GOGOL
BIOGRAPHY
| 1777 | Birth of Gogol’s father, Vasily Afanasevich Gogol, minor landowner |
| 1791 | Birth of Gogol’s mother, Maria Ivanovna Kosiarovskaia |
| 1805 | Marriage of Gogol’s parents (mom is 14!) |
| 1809 |
Birth of Gogol, Nikolai Vasilevich, in village Greater Sorochintsy, Mirgorod, Ukraine |
| 1821 | Enters Nezhin Lyceum |
| 1825 | Father dies. Gogol’s literary ventures begin |
| 1827 | "Hans Kuchelgarten," an idyll in verse written |
| 1828 |
Completes studies at Lyceum, gains membership of lowest (14th) class in Peterine Table of Ranks |
| 1829 | First published work, five stanza poem "Italy," anonymously, in Son of the Fatherland. "Hans Kuchelgarten" published anonymously at Gogol’s own expense; ridiculed by critics, bought up by Gogol and burned. Travel to Germany July- September |
| 1829-30 | Works on literary reviews, studies painting, enters civil service, works as scribe. Writes stories for collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka. |
| 1831 | Publishes first piece under his own name: article "Woman." Leaves civil service job and works as assistant history teacher in girls’ school. Meets Pushkin. Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, Part I, published, praised by Pushkin. |
| 1832 | Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, Part II published |
| 1832-33 | Works on Mirgorod stories |
| 1833 | Completes "The Story of How Ivan Iovanovich quarrelled with Ivan Nikoforovich" |
| 1834 |
Assistant Professor of History at University of St. Petersburg. Poor preparation, poor lectures, poor attendance. |
| 1835 |
Arabesques (incl. "Nevskii Prospekt," "Notes of a Madman," "The Portrait") published. Mirgorod collection published. Completes play "Marriage" and works on play "The Inspector General." Leaves position at St. Petersburg U. |
| 1836 | "The Carriage" published. "The Inspector General" success on stage. Leaves for Germany, Switzerland and France |
| 1837 |
Works on Dead Souls. Rome (hangs out with Russian painters); Baden-Baden |
| 1838 |
Continues Dead Souls, travels between Rome, Naples, and Paris. |
| 1839 | Rome, Vienna, Hanau, Marienbad; returns to Moscow |
| 1840 |
Returns to Rome; prepares Dead Souls, Part I for publication |
| 1841 | Rome, Frankfurt, Hanau; returns to Russia |
| 1842 | "Rome" published. First printing of Dead Souls. Travels in Europe; winters in Rome. "Marriage" premier. |
| 1843-44 |
Germany, France. Works on Dead Souls, Part II |
| 1845 | Paris, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Carlsbad, where Gogol takes the waters for serious illness. Fear of death. More travel. Recovers. |
| 1846 | Italy-France-Italy; works on Dead Souls, Part II and on Selected Passages from a Correspondence with Friends. |
| 1847 | Europe. SelectedPpassages from a Correspondence with Friends published; works on Author’s Confession. |
| 1848 |
Visits Holy land, travels to Odessa (quaranteed for cholera epidemic); returns to St. Petersburg |
| 1849 | Serious nervous disorder & spiritual distress; writer’s block; Dead Souls, Part II virtually complete in manuscript. |
| 1850 |
Proposes marriage to old friend and correspondent–refused. Visits Optina Pustyn monastery; winter in Odessa |
| 1851 |
Meets Ivan Turgenev. Corresponds with monk at Optina Pustyn |
| 1852 | Dead Souls, Part II presumably completed. Burns manuscript. Dies on Feb 21 (New Style: March 4); buried in Danilov Monastery in Moscow (in 1931 remains transferred to Moscow’s Novodevichii convent cemetery in Moscow). |
Last modified: Jan 25, 2001