Gogol s heir. Crimean War and Rudin. A note on cha

Gogol's heir. The Crimean War and Rudin. A note on chapters 19 - 20 of the Nicholas Bogoslovskiy's book "Turgenev."


After the beginning of the Crimean War, Turgenev received a notice from the chief of the gendarmes Orlov about the end of the exile and about permission to enter the capitals. The period of punishment for the naming of Gogol by a word "great" is over.

Several years of the Crimean War were coming. For obvious reasons, traveling abroad was not possible.

Turgenev collaborates in "Sovremennik" Journal. He became closer to Nekrasov.

Turgenev meets Leo Tolstoy. Acquaintance begins with hugs. Gradually, the relationship reached a serious quarrel, which almost ended in a duel (1861). The quarrel separated writers for many years.

In 1878, the writers made peace, restored relationship ...

In which of his work does Turgenev touch on the topic of the Crimean War?

Maybe in the novel "Rudin"?

Who is Rudin? This is such an intellectual landowner, owner of estate, with a good intentions. He thinks a lot about various important issues, there is a romantic line in his life ...

What is written about the Crimean War in the novel "Rudin"? Apparently, nothing in this novel has been written about the Crimean War.

At heart [in the depths of his soul], Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev, who fulfilled, executed a literary abolition of serfdom in Russia by (through) writing and publishing of “The Hunter's Sketches”, became a European cultural figure.

“The Hunter's Sketches” were published in April 1854 in France to widely inform the French public about the structure, the design of life in the Russian Empire.

It is difficult to unambiguously characterize the motives according which it was decided to publish the “The Hunter's Sketches” in France after the outbreak of the Crimean War. The French interest in Russia at that moment is obvious.

One way or another, but “The Hunter's Sketches” laid the foundation for Turgenev's European fame.

Having received the novel “Rudin” after the end of the Crimean War (the novel was published in 1856 in the "Sovremennik"  journal in issues 1 and 2), the European reader could know, that there were no signs of hostility in Russia in relation of  France or to the (Western) Europe, that the topic of the Crimean War in Russia set not on the first place, that intelligent Russian people hold quite cultural views, and even republican convictions.

“He [Rudin] is under suspicion of the authorities, he is sent to live in the village, but the misconduct for which he is persecuted, is deliberately obscured, remains not entirely clear to the reader.” (Nicholas Bogoslovskiy "Turgenev").

(Maybe Rudin called the grandfather Krylov [(1769–1844)]  "the famous fabulist"?).

In June 1856, Turgenev left St. Petersburg, his path was to Europe.


May 29, 2020 11:37


Translation from Russian into English: June 1, 2020 19:55.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский “Наследник Гоголя. Крымская война и Рудин. Заметка о главах 19 - 20 книги Николая Богословского «Тургенев»”.