“Deutero-Gogol’s”: N.V. Gogol, O.M. Somov and the History of Two Articles in “Northern Bee”

Abstract

An unknown fact of “deutero-author's” (“second-author's”) publications of two ethnographic notes by N.V. Gogol from his handwritten “Book of all sorts of things, or the handy Encyclopedia” (1826–1830) is introduced into scientific circulation. The publications appeared in 1832, anonymously, in three issues of F.V. Bulgarin’s newspaper “Northern Bee”. It is proved that the articles were published not by Gogol himself, but by his fellow countryman and friend, the writer O.M. Somov, with whom the writer then not only communicated, but also shared ethnographic materials. It is established that the content of the articles exactly corresponds to Gogol’s notes “On the Little Russian weddings” and “Little Russian legends, customs, rituals” in his “Book of all sorts of things...”. In addition to articles from Gogol's notebook, entitled “Observations in the Fatherland. Little Russians Wedding Ceremonies” and “Popular Beliefs. Mermaids” in the newspaper, several unknown publications by O.M. Somov in “Northern Bee” are revealed. In 1832, the newspaper published two of his stories: “Organist Tomasz”, “Dancers on the Rope”, as well as a translation of a fragment from “Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft” by W. Scott (1830), entitled “The Story of a Free Spirit-Seer”. The possible influence of “Organist Tomash” on the creation of Gogol's story “Taras Bulba” is noted. The study of Somov's journalistic activities as an employee of “Northern Bee” replenishes the history of the lifetime publications of Gogol's texts and opens a new page in the communication of two compatriot writers.

Keywords

• gogol
• biography
• creativity
• ethnography
• folklore
• copyright
• deuter authorship
• plagiarism