Biographies Characteristics Analysis

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: biography. Briefly about the family, life and death of the writer. Interesting Facts

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

Gogol's father and mother

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

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

Biography of the writer

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

Nikolai began to write as a teenager, but his first creations could not be called successful. The situation changed when he moved to St. Petersburg, already an adult boy. For some time Gogol tried to achieve recognition as an actor, he performed on the stage of one of the St. Petersburg theaters. However, having failed, he completely concentrated on writing. By the way, a few years later he managed to become famous in the theatrical field, acting as a playwright.

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

Notable works

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

"Taras Bulba" is a historical story, the creation of which was inspired by the real events of the 15th-17th centuries that took place on the territory of Ukraine. The work is interesting not only for the moral issues that it raises, but also for a detailed description of the life of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks.

"Viy" invites readers to plunge into the legends of the ancient Slavs, learn about the world inhabited by mystical creatures, allows you to get scared and overcome your fear. The Inspector General ridicules the way of life of the provincial bureaucracy, the vices inherent in its representatives. "The Nose" is a fantastic story about excessive pride and retribution for it.

Writer's death

There is hardly a famous person whose death is surrounded by such a large number of mysteries and assumptions. It is with death that many interesting facts about Gogol are connected, which haunt biographers.

Some researchers insist that Nikolai Vasilievich killed himself using poison. Others argue that his early death was the result of the exhaustion of the body associated with numerous fasts. Still others insist on what the wrong treatment of meningitis entailed. There are also those who assure that the writer was buried alive, staying in Prove failed to any of the theories.

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

Curious facts

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

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