Round-the-world voyage on the frigate Pallada. The writer’s round-the-world trip “The birthplace of poisonous peppers, spicy roots, elephants, tigers and snakes” - Singapore

Five famous writers who wrote better on the road

Text: Fedor Kosichkin/Year of Literature.RF
Collage: Year of Literature.RF

The work of writers, it would seem, encourages immobility. But among them there were also those who wrote best on the road or in a foreign land - even if, unlike, say, Herzen or, nothing prevented them from living at home.

Like many provincials, Nikolai Vasilyevich in his youth made a rapid and rather painful forced march from the fertile Poltava province to the harsh capital of St. Petersburg. But, unlike most ambitious young men, he did not stop there.

And, as soon as fees from productions of The Government Inspector began to arrive, he began to travel around Europe, especially preferring Italy.

Gogol willingly accepted invitations from his Russian aristocratic friends to spend the winter in their Italian villas. But
“Dead Souls,” as we know, were written not in a villa, but in a small apartment in Rome, not far from Piazza di Spagna.

As one of the modern critics aptly noted, it was necessary to move away from Russia as much as possible in order to recreate it in his brilliant novel-poem.

2. Ivan Turgenev

The most European of Russian classics, the handsome and rich man Turgenev studied in Berlin, spoke almost all European languages, was the first to write poems in prose, communicated on equal terms with Flaubert and Zola, and beautifully loved the European celebrity Pauline Viardot. No wonder he wanted to be closer to her.

But differences with the Russian state machine that had accumulated over decades also played an important role in his desire to reach Europe.

Everyone remembers about the exile in Mikhailovskoye, but it is much less known that in 1852–1854 the author of the “Notes of a Hunter”, as if denouncing serfdom, was also strongly recommended to enjoy the delights of village life in Spassky-Lutovinovo, to indulge in the joys of hunting (which he did with great enthusiasm). hunting), and not to visit the capitals at all. And then the Third Department did not deprive him of its attention. By 1863, 45-year-old Turgenev finally chose Baden-Baden to live. So when he describes Pavel Petrovich, who lives in Germany, in the finale of “Fathers and Sons” (1862): “In Dresden, on the Brulevsky terrace, between two and four o’clock, at the most fashionable time for a walk, you can meet a man of about fifty, already completely gray and as if suffering from gout, but still handsome, elegantly dressed and with that special imprint, which is given to a person only by a long stay in the upper strata of society", is actually an ironic self-portrait. However, unlike Herzen, a friend of his youth, he did not break with Russia, returning to it periodically.

3. Ivan Bunin

An aphorism is attributed to Bunin:

“Three things make a person happy: love, interesting work and the opportunity to travel”.

Ivan Alekseevich himself took full advantage of this opportunity, and wrote about it with inspiration, be it the spicy “Rose of Jericho”, the exotic “Shadow of a Bird” or “Henry” - the most delightful hymn to railway travel: “Once again there will be the smell of gas, coffee and beer at the Vienna station, the labels on bottles of Austrian and Italian wines on the tables in the sunny dining car in the snows of Semmering, the faces and clothes of European men and women filling this car for breakfast...”

After the revolution, in exile, Ivan Alekseevich again had to run into trouble.

But these movements around France no longer brought him pleasure - a bitter journey from which it is impossible to return.

4. Ernest Hemingway

After World War I, the French franc fell sharply against American dollar. What aspiring American writers and artists hastened to take advantage of. Having saved up a sum that was ridiculous by American standards, they could rent an apartment in the center of Paris and for months enjoy all the delights of European bohemia, which in their native wilderness they could only read about in books - sit for a long time in cafes, drink jugs of red wine, take private lessons French at charming midinettes. However, Hemingway not only enjoyed it, but also worked hard (as he later described in the book “The Holiday That Always Be With You”) - and truly became a great writer.

But even after becoming one, he was away from his homeland for a long time - either to hunt in Africa or to the second European war.

Since 1949, he settled in Cuba - but a year after the establishment of the Castro regime, in 1960, he was forced to leave his Cuban home. And a year later he chose to leave this world too.

5. Jonathan Littell

It may be somewhat premature to put Littell, who was born in 1967, “on the same level” as Turgenev and Heminway, but his literary fate is very unusual.

He was born in New York, from 3 to 13 years old he was raised in France, from 27 to 34 years old, working in a humanitarian organization, he wandered around hot spots around the world, from the Congo to Chechnya, and in 2001

gave up this job and sat down in a room on Chistye Prudy (!) to write “Benefactors” in French (!!) - a thick novel about an SS officer (!!!) on the Eastern Front.

The novel, published in 2006, turned out to be extremely successful. In addition to awards and fees, he, in particular, brought the author French citizenship, granted to the newly minted French writer in recognition of his services to French literature. But currently the American Frenchman Littell prefers to live with his Belgian wife in Barcelona.

"School stage All-Russian Olympiad schoolchildren in Russian literature, grade 10 (YAS) I. Knowledge of the text and facts of the history of literature Who from...”

School stage of the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren

on Russian literature

10th grade (YAS)

I.Knowledge of the text and facts of literary history

Which Russian writer traveled around the world? Name the work that reflected his impressions.

The plots of which works were presented by A.S. Pushkin to N.V. Gogol?

After reading this work, Catherine II came to the conclusion that its author was a rebel worse than Pugachev. What work are we talking about?

Which characters in the comedy “Woe from Wit” own the following aphorisms:

“You don’t watch happy hours.”

“And the smoke of the Fatherland is sweet and pleasant to us.”

“I would be glad to serve, but being served is sickening.”

“With feeling, with sense, with arrangement”

Name three novels by I.A. Goncharova.

Which landowner gave Chichikov “dead souls”?

What are the articles by N.A. Dobrolyubov about the drama of A.N. Ostrovsky "The Thunderstorm".

Give the first and last names of the following literary characters:

Kabanova, Pechorin, Chichikov, Bashmachkin, Famusov, Oblomov.

What work of M. Yu. Lermontov can be called “the history of the human soul”?

Name the genre of the works “The Minor”, “The Inspector General”, “Woe from Wit”.

II. Theory of literature.

Name the literary terms according to its interpretation:

A type of trope, an artistically justified exaggeration of certain properties of the depicted object.

An element of the plot, the moment of the highest tension of the action, the peak of the conflict.

Consonance of the endings of verses.

A two-syllable verse in which the first syllable is stressed and the second unstressed.

What artistic device does F. Tyutchev use in the following lines:

The sun is shining, the waters are sparkling,

Smile in everything, life in everything,

The trees tremble joyfully

Bathing in the blue sky.

The fourth "extra"

Metaphor, plot, climax, denouement

Drama, epilogue, comedy, tragedy

A stanza of 14 lines in iambic tetrameter?

“A rather beautiful spring britzka, the kind that bachelors travel in, drove into the gates of the hotel in the provincial town of NN...”

“I lived as a teenager, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the yard boys. Meanwhile, I was sixteen years old. Then my fate changed.”

“She was beautiful: tall, thin, black eyes, like those of a mountain chamois, and they looked into your soul.”

“Yes, Mama, I don’t want to live by my own will. Where can I live by my own will?

IV. Read the poem below by S. Yesenin

“I left my home” and complete the tasks:

I left my home

Rus' left the blue one.

Three-star birch forest above the pond

Warms the mother's old sadness.

Golden frog moon

Spread out on the calm water.

Like apple blossom, gray hair

There was a spill in my father's beard.

I won't be back soon, not soon!

The blizzard will sing and ring for a long time.

Guards Blue Rus'

Old maple tree on one leg

And I know there is joy in it

To those who kiss the leaves of the rain,

Because that old maple

The head looks like me.

IN 1. An artistic device that plays in the poem the role of figurative definitions that have special expressiveness: “golden frog”, “old maple”, “still water”?

AT 2. What is the name of the repetition of a consonant sound in stanzas 1 and 2, which helps the author convey the overwhelming feelings of tenderness and warmth?

AT 3. Name the epithet that is repeated twice in the text of the poem and conveys to the reader the individual author’s vision of the artistic image of his native land.

AT 4. Stylistic device, which S. Yesenin used in line 1 of the 3rd stanza: “I will not return soon, not soon” to draw the reader’s attention to the main idea and convey the drama of the situation.

AT 5. Indicate the term that in literature refers to a figurative and expressive means that allowed the author in the 2nd stanza to create the image of the moon, spread out like a frog, and the gray hair of the father, similar to the spring blossoms of apple trees. C1. Write a detailed answer (5-10 sentences) to a general question about the text, justify your position.

What theme, which became the leading theme of S. Yesenin’s lyrics, can be considered one of the main themes of Russian poetry of the 20th century? (based on the example of the work of several poets).

Literature keys. Grade 10

Knowledge of the text and facts of literary history

1.I.A. Goncharov “Frigate “Pallada” (2b)

2. “The Inspector General”, “Dead Souls” (2b)

3. “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”, A.P. Radishchev (1b)

4.A-Sofia, B,V-Chatsky, G-Famusov (4b)

5. “An Ordinary Story”, “Oblomov”, “Cliff” (3b)

6. Manilov (1b)

7. “A ray of light in the dark kingdom”, “Dark kingdom” (2b)

8. Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova

Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov,

Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin,

Ilya Ilyich Oblomov (6 b)

9. “Hero of our time” (1b)

10.Comedy (1b)

Theory of literature (1 b each)

1.Hyperbole

2. Climax

5. Personification

6.A-metaphor, B-epilogue

7. “Onegin stanza” total (8b)

1. “Dead Souls” (1b)

2. "The Captain's Daughter" (1b)

3. “Hero of our time” (1b)

4. “Thunderstorm” (1b)

Analysis of the poem (1b each)

B1- elegy

B2-antithesis

B3- epithet

B5-third

B6- metaphor

The maximum score is 47b. Passing score - 34b.

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A special page, unexpected for many, was Ivan Alexandrovich’s trip around the world. Moreover, among Goncharov’s circle of friends the nickname “Prince de Lazy” was firmly established. This is the same “but” that we talked about at the beginning of our chapter.

What was the final push, the reason that convinced the “Prince de Laigne” to set off? First of all, he was a writer, and, as we remember, he worked on Oblomov, in which he wanted to open his eyes and tell the bitter truth about national shortcomings and general weaknesses. One of them was noticed by Pushkin, who concluded: “We are lazy and incurious.” This bitter conclusion was confirmed in the observations of Goncharov himself: “...When going somewhere on a pilgrimage, to Kiev, or from a village to Moscow, the traveler will not end up in turmoil, rushes into the arms of family and friends ten times, has a snack, sits down, etc. " A native of St. Petersburg is afraid to visit nearby Kronstadt “because you have to go there by sea,” although “it would be worth traveling a thousand miles just to experience this method of travel.”

“We are lazy and incurious”... But this limited, fearful complacency, reluctance to learn and learn new things are signs of the same Oblomov laziness. Laziness, which the successful Goncharov had already begun to discover in his own bureaucratic existence - “it used to be that you couldn’t sleep if a big fly burst into the room<…>; you run away from the window if it blows, you scold the road when it has potholes<…>. “Hurry, hurry, get on the road!” - the writer exclaimed, despite doubts and timidity, implementing the most important commandment “start with yourself.”

The journey lasted three years (1852-1855) and for another three years Goncharov worked on his travel notes. Apologetic notes are heard in the introduction to the first of the essays. Goncharov speaks of himself in the third person: “The author had neither the opportunity nor the intention to describe his journey as a registered tourist or sailor, much less as a scientist. He simply kept a diary, as much as his work allowed him, and from time to time sent it in the form of letters to friends in Russia... Now these friends announce in unison to the author that he must present an account of his journey to the public. In vain he made the excuse that<…>wrote only cursory notes about what he saw or went into details more about himself, entertaining for<…>friends and tiresome for strangers, which is why the diary cannot have any literary interest.”

Contrary to fears, “Frigate...” captivated the reader, so much so that Goncharov had to “finish” it twice. In 1891(!), the essay “Across Eastern Siberia” was published, where the writer spoke in more detail about the final stage of his journey. The essay “Twenty Years Later” appeared earlier. In it, the elderly traveler “finished” the history of the frigate on which he made the journey, and reviewed the survivors and, alas, those who had died by that time, the participants of the campaign. Ivan Aleksandrovich concludes his memoirs with advice to all readers: “...If the opportunity arises to go (remember, “go”, not “go”) by ship to distant countries -<…>seize this opportunity without listening to any premature fears and doubts.”

More than once the writer was eager to repeat his previous campaign. In 1871, the opportunity presented itself to visit America, but Goncharov was already old and sick, so he did not dare to embark on such a journey again. But when the writer died, a wreath was laid on the grave, among others, “from the commander and officers of the frigate Pallada.” “The Frigate “Pallada”” can be considered one of the books that laid the foundation for the tradition of travel in the literature of Russian realism.

The trip helped Goncharov write the main book of his life - “Oblomov”. A book that turned out to be very necessary and “in demand” by contemporaries. There are stages in the fate of every country when people, some with impatience, some with fear, await the onset of change. This was the time before the reforms of 1861. And Goncharov’s novel answered the questions of the era. “... “Oblomov” victoriously captured all the passions, all the attention, all the thoughts of the readers. In some paroxysms of pleasure, all literate people read “Oblomov”.<…>Without any exaggeration, we can say that at the present moment in all of Russia there is not a single<…>a provincial town, where they would not read “Oblomov”, would not praise “Oblomov”, would not argue about “Oblomov.” Two leading critics, N.A. Dobrolyubov and A.V. Druzhinin, devoted detailed articles to the analysis of the novel.

The novel was completed in a single burst of unprecedented creative tension. The writer went to the resort of Marienbad to be treated for serious illnesses. “...I arrived here on June 21,” he told his friends, highlighting in italics details about his “vacation,” “and today is July 29, and I have the first part of Oblomov has been completed, the entire second part has been written and quite a lot of the third, so that the forest is already thinning out, and I see in the distance... the end.” “It will seem strange that almost the entire novel could be written in a month: it’s not only strange, it’s even impossible...” - Goncharov stopped in bewilderment at his own creative power. But it’s understandable if you consider with what artistic self-forgetfulness the writer plunged into his work: “And how he began, if only you could see!” The characters of the future book, as if alive, stood before his mind's eye. “...Find out,” he wrote to I.I. Lkhovsky, - that I’m busy... you won’t be mistaken if you say it’s a woman! Yes, to her: there’s no need, I’m 45 years old, and I’m very busy with Olga Ilyinskaya... I can’t get enough of it, I can’t get enough of it.”

Maybe because the author himself saw his heroes alive, real people, readers did not perceive them as literary characters. Oblomov embodied Goncharov’s long-standing, cherished plan, “from the very minute he began to write” - “an image of an honest, kind, sympathetic nature, a highly idealist, all his life... seeking the truth, encountering lies at every step, being deceived and, finally, finally cooling and falling into apathy and powerlessness from the consciousness of one’s own and others’ weakness...”

Meanwhile, Goncharov’s career as an official went on as usual, and he reached “well-known degrees.” But! Goncharov had the highest courage: he was not afraid to be different from everyone else. Having suffered a lot from prohibitions and cuts, he again decides to start with himself and becomes a censor. The position of censor has long been surrounded by the disdain of free-thinking people. In Russian literature there are countless epigrams on censors and their ridiculous prohibitions. “The gloomy guardian of the muses, my longtime persecutor,” is how Pushkin ironically called him in his “Message to the Censor.” At the same time, the poet believed that in Rus' there is a need for a system of prohibitions on “rude ridicule and vulgar language.” And in the same poem he sketched a portrait of the ideal censor:

But the censor is a citizen, and his rank is sacred: He must have a straight and enlightened mind...<…>He is a friend to the writer, he is not a coward before the nobility, he is prudent, firm, free, and fair.

We can say that Goncharov fulfilled Pushkin’s behest. With his active efforts, many stories and stories by I.S. were allowed to be published. Turgenev, including “Mumu”. Ivan Aleksandrovich resurrected the suppressed past, having achieved the printing of the complete, uncut, collected works of D.I. Fonvizina.

If Goncharov the censor did not like something in modern literature and criticism, he directly expressed his opinions. Thus, the writer boldly criticized the youth idol of the sixties D.I. Pisarev, believing that he “abuses his intelligence and talent.” As we see, Goncharov did not exclude “intelligence” and “talent” from his opponent. It is quite understandable: the writer of the forties could not like the passion and categoricalness, the “mocking abuse” with which the young critic attacked “old” literature, Pushkin.

Publications in the Literature section

Trip around the world writer Ivan Goncharov

In October 1852, the writer Ivan Goncharov, a translator at the Ministry of Finance, was appointed secretary of Admiral Efim Putyatin. When the young writer began to prepare for a circumnavigation of the world with the admiral, in the literary circles of St. Petersburg they reacted to this with humor: the future author of the novel “Oblomov” was often called “Prince de Lazy” for his leisurely manner.

Traveling with the frigate Pallada, Goncharov traveled around three continents and at least a dozen countries. During the trip, he kept a travel diary, in which he entered everything that interested him. His first essay was published shortly after his return (in 1855) in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. Three years later, the essay was published as a separate book.

Based on the notes of Ivan Goncharov, we have prepared for you a cultural guide to seven countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.

Frigate "Pallada"

Ivan Goncharov

The route of the frigate "Pallada"

Foggy England

Once in England, the ship's crew immediately went to London. Because of the changeable weather and fogs, Goncharov was afraid of “making a spleen”: “I went to see the Thames twice and both times I saw only impenetrable steam.” During his first week in England, the writer examined all the “official” London sights and began to observe the city’s residents, which was much more interesting to him.

“Rather than looking at sphinxes and obelisks, I would rather stand for an hour at a crossroads and watch two Englishmen meet, first try to tear each other’s hand off, then inquire about each other’s health and wish each other all the best; watch their gait or some kind of amble, and this importance to the point of comical expression on their face, an expression of deep respect for oneself, some contempt or at least coldness for another, but reverence for the crowd, that is, for society.”

After his walks, Goncharov could not deny himself the pleasure of visiting local shops and returned, loaded with purchases: “And then, laying out each thing on the table, I am forced to admit that this is not necessary at all, I have it, etc. Buy a book, which you can’t read, a couple of pistols, without hope of shooting from them, porcelain, which is not needed at sea and is inconvenient to use, a cigar box, a stick with a dagger.”

London, England

Warm air of the island of Madeira (Madeira, Portugal)

The Atlantic Ocean greeted travelers with a light storm and “fountains” of whales. In Madera, where the frigate’s crew landed on January 18, 1853, Ivan Goncharov tried bananas for the first time: “I didn’t like it: it’s bland, somewhat sweet, but sluggish and cloying, the taste is mealy, it looks a little like potatoes and melon, only not so sweet.” , like a melon, and without aroma or with its own, some kind of rough bouquet.” The second gastronomic impression was the local wines - white and red.

Goncharov experienced for himself what a ride in a palanquin was like. In a small cart carried by two guides, he went for a walk. It was assumed that the passenger would ride in it lying down, but Goncharov’s natural curiosity did not give him peace.

“However, I got tired of lying down: I got up to sit down and look around. A very wide hand crept up from behind and quietly threw me back onto my back. "What's this?" I stood up again, the cradle began to shake and went slower. Again the same palm wants to knock me over. “I want to sit, goddam!” - I shouted. They explained that it was so awkward for them to carry, it was hard... “Oh, it’s hard? What do I care: if you take it, carry it.” But as soon as I started thinking, the palm carefully tried, as if unbeknownst to me, to knock me over.”

Madeira Island, Portugal

"Burnt Cliffs and Silent Desert" of the Cape Verde Islands (West Africa)

The ship moored to the Cape Verde Islands on the orders of Admiral Putyatin: it was necessary to replenish food supplies. Goncharov described the “coal-black” inhabitants of the islands and their “picturesque” clothing: “In a skirt, but without a shirt, and on top of one shoulder something like a paper shawl was thrown to the knees; the other shoulder and part of the chest are exposed. The head is tied with a scarf, and very well: it is unpleasant for European eyes to see short hair on a woman’s head, and curly ones at that.” Local residents were mainly engaged in salt mining. Pools were built on the coast: during high tides they were filled with sea water, which, when evaporated, left a salt deposit.

Ivan Goncharov conducted several “experiments of curiosity” here, tasting local fruits:

“I decided to buy from an old black woman (I always give preference to ladies wherever possible) the whole basket of oranges.”

Cape Verde Islands, West Africa

Cape of Good Hope maize fields (South Africa)

“We all poured upstairs and looked questioningly in all directions, as if we wanted to see that wooden rim that, under the name of the equator, encircles the globe.” On his first walk at the Cape of Good Hope, Ivan Goncharov found himself in “the southernmost inn from here on the direct route to the Pole.”

In these places, the writer was most struck by the local landscaping traditions:

“The fences are made of cactus and aloe bushes: God forbid you grab a bush - that’s our nettle! Not only an honest person, but also a thief, even a lover will not climb over such a fence.”

Ivan Goncharov was also interested in the customs of the local residents - the Bushmen: “They are agile and courageous, but careless and do not like work. If they manage to acquire several pieces of cattle by stealing, they eat without measure; days and nights are spent in this; and when they have eaten everything, they tie their bellies tightly and sit for weeks without food.”

In Kapstatt (Cape Town), the traveler found interesting souvenirs: “I saw in a tobacco store match cases turned from beautiful, two-color wood. I immediately bought a few as a souvenir of the Cape of Good Hope.”

Cape Town, South Africa

“The birthplace of poisonous peppers, spicy roots, elephants, tigers and snakes” - Singapore

Ivan Goncharov calls Singapore the kingdom of eternal, merciless summer:

“Ice, ice and snow: not smoke, but the ice of the fatherland is sweet and pleasant to us!”

The city-state seemed to the traveler to be a “world market”, where everything possible flocks: “Here are the necessary fabrics and bread, poison and medicinal herbs. Germans, French, British, Americans, Armenians, Persians, Indians, Chinese - everything came to sell and buy: there are no other needs or goals here. Luxury sends here for subtle poisons and spices, and comfort sends clothes, linen, leather, wine.”

The writer noticed how different the houses of Singaporeans of different nationalities are: “Malayan dwellings are simply see-through cages made of bamboo canes, covered with dry coconut leaves, barely worthy of being called sheds, on stilts, protected from dampness and from insects too. The richer Chinese have continuous rows of houses on two floors: shops and workshops at the bottom, housing with shutters at the top. Indians live in huts."

In the interior of a rich Chinese house, Goncharov saw the great-grandfather of the modern fan: “They told a Chinese boy to wave a gigantic fan hanging from the ceiling, the entire length of the dining room. It's just a wide piece of linen with muslin fringe; strings are stretched from him to the doors, which the servant pulls and refreshes the room.”

Singapore

“Strange, still entertaining with its unknown” Japan

The crew of the frigate Pallada went to Japan for diplomatic purposes. Before appearing before the governor, diplomats spent several days learning local traditions. They were mentored by a whole team of Japanese masters of ceremonies.

“The Japanese suggested sitting in their own way, on the floor, on your heels. Kneel and then sit on your heels - this is what it means to sit in Japanese. Try it, you’ll see how clever it is: you won’t sit for five minutes, but the Japanese sit for several hours.”

However, Russians protested against the unusual rules: for example, many refused to sit on the floor, taking their own chairs with them to the negotiations. They also did not want to take off their shoes in the palace - they first sewed calico shoes, which they put on over their boots before entering the house. Many travelers have found themselves in the awkward situation of having their shoe covers get lost in the hallways, and they find themselves wearing street shoes to the welcome ceremony.

To the question: Which Russian writer traveled around the world? given by the author Neurosis the best answer is Voyage around the world and the frigate "Pallada"
In October 1852, an important event happened in Goncharov’s life: he became a participant in a trip around the world on a sailing warship, the frigate Pallada, as secretary to the head of the expedition, Vice Admiral Putyatin. She was equipped to inspect Russian possessions in North America- Alaska, which belonged to Russia at that time, as well as to establish political and trade relations with Japan. Goncharov imagined how many impressions he would enrich himself and his work with. From the very first days of the trip, he begins to keep a detailed travel journal. It formed the basis of the future book “Frigate “Pallada”. The expedition lasted almost two and a half years. England, the Cape of Good Hope, Java, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, China, the Lycean Islands, the Philippines, the return journey through Siberia are the main milestones of this journey. Goncharov's journey can only be considered a round-the-world trip.
He returned to St. Petersburg on February 13, 1855, and already in the April book “ Domestic notes"The first essay appeared. Subsequent fragments were published in the Marine Collection and various magazines for three years, and in 1858 the entire work was published as a separate edition. The cycle of travel essays “Frigate “Pallada”” (1855-1857) is a kind of “writer’s diary”. The book immediately became a major literary event, striking readers with the richness and variety of factual material and its literary merits. The book was perceived as the writer’s entry into a large and unfamiliar world to the Russian reader, seen by an inquisitive observer and described by a sharp, talented pen. For Russia in the 19th century, such a book was almost unprecedented. Meanwhile, Goncharov returned to the department of the Ministry of Finance and continued to regularly perform his bureaucratic duties, for which he had no soul. Soon, however, a change came in his life. He received the position of censor. This position was troublesome and difficult, but its advantage over the previous service was that it was at least directly related to literature. However, in the eyes of many writers, this position put Goncharov in an ambiguous position. The idea of a censor in the progressive strata of society was then far from flattering. He was perceived as a representative of the hated government, as a persecutor of free thought. The image of a stupid and cruel censor was somehow branded by Pushkin in his “Message to the Censor”:
O barbarian! Which of us, the owners of the Russian lira, did not curse your destructive axe?
Soon Goncharov himself began to feel burdened by his position and at the beginning of 1860 he retired. Among other things, the difficult and troublesome service decisively interfered with the writer’s own literary pursuits. By this time, Goncharov had already published the novel Oblomov, which was destined to become the main work of his life.