18 June 1812
В Simbirsk (now Ulyanovsk), was born into a merchant family Ivan Goncharov. Writer, traveler. "The Prince de Lain." Author of the novel "Oblomov."
Since childhood, as a nervous person, I disliked crowds, noise, or new faces! My dream was moderation, a piece of independent bread, a pen, and a close circle of closest friends. This was later called Oblomovism in me.
He lost his father at 7. He was raised by his godfather, a retired sailor. Nikolai Tregubov. At 10, he entered the Moscow Commercial School, but became interested in literature: he read Karamzin, Derzhavin и Pushkin. I waited for the release of each chapter of Eugene Onegin.
At 18, he dropped out of college and enrolled in the literature department at Moscow University. After graduating, he briefly served as secretary to the Simbirsk governor, then moved to St. Petersburg and found work as a translator in the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Finance.
Having become acquainted with Belinsky, He entered the capital's literary circles. In 1847, at the age of 35, he published his first novel, "An Ordinary Story," about a provincial romantic who came to conquer the capital.
It doesn't hurt to be careful: if he turns out to be a scoundrel, you won't be deceived, but if he turns out to be a decent person, you'll be pleasantly mistaken.
Oh, how sad it is to look at life, to understand what it is, and not to understand why it is there! (An Ordinary Story)
In 1852, he went on a naval expedition for almost three years as the admiral's secretary. Evfimiya Putyatin. Visited England, South Africa, Indonesia, Japan, China.
Upon returning to St. Petersburg, he became a censor and held this post for almost five years. He proofread works Lermontov, Nekrasov, Ostrovsky, Turgenev.
In 1858 he published his series of travel essays, “The Frigate Pallada.”
Everyone was surprised that I could decide to take such a long and dangerous journey - I, so lazy and spoiled!
In 1859 he published the novel Oblomov, which he wrote over the course of 12 years: he started at 35 and finished at 47.
Like "An Ordinary Story," it was biographical: due to his frequent bouts of apathy and seclusion, friends called Goncharov "Prince de Laziness." He didn't take offense, laughing at himself and sometimes signing his letters with this name. And during trips to his hometown of Simbirsk, he saw many like himself.
He was a man of about thirty-two or three years of age, of medium height, of pleasant appearance, with dark-grey eyes, but with a lack of any definite idea, any concentration in his facial features.
Touches life, gets everywhere
Nothing prevents you from thinking while lying down
I know everything, I understand everything, but I have no strength or will.
(Oblomov)
"Oblomov" is a completely unimportant piece. Ilya Ilyich isn't so significant that he's worth writing an entire book about. Elevating him to a social type is an understatement. The whole novel is cold, cold, cold... I'm crossing Goncharov off my list of demigods.
(Anton Chekhov)
After leaving his post as censor, he edited the departmental journal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and was a member of the Press Council.
In 1867, he retired and focused on the final part of his trilogy, the novel "The Precipice," about a city dweller who arrives in the provinces. He wrote it over 20 years and admitted to "enduring" it.
"The Precipice" reflected a state of unrest, a struggle between the old and the new. I watched this struggle reflected in a familiar corner, on familiar faces.
Men have no appetite. Appetite is developed by idleness, exercise, and indulgence; hunger is developed by time and hard work.
(Cliff)
All three novels reflected different eras of pre-reform Russia and stages in the life of the writer himself.
I wrote about my life and what grew into it
To depict only the good, the bright, the joyful in human nature is to conceal the truth. Light cannot be depicted without shadows.
In his later years, Goncharov suffered from depression and only occasionally wrote essays.
I always feel like I'm being persecuted, that they want to harm me. I hide from everyone, I'm afraid of everyone, I don't trust anyone.
He died in 1891 from pneumonia, at the age of 80.
