All works of Gogol are listed in chronological order. Biography of Gogol

The writer, whose life and work are covered in mystical details, is considered one of the most outstanding persons of the school of Russian literary realism. However, Gogol's works combine features of satire, romanticism and national folklore, which makes them attractive to reading audiences of all ages. The author’s life occurred in the first half of the 19th century, when social unrest began to take actual shape, and freedom of speech, albeit somewhat veiled due to censorship, ceased to seem like a categorically dangerous and anti-state phenomenon.

So, we present to your attention Gogol's most famous works that are 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, turned out relatively well. Work on the second volume was almost completed, but the creator chose not to publish the results of his work (according to the widespread version, the pages were burned). The process of writing the third volume stopped at the stage of creating sketches, separate notes, where ideas received only partial formulation.

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

Chichikov, a minor official, travels around Russia under the guise of a wealthy landowner. Skillfully ingratiating himself with people, the adventurer buys for next to nothing peasants who have died long ago, but are considered alive according to documents kept by their owners. Landowners, different in nature and priorities, open the doors of their houses to a fraudster without fear.

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 took ideas for sketches and pictures of peasant life from his mother’s letters. The writer asked his mother to describe to him the ancient customs, legends and superstitions that filled the Ukrainian land. The mother complied with the request, and Gogol received valuable material, which he processed into a masterpiece of folk literature. The book consists of two parts, each with 4 stories.

Foma Grigorievich was once a brave Cossack, a warrior who managed to repay his debt to his native land. Now, in old age, the Cossack became a minister of the church. He has a lot of stories in his “piggy bank” about witches, mermaids, evil spirits that invade people’s lives on certain days, on major spiritual holidays and more.

3. Viy

“Viy” closes the top three most famous works by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The novella, 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 the witch in the fairy tale “Ivan Bykovich”, as well as in the tales of Kasyan the Merciless; both characters had similarities in external description: the hero’s eyebrows, eyelids and eyelashes sank so low that they had to be raised with outside help and even, according to some folklore sources, using an iron fork.

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

4. Taras Bulba

The first edition of Taras Bulba dates back to 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 main character was. According to one, the image was copied from a 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 Khmelnytsky uprising. The second version tells that Gogol was inspired by a folk song about Sava Chaly, who was executed on the orders of his own father due to betrayal of popular interests.

A colonel of the Cossack army meets his two sons, who arrived at their home after completing their studies in Kyiv. The father does not give the young men time to be with their mother and goes with them to the Zaporozhye Sich, considering the combat military situation the best school of life for young people from the village. There the destinies of the brothers diverge; the youngest, Andriy, chooses the path against his father, obeying the call of his 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. The author embodied the memories of life in his native settlement, impressions, and stories he heard in childhood in the story. A distinctive feature is demonic female images. In such 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 the ball is ruled by a terrifying tandem of the Witch and the Devil, who create 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 Chuba. The tailed demon is trying 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 remain alone with Oksana.

6. Nevsky Prospekt

“Nevsky Prospekt” is a famous work by Gogol, which is part of the “Petersburg Tales”, written between 1833 and 1834. Publication took place a year after the completion of the creative work. The idea for the plot arose in 1831, when the first sketches 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 you to visit. Entering the room, the young man realizes that he has ended up in a brothel, and his chosen one is a worker here. The offended, embarrassed and confused man leaves the hall and rushes to his apartment. This is how a series of mysterious visions arise 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. Inspector

The first publication of Gogol’s comedy play “The Inspector General” took place in 1836, and the second publication in 1842. Gogol attended literary circles, where he met A. S. Pushkin more than once. One day, while in a creative search, the writer turned to Alexander Sergeevich with a request to tell him an interesting story. Nikolai Vasilyevich promised to embody the plot in a work that would 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 province, was mistaken by local officials for an inspection inspector, which earned him extraordinary attention and privileges.

A small employee, Khlestakov, arrives in the Saratov province with his servant, coming 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 waited in fear for the arrival of the auditor from the capital and jointly decided that Khlestakov was that important, influential person.

8. Overcoat

The third volume of stories about St. Petersburg, published at the end of 1842, contains a work that over time became a literary declaration about the need to create equality in society among social strata and 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 comrades, heard an anecdote about a poor official who had been saving money for a very long time to buy a gun, and when he could afford the purchase, he instantly lost the “trophy.” The story made those gathered laugh, and Gogol became sad and melancholy. 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 councilor and receives a rather modest salary. One day he notices that his overcoat is leaking and needs to be repaired. The tailor refuses to repair the clothes and edifyingly recommends sewing a new thing. Having saved money and cut expenses, the official becomes the owner of a new overcoat, but then a fatal incident occurs.

9. Nose

A satire on the verge of absurdity - that’s 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 government officials and the lack of rights of the common people. Ideas had to be conveyed through the protagonist's internal conflict. 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 ending several times.

Petty official Kovalev wakes up one morning and discovers... his nose is missing. In desperation, the collegiate assessor turns to the police and goes on a search on his own along the way. At the Kazan Cathedral, Nose suddenly appears, dressed in a uniform and with weapons, but the owner never manages to return the lost part of his face, which becomes the beginning of a rapid 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; features of Ernst Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe, and W. Irving can be discerned.

Chartkov is a poor artist who barely has enough money to pay for his room in St. Petersburg. One day 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 that amazed him with its painting technique, which gave special liveliness to the hero’s facial features. The next night, the artist had a dream that the man 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.

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is one of the most famous writers of the 19th century. During his short life, he managed to write a large number of outstanding works, many of which are now studied in school. The top ten includes the most popular and best books by Gogol, the list of which is located below.

10 Sorochinskaya Fair

“Sorochinskaya Fair” opens the list of works written by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol and is part of the collection “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”. The actions in the story take place in the homeland of the prose writer. The plot centers on a young man named Gritsko, who falls in love with a beautiful girl named Khavronya. The main character wants to marry her. The girl’s father doesn’t mind, but the stepmother refuses to give her stepdaughter to him because he didn’t please her. Then Gritsko turns to the gypsy for help, who makes a plan on how to still win the favor of his stepmother and arrange a wedding.

9 Portrait

“Portrait” is a work included in the “Petersburg Tales” cycle. The main character of the story is a young man Chartkov, who is engaged in art. He is incredibly poor, he doesn’t even have money to pay for rented housing. Despite this, the artist uses his last money to buy a portrait depicting an old man. He attracts the young man because the eyes in the portrait seem to be alive. The young man begins to be haunted at night by strange dreams, as if an old man is coming out of a frame with a bag full of money. In a dream, Chartkov manages to snatch one package with 1000 chervonets. The next morning, the young man wakes up and discovers that this money is actually there. He moves to a prestigious area, rents expensive apartments and becomes a sought-after young artist with a large list of orders. Chartkov does not realize that this portrait is cursed and brings only misfortunes to its owner, which will soon affect this artist.

8 Nevsky Prospekt

“Nevsky Prospekt” is included in the book “Petersburg Tales”. Nikolai Vasilyevich begins the story with an enthusiastic description of Nevsky Prospect, which he considers one of the best places in St. Petersburg. It is here that any thoughtful observer can gain many impressions. The main characters of the work are Pirogov and Piskarev, who meet in this place while courting beautiful ladies. Gogol tells two stories of these at first glance completely different young people, whose hopes were not justified. The author draws an analogy between these heroes and leads the reader to the idea that despite all their individuality, there is something that unites these men.

7 Overcoat

“The Overcoat” is a story included in the collected works of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. In the work, the prose writer touches on the theme of the “little man.” At the center of the plot of the book is a titular adviser living in poverty named Akakiy Akakievich Bashmachkin. He was very responsible about his official duties, despite the fact that it was insignificant. Young officials also made jokes about this about Bashmachkin. Soon Akaki notices that his old overcoat has become unusable and takes it to a tailor to have it patched. But he refuses to do this, saying that he needs to sew a new one. Bashmachkin begins to save, infringing on himself even in small ways in order to raise money for a new overcoat. Having collected the required amount, he orders it for himself. The joy from the new thing was short-lived, as soon the adviser was robbed. He has no choice but to wear his old one. Soon the hero catches a cold and dies.

6 May Night, or the Drowned Woman

“May Night, or the Drowned Woman” is a story by Gogol, included in the book “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”. The work is based on legends about restless souls who died innocently. The main character, a young lady who can no longer tolerate the bullying of her stepmother, throws herself into the river to drown herself. After death, she turns into a beautiful mermaid. But even there the stepmother does not want to give peace to her deceased stepdaughter. She also turns into a mermaid. The first one has no choice but to seek help from people. In a dream, she comes to the young man Levko, who is the son of the head. He helps the unfortunate woman, and in return she makes his personal life happy.

5 The evening before Ivan Kupala

“The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala” is a story by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, which, like many of his works, is filled with mysticism and folklore legends about evil spirits. This is the first story that opens a cycle of works combined into the book “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”. The plot centers on Petrusya, whose fate is deeply unhappy. In this story, Gogol wants to convey to the reader that man himself is the architect of his own happiness and in order to achieve his goal, in no case should one turn to Satan for help.

4 The Night Before Christmas

“The Night Before Christmas” is one of Nikolai Vasilyevich’s best works, included in the book “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.” The main character, blacksmith Vakula, is madly in love with the beautiful girl Oksana, who constantly mocks him. The young man wants to marry her, for which she gives him an impossible task. The young man must get for her the slippers that the queen wears. Vakula understands that such a task is beyond his strength and is going to go to hell for help. By coincidence, evil spirits are at his fingertips. Together with the devil, he flies straight to the queen in St. Petersburg, where he asks the ruler for slippers for his bride. Meanwhile, there is a rumor in the village that Vakula committed suicide. Oksana will punish herself for this. But the young man returns healthy and unharmed with the promised gift.

3 Taras Bulba

“Taras Bulba” is one of the most famous books by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The story has been filmed several times and gained enormous popularity. The work is entirely based on historical materials, as well as parables of the Zaporozhye Cossacks. The main character of the story is Taras Bulba, who is an example of what a true Cossack should be. The book revolves around him and his two sons.

2 Notes of a Madman

“Notes of a Madman” is included in the collection “Petersburg Tales”. Gogol places Poprishchin, who is the author of the notes, at the center of the story. The main character is a minor official dissatisfied with his position and the fact that everyone pushes him around. He is obsessed with the idea that he must find his field, and keeps a diary in which he describes his entire life, as well as expresses his existing thoughts. The main character gradually goes crazy, which is reflected in his notes.

1 Dead Souls

“Dead Souls” is the main creation of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s entire life. The book describes Mr. Chichikov’s journey across Russia with the goal of buying up “dead souls.” While reading the novel, the reader will get to know many characters, each of whom has their own individual psychological portrait. The author shows all the ugliness of the souls of the landowners, who in fact are people with dead souls, there is nothing human in them. Their only goal in life is profit.

Gogol's chronological table is a convenient textbook that briefly and easily describes the main dates of the life and work of the famous writer. This table will be useful for schoolchildren, as it helps them quickly remember the main milestones in the life of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, his main works. Teachers can use the chronological table as a summary so as not to make mistakes in dates when presenting material in class. All works and biography of N.V. Gogol in the table is a wonderful didactic material that will be useful for both teachers and students.

1809, March 20 (April 1)– N.V. was born in Velikiye Sorochintsy (Poltava province of Mirgorod district). Gogol.

1818-1819 – He and his brother Ivan study at the district school of the city of Poltava

1819 - Brother Ivan died.

1820-1821 – The writer lives with the Poltava teacher G. Sorochinsky and works diligently with him.

1821-1828 – Study at the Nizhyn gymnasium.

1825 – Gogol’s father (V.A. Gogol-Yanovsky) died.

1828 – Upon completion of his studies, Gogol moves to St. Petersburg. The writer is seriously short of funds; works under the pseudonym V. Alov and publishes the work “Hans Kuchelgarten”.

1829 – He goes to Germany and creates the work “Italy”.

1830 – Writes the story “Bisavryuk, or the Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala.”

1830-1831 – Getting closer to V.A. Zhukovsky and A.S. Pushkin, which certainly influences his future literary destiny.

1831-1832 - Gogol creates “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.”

1831-1835 – Works as a teacher at the Patriotic Institute.

1834-1835 – Receives an adjunct position at St. Petersburg University.

1834 – He is a member of the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature, which was organized
at Moscow University.

1835 – Gogol publishes two collections of works “Arabesques” and “Mirgorod”, including the works “Taras Bulba”, “Old World Landowners”, “Viy”, etc.

1835-1842 – Start of work on the first volume of “Dead Souls”.

1836 – The comedy “The Inspector General” has been completed; its first productions begin in the St. Petersburg and Moscow theaters; goes abroad (Germany, France, Switzerland and Rome).

1839 – Return to Moscow; publication of the work “Dead Souls” and the story “The Overcoat”.

1848 – Pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Jerusalem).

1851 – Gogol settles in Moscow in the house of his old friend A. Tolstoy.

1931 – The writer was reburied at the Novodevichy cemetery.

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The unsurpassed talent of literature of the nineteenth century in Russia was N.V. Gogol. From 1829 until his death, he wrote books. His works are unusual because in them the fantastic is intertwined with reality, which he showed without embellishment, without concealment. His heroes are generalized people who belonged to certain strata of modern Russian society. His works also give a generalized picture of the life of Russian cities and the customs that were established at that time.

The author and his works

Nikolai Gogol was put on a par with such famous authors as A. Pushkin and M. Lermontov when it comes to creating a new literary movement. Gogol described the everyday life of his people and his heroes so accurately and in such detail that many of his works belong to realism. Describing in detail those features that were inherent in landowners and officials, the writer not only generalizes and shows a person of a certain social system, but also creates a new literary image of a “business” person or rogue. The work of Nikolai Gogol formed the basis for the creation of a “natural school” in well-known literary circles, which included many outstanding writers: Turgenev, Dostoevsky and others.

But N. Gogol’s depiction of people, nature, and social reality is not its exact depiction, but nevertheless it undergoes a specific rethinking by the writer and the embodiment of his artistic ideas. It is worth remembering the author’s statement when he talks about his work “The Inspector General”:

“I decided to put together everything bad in Russia... all the injustices... and laugh at everything at once.”

The cities that the author describes: Dikanka, Petersburg and Mirgorod are generalized images of Russia and Little Russia. He tried to show not only the national features of these geographical objects, but also the features characteristic of the entire earth in general. For example, Mirgorod is not just the name of a city located in the Poltava province, but it is an image-symbol of a world city. In Gogol's stories, he combined different aspects of human life: an ideal family life, military operations, the fight against evil spirits and boring everyday life.

The best Gogol works

Researchers of Gogol's work claim that Nikolai Gogol managed to create 68 works during his life. But he, of course, had much more plans. When counting, literary scholars did not take into account the second volume of the poem “Dead Souls,” which the writer himself destroyed. Today the following works are considered the most famous and best:

★ “Dead Souls”.
★ "Inspector".
★ “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka.”
★ "Viy".
★ “The story of how Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich.”
★ “Taras Bulba”.
★ "Nose".
★ "Overcoat".
★ “Notes of a Madman.”

These works allow us to more vividly imagine Gogol’s work and understand its stylistic and artistic features. Many literary scholars argue that Gogol’s most striking work is his comedy “The Inspector General.” It is presented by the author in five acts. Gogol wrote his play Weather from the autumn of 1835 to January 1836. The main character of this work is a petty and crafty official who, arriving in a small provincial town, took advantage of the fact that he was mistaken for an inspector. Khlestakov, who is returning to St. Petersburg, stopped by a city that he came across along the way and began to take bribes and gifts, living for free with the mayor and eating with him.

The entire bureaucratic world of the town tried to serve him in everything. And only when the rogue and scoundrel Khlestakov leaves the city, the whole truth is revealed. And here is Gogol’s silent scene, since a real inspector arrives and the reader must understand and think about what will happen now. It is known that the first theatrical production, which took place in St. Petersburg, was not a success, but all subsequent ones, including those outside the country, were a huge success. In his diary entries, the author of “The Inspector General” says that the idea of ​​writing this comedy was given to him by the disgraced poet Pushkin.

The poem “Dead Souls” is rightfully considered to be Gogol’s work of genius. This book, deep in content, was conceived by the author as a work consisting of three parts. But only the first volume was published. This happened in 1842. But if the third volume was never written, then the second volume was created and burned. The plot of this work was also suggested to the author by A. Pushkin. The basis of the plot is the adventures of Chichikov, who had the lowest official rank - collegiate collector. He decided to buy up lists of dead peasants in the city of N, far from the capital, whose deaths had not yet been registered. He needed this to improve his position in society and get a loan. He meets representatives of the local nobility by visiting their estates.

But Chichikov’s deal ended in failure, as he was arrested and with difficulty he managed to avoid trial. But in Gogol’s poem, some landowners attract attention, who become bright and colorful in Russian literature:

➥ Manilov, sweet, useless, empty dreamer.
➥ A box, petty and selfish.
➥ Sobakevich, a layman who is only interested in material wealth.
➥ Plyushkin, greedy, suspicious.

The souls of these heroes are dead and empty. Many theatrical productions have been made based on this work. Gogol’s most serious work is called his story “Taras Bulba”. In it, the author shows how steadfastly and courageously the Ukrainian people fought the Turks and Tatars. The main scenes in Gogol's story are dedicated to battles; they are grandiose and historical. But the personalities of the Zaporozhye Cossacks are hyperbolic. They are like heroes from epics. To write this story, Gogol studied many historical and folk sources.

Mystical and fantastic events take place in the magnificent work “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”. This book was published in two volumes, each of which contained four stories. He achieves something unusual in his work: he connects the past and the present, fairy tale and reality, historical and spiritual. In this Gogol work, people and evil spirits live side by side. There has never been such a work in Russian literature.

Gogol's creative heritage

But in addition to the main and popular works, the famous author left other literary monuments. Let's dwell on them a little. So, the following dramatic works of Nikolai Gogol are widely known:

✔ Marriage.
✔ Players.
✔ Morning of a business person.
✔ Litigation.
✔ Lackey.
✔ Theater tour after the presentation of a new comedy.

But the author created especially much in journalism, where the author could accurately and definitely express his opinion. Unfortunately, not all readers are familiar with Gogol’s journalistic works. But they exist, and many writers refer to them. To fully understand the works of the original writer Gogol, it is worth reading and knowing some of the following journalistic works:

♦ Woman.
♦ “Boris Godunov”, poem by Pushkin.
♦ About Kozlov’s poetry.
♦ A few words about Pushkin.
♦ About the movement of peoples at the end of the 5th century.

There are also references to those works that belong to Gogol’s literature that has not survived. Large or small excerpts remain from some of them:

⇒ Rome
⇒ Scary hand.
⇒ What is this?

Works that cannot be defined by genre deserve special attention:

Italy.
"Arabesque".
Gogol in music and cinema.

Stylistic features of the works of N.V. Gogol

He began his literary work as a romantic, but very quickly moved away from it and moved on to realism. The writer developed under the influence of Pushkin and his freedom-loving ideas. The originality of Gogol’s works lies in the fact that he was the first to depict the life of Russian landowners and officials and created the image of a “little man.” Gogol is a magnificent satirist who successfully exposed all the vices of modern society.

The compositions of Gogol's works are also interesting. They are based not on love affairs or family conflicts, but on events throughout the country that are of public importance. Hence such deep images that were typical for all of Russia. Most often in his works he uses hyperbole to make the image he created more vivid. He also uses hyperbole when describing details: things. Rooms, clothes. The author needs Gogol's landscape to give a more accurate description of the characters. The author's speech is different: enthusiastic, colloquial. He also uses vernaculars and dialectisms.

Features of text construction include:

✚ Use of large complex sentences with different types of communication.
✚ Lyrical monologues.
✚ Lots of emotional sentences that use question marks and exclamation marks.
✚ A huge number of epithets.
✚ Gogol’s humor is also unusual: “laughter through tears.”

Critics about Gogol's works

Belinsky noted the simplicity, fiction and nationality of Gogol's works. In his works, the critic believed, next to the comic there is a feeling of despondency and sadness. And this is the result of the fact that Gogol’s image of life is real. In addition, as Belinsky argued, the author introduces each Gogol character this way. It's like you've known him for a long time. Nikolai Gogol can interest the reader with the most insignificant details.

The writer understands the insignificance of his characters, which is why he makes fun of them. Belinsky says that Gogol is both a genius and a versatile person