenting process Goncharov spoke of the novel as a "burden" and an "insurmountable task" that blocked his development and made him unable to advance as a writer. In a letter to Turgenev he confessed that, after finishing Part Three, he had toyed with the idea of abandoning the whole project. In 1869, The Precipice , a story of the romantic rivalry among three men, condemning nihilism as subverting
5445-563: The estate has fallen into disarray and has now become a responsibility instead of a safe haven. His main foray into adulthood comes about through Olga, who attempts to motivate him to take on responsibilities out of love for her. Particularly for Oblomov, adulthood means changing his cyclical sense of time to continually look forward instead of back. Yet he remains stuck within his childhood desire for things to stay put; loving Olga means that he does not wish to change her like she wishes to change him, but his sense of time prevents him from thinking of
5544-399: The food he likes, cares for the household, and makes sure that Oblomov does not have a single worrisome thought. By then Oblomov had already accepted his fate, and during the conversation he mentions "Oblomovitis" as the real cause of his demise. Oblomov dies in his sleep, finally fulfilling his wish to sleep forever. Stoltz adopts his son upon his death. The narrator of Oblomov appears as
5643-399: The future, and he therefore cannot progress into adulthood by marrying her. Stoltz, in contrast, exemplifies society's expectations for adulthood in his eagerness to move forward. His own childhood is marked heavily by his father's insistence on treating him as an adult and teaching him the importance of accomplishment, which carries into his adulthood. Stoltz, unlike Oblomov, sees his life as
5742-450: The house lights! Start everything again!" He pointed to the blushing foursome and cried "That's cost you your knighthood!" Then, noticing that Peter Sellers was seated between Prince Charles and Princess Margaret , Milligan asked in a loud voice "Is there a Sellers in the house?" Sellers immediately shouted "Yes!" Milligan launched into a vaudeville routine about Prince Phillip 's suspenders, with Sellers participating from his seat with
5841-548: The ideas of political and social change that were gaining popularity at the time. Reading and translating were his main occupations. In 1832, the Telescope magazine published two chapters of Eugène Sue 's novel Atar-Gull (1831), translated by Goncharov. This was his debut publication. In 1834, Goncharov graduated from the University and returned home to enter the chancellery of Simbirsk governor A. M. Zagryazhsky. A year later, he moved to Saint Petersburg and started working as
5940-486: The incident and gave the book to Nikolay Nekrasov , with a comment: "Looks like a weak one, not worthy of publication." Nekrasov looked through the novel, thought differently and carried it to Belinsky who instantly recognized the emergence of a major talent. The premiere reading of the book took place at Belinsky's flat. According to Ivan Panaev , while listening to Goncharov's recital, the critic fidgeted on his chair, jumping up from time to time, eyes shining, and each time
6039-415: The latter is unpublished yet, both being greatly praised." The novel was first published in the 1847 March and April issues of Sovremennik magazine. The novel is about a young Russian nobleman named Aleksander Aduev, who arrives in St. Petersburg from the provinces and loses his romanticism amidst the rampant pragmatic commercialism. "Goncharov’s novel caused furore in Saint Petersburg, its success
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#17327915822206138-465: The life of rural Russia. In 1880 the first edition of The Complete Works of Goncharov was published. After the writer's death, it became known that he had burnt many later manuscripts. Towards the end of his life Goncharov wrote an unusual memoir called An Uncommon Story , in which he accused his literary rivals, first and foremost Ivan Turgenev , of having plagiarized his works and prevented him from achieving European fame. Some critics claimed that
6237-594: The novel The Same Old Story as Aduev's writings, a sure sign that the author had stopped taking them seriously. His first piece of prose appeared in an issue of Snowdrop , a satirical novella called Evil Illness (1838), ridiculing romantic sentimentalism and fantasizing. Another novella, A Fortunate Blunder , a "high-society drama" in the tradition set by Marlinsky , Vladimir Odoevsky , and Vladimir Sollogub , tinged with comedy, appeared in another privately published almanac, Moonlit Nights , in 1839. In 1842 Goncharov wrote an essay called Ivan Savvich Podzhabrin ,
6336-537: The novel for its 4th and 5th editions (1863, 1883, respectively). Although Goncharov's novel Oblomov makes him a famous writer, today The Same Old Story and Goncharov's other works are not as famous as Oblomov . The novel is rarely published in English. After a new translation of The Same Old Story came out in 2015, the novel was noticed and "rediscovered". And from half a continent and three lifetimes away he can still make new readers laugh and gasp with recognition over timeless human foibles, so I am glad that he
6435-721: The novel was negative. In Otechestvennye Zapiski (No.1, 1848), critic Stepan Dudyshkin , horrified by the Aduev-senior character, wrote: "I'd rather have people remaining romantics than have this business-like positivity of Pyotr Ivanovich for an alternative." Faddey Bulgarin gave the author some credit but still argued that his novel's social significance would be nil. Also in Severnaya Ptchela , critic L. Brandt (writing under Я.Я.Я. moniker) accused Goncharov of trying to "debase each and every heartfelt movement of Aleksander, every emotional outburst, quite excusably for
6534-439: The novel, he rarely leaves his room or bed. In the first 50 pages, he only manages to move from his bed to a chair. The novel was popular when it came out, and some of its characters and devices have imprinted on Russian culture and language. Goncharov first thought of writing Oblomov in the mid-1840s, soon after publishing his first novel A Common Story . In 1849 he wrote "Episode from an Unfinished Novel: Oblomov's Dream",
6633-430: The one who feels stronger, lives on a weaker emotional scale: poetry, music and literary images make him sob, while real pain fails to, and he passes indifferently through all the suffering that's around him." Belinsky made a point of emphasizing what he thought was the worst 'romantic feature' in the novel's main character: pseudo-humanism, a substitute for real sympathy for real people. "This poor man cannot realise that it
6732-473: The peasants at Oblomovka, and revitalizes its profits. Yet just as Russia no longer has a place for Oblomov, Russia similarly does not yet have a place for Stoltz as a leader of social change, and Stoltz continuously travels to different countries instead of staying in Russia for business. Olga, therefore, becomes the link between past and future Russia, in her love for Oblomov and her marriage to Stoltz. Almost immediately upon its release in 1859, Oblomov became
6831-518: The play five times. Oblomov was adapted to the cinema screen in the Soviet Union by Nikita Mikhalkov in 1980, as A Few Days from the Life of I. I. Oblomov . This film was later named Best Foreign Language Film for 1981 by the U.S. National Board of Review . In 1989 BBC TV made an English language dramatisation of the novel, with George Wendt in the title role. In this version, Oblomov
6930-709: The portrayal of Stoltz and Olga as psychological and artistic foils to Oblomov. Druzhinin believed that Oblomov, not Oblomovism, was the focus of the novel; characters and readers alike loved Oblomov, making him deserving of recognition as a unique character within Russian literary canon. The novel was adapted for the stage by Italian writer Riccardo Aragno . Aragno's script for Oblomov was bought by Spike Milligan 's production company in early 1964. Milligan had long nurtured hopes of transitioning from comedy to serious drama. To this end, Milligan rehearsed for seven weeks with director Frank Dunlop and castmates Joan Greenwood , Bill Owen , and Valentine Dyall . The play opened at
7029-410: The post of censor in the Saint Petersburg censorship committee. In this capacity, he helped publish important works by Ivan Turgenev, Nikolay Nekrasov , Aleksey Pisemsky , and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, a fact that brought resentment from some of his bosses. According to Pisemsky, Goncharov was officially reprimanded for permitting his novel A Thousand Souls to be published. Despite all this, Goncharov became
7128-466: The practical issues were now mother's, and she proved to be an excellent housewife; all the official duties were his," Ivan Goncharov remembered. In 1820–1822 Goncharov studied at a private boarding-school owned by Rev. Fyodor S. Troitsky. It was here that he learned the French and German languages and started reading European writers, borrowing books from Troitsky's vast library. In August 1822, Ivan
7227-402: The pre- Oblomov Oblomov, was a slothful but rather endearing man whose name evokes in Russian the attribute "heavy" ( тяжёлый , tjažólyj) and the expression "slow to move" ( тяжёлый на подъём , tjažólyj na podʺjóm). The work on Oblomov continued for several years after the publication of "Oblomov's Dream" but was first interrupted by the death of Goncharov's mother, and then his decision to join
7326-474: The religious and moral values of Russia, was published in Vestnik Evropy . Later critics came to see it as the final part of a trilogy, each part introducing a character typical of Russian high society of a certain period: first Aduev, then Oblomov, and finally Raisky, a gifted man, his artistic development halted by "lack of direction". According to scholar S. Mashinsky, as a social epic, The Precipice
7425-628: The royals. This culminated in Milligan giving a high-kick, lobbing one of his bedroom slippers at Sellers, nearly missing Prince Phillip's head. Once back in bed with co-star Joan Greenwood, Milligan spent the rest of the performance mocking the Queen for bringing her son to such a racy play. The play ended with Milligan unsheathing a katana on stage and asking the Queen to knight him for his efforts that night. She declined. The performance ran 45 minutes over its scheduled ending. Prince Charles reportedly saw
7524-407: The same word to describe social egotism and the inability of some people to see beyond their immediate interests. In 1849 Sovremennik published Oblomov's Dream , an extract from Goncharov's future second novel Oblomov (known under the working title The Artist at the time), which worked well on its own as a short story. Again it was lauded by the Sovremennik staff. Slavophiles , while giving
7623-413: The subject of much discussion and literary criticism, due in large part to Dobrolyubov's essay "What is Oblomovism?". Today it is still seen as a classic of 19th-century Russian literature, and a quintessential Russian novel. "What is Oblomovism?" focused heavily on the social significance of the novel, interpreting Stoltz and Olga as social ideals in contrast to Oblomov's reliance on the past. Dobrolyubov,
7722-517: The target of many satires and received a negative mention in Herzen's Kolokol . "One of the best Russian authors shouldn't have taken this sort of job upon himself," critic Aleksander Druzhinin wrote in his diary. In 1856, as the official publishing policy hardened, Goncharov quit. In the summer of 1857, Goncharov went to Marienbad for medical treatment. There he wrote Oblomov , almost in its entirety. "It might seem strange, even impossible that in
7821-498: The time, when system of old concepts and customs was beginning to crumble down – and with it sentimentality, grotesque expression of feelings of love and friendship, poetisation of idleness, nets of domestic lies, knitted from preposterous, totally groundless emotionalism." The novel had an immediate effect upon its readers. Critic Aleksander Skabichevsky remembered: "Instantly I recognized myself in its main hero, Aleksander Aduev, for as him, I used to be sentimentally complacent, and
7920-406: The titles A Common Story and An Ordinary Story . In April 1846 the 34-year-old Ivan Goncharov asked Nikolay Yazykov to read his debut novel and inquired whether it might be passed along to St. Petersburg literary critic Vissarion Belinsky for a final verdict. Yazykov flicked through several pages, got bored, put the manuscript aside and forgot all about it. Several months later he recalled
8019-410: The town center occupied a large area and had all the characteristics of a rural manor, with huge barns (packed with wheat and flour) and numerous stables. Alexander Ivanovich died when Ivan was seven years old. He was educated first by his mother, Avdotya Matveevna, and then his godfather Nikolay Nikolayevich Tregubov, a nobleman and a former Russian Navy officer. Tregubov, a man of liberal views and
8118-399: The world. During this visit Stoltz discovers that Oblomov has married his widowed landlady, Agafia Matvievna, and had a child – named Andrey, after Stoltz. Stoltz realizes that he can no longer hope to reform Oblomov, and leaves. Oblomov spends the rest of his life in a second Oblomovka, continuing to be taken care of by Agafia Matvievna as he used to be taken care of as a child. She can prepare
8217-617: Was "...ten heads above me in talent." Turgenev , who fell out with Goncharov after the latter accused him of plagiarism (specifically of having used some of the characters and situations from The Precipice , whose plan Goncharov had disclosed to him in 1855, in Home of the Gentry and On the Eve ), nevertheless declared: "As long as there is even one Russian alive, Oblomov will be remembered!" A moderate conservative at heart, Goncharov greeted
8316-520: Was a Russian novelist best known for his novels The Same Old Story (1847, also translated as A Common Story ), Oblomov (1859), and The Precipice (1869, also translated as Malinovka Heights ). He also served in many official capacities, including the position of censor . Goncharov was born in Simbirsk into the family of a wealthy merchant; as a reward for his grandfather's military service, they were elevated to Russian nobility status. He
8415-411: Was a direct response to Vissarion Belinsky's call for exposing a new type, that of the complacent romantic, common at the time; it was lavishly praised by the famous critic as one of the best Russian books of the year. The term aduyevschina (after the novel's protagonist Aduyev) became popular with reviewers who saw it as synonymous with vain romantic aspirations. Leo Tolstoy , who liked the novel, used
8514-456: Was a lazy modern-day Communist Party boss. In 2005 BBC Radio 4 made a two-part English language dramatisation, heralding the lead character as "a tragic-comic hero for a couch potato generation". It was adapted by Stephen Wyatt , produced and directed by Claire Grove and starred Toby Jones as the lead, supported by Trevor Peacock , Claire Skinner , Clive Swift , Gerard McDermott, Nicholas Boulton , and Richenda Carey . Olga's singing voice
8613-597: Was based heavily on autobiographical material, focusing on different epochs of life – specifically, infancy and childhood as influenced by the mother; then the "awakening of adolescence"; and finally adulthood as associated with St. Petersburg, government work, and marriage. The main characters of all three books share multiple important similarities: their fathers have either been absent or largely insignificant in their upbringings, they rely heavily on their mothers even past childhood, and they travel to St. Petersburg during their university years. Goncharov himself lost his father at
8712-519: Was educated at a boarding school, then the Moscow College of Commerce, and finally at Moscow State University . After graduating, he served for a short time in the office of the Governor of Simbirsk, before moving to Saint Petersburg where he worked as government translator and private tutor, while publishing poetry and fiction in private almanacs. Goncharov's first novel, The Same Old Story ,
8811-405: Was happy with Dobrolyubov's interpretation, writing that "there is nothing left to be said about Oblomovism, that is its meaning, after the publication of this article." Another critic, Alexander Druzhinin , focused on the psychological and literary aspects of Oblomov , instead of the historical context. Rather than interpreting characters as either warnings or ideals of society, Druzhinin praised
8910-642: Was provided by Olivia Robinson , with Helen Crayford on piano. In 2008 an adaptation was produced for the English service of the Russian national broadcaster, the Voice of Russia . Ivan Goncharov Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov ( / ˈ ɡ ɒ n tʃ ə r ɒ f / , also US : /- r ɔː f / ; Russian: Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Гончаро́в , romanized : Iván Aleksándrovich Goncharóv , IPA: [ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪdʑ ɡənʲtɕɪˈrof] ; 18 June [ O.S. 6 June] 1812 – 27 September [ O.S. 15 September] 1891 )
9009-603: Was published in Sovremennik in 1847. Goncharov's second and best-known novel, Oblomov , was published in 1859 in Otechestvennye zapiski . His third and final novel, The Precipice , was published in Vestnik Evropy in 1869. He also worked as a literary and theatre critic. Towards the end of his life Goncharov wrote a memoir called An Uncommon Story , in which he accused his literary rivals, first and foremost Ivan Turgenev , of having plagiarized his works and prevented him from achieving European fame. The memoir
9108-424: Was published in 1924. Fyodor Dostoevsky , among others, considered Goncharov an author of high stature. Anton Chekhov is quoted as stating that Goncharov was "...ten heads above me in talent." Goncharov was born in Simbirsk (now Ulyanovsk ). His father, Aleksander Ivanovich Goncharov, was a wealthy grain merchant and a state official who served several terms as mayor of Simbirsk. The family's big stone manor in
9207-512: Was savaged in the theatrical press. However, Oblomov 's producers had booked the play into the Lyric for three weeks. Anxious to recoup their investment by any means, they gave Milligan carte-blanche on stage. Milligan's antics included starting the play while sitting with the audience, yelling for his castmates to entertain him. Another night he wore a false arm that fell out of his sleeve when co-star Ian Flintoff, playing Oblomov's doctor, shook Milligan's hand. When Flintoff complained to Bill Kerr ,
9306-490: Was sent to Moscow and entered the College of Commerce. There he spent eight unhappy years, detesting the low quality of education and the severe discipline, taking solace in self-education. "My first humanitarian and moral teacher was Nikolai Karamzin ", he remembered. Then Pushkin came as a revelation; the serial publication of his poem Eugene Onegin captured the young man's imagination. In 1830, Goncharov decided to quit
9405-533: Was superior to both The Same Old Story and Oblomov . The novel had considerable success, but the leftist press turned against its author. Saltykov-Shchedrin in Otechestvennye Zapiski ("The Street Philosophy", 1869), compared it unfavorably to Oblomov . While the latter "had been driven by ideas assimilated by its author from the best men of the 1840s", The Precipice featured "a bunch of people wandering to and fro without any sense of direction, their lines of action having neither beginning nor end," according to
9504-508: Was taking great care to keep hair locks, flowers and other 'material symbols of immaterial relations'. And so ashamed was I of this similarity as to gather all the little souvenirs that I was keeping at my house, threw them into the fire and give on oath to myself never to fall in love again, ever." In his "Better Late Than Never" (1879) essay Goncharov wrote: "While working on The Same Old Story I had in mind, of course, myself and people like myself, young men who were first studying at home or at
9603-399: Was the result of "Oblomovism". However, Elaine Blair argues in "The Short Happy Life of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov" that Oblomov is "not merely lazy". She simply says "our hero favors very short-term pleasures over long-term ones"; "he is self-conscious in a way that no farcical character or Rabelaisian grotesque would be", and, "to Oblomov, to be absorbed in any task is to lose something of oneself;
9702-526: Was to inspect Alaska and other distant outposts of the Empire, and also to establish trade relations with Japan. The log-book which it was Goncharov's duty to keep served as a basis for his future book. He returned to Saint Petersburg on 25 February 1855, after traveling through Siberia and the Urals , this continental leg of the journey lasting six months. Goncharov's travelogue, Frigate "Pallada" ("Pallada"
9801-425: Was unheard of. And how much good will it bring to our society, what a massive blow will it administer to romanticism, dreaminess, sentimentality and provincialism," Belinsky wrote to critic Vasily Botkin on March 17, 1847. "Goncharov's debut novel was very successful both in literary saloons and with wider audience," according to biographer Gavriil Potanin. Avdotya Panaeva remembered: "My God, and how agitated all
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