"Tasty" writer's style and extremely juicy images: Actor Ilya Korobko held "Conversations about Important Things" on Gogol's works

The lecture hall of the Russian Society "Knowledge" in Pavilion No. 34 "Space" held another meeting of the project "Conversations about Important Things". This time the reason for the meeting was the 215th anniversary of the birth of writer Nikolai Gogol, and the guest of the lecture hall was actor Ilya Korobko, who played in the production of Gogol's play "The Gamblers".

Opening the meeting, the actor emphasized that any work is perceived better if the reader understands the historical context in which it was written.

"When we talk about writers, artists and any other figures of art, we must necessarily take into account the time in which they lived. Then everything becomes more interesting, vivid and understandable. In this sense, it would be good to parallel history lessons with literature lessons. I know that some Moscow schools are already introducing such practices, and I hope that this will develop into a serious general program. If you give schoolchildren the opportunity to rely on historical facts, they will be twice as interested to read literary works," said the actor.

Photo: Press office of the Russian Society "Knowledge"

Ilya Korobko dwelled on the topic of Gogol's unique manner of narration. The speaker noted that the author of "Evenings at a Farm near Dikanka" has a surprisingly "tasty" style and extremely juicy images.

"Gogol as a writer turned to eternal themes and noticed life nuances that are characteristic of people of any era. Gogolism is a phenomenon that we observe in our lives every day: in the store, on the bus, at school. Many authors try to ridicule vices, but no one succeeds in creating such vivid images. Gogol masterfully uses figures of speech and chooses such capacious expressions to describe the heroes that each of his characters is an image for the ages. Therefore, Gogol himself is eternal as an author," said Ilya Korobko.

A real discovery for the audience was the fact that at the beginning of his creative journey Gogol dreamed of an acting career, tried out for the St. Petersburg theater company, but was not accepted. Passion for the theater kins Gogol with Anton Chekhov and Mikhail Bulgakov. Ilya Korobko drew the audience's attention to the fact that Gogol's works are distinguished by an amazing theatricality: whip-smart, vivid images and dynamic dramaturgy of plots. 

The lecture guest gave his definition of genius: a genius is a creator whose works leave an inerasable trace in culture and raise important issues, sometimes anticipating the future.

Photo: Press office of the Russian Society "Knowledge"

"What is the genius of Gogol? Each of his characters, each of his plots, even the most grotesque and comedic, are characterized by depth. This is due to the fact that the author asked serious questions. I believe that young people who are just entering adulthood should definitely read Gogol's "The Overcoat". Many people interpret this work as a story about "the little man", but for me it is a story about the loss of connection with God and the loss of spirituality. Deification of material things, i.e. overcoat, leads people away from the right path, and this is a very relevant problem for the modern world with its fascination with things, gadgets and external gloss," Ilya Korobko expressed his opinion.

He advised the audience to revise Russian classics more often, because the perception of works from the school program often changes with age. Ilya Korobko emphasized that Gogol's characters "grow up" together with the readers, and discovering new meanings in familiar stories and plays is an incredibly exciting process.