“Our Classmates Are All Well, Thank God” (From a Commentary on N.V. Gogol’s Letter to V.V. Tarnovsky Dated October 2, 1833)

Abstract

The paper deals with the commentary on N.V. Gogol’s letter dated October 2, 1833, to his friend at the Nizhyn Gymnasium of Higher Sciences V.V. Tarnovsky. This letter, which has not yet been commented on with sufficient completeness and accuracy, discusses the mutual friends of Gogol and Tarnovsky, their former classmates living in the capital (A.S. Danilevsky, N.Y. Prokopovich, V.Ya. Prokopovich, N.V. Kukolnik, P.G. Redkin, V.I. Lyubich-Romanovich, etc.), as well as a circle of people close to them, with whom Gogol maintained contact. The letter’s biographical, historical, cultural, and literary context helps to compile a comprehensive academic commentary on it, using archival data and materials from printed sources on the history of the first third of the 19th century. That allows us to understand better Gogol’s interests, activities, and environment in the early 1830s. A study of the realities contained in the letter convinces us that Gogol, despite his acquired literary fame and acquaintances in the literary world, valued his relationships with his fellow countrymen and classmates, who still played a big role in his life and were keenly interested in how their destinies turn out.

Keywords

• n.v. gogol
• v.v. tarnovsky
• g.s. tarnovsky
• a.s. danilevsky
• n.ya. prokopovich
• v.ya. prokopovich
• n.v. kukolnik
• p.g. redkin
• v.i. lyubich- romanovich
• nizhyn gymnasium of higher sciences
• letters
• commentary