GONCHAROV : do you like him ?

[olichka]

I've noticed that there is no forum on Goncharov, Ivan Alexandrovitch, so I decided to start a thread. He's a 19th Century Russian writer who belonged to the school of Realism. I think that he's a very good writer with a lot of insight into the human soul. My favourite works by him are "Oblomov" and " A Common Story ". Any insights or comments ?

[Riddleman]

I've noticed that there is no forum on Goncharov, Ivan Alexandrovitch, so I decided to start a thread. He's a 19th Century Russian writer who belonged to the school of Realism. I think that he's a very good writer with a lot of insight into the human soul. My favourite works by him are "Oblomov" and " A Common Story ". Any insights or comments ?

I tried reading Oblomov when I was a student, but it's just too slow for my taste! A lot of Russian literature is a bit on the slow side, let's face it, The brother's karamazov or Anna kareninaaren't really page turners either, but Goncharov takes the cake!
Still, it's a classic, and one day I do hope to finish it!:yawnb:

[Inderjit Sanghe]

I have read "Oblomov" by Goncharov and thought that it was ok and amusing at times, though he is certainly not my favourite Russian author!



I tried reading Oblomov when I was a student, but it's just too slow for my taste! A lot of Russian literature is a bit on the slow side, let's face it, The brother's karamazov or Anna kareninaaren't really page turners either, but Goncharov takes the cake!
Still, it's a classic, and one day I do hope to finish it

Using "Anna Karenina" and "The Brothers Karamazov" as typical examples of Russian Literature is a tad silly-it is kind of like saying "Les Misérables" and "Rememberance of Things Past" are typical French novels! Yes, both book are quite long, and both can be slow, especially Anna Karenina, but there are other stories by both authors which may be a bit more "accessible"-Dostoevskii's short-stories, such as "The Double" and "The Gambler" may be a lot easier to read, whilst his philosophical novel "Notes from the Underground" may not be a page-turner, but it is a hell of a lot shorter than "The Brothers Karamazov"-together with a lot of Kierkegaard’s philosophical works, it could also be labelled as being one of the founding texts of existentialism, a form of art which would be one of the most intellectually important movements of the 20th century both in literature (Kafka, Camus, Ellison, Moravia, Unamuno) philosophy (Sartre, de Beauvoir, Foucault) and film (directors such as Fellini, Bergman and Goddard and movies such as 'Taxi Driver' and 'Fight Club'.) Tolstoii also wrote several excellent short stories-such as "The Death of Ivan Ilyich". Russia in fact has a fine short story writing traditions-writers such as Turgenev, Chekov, Pushkin and Gogol partly specialised in short stories, whereas Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" are pretty accessible too. One of the most important works of Russian literature, Lermontov's "A Hero of Our Time" is also relatively short-Russia has some great epics, but it also has some great short stories too!

My favourite Russian short stories are "Diary of a Madman", "The Nose" and "The Overcoat" by Gogol, "First Love" by Turgenev and "The Steppe" by Chekov.

[olichka]

I have read "Oblomov" by Goncharov and thought that it was ok and amusing at times, though he is certainly not my favourite Russian author!




Using "Anna Karenina" and "The Brothers Karamazov" as typical examples of Russian Literature is a tad silly-it is kind of like saying "Les Misérables" and "Rememberance of Things Past" are typical French novels! Yes, both book are quite long, and both can be slow, especially Anna Karenina, but there are other stories by both authors which may be a bit more "accessible"-Dostoevskii's short-stories, such as "The Double" and "The Gambler" may be a lot easier to read, whilst his philosophical novel "Notes from the Underground" may not be a page-turner, but it is a hell of a lot shorter than "The Brothers Karamazov"-together with a lot of Kierkegaard’s philosophical works, it could also be labelled as being one of the founding texts of existentialism, a form of art which would be one of the most intellectually important movements of the 20th century both in literature (Kafka, Camus, Ellison, Moravia, Unamuno) philosophy (Sartre, de Beauvoir, Foucault) and film (directors such as Fellini, Bergman and Goddard and movies such as 'Taxi Driver' and 'Fight Club'.) Tolstoii also wrote several excellent short stories-such as "The Death of Ivan Ilyich". Russia in fact has a fine short story writing traditions-writers such as Turgenev, Chekov, Pushkin and Gogol partly specialised in short stories, whereas Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" are pretty accessible too. One of the most important works of Russian literature, Lermontov's "A Hero of Our Time" is also relatively short-Russia has some great epics, but it also has some great short stories too!

My favourite Russian short stories are "Diary of a Madman", "The Nose" and "The Overcoat" by Gogol, "First Love" by Turgenev and "The Steppe" by Chekov.




A very good overview of Russian literature genres ! It's true, Russian literature isn't dominated entirely by large sprawling works; it also has great shorter works ! Another good short story writer is Leskov who wrote stories dealing with serfdom.

[Boris239]

I've read "Oblomov" and has also watched the movie with Tabakov. The book was pretty good, althoufg it has never become one of my favorites.
If we are talking about short stories, Chekhov is definitely the best. I also like Kuprin, Zoschenko, Shukshin and others

[olichka]

I've read "Oblomov" and has also watched the movie with Tabakov. The book was pretty good, althoufg it has never become one of my favorites.
If we are talking about short stories, Chekhov is definitely the best. I also like Kuprin, Zoschenko, Shukshin and others

I've also seen the movie with Tabakov---I think he did a pretty decent job, portraying Oblomov quite sympathetically. What I found interesting is that Olga, while rejecting Oblomov, still doesn't find happiness with Schtoltz ( Schultz ???--- forgot the exact name), indicating that a soul and warmth are also important in a human being, not just efficiency and productivity. It seems, that in the end, Goncharov actually values that more.


With regard to short stories, I find both Chekhov and Kuprin too melancholy and Kuprin too sentimental, but they're still O.K. ! I liked Kuprin's " Moloch ", though.

[Cheese King]

Though I haven't read it yet, I'm intrigued by a book where the main character doesn't get out of bed for 200 pages! I can't wait to read it.

While we're on the subject of great Russian writers...a more modern one is Victor Pelevin.

His "Omon Ra" is a great comic short novel mocking the Russian space program.

[what was he in?]

I think that Oblomov provides some of the most piercing insights into the nature of human relationships ever commited to paper. It's easy to concentrate on the oafish potrgonist, especially so in the first half of the novel, but once the main thrust of the story kicks in and we're shown Oblomov making the same assumptions as we do, but unlike us, he gets to see the workings of what he says and does laid bare. We're really treated to a total breakdown of just how large the gulf between us all actually is.

Oblomov is the only 3D character in the book. The rest prop up the story rather clumsily. But I think it works best like this, simply because a cast of truly 3D characters wouldn't have behaved in the same way and we couldn't get those insights. None of us want to discuss the motivations behind our self-styled loving acts that are really quite astonishingly selfish when we're being honest with ourselves.

[Dr. Hill]

I think the fault in Goncharov is that he wrote at the wrong time in the wrong country. He was just overshadowed by the greats.

[Tukkanen]

I lived in the town where Goncharov lived. Oblomov is a portrait of 19 century provincial Russia - quiet and benign. a place for dreamers. Goncharov is a man whom I admire a lot. He could create masterpieces far from capitals. and one interesting thing about him - he wrote his novels, as I remember, very fast and without rough copies.

[bazarov]

I think the fault in Goncharov is that he wrote at the wrong time in the wrong country. He was just overshadowed by the greats.

Totally agree! Oblomov is such a great novel (I tend to say that some literatures even doesn't have such a good novel) but I also discovered it after I made huge expedition on Russian writers.

I even started thread on Oblomov but i died quickly. :(