Mykola Gogol: 25 Interesting Facts About the Mysterious Writer
Mykola Gogol fascinated and outraged his contemporaries. He left his descendants the idea of national liberation and an almost mystical biography. The facts about the author of "Taras Bulba" and "Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka" are as interesting as the legends.
Interesting Facts About Mykola Gogol's Life
● Mykola Gogol was born in Poltava region.
● The village of Vasylivka, where Mykola Gogol was born, is now called Gogolivka or Gogoleve.
● The writer's real surname was Yanovsky, but it is known that he used seven pseudonyms.
● Gogol had five brothers and six sisters, most of whom died in childhood.
● Gogol's sisters had a special brother who tailored dresses and knitted for them!
● Cooking was another passion of the writer alongside needlework. He showed his true Poltava spirit by cooking dumplings.
● Gogol-Mogol was the name the writer jokingly gave to his signature drink, which he served to friends. The ingredients were rum and goat's milk.
● Shyness caused the writer to feel awkward in the company of strangers. However, this did not prevent him from traveling across Europe and even visiting Jerusalem as a pilgrim.
● Gogol traveled to beautiful countries at the expense of acquaintances who agreed to take him along. Without savings, he paid for his upkeep with stories that entertained the company. An interesting conversation partner on a long journey is worth their weight in gold.
● A long nose was a source of suffering for the shy Gogol. At his request, artists altered the shape of his nose in his lifetime portraits. Each artist did this in their own way, resulting in varying depictions of his face in different paintings.
● The writer's short stature did not add to his confidence. However, it did not prevent Gogol, a lyceum student, from mastering the student stage. He drew laughter not with his appearance but with his sharp wit and excellent acting.
● The renowned writer proposed marriage only once in his life but was refused. His chosen one, Anna Vilyegorska, declined his proposal two years before his death.
● Gogol's academic achievements were limited to good drawing, but his teachers did not highly rate his written works.
● The writer's debut poem, "Hans Kuchelgarten," did not receive favorable reviews from Moscow critics. In despair, the young Gogol bought and burned all copies of the book.
● He repeatedly burned "Dead Souls" as well!
● Before writing "Taras Bulba," Mykola Gogol spent three months visiting Volhynia, which he later depicted in the story.
● The hands of the adult Gogol were often sticky with sugar. The author of "The Government Inspector" was known for his sweet tooth and always kept pieces of sugar at hand.
● Mykola Gogol did not concern himself with appearances—his belongings, sorted after his death, turned out to be just a pile of worn-out clothes.
● All the property left behind by the writer was valued at less than 44 rubles. A pitiful sum considering that Gogol donated thousands to charity.
● The plot of the story "Viy," according to the author, is a literal recording of folk tales, not his own creation. However, no researcher has found even a hint of Viy in folklore.
● Gogol claimed that he developed his good handwriting during his time working as a civil servant. That was all the office work gave him in three years.
● Mykola Gogol wrote his will seven years before his death.
● Nine days before his death, the writer burned all the papers from his portfolio (including the second volume of "Dead Souls") and spent the night in tears and prayer.
● The likely cause of death for the talented Ukrainian writer was voluntary refusal of food.
● The legends of the writer being buried alive (in a state of coma or lethargic sleep) have already been debunked.
