Юрий Манн - Николай Гоголь. Жизнь и творчество (Книга для чтения с комментарием на английском языке)

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.

Сервантес, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547–1616), Spanish writer of the Renaissance, author of the novel Galatea , a book of short stories ( Novelas Ejemplares), the tragedy Numancia, etc. It is Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote that made him world famous.

плевать (coll.), here: to treat with contempt, to disregard.

аплодисмент, at present this word is used only in the plural: аплодисме́нты (applause).

вотще (arch.), in vain, for nothing.

Бремен, Оснабрюк, Дюссельдорф, Ахен, Кельн,

Майнц, Франкфурт-на-Майне, Баден-Баден, Bremen, Osnabrück, Düsseldorf, Aachen, Cologne, Mainz, Frankfort on the Main, Baden-Baden (towns in Germany).

Балабина, Maria Petrovna Balabina (1820–1901; married nаmе Vagner), Gogoi’s pupil. The Balabin family took a keen interest in both art and science, and treated Gogol with unfailing friendliness.

Репнина, Varvara Nikolayevna Repnina (1808–1891), maid of honour, a relative of the Balabins. It was through them that Gogol met her at Baden-Baden in 1836.

летопись ( hist.), annual chronicle of historical events that took place in a country, a town, etc. Неге, used metaphorically to mean a detailed, thorough description.

меценат, a munificent patron of the arts or sciences (from Maecenas, a statesman of ancient Rome who supported writers).

Генуя, Флоренция, Рим, Genoa, Florence, Rome— Italian cities. In Gogol’s time, Rome was still the capital of the Papal States.

виа (//. via), Street.

Пантеон, the Panthéon, a monument of Ancient Rome: temple dedicated to all the gods.

Крепость Святого ангела, a Roman monument; initially a mausoleum, the Castle of S. Angelo sheltered the Popes in the Middle Ages in times of trouble or enemy invasion.

Собор Святого Петра, St. Peter’s Cathedra 1, one of Rome's finest cathedrals, consecrated in 1626.

Турин, Turin, city in Northern Italy.

страда Ut . strada), Street.

Ива́нов, Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (1806–1858), Russian artist who lived in Italy from 1831 to 1858. His main work is the monumental Christ Appearing to the People.

Толстой, Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817–1875), Russian writer and poet, author of the popular historical novel Prince Serebryany, the trilogy The Death of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Fyodor loannovich, Tsar Boris, etc.

Волконская, Zinaida Alexandrovna Volkonskaya (1792–1862), Russian writer, composer and singer. She ieft Russta to hve in Italy in 1829.

Микеланджело Буонарроти, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the Renaissance. He painted the vault frescoes in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, The Last Judgement composition in the same chapel, and sculpted the monumental statues David, Moses, etc. He also supervised the building of St. Peter’s Cathedral.

Бернини, Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), Italian architect and sculptor of the Baroque. He designed the colonnade of St. Peter’s Cathedral.

Гольдони, Carlo Goldoni (1707–1793), Italian dramatist who founded the Italian national comedy. Among his comedies are 11 Servitore di Due Padroni (The Servant of Two Masters), La Vedova Sceltra (The Clever Widow), La Locandora (The Mistress of the Inn).

Белли, Gioacchino Giuseppe Belli (1791–1873), Italian poet who left more than 2000 sonnets.

Карамзин, Andrei Nikolayevich Karamzin (1814–1854), son of Nikolai Karamzin; a military officer, retired as colonel of the Guards; he lived abroad during 1836-37.

Карамзин, Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin (1766–1826), Russian writer, historian and journalist. Leading Sentimentalist writer, famous for such works as Letters of a Russian Traveller, Poor Liza, and Bornholm Island. His main historical research is the twelve-volumed History of the Russian State.

Тургенев, Alexander Ivanovich Turgenev (1784–1845), Russian man of letters, student of literary monuments and public figure, who spent many years living abroad.

Тургенев, Nikolai Ivanovich Turgenev (1789–1871). Russian statesman and public figure; for his part in the Decembrist movement he was given the death sentence in his absence, and thus became a political exile.

эспаньолка (hist.), the imperial, a pointed beard growing below the lower lip.

Торжок, an old town in Tver Province (now Kalinin Region, Russian Federation).

Пожарские котлеты, chicken rissoles.

половой (arch.), servant in an inn.

осьмушка (восьмушка) (arch.), octavo (8 vo.; one-eighth of a paper sheet).

А що се таке у вас, пане? (Ukr.) What’s that you have, sir?

Зимний дворец, winter résidence of the Russian tsars in St. Petersburg. Zhukovsky iived in the Winter Palace as tutor of the Crown prince.

Валуев, Pyotr Alexandrovich Valuyev (1814–1890), Russian statesman and writer; governtnent minister, later chairman of the Committee of Ministers.

Девичье поле, area in Moscow’s Southwest, in the bend of the Moskva River.

Редкин, Pyotr Grigoryevich Redkin (1808–1891), jurist and specialist in the history of philosophy; professor at Moscow University, later head of St. Petersburg University.

Свербеева, Yekaterina Alexandrovna Sverbeyeva ( d. 1892), wife of D. Sverbeyev, a rich landowner, retired diplomat and man of letters; the Sverbeyevs had a literary salon in Moscow.

Боткин, Nikolai Petrovich Botkin (1813–1869), brother of the writer V. Botkin and the distinguished physician S. Botkin, Professor of St. Petersburg’s Medical Academy.

Боткин, Vasily Petrovich Botkin (1811–1869), Russian critic and writer, member of N. Stankevich's circle; he was a friend of V. Belinsky.

невидимая рука, here: Providence, divine guidance.

Панов, Vasily Alexeyevich Panov (1819–1849), writer of the Slavophile trend; a relative of the Aksakovs.

Ганау, Hanau, German town on the Main.

Языков, Nikolai Mikhailovich Yazykov (1803–1846), Russian poet; he was a friend of both Pushkin and Gogol.

Chapter 6

барыш ( coll. ), profit, gain.

ценз, qualification; here, a property qualification of owning a certain number of serf peasants.

qui pro quo ( Lat .), кви про кво, smth. for, or in the place of, smth. else.

перипетия, peripeteia, a sudden or unexpected reversai of circumstances or a situation.

миллионщик (coll.), millionaire.

приказчик, here hist.: .steward; head, manager of a landed estate.

небречь (arch.), to disregard something, to neglect one’s duties.

без пошатки (coll.), stable, steady (from пошатнуть, to incline to one side).

кувшинное рыло, "pitcher mug"; Gogol uses this expression to describe a hideous face of which the nose is the dominant feature.

праздношатайка (arch.), idler, loafer.

негоция (arch.), commercial transaction.

кулак (arch.), a grabber who is also a thrifty and prudent person.

го́ренка (arch., dim. of го́рница), a small room.

парвеню (Fr. parvenu), upstart; one that has risen above the station in life in which he was born.

казённая палата (hist.), in pre-revolutionary Russia, a province's board in charge of fiscal matters.

повытчик (hist.), registering clerk in charge of the safekeeping of papers received and clerical work.

пассаж, here: a sentence, description, reasoning.

храм Христа Спасителя, the Church of Christ the Saviour was built on the left bank of the Moskva River in 1837-83 after the project of the architect Thon; it was pulled down in the 1930s.

иным ключом, in a different way. Cf. бить (or кипе́ть) ключо́м, to bubble, to be agitated.

глава (arch.) = голова́, head.

ins Blaue (Ger.), into the skies.

нервистый (arch.), nervous, impassioned.

Масальский, Konstantin Petrovich Masalsky (1802–1861), Russian writer and critic, author of many historical novels and tales; in 1842-52 he was the editor of the journal Syn otechestva.

Полевой, Nikolai Alexeyevich Polevoi (see Notes to Ch. I). In 1841-42 Polevoi published the journal Russky vestnik (The Russian Herald).

в сей же самой (arch.), in the same.

Chapter 7

Чижов, Fyodor Vasilyevich Chizhov (1811–1877), Russian man of letters and scientist; associate professor of mathematics at St. Petersburg University.

Иордан, Fyodor Ivanovich Iordan (1800–1883), Russian artist and engraver, author of a gallery of portraits of Russian cultural figures.

Римская Кампанья, Roman Campagna, a hilly plain in Italy. The name is also used in reference to the environs of Rome.

Карлсбад, Karlsbad (now Karlovy Vary), health resort in Austria-Hungary (now in Czechoslovakia).

аще не умрёт ( arch .), unless he dies, if he does not die.

Феникс, Phoenix, a legendary bird that was consumed in fire by its own act and rose in youthful freshness from its own ashes.

Колизей, the Colosseum (Coliseum), a monument of Ancient Rome; its vast arena was designed for gladiatorial combats and other events.

Монте-Пинчио, Monte Pincio, an area of Rome; a hill with a pine grove.

Бамберг, Bamberg, a town in Bavaria (Germany).

лихоимство (arch.), bribery, venality.

зальцбруннское письмо, Belinsky’s letter to Gogol of July 15, 1847 (New Style), written in the town of Salzbrunn (Germany).

Толстой, Alexander Petrovich Tolstoy (1801–1873), high-ranking official; governor of Odessa, and later of Tver; he subsequently became the Procurator General of the Holy Synod.

Апраксина, Sofya Petrovna Apraksina (1800–1886), sister of Alexander Tolstoy, widow of Major-General V. Apraksin.

Остенде, Ostend, Belgian health-resort on the North Sea.

дабы (arch.), in order to.

Базили, Konstantin Mikhailovich Bazili (1809–1884), Russian diplomat, historian and writer.