To some of his contemporaries, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol seemed an eccentric; in his life there was indeed a lot of strange and unusual. Being by nature an uncommunicative person, the writer did not tell anyone about his experiences, but they nevertheless manifested themselves in his extraordinary habits and actions.
Instruction manual
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N.V. Gogol was born in 1809, in the village of Sorochintsy, in Ukraine. His father wrote plays for the theater, and his mother was engaged in raising children, who in the family, in addition to Nicholas, were eleven. When the boy was ten years old, his parents sent him to study at the Poltava gymnasium, in which he became a member of the literary circle. It was there that he began to write small theatrical plays.
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After graduating from high school, Gogol moved to St. Petersburg, hoping to begin a successful career as a writer. But here he immediately fails - his romantic poem "Ganz Küchelgarten", released in a small edition under the pseudonym V. Alova, causes unfriendly reviews from critics. This circumstance forces the beginning writer to buy up the rest of the circulation in order to destroy it.
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Soon, fate gives Gogol a second chance - he draws closer to the creative intelligentsia, friends of A.S. Pushkin and V.A. Zhukovsky. Friends help him get a teacher's place at the institute, in addition, he begins to give private lessons. In parallel with his pedagogical activities, Gogol writes stories about the everyday life of a Ukrainian village. Soon his first well-known works were published: "An Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala", "Sorochinskaya Fair", "May Night" and others. It is interesting that the material for these stories was helped by Gogol to collect his mother, also fond of local folklore and mysticism. After the first successful publications, others follow - "The Night Before Christmas", "Arabesques" and "Mirgorod". Sparkling humor, special folklore, the cheerful life of the Ukrainian village, mixed with mysticism - all this captivates the readers of Gogol. Sam A.S. Pushkin was delighted with the works of his new talent.
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Communicating with people, Nikolai Vasilievich remained a closed and unsociable person, he was constantly tormented by some kind of internal complexes and endless samoyedness. Gogol was afraid of strangers, he even left the room if someone else appeared in it. He was also very afraid of a thunderstorm; she instilled mystical horror in him.
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Nothing is known about the writer’s relationship with women, he has never been married in his entire life.
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Another interesting fact is the attitude of Nikolai Vasilyevich to his own appearance. The writer did not like his distinguished nose. This personal problem was reflected in his story "Nose", in which this body leaves its owner.
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The writer's habits were also strange. His pockets were always filled with sweets. Gogol constantly piled sugar cubes in them, which were served for tea. Obsessed by some kind of inner work of thought, Nikolai Vasilievich often rolled up bread balls, justifying himself with the fact that it was easier for him to think.
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Gogol was not indifferent to publications issued in miniature format. Even complex mathematics delighted him if it was published in miniature sizes.
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At the end of his life, the writer fell into a terrible depressive state and completely refused food. He practically did not sleep, constantly prayed, cried, refused medicine. The second part of "Dead Souls" was sent to them on fire. Why he did this also remains a mystery.
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Nikolai Vasilievich was afraid that he would be buried alive, in a lethargic dream. That is why, in his will, he indicated that his body should be put to the ground only when there are clear signs of cadaveric decomposition.
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In Gogol's will was found a drawing of a small chapel, which was to be built next to the grave. According to the writer’s idea, the rope from the bell should be tied to his hand, and in case of awakening Nikolay Vasilievich could give a signal. But this idea was not realized in life.
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Even the death of N.V. Gogol gave rise to many speculations and secrets that our contemporaries are still trying to solve. In 1931, in connection with the reconstruction of a part of the necropolis in the Danilov Monastery, the grave of Gogol was reburied. All those present were frightened and startled by the unusual posture of the deceased - the writer’s head was turned to one side.
