St. John's Eve - Gogol, Nikolai

. .

Résumé :
There lived a Cossack named Korzh, his daughter Pidorka and his worker Petro. Petro and Pidorka fall in love, but Korzh catches them one day kissing and is about to whip Petro for this, but stops when his son Ivas pleads for his father to not beat the worker. Korzh instead takes him outside and tells him to never come to his home again, putting the lovers into despair. Petro wants to do whatever he can to get her, and meets up with Basavriuk, a local stranger who frequents the village and many believe to be the devil himself...

Biographie:
Nikolay Gogol, the author of the first great Russian novel of the 19th century, Dead Souls, as well as two classic plays and some of the finest short stories written in any language, was a true literary oddity. His peculiar, unhappy life and his uniquely dark comic sensibility have been consistently misunderstood by posterity, with critics fiercely debating his nationality, his religious beliefs, and even his sexuality. What has never been in doubt, however, is his immense literary talent which, while essentially sui generis, provided a template for the absurdist, surreal streak in Russian literature that continues to bear fruit to this day. Along with Alexander Pushkin, he also established a literary pattern for the depiction of St. Petersburg as a city of ambiguity and even monstrosity, life in which proves untenable for many of his long-suffering protagonists.

Nikolay Vasilievich Gogol was born in Sorochyntsi, a Ukrainian Cossack village in what is now Ukraine's Poltava Oblast. His family were from the lower ranks of the gentry, his mother of Polish descent and his father a Ukrainian Cossack who wrote poetry and drama in Ukrainian. The family spoke both Ukrainian and Russian at home, and Gogol would later make a conscious choice to pursue a literary career in Russian rather than Ukrainian. He was educated at the Gymnasium of Higher Sciences in Nezhyn, a school founded as part of Alexander I's education reforms.

Sommaire:
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol (1809-1852) was a Russian writer, playwright, and critic of Ukrainian origin, considered one of the greatest authors of Russian literature. Born in Poltava, his early works, such as Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, heavily drew on Ukrainian culture and folklore. In St. Petersburg, Gogol gained fame for his satirical works and innovative style, which had a significant influence on both Russian and world literature.His works, such as The Government Inspector and Dead Souls, explore human vices and social issues, blending realism with humor. The Government Inspector had a profound impact on Russian society by exposing bureaucratic corruption. Gogol also delved into religious and mystical themes, particularly in his later years, experiencing deep spiritual crises that led him to burn some of his writings. He died in Moscow at the age of 42, leaving behind a literary legacy of social critique and stylistic innovation that inspired writers like Dostoevsky and Bulgakov....