The Portrait
by Nikolai Gogol
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Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809-1852) was a Russian writer of Ukrainian ethnicity and birth. Often called the "father of modern Russian realism, " he was one of the first Russian authors to criticize his country's way of life. Although his early works were heavily influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing, he wrote in Russian and his works belong to the tradition of Russian literature. Gogol was one of the first masters of short prose, alongside Pushkin, Merimee, Hoffmann, and Hawthorne. The show more main and most persistent characteristic of Gogol's style is its verbal expressiveness. He wrote with a view not so much to the acoustic effect on the ears of the listener as to the sensuous effect on the vocal apparatus of the reciter. The other main characteristic of his genius is the extraordinary intensity and vividness of impressionist vision, sometimes skirting expressionism. The Dead Souls (1842), The Inspector-General and The Overcoat (1842) are among his masterpieces. show lessTags
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The Portrait by Gogol is a short and intense novella—perfect for an hour or two of engrossed reading. What truly captures the reader is the vividness of the descriptions, both of events and the characters' emotions. These depictions are so intricate and lifelike that they evoke a sense of eerie fascination. The story’s exploration of human nature, greed, and the struggle with one’s own morality adds depth to the narrative, leaving a lasting impression. In my opinion, this is one of the finest novellas I’ve read recently, and its haunting quality stays with you long after turning the last page.
A short story about the perils of greed and avarice.
More specifically, a painting of an exotic money lender (with sinister eyes) imparts a rapacious and ultimately destructive need for money and worldly delights upon all who possess it. The first section in particular describes how a struggling but passionate artist succumbs ... ultimately disregarding his love for true artistry and instead being seduced by the financial gain from simple, easy to create portraits for local elite less concerned about art and more about quick, stylized (aka photoshopped?) versions of themselves.
More specifically, a painting of an exotic money lender (with sinister eyes) imparts a rapacious and ultimately destructive need for money and worldly delights upon all who possess it. The first section in particular describes how a struggling but passionate artist succumbs ... ultimately disregarding his love for true artistry and instead being seduced by the financial gain from simple, easy to create portraits for local elite less concerned about art and more about quick, stylized (aka photoshopped?) versions of themselves.
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Author Information
584+ Works 28,856 Members
Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol was born in 1809 in the Ukraine. His father was an amateur playwright who had a small estate with a number of serfs. From the ages of 12 to 19, young Gogol attended a boarding school where he became known for his sharp wit and ability to amuse his classmates. After school he worked as a government clerk. He soon began show more writing memories of his childhood. His quaint depictions of the Ukrainian countryside marked his style and helped to make him famous. Gogol quickly gained fame and formed a friendship with the influential poet, Aleksandr Pushkin. Gogol is largely remembered for his realistic characterizations, his rich imagination, and his humorous style. His works include Mirgorod, a collection of short stories including Taras Bulba. Gogol's wit is evident in his short story, The Nose, where a man's nose wanders off around town in a carriage. Gogol's masterpiece is the novel Dead Souls. In this work, a swindler plots to buy from landowners their dead serfs. Towards the end of Gogol's life, his creative powers faded and he fled to Moscow. Here, he came under the power of a fanatical priest. Ten days before his death he burned some manuscripts of the second part of Dead Souls. He died of starvation in 1852, on the cusp of madness. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Portrait
- Original title
- Портрет (first version) (novella) (first version | novella); Портрет; Portret (first version) (novella) (first version | novella)
- Original publication date
- 1835; 1842 (second edition) (second edition)
- People/Characters*
- Andrej Petrowitsch Tschartkow
- Important places*
- St. Petersburg, Russland
- First words*
- Nirgends blieb soviel Volk stehen wie vor der kleinen Gemäldehandlung im Stschukin dwor.
- Last words*
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Und noch lange waren sich die Anwesenden nicht recht einig, ob sie die ungwöhnlichen Augen wirklich gesehen hatten oder ob alles nur ein Spuk gewesen war, der ihre vom Anschauen alter Bilder ermüdeten Augen genarrt hatte.
- Original language*
- Russisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 891.7 — Literature & rhetoric Asian Literature East Indo-European and Celtic literatures Russian and East Slavic languages
- LCC
- PG3332 .P6 — Language and Literature Slavic languages and literatures. Baltic languages. Albanian language Slavic. Baltic. Albanian Russian literature Individual authors and works 1800-1870 Gogol'
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 167
- Popularity
- 195,364
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.92)
- Languages
- 14 — Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 27
- ASINs
- 10
