Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
scepticism with rationalism, espousing the idea that history is the sum of an infinite number
of individual actions.
Tolstoy spent most of his time at his estate in Yasnaya Polyana, but he also had property
in Moscow, and he was a regular parishioner at the Church of St Nicholas of Khamovniki.
Although Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-81) is more closely associated with St Petersburg, he
was actually born in Moscow. He was among the first writers to navigate the murky waters
of the human subconscious, blending powerful prose with psychology, philosophy and spir-
ituality. Dostoevsky's best-known works, such as
Crime and Punishment,
were all written
(and to a large degree set) in his adopted city of St Petersburg. But bibliophiles assert that
his early years in Moscow profoundly influenced his philosophical development.
Amid the epic works of Pushkin, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, an absurdist short-story writer
such as Nikolai Gogol (1809-52) can get lost in the annals of Russian literature. But his
troubled genius created some of Russian literature's most memorable characters, including
Akaki Akakievich, tragicomic hero of
The Overcoat
.
Gogol spent most of his years living abroad, but it was his hilarious satire of life in Russia
that earned him the respect of his contemporaries.
Dead Souls
is his masterpiece. This 'nov-
el in verse' follows the scoundrel Chichikov as he attempts to buy and sell deceased serfs, or
'dead souls', in an absurd money-making scam.
After the novel's highly lauded publication in 1841, Gogol suffered from poor physical
and mental health. While staying at the Gogol House, in a fit of depression, he threw some
of his manuscripts into the fire, including the second part of
Dead Souls,
which was not re-
covered in its entirety (the novel ends midsentence). The celebrated satirist died shortly
thereafter and he is buried at Novodevichy Cemetery.
Literary Sights
Tolstoy Estate-Museum
Bulgakov House-Museum
Gogol House
Dostoevsky House-Museum
Chekhov House-Museum
