Николай Гоголь. Жизнь и творчество

Садовский, Prov Mikhailovich Sadovsky (1818–1872), actor of the Maly Theatre in Moscow who founded a famous dynasty of actors.

Булгарин, Faddei Venediktovich Bulgarin (1789–1859), Russian writer and journalist with reactionary leanings, who published the newspaper Severnaya pchela (the Northern Bee) and the magazine Syn otechestva (Son of Our Country).

Сенковский, Osip Ivanovich Senkovsky (1800–1858), Russian writer, critic, journalist and Orientalist; he edited and published the magazine Biblioteka dlya chteniya (Reader's Library).

Греч, Nikolai Ivanovich Grech (1787–1867), Russian writer, journalist and philologist; at one time he was the copublisher of Severnaya pchela and Syn otechestva.

Павлов, Nikolai Filippovich Pavlov (1803–1864), Russian writer, poet and critic.

Шевырёв, Stepan Petrovich Shevyryov (1806–1864), Russian critic, poet, specialist in literature and a journalist; professor at Moscow University, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Гофман, Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffman (1776–1822), German romantic writer, author of Der Goldene Topf, Klein Zaches, Meister Floh, Kater Murr, etc.

Тик, Johann Ludwig Tieck (1773–1853), German romantic writer, author of comedies (Der Gestiefelte Kater and Der Blaubart), stories, etc.

Chapter 4

духом (coll.), very quickly, in a jiffy.

Свиньин, Pavel Petrovich Svinyin (1787–1839), Russian writer and collector of antiquities.

Бессарабия (hist.), Bessarabia area in the Dniester-Pruth interfluve. At present its principal part is incorporated

in the Moldavian SSR, and its southern part, in the Odessa Region of the Ukrainian SSR.

Соллогуб, Vladimir Alexandrovich Sollogub (1813–1882), Russian writer, author of the novel The Tarantass.

Вяземский, Pyotr Andreyevich Vyazemsky (1792–1878), Russian writer, poet and critic; he was a close friend of Pushkin.

Розен, Yegor Fyodorovich Rosen (1800–1860), Russian poet and dramatist.

фризовый (hist.), frieze, a heavy durable fabric with a rough surface.

пустить пыль в глаза (phras.), to deceive, to produce a false impression.

завязка, an episode that introduces the plot (the opposite of denouement).

Герцен, Alexander Ivanovich Herzen (1812–1870), Russian writer, philosopher and revolutionary figure. Author of the novel Who Is to Blame? the memoirs My Past and Thoughts, the philosophical treatises Dilettantism in Science, Letters on the Study of Nature, etc.

Сосницкий, Ivan Ivanovich Sosnitsky (1794–1871), Russian actor who excelled in comedies and vaudevilles.

Каратыгин, Pyotr Andreyevich Karatygin (1805–1879), Russian comic actor. He also composed and translated vaudevilles. Brother of the great tragic actor Vasily Karatygin.

Григорьев, Pyotr Ivanovich Grigoryev (Grigoryev I; 1806–1871), Russian actor, author of comedies and vaudevilles. He adapted the second volume of Gogol’s Dead Souls for the stage under the title The Adventures of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov.

Панаева, Avdotya Yakovlevna Panayeva (Golovacheva; 1820–1893), Russian writer, author of a famous book of reminiscences.

Смирнова, Alexandra Osipovna Smirnova, nee Rosset (1809–1882), maid of honour of the Russian empress, was on friendly terms with both Pushkin and Gogol.

Виельгорский, Mikhail Yuryevich Vyelgorsky (1788–1856), Russian statesman, patron of the arts and amateur composer.

Крылов, Ivan Andreyevich Krylov (1769–1844), Russian writer renowned for his fables.

Тургенев, Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818–1883). Russian writer, author of Sketches of a Sportsman, the novels Rudin, A Nest of the Gentry, On the Eve, Fathers and Sons, Smoke, Virgin Land and other works.

Дюр, Nikolai Osipovich Dyur (1807–1839), Russian comic and vaudeville actor, who excelled in the parts of light-minded dandies and comic old men.

Афанасьев, Alexander Ivanovich Afanasyev (1808–1842), Russian comic actor who played in Moscow; later joined the company of the Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.

Вигель, Filipp Filippovich Vigel (1786–1856), high-ranking official who was close to Russian literary circles and left interesting reminiscences.

Стасов, Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov (1824–1906), Russian art and music critic, who upheld the Realist trend.

Андросов, Vasily Petrovich Androsov (1803–1841), Russian journalist and statistician. He worked for the magazine Moskovsky nablyudatel (The Moscow Observer) and later became its editor.

щекотливо, here: acutely, sensitively.

вояж (arch.), journey, voyage.

Chapter 5

фабула, the plot of a literary work.