Collection - Professor of Immortality. Mystical works of Russian writers

Mysticism in the works of famous Russian writers

fifteenth century

The first literary works that contained elements of the terrible and mystical appeared as early as the 15th century. These include the old Russian story "About Dracula the Governor", which was published in the 80s of this century. As noted: the legend of the vampire penetrated into Western Europe not directly from Romania, but through the Old Russian "" (80s of the XV century)

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“There was a governor in the Muntian land, a Christian of the Greek faith, his name in Wallachian is Dracula, but in our opinion it is the Devil. He was so cruel and wise that, what is his name, such was his life.
"The Tale of Dracula Governor"

Now the genre of literature associated with mysticism is called horror. In literature, the genre is associated with the supernatural in the truest sense of the word; has a limited set of themed characters, borrowed, as a rule, from grassroots mythology different peoples: vampires, zombies, werewolves, ghosts, demons, etc.

nineteenth century

The first in Russian literature fantasy story"" written in 1825 was quite original. It was based on folk beliefs about the connections of people with otherworldly forces that give wealth and power, but lead to the death of a person. However, it is ironic.

- Father! it’s grandma’s black cat,” answered Masha, forgetting herself and pointing to the guest, who in a strange way turned his head and looked at her touchingly, almost completely closing his eyes.

- You've gone crazy! cried Onufrich with annoyance. - What cat? This is Mr. titular councillor, Aristarkh Faleleich Murlykin, who does you the honor and asks for your hand in marriage.

A. Pogorelsky, "Lafertovskaya Makovnitsa".

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Of no small importance in the development of the genre was the collection of works "", published in the autumn of 1831. Of the works included in the book, the work "" most fully reflects the horror genre.

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"- Witch? The old women invented that from that time on all the drowned women went out on a moonlit night to the master's garden to bask in the month; and the centurion's daughter became chief over them. One night she saw her stepmother near the pond, attacked her and dragged her screaming into the water. But the witch was found here too: she turned under water into one of the drowned women and through that she got away from the whip of green reed, with which the drowned women wanted to beat her. Trust the grandmothers! They also say that the pannochka gathers drowned women every night and looks into each one's face one by one, trying to find out which of them is a witch; but still didn't know. »

N.V. Gogol "May night, or a drowned woman"

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“Everything was visible, and one could even notice how the sorcerer, sitting in a pot, swept past them like a whirlwind; how the stars, gathered in a heap, played hide and seek; how a whole swarm of spirits swirled aside like a cloud; how the devil, dancing at the moon, took off his hat, seeing a blacksmith galloping on horseback; how a broom flying back flew, on which, apparently, a witch had just gone where she needed ... they met a lot more rubbish.

N.V. Gogol "The Night Before Christmas"

“Suddenly ... in the midst of silence ... the iron lid of the coffin burst with a crack and a dead man rose. It was even scarier than the first time. His teeth banged row upon row terribly, his lips twitched in convulsions, and, screeching wildly, spells rushed. The whirlwind rose through the church, icons fell to the ground, flew from top to bottom broken glass windows. The doors were torn off their hinges, and a myriad force of monsters flew into god's church. A terrible noise from the wings and from the scratching of the claws filled the whole church. Everything flew and rushed, looking everywhere for the philosopher.

N.V. Gogol "Viy"

"Undertaker"- A.S. Pushkin's story from the cycle "Tales of the late Ivan Petrovich Belkin", written in 1830 and published in 1831. Reading this story, we can be convinced that mysticism was not alien to Pushkin.

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“The room was full of the dead. The moon through the windows illuminated their yellow and blue faces, sunken mouths, cloudy, half-closed eyes and protruding noses... Adrian recognized with horror in them the people who had been buried by his efforts, and in the guest who entered with him, the brigadier, buried during the torrential rain. All of them, ladies and men, surrounded the undertaker with bows and greetings, except for one poor man, recently buried for nothing, who, ashamed and ashamed of his rags, did not approach and stood humbly in the corner. The rest were all decently dressed: the dead in caps and ribbons, the dead officials in uniforms, but with unshaven beards, merchants in festive caftans.

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- Yes, she definitely was Sugrobina a few years ago, but now she is nothing but the most vile ghoul, who is only waiting for an opportunity to get enough of human blood. See how she looks at this poor girl; This is her own granddaughter. Listen to what the old woman says: she praises her and persuades her to come for two weeks to her dacha, to the very dacha you are talking about; but I assure you that it won't be three days before the poor thing dies. Doctors will say it is fever or inflammation in the lungs; but don't believe them!

A.K. Tolstoy "Ghoul"

« Ghoul family”- a gothic short story by 21-year-old Count A.K. Tolstoy, written by him in 1839 in French, also has a mystical character. It was first published in Russian in 1884 in the Russky Vestnik magazine. The story has a subtitle: "An unpublished excerpt from the notes of an unknown person."

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- Ghouls are like an infection, - continued the hermit and crossed himself, - how many families in the village have suffered, how many of them have died out to the last person, and you listen to me and spend the night in the monastery, otherwise, even if the ghouls don’t eat you in the village, you anyway, you will suffer such fear from them that you will turn gray before I ring for matins. I,” he continued, “is only a poor monk, but the travelers themselves give so much from their generosity that I can take care of them. I have excellent cheese, raisins such that looking at it - saliva will flow, and several bottles of Tokay - no worse than what the holy patriarch himself deigns to drink.

A.K. Tolstoy "Ghoul Family"

"Ghosts"- the story of I.S. Turgenev, conceived by the writer in 1855, completed in 1863 and published in 1864.

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“Yes, it was her, my night guest. As I approached her, the moon shone again. She seemed all over, as it were, woven from a translucent, milky fog - through her face I could see a branch gently swayed by the wind - only her hair and eyes were slightly blackened, and on one of the fingers of her folded hands a narrow ring shone with pale gold. I stopped in front of her and wanted to speak; but the voice died away in my chest, although I no longer felt any actual fear. Her eyes turned to me: their gaze expressed neither grief nor joy, but some kind of lifeless attention. I waited to see if she would utter a word, but she remained motionless and silent, and kept looking at me with her deathly gaze. I got scared again."

I.S. Turgenev "Ghosts"

Soviet era

socialist realism excluded the supernatural from the arsenal literary means, and the first violations of this prohibition date back to the 60s, when the canon began to erode. Then "" was first published. Separate examples of the "terrible" are found in Soviet science fiction.

"The Master and Margarita"- a novel by M.A. Bulgakov, work on which began in the late 1920s and continued until the death of the writer. The first complete edition of the book in Russian was published in 1969.

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Ivan was so struck by the behavior of the cat that he froze motionless at the grocery store on the corner and here for the second time, but much more strongly, was struck by the behavior of the conductor. She, as soon as she saw a cat climbing into a tram, shouted with anger, from which she even trembled:

– Cats can't! Not allowed with cats! Get out! Get down, or I'll call the police!

Neither the conductor nor the passengers were struck by the very essence of the matter: not that the cat climbs into the tram, which would be half the trouble, but that he was going to pay!

M. Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita.

Conclusion

Immerse yourself in the interesting world of the book, on its pages you may come across the strange, unknown, mystical and even terrible, but breathtaking. Discover these works, expand the list of authors and works that have interested you in mysticism.

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

For my work, I chose the theme "Mysticism in literature as a reflection of the world of the human soul." Human psychology is based on a keen interest in everything mysterious, inexplicable, and I am no exception. This topic has fascinated me since childhood. I read a number literary works containing elements of mysticism, I already have some reading experience behind me, which is enough for a comparative analysis.

In my work, I want to pay special attention to the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The choice of the author is not accidental, since he is the most prominent representative mystical trend in Russian literature. His life and work are inextricably linked with everything mysterious and inexplicable. In my work, I pay special attention to such works of his as "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka", "Viy", "Nose", "Overcoat", "Portrait".

The main goal of my work is to determine the place of mystical literature, its functions and significance for a person.

The tasks that I set for myself: the study of literary works of a mystical orientation, both Russian and foreign authors; search for common distinguishing features mysticism; identification of the sources of mysticism and its functions.

I. MYSTICISM AND ITS ORIGINS

The purpose of my work is not to study mysticism from a philosophical, scientific and theological point of view. Therefore, I do not consider the definitions of mysticism given by philosophers, scientists and religious leaders. Moreover, the dispute about the nature and essence of mysticism is still going on in these areas.

From the point of view of literature, mysticism (from the Greek mystikos - mysterious) is:

something incomprehensible, inexplicable, mysterious (source: dictionary of T. F. Efremova);

teaching, conviction, concept or inclination towards mysterious interpretation and ritualism (source: V. Dahl's dictionary);

something mysterious, incomprehensible, inexplicable (source: D. N. Ushakov's dictionary);

belief in the existence of supernatural forces with which a person is mysteriously connected and able to communicate (source: www.wikipedia.ru);

something that is beyond human understanding, but carries a special hidden meaning (source: www.onlinedics.ru).

Mystics contrast "reality" and "appearance." The word "reality" has not a logical, but an emotional meaning (source: www.onlinedics.ru).

All these definitions highlight the main features of mysticism. First of all - an appeal to the world of supernatural forces, the nature of which lies beyond the bounds of the human mind and which are perceived by a person at the level of spiritual sensations.

Mankind has always shown interest in mysticism, including in painting, sculpture, music, alchemy, and literature. But if we see the picture, we hear the music, then we can only mentally imagine what is described in words, understand with the mind; it is important to perceive mystical literature not only with the five main senses, but also with the sixth - with the soul.

Mysticism takes its beginnings in folk ethnos and religion. From there, he borrows the theme, characters, symbols, as well as the way of conveying sensations, feelings and emotions.

The main theme is the eternal conflict between good and evil and the personal choice of a person.

A striking example is Johann Goethe's tragedy Faust. The protagonist, Dr. Faust, is a man who lived long life, his mind is satiated. He tries to understand the world, but all attempts are fruitless. For a long time, Faust lived as a recluse in his office, and he wants to taste the delights of life. His mind is strong, but his soul is weak, empty and helpless, as evidenced by his disappointment in science, to which he devoted his whole life, a suicide attempt and agreement to a deal with Mephistopheles. The weakness of Faust's soul is opposed by the strength of Margarita's soul, which is able to forgive and beg forgiveness for him.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde has similar features to Goethe's tragedy, it is sometimes called the "new Faust". The protagonist Dorian, a young talented young man, succumbs to the influence of Lord Henry. One after another, he commits terrible deeds, destroying loved ones. Dorian is most afraid of growing old, losing his extraordinary beauty. When his artist friend paints his portrait, the young man says: "Oh, if it could be the other way around! If only the portrait grew old, and I remained forever young!" And his wish comes true. The portrait not only takes away the "extra" years, but also takes on all the sins and misdeeds of Dorian. Sometimes the hero tries to improve, but only vanity guides his thoughts. His soul is also weak, like the soul of Faust. She is unable to make her own choice and fight for it.

In the ballads of Vasily Zhukovsky "Lyudmila" and "Svetlana" the characters also stand in front of moral choice. The main characters of both ballads are waiting for the return of their beloved. One receives terrible news, and the other has a disturbing dream. Lyudmila begins to grumble at God: "No, the creator is not merciful; forgive everything; everything." And in return, she gets what she asks - the girl is taken away by her dead fiancé: "Your groan was heard by the creator; your hour has beaten, the end has come." Svetlana is submissive to fate, she asks God to help her: "I pray and shed tears! Assuage my sorrow, comforting angel." And her dear, alive and still loving comes to her. "The best friend to us in this life is faith in providence."

The struggle between good and evil is clearly shown in Nikolai Gumilyov's story "Black Dick". The main character is the embodiment of evil, he does extremely low deeds. The pastor is trying to fight him, to guide the people around him on the right path. But then the priest realizes that it is impossible to fight violence with violence and that he should not have gone against Dick and awakened the evil lurking in him: "Everyone is given his own fate, and it is not befitting for us, knowledgeable people arbitrarily intervene in the work of God's Providence." terrible beast and dies. But evil is defeated at the cost of the life of an innocent girl, who in the story is the embodiment of good.

Many characters and symbols came to mysticism from ethnicity and religion. From there borrowed not only fantastic, but also real creatures endowed with unusual properties.

The black raven is found in many works. The bird symbolizes evil, death, desolation on the one hand, and longevity and wisdom on the other. "The raven croaks: sadness!" - says the ballad "Svetlana". In his poem "The Raven", Edgar Allan Poe calls the bird "the proud Raven of the old days", "terrible spirit", "undaunted prophet", "prophetic".

The crow is opposed to the dove - a symbol of peace, love, purity, hope. In the ballad "Svetlana" he is shown as a defender. In the same work, another bird is mentioned - a rooster, a symbol of the sun, dawn.

Not only living creatures, but even stones are a kind of sign, symbolize the cult of fire, as in the story "Black Dick". Other symbols are also mentioned in the same work: caves as a way to enter another world in Celtic mythology; black stones are a sign of the presence of ancient dark forces, etc. The ballad "Svetlana" speaks of another symbol - a mirror into which the heroine looks during divination. The mirror is a symbol of eternity, spiritual purity, a reflection of supernatural intelligence.

The theme of mysticism is often turned to biblical stories, and the heroes of the works are Jesus Christ and Satan in different guises. Vivid examples are the tragedy "Faust" by Johann Goethe and the novel "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Mysticism, following folk ethnicity and religion, has its own ways of conveying sensations, feelings and emotions, reflecting the world into which the reader must immerse. First of all, this border state consciousness of a person, when his mind is dulled, and sensory sensations come to the fore. These are the state of sleep, immersion in detachment, the state of drug and alcohol intoxication. At these moments, a person is deprived of the ability to adequately perceive reality and can go beyond reality.

This technique is used in the ballad "Svetlana". On the night before Epiphany, the heroine sees a disturbing dream. Dreams dreamed that night are considered prophetic. Svetlana overcomes all obstacles and dangers in a dream, after which she wakes up, and in reality everything turns out to be fine. "Here misfortune is a false dream; happiness is an awakening."

In the short story "Ligeia" the hero is under the influence of opium, trying at least for a while to get rid of the mental anguish caused by the death of his beloved wife. He is so immersed in himself and his visions that when his second wife, a living person, dies in his arms, the hero is not so worried about her, ghosts appear to him, the image of Ligeia rises before him.

In the story "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe, the hero becomes an inveterate drunkard and slowly begins to lose himself. His behavior changes for the worse, he hurts those he loves, in a fit of anger he kills his wife: "My soul, it seemed, suddenly left the body; and anger, fiercer than the devil, inflamed by genie, instantly seized my whole being." He is haunted by terrible visions caused by remorse.

The technique of referring to the past is also often used. The stories "Black Dick" by Nikolai Gumilyov and "Metzengerstein" by Edgar Poe tell about the events of past years, turned into legends. According to the authors, these events cannot happen now, which their contemporary would hardly believe in them.

In the story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe, the hero describes the past in a song: "Where the angels fluttered over the grass of their native valleys, the proud giant castle lit up with glitter." The joyful beginning of the song is contrasted with its ending: "The abode of black troubles; sinister laughter hovers in the darkness, there are no more smiles", as well as the whole atmosphere of the story, in which the story is about the present moment. The author seeks in the past that goodness, that light that he does not see in the present. The future oppresses him, it seems terrible, fatal and irreversible.

Another interesting way is to conduct rituals. The ballad Svetlana describes Christmas divination. In "Faust" the hero appeals to the spirits, wanting to comprehend the secrets of nature. Magic rituals they are, as it were, a means of connecting a person with the world of supernatural forces, an opportunity to know it.

The main function of the folk ethnos and religion is educational, as well as the need to preserve the names of heroes and their exploits in history, which could serve as an example for future generations.

II. DIFFERENT FEATURES OF MYSTICISM. FUNCTIONS

Mysticism not only absorbs all these functions, but also goes further, acquiring its own distinctive features. The educational function is gradually losing its significance. Other goals come first:

exploration of the world of supernatural forces beyond the control of human consciousness;

attempts to determine the place and capabilities of a person in a world that is beyond his understanding;

disclosure of the eternal conflict of good and evil;

perception of the world by the reader with the soul, and not with the mind;

veiled description of reality through fantasy characters and phenomena;

creating a background, a special color;

attracting reader interest.

III. CREATIVITY OF NIKOLAI VASILIEVICH GOGOL

Now I want to turn directly to the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. I chose this author not by chance. His mystical works are a whole world, multifaceted, bright and colorful.

The whole life of the writer, creativity, death and even the reburial of his remains are associated with many inexplicable facts. The author's personal attitude to mysticism is peculiar. Throughout life and creative way he turns less and less to mysticism, as if afraid of its influence on his destiny. But the more diligently Gogol leaves mysticism in his work, the more it manifests itself in the fate of the writer. We will never know the contents of the second volume of "Dead Souls" and the reasons for its burning. However, it can be assumed that the answer lies in the same mysticism.

The reason for the inconsistency of Gogol's views, both on the real world and on the world of supernatural forces, mental unrest, in my opinion, should be sought in the author's childhood.

His mother, Maria Ivanovna, was deeply religious. However, her fate was not easy. She was orphaned early, married early, lost many of her children. Nicholas was the only surviving son and first child. Her care and concern for her son was special. She put her whole soul into it and conveyed religiosity as she perceived it herself. Faith for this woman was associated, first of all, with the fear of sin and the inevitability of punishment. Therefore, Gogol, following her, does not find in faith the boundless love, happiness and joy that his soul needs. And the soul tries to find solace in the pictures native nature, juicy, colorful, in folk colors - legends, rituals and, finally, in mysticism. According to the writer's own admission, scary tales greatly occupied and worried him. It is not accidental that the images of heroines associated with the world of supernatural forces are attractive. What a sad and beautiful image of a drowned woman Gogol draws in the story "May night, or a drowned woman." Depicting the lady-witch from Viy, the author writes: “before him lay a beauty that had ever been on earth. It seemed that features had never been formed in such a sharp and at the same time harmonious beauty. She lay as if she were alive.

But mysticism cannot replace faith. Gogol does not find peace of mind in anything, and this internal conflict is reflected in his works.

The collection "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka" was published in 1831-1832. This is the time when in public and political life countries, the ideas of populism appeared, and appeals to the themes and characters of the folk ethnos were very popular in culture. However, in my opinion, Gogol does not follow fashion, but takes on a topic that is interesting to him, not fully understood and studied. All the complexities of his perception of folk ethnos and mysticism were reflected in a bright kaleidoscope of stories.

With all the differences in plots, the personal choice of a person in the definition eternal questions good and evil that he does with his heart and his soul.

"Sorochinsky Fair", "The Missing Letter" and " enchanted place"are funny, comic stories, where the heroes of the works are funny, reckless, and sometimes just stupid people. They are afraid of evil spirits, but at the same time they enter into an argument with it and turn out to be stronger. In the "Sorochinsky Fair" there is no devil himself, there is only a legend about him, faith in which, on the contrary, leads to a good and happy denouement. And in the other two works, evil spirits can only do minor dirty tricks.

In two other stories, "May Night, or the Drowned Woman" and "The Night Before Christmas," evil spirits are directly involved in the fate of the main characters. The drowned pannochka helps Levko and Hanna, who are in love, find happiness. Like the devil, in the end, Vakula, the hero of the story "The Night Before Christmas", helps. Vakula is a real Ukrainian boy who works and lives honestly, his love for Oksana is pure and real. He was not afraid to go on a dangerous journey, to appear before the empress, to fight the devil. Vakula punished the devil, but did not sell his human soul evil spirits. That's why he got the happiness he deserved.

Another choice is made by the heroes of Terrible Revenge and The Night Before Ivan Kupala.

In the first case, the main character is a hereditary sorcerer, whose ancestor treacherously killed his best friend along with his son, he himself is the embodiment of evil and destroys people close to him. There are also biblical motives here, since children also bear the price for the sins of the fathers. Evil is defeated in the end, but at a very high price - at the cost of the lives of innocent people.

In the second case, the desire to marry the beloved girl and the thirst for profit, on the slander of the witches, push the main character Petrus to kill the child - his own brother. But what is desired, obtained in this way, does not bring happiness. Petrus goes crazy, turns into a handful of ashes, and money into broken shards.

The second collection "Mirgorod" includes the story "Viy".

In my opinion, Viy is Gogol's brightest mystical work. The ominous action takes place either against the backdrop of bright nature, the calm and measured life of the Ukrainian village, or against the background of nature that inspires mystical horror. Gogol does not just create these mise-en-scenes. A bright and quiet world is easy to destroy, it turns out to be fragile. Only the truly strong bright man able to challenge the dark forces and protect his world. But is Khoma Brut so? Homa is a minion of fate, he is a pragmatist and a fatalist, besides he is phlegmatic and lazy. This is the main life principle: "what to be, that cannot be avoided." Reckless drinking, satisfying food, fun in women's society - everything that Khoma's usual life is filled with - sins that make his soul weaker and weaker. The meeting with the pannochka, the performance of the funeral rite over her are a test for his faith and soul. Did the main character survive? There is no clear answer to this. Having won dark forces he dies himself. The reader is left with only hope that his soul has been saved, he has atoned for his sins.

When describing the three nights when Khoma buries the deceased lady, Gogol uses a technique traditional for mystics. The state of the protagonist is close to hallucinations or to sleep, when everything around is perceived by the soul, and not by the mind.

It is impossible not to say about the images of pannochka and Viy.

Pannochka is a cruel, treacherous witch who can take the form of animals. She tortures people, drinks their blood. However, the image of the pannochka, created by the author, is not only mysterious, but also a certain attractiveness. Compassion arises in the soul of the reader. What made the lady become a witch? The author does not give an answer, allowing you to make an independent choice.

The image of Viy arose from ancient folk beliefs. The old invincible evil lurks in the bowels of the earth, and people can always awaken it with their unreasonable behavior.

In his later works from the collection "Petersburg Tales" the writer in last time addresses the theme of mysticism. But only now these heroes are close to the reader and are ordinary inhabitants, the action of the works has been transferred from the Ukrainian hinterland to St. Petersburg. Heroes are far from the people, but they have the same weaknesses and vices.

In the story "The Nose", the hero loses his nose on the night from Thursday to Friday, when folk beliefs dark forces rule, and therefore dreams turn out to be prophetic. Also, according to dream books, a nose, especially a large one, means significance in society, well-being and success. Thus, Gogol characterizes his character. His soul is empty, it does not aspire to high purpose. All the efforts of the protagonist are aimed at creating their own social status, which, apart from a specific name, has no meaning. The hero is punished with his own nose, because his absence deprives his life of any meaning.

Of course, the image of the collegiate assessor Kovalev is comical, but the essence of the work is to reveal the flaws public consciousness not only of that era, but, unfortunately, of subsequent generations. At the same time, the methods and methods of mystical literature are ideal in this case for creating images of heroes.

The story "Portrait" is not like other mystical works of Gogol, here the philosophical and religious aspects come to the fore. The choice of the artist and creator. Firstly, is it worthy of a true creator to engage in art for enrichment and, secondly, how to avoid dark side talent and resist the temptation to create images that have demonic power.

The heroes of both the first and second parts of the work succumbed to temptation, although for different reasons. Their souls took the side of evil, and evil manifested itself and affected the destinies of many people.

In his further work Gogol refuses to turn to mysticism, although the fate of his heroes realistic works in one way or another, conduction influences. And the title of the novel "Dead Souls" is a response to mysticism.

I repeat that we do not know the content of the second volume of the novel, but perhaps the author nevertheless decided to return to the topic of supernatural forces. What was written became for him the most terrible revelation, which he considered necessary to destroy. The world of supernatural forces and its ability to influence the fate of a person remained unsolved for Gogol. Being originally the basis of the writer's spiritual contradictions, mysticism became a test and punishment for him.

Perhaps that is why mysticism in Gogol's work is so unique, inventive and multifaceted. The images he created still attract and excite the reader. And this is obvious. Man will always be interested in what is beyond his mind. The desire of a person to feel and feel the most mysterious and inexplicable world will always be alive. But I would like to believe that, perceiving someone else's experience, the human soul will improve and turn into a world of light and goodness, a world where love and harmony triumph.

LIST OF LITERARY WORKS

Johann Goethe "Faust"

Oscar Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Edgar Poe "The Raven", "Ligeia", "The Black Cat", "Metzengerstein", "The Fall of the House of Usher"

Vasily Zhukovsky "Lyudmila", "Svetlana"

Nikolai Gumilyov "Black Dick"

Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"

Nikolai Gogol "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka", "Viy", "Nose", "Portrait", "Dead Souls"

LITERATURE

www.wikipedia.ru

www.onlinedics.ru

www.gogol.biografy.ru

dictionary by T. F. Efremova

V. Dahl's dictionary

dictionary D. N. Ushakov

Goethe's tragedy Faust. Faust image. Analysis of the work "I V. Kabanova

Among the geniuses of Russian literature there are those whose names all readers associate with something otherworldly and inexplicable, leading to awe ordinary person. Such writers undoubtedly include N.V. Gogol, whose life story is undoubtedly intriguing. This is a unique individual; as a legacy from him, humanity received an invaluable gift of works, where he appears either as a subtle satirist, revealing the ulcers of modernity, or as a mystic, forcing goosebumps to run across the skin. Gogol is a riddle of Russian literature, never completely solved by anyone. Gogol's mysticism continues to intrigue its readers at the present time.

Many mysterious things are connected both with the work and with the life of the great writer. Our contemporaries, philologists and historians, who are trying to give answers to numerous questions related to his fate, can only guess about how everything really happened and build numerous theories.

Gogol: a life story

The appearance of the family of Nikolai Vasilyevich was preceded by a rather interesting story. It is known that his father, being a boy, had a dream in which the Mother of God showed him his betrothed. After some time, he recognized in the neighbor's daughter the features of the bride destined for him. The girl was only seven months old at the time. Thirteen years later, Vasily Afanasyevich proposed to the girl, and the wedding took place.

Many misunderstandings and rumors are connected with the date of Gogol's birth. Exact date became known to the general public only after the funeral of the writer.

His father was indecisive and rather suspicious, but undoubtedly a gifted person. He tried his hand at writing poems, comedies, took part in staging home performances.

Mother Nikolai Vasilyevich, Maria Ivanovna, was a deeply religious person, but at the same time she was interested in various predictions and signs. She managed to instill in her son the fear of God and faith in forebodings. This influenced the child, and he grew up, from childhood experiencing an interest in everything mysterious and inexplicable. These hobbies are fully embodied in his work. Perhaps that is why many superstitious researchers of the writer's life had doubts about whether Gogol's mother was a witch.

Thus, having absorbed the features of both his parents, Gogol was a quiet and thoughtful child with an irrepressible passion for everything otherworldly and a rich imagination, which sometimes played cruel jokes with him.

Black cat story

So, the case with a black cat is known, which shook him to the core. His parents left him alone at home, the boy was going about his business and suddenly noticed a black cat that was sneaking up on him. An inexplicable horror attacked him, but he overcame his fear, grabbed her and threw her into the pond. After that, the feeling that this cat was a converted person did not leave him. This story was embodied in the story "May Night, or the Drowned Woman", where the witch had the gift of transforming into a black cat and doing evil in such a guise.

Burning of the Hans Küchelgarten

While studying at the gymnasium, Gogol simply raved about St. Petersburg, he dreamed of living in this city and doing great things for the benefit of mankind. But moving to St. Petersburg did not live up to his expectations. The city was gray, dull and cruel to the bureaucratic class. Nikolai Vasilievich creates the poem "Hans Kühelgarten", but publishes it under a pseudonym. The poem was smashed by critics, and the writer, unable to bear this disappointment, buys the entire print run of the book and sets it on fire.

Mystical "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka"

After the first failure, Gogol turns to a topic close to him. He decides to create a cycle of stories about his native Ukraine. Petersburg puts pressure on him, his mental condition exacerbated by poverty, which seems to have no end. Nikolay writes letters to his mother, in which he asks her to tell in detail about the beliefs and customs of Ukrainians, some lines of these messages are blurred with his tears. He gets to work, having received information from his mother. The cycle “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” became the result of a long work. This work simply breathes Gogol's mysticism; in most of the stories of this cycle, people are faced with evil spirits. It is surprising how colorful and lively the author's description of various evil spirits turned out to be, mysticism and otherworldly forces rule their show here. Everything down to the smallest detail makes the reader feel involved in what is happening on the pages. This collection brings popularity to Gogol, mysticism in the works attracts readers.

"Viy"

One of the most famous works of Gogol is the story "Viy", which was included in the collection "Mirgorod", published by Gogol in 1835. The works included in it were enthusiastically received by critics. As the basis for the story "Viy" Gogol takes old folk tales about the terrifying and powerful leader of evil spirits. It is surprising that the researchers of his work have not yet been able to find a single legend similar to the plot of Gogol's Viy. The plot of the story is simple. Three bursaks go to work as tutors, but, having lost their way, they ask to stay with the old woman. She reluctantly lets them in. At night, she sneaks up to one of the guys, Khoma Brutus, and, saddling him, begins to rise with him into the air. Khoma begins to pray, and this helps. The witch weakens, and the hero begins to beat her with a log, but suddenly notices that in front of him lies not an old woman, but a young and beautiful girl. He, seized with unspeakable horror, runs away to Kyiv. But the hands of the witch reach there too. They come for Homa to take him to the funeral of the dead daughter of the centurion. It turns out that this is the witch he killed. And now the bursak must spend three nights in the temple in front of her coffin, reading the waste.

The first night made Brutus turn gray, as the lady got up and tried to catch him, but he outlined himself in a circle, and she did not succeed. The witch flew around him in her coffin. On the second night, the guy tried to escape, but he was caught and brought back to the temple. This night became fatal. Pannochka called for help all the evil spirits and demanded to bring Viy. When the philosopher saw the lord of the gnomes, he shuddered in horror. And after Viyu's eyelids were raised by his servants, he saw Khoma and pointed him out to the ghouls and ghouls, the unfortunate Khoma Brut died on the spot from fear.

In this story, Gogol depicted the clash of religion and evil spirits, but, unlike in Evenings, demonic forces won here.

Based on this story, a film of the same name was made. It is unofficially referred to the list of so-called "cursed" films. The mysticism of Gogol and his works took with them many people who took part in the creation of this film.

Gogol's loneliness

Despite his great popularity, Nikolai Vasilyevich was not happy in matters of the heart. He never found a life partner. There were periodic loves, which rarely developed into something serious. There were rumors that once he asked for the hand of Countess Villegorskaya. But he was refused due to social inequality.

Gogol decided that his whole life would be devoted to literature, and over time, romantic hobbies completely disappeared.

Genius or crazy?

Gogol spends 1839 traveling. During a visit to Rome, trouble happened to him, he caught a serious illness, which was called "swamp fever". The disease proceeded very hard and threatened the writer with death. He managed to survive, but the disease affected his brain. This resulted in mental and physical distress. Frequent fainting spells, voices and visions that visited the consciousness of Nikolai Vasilyevich, inflamed with encephalitis, tormented him. He sought somewhere to find solace for his restless soul. Gogol wanted to receive a true blessing. In 1841, his dream came true, there was a meeting with the preacher Innocent, which he had long dreamed of. The preacher gave Gogol an icon of the Savior and blessed him to travel to Jerusalem. But the trip did not bring him the desired peace. The deterioration of health progresses, creative inspiration exhausts itself. The work is given to the writer more and more difficult. Increasingly, he says that the evil spirit affects him. Mysticism in Gogol's life has always taken its place.

The death of a close friend, E. M. Khomyakova, crippled the writer completely. He sees this as a terrible omen for himself. It seems to Gogol more and more often that his death is near, and he is very afraid of it. His condition is aggravated by the priest Matvey Konstantinovsky, who frightens Nikolai Vasilyevich with terrible afterlife torments. He blames him for his work and lifestyle, bringing his already shattered psyche to a breakdown.

The writer's phobias are incredibly aggravated. It is known that more than anything in the world he was afraid of falling into a lethargic sleep and being buried alive. To avoid this, in his will, he asked to be buried only after all signs of death become apparent and decomposition begins. He was so afraid of this that he slept exclusively sitting in armchairs. The fear of a mysterious death haunted him constantly.

Death is like a dream

On the night of the 11th, an event occurred that still disturbs the minds of many biographers of Gogol. While visiting Count A. Tolstoy, Nikolai Vasilievich felt extremely worried that night. He did not find a place for himself. And so, as if deciding on something, he took out a pack of sheets from his briefcase and threw it into the fire. According to some versions, this was the second volume of Dead Souls, but there is also an opinion that the manuscript survived, and other papers were burned. From that moment on, Gogol's illness progressed with inexorable speed. Increasingly, he was haunted by visions and voices, he refused to eat. Doctors called by his friends tried to treat him, but it was all in vain.

Gogol left this world on February 21, 1852. The doctor Tarasenkov stated the death of Nikolai Vasilyevich. He was only 43 years old. The age at which Gogol died was a great shock to his family and friends. Russian culture has lost a great man. There was some mysticism in Gogol's death, in its suddenness and swiftness.

The funeral of the writer took place with a huge crowd of people at the cemetery of the St. Danilov Monastery, a massive tombstone was erected from a single piece of black granite. I would like to think that he found eternal rest there, but fate decreed otherwise.

Posthumous "life" and Gogol's mysticism

The St. Danilovskoye cemetery did not become the last resting place of N.V. Gogol. 79 years after his burial, a decision was made to liquidate the monastery and place a receiver for homeless children on its territory. The tomb of the great writer stood in the way of the rapidly developing Soviet Moscow. It was decided to reburial Gogol at the Novodevichy cemetery. But everything happened completely in the spirit of Gogol's mysticism.

An entire commission was invited to carry out the exhumation, which drew up a corresponding act. It is strange that almost no details were indicated in it, only information that the body of the writer was removed from the grave on May 31, 1931. There was no information about the position of the body and the conclusion of a medical examination.

But the oddities don't end there. When they began to dig, it turned out that the grave was much deeper than is customary, and the coffin was placed in a brick crypt. The remains of the writer were removed when dusk fell. And then the spirit of Gogol played a kind of joke on the participants of this event. The exhumation was attended by about 30 people, including eminent writers of that time. As it turned out later, the memories of most of them very much contradicted each other.

Some claimed that there were no remains in the grave, it was empty. Others claimed that the writer was lying on his side with outstretched arms, which testified in favor of the version of lethargy. But the majority of those present claimed that the body lay in the usual position, but the head was missing.

Such different testimonies and the very figure of Gogol, conducive to fantastic fiction, gave rise to many rumors about the mysterious death of Gogol, the scratched coffin lid.

What happened next can hardly be called an exhumation. It was more like a blasphemous looting of the grave of a great writer. Those present decided to take “souvenirs from Gogol” as a keepsake. Someone took a rib, someone took a piece of foil from the coffin, and the director of the cemetery, Arakcheev, pulled off his boots. This blasphemy did not go unpunished. All participants were severely punished for their actions. Almost each of them joined the writer for a short time, leaving the world of living people. Arakcheev was pursued in which Gogol appeared to him and demanded to give his boots. Being on the verge of insanity, the unfortunate director of the cemetery listened to the advice of the old grandmother and buried the boots near the new one. After this, the visions stopped, but a clear consciousness never returned to him.

Missing Skull Mystery

Interesting mystical facts about Gogol include the still unsolved mystery of his missing head. There is a version that it was stolen for the famous collector of rarities and unique things, A. Bakhrushin. This happened during the restoration of the grave, dedicated to the centennial anniversary of the writer.

This man collected the most unusual and creepy collection. There is a theory that he carried the stolen skull with him in a suitcase with medical instruments. Later government Soviet Union in the person of Lenin, V.I. suggested that Bakhrushin open his own museum. This place still exists and has thousands of the most unusual exhibits. There are also three skulls among them. But it is not known for certain who they belonged to.

The circumstances of Gogol's death, the scratched coffin lid, the stolen skull - all this gave a huge impetus to human imagination and fantasy. So, an incredible version about the skull of Nikolai Vasilyevich and the mysterious express appeared. It suggests that after Bakhrushin, the skull fell into the hands of Gogol's great-nephew, who decided to hand it over to the Russian consul in Italy so that Gogol's part would rest in the land of his second homeland. But the skull fell into the hands young man, son of a sea captain. He decided to scare and amuse his friends and took the skull with him on a train journey. After the express, on which the young people were traveling, entered the tunnel, it disappeared, no one could explain where the huge train with passengers disappeared. And there are still rumors that sometimes different people in different parts light is seen by this ghost train that carries Gogol's skull across the borders of the worlds. The version is fantastic, but having the right to exist.

Nikolai Vasilievich was brilliant man. As a writer, he completely succeeded, but as a person he did not find his happiness. Even a small circle of close friends could not unravel his soul and penetrate his thoughts. It so happened that the story of Gogol's life was not very joyful, it is filled with loneliness and fears.

He left his mark, one of the brightest, in the history of world literature. Such talents are very rare. Mysticism in Gogol's life was a kind of sister of his talent. But unfortunately, great writer left us, his descendants, more questions than answers. Reading the most famous works Gogol, everyone finds something important for himself. He is like good teacher continues to teach us its lessons through the ages.

The work of many writers is permeated with fantasy and mysticism. But the most surprising thing is that mysticism often breaks into the life of the writers themselves. Prophetic dreams, visions, predictions - what just does not happen to the "engineers of human souls"!

IMPRESSIVE NATURE

The famous playwright Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov was a lively, receptive person.

A close friend of the writer, historian Stepan Nikitich Begichev, told the following about Griboyedov: “In April 1823, he was my best man at my wedding and stood next to me. Before the beginning of the service, the priest took it into his head to give us a speech.

The witty Griboyedov commented on this speech in my ear with his usual gaiety in his youth, and I could hardly restrain myself from laughing. Then he fell silent, but when he held the crown over me, I noticed that his hands were shaking, and I, looking around, saw him pale with tears in his eyes.

At the end of the service, to my question: “What happened to you?” - he answered: "Stupidity, I imagined that they were funeral and bury me." And before his last trip to Tehran, he was unusually sad and said that he felt that he would never return from there. And so it happened.

Everyone noted the melancholy, daydreaming and increased nervous excitability of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. Once he was walking along Nikitsky Boulevard in the direction of Tverskaya. From a distance, he noticed a man walking towards him. It seemed to Gogol that he had seen him somewhere, but could not remember who he was, what his name was, when and where he met him.

The stranger was delighted with him, greeted him cordially, and took him home. A conversation ensued over dinner. Gogol felt that he had not experienced such peace of mind for a long time. The stranger took him by the hand and led him to the icon: “Let's pray together. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit..."

Suddenly Gogol distinctly heard someone call his father by name: "Vasily Afanasyevich ..." But who said it? ..

Then they sat side by side, prayed before the icon of the Mother of God and wept. The stranger accompanied Gogol to the door and took from him a promise to return the next day.

Gogol did not remember how he found himself at home. There, the insight came to him that this stranger was sent to him by his long-dead father and would hardly ever be in his house again, if only because he would not find him in the intricacies of alleys and streets of Moscow.

Since then, the image of this man haunted Gogol, he often said that he would not live long, because "they came for him."

DOUBTING THOMAS

Famous poet Pyotr Andreevich Vyazemsky was an unbeliever in his youth and constantly excelled in mocking religion.

But one incident made him change his beliefs. This was around 1823. Late in the evening, Vyazemsky was returning to his apartment on Nevsky Prospekt, near the Anichkov Bridge.

To his surprise, the poet noticed that the windows of his study were brightly lit. Running upstairs, he asked the valet who was in the office. He replied that he locked the office with a key and handed it over to the prince.

Opening the door, Pyotr Andreevich saw that in the back of the room a man was sitting with his back to him and, leaning over a desk, was writing something. Vyazemsky went up to him and read what had been written over his shoulder. What was there remained a mystery forever, but only Vyazemsky screamed loudly, clutched his chest and fell unconscious.

When he woke up, the stranger had already disappeared, and the candles had been extinguished. The poet told everyone that he saw himself, but did not admit what exactly he had read. Since then, Vyazemsky has become a deeply religious person.

A WHITE MAN

After graduating from the Lyceum, Pushkin turned to his sister Olga with a request to tell fortunes from the palm of her hand (she was fond of palmistry).

Olga became stubborn, not wanting to tell fortunes to her brother. And when she yielded to his request, she suddenly burst into tears and said: “Why, Alexander, are you forcing me to say what I am afraid to say? Violent death threatens you, and not yet in old age.

While in Odessa, the poet met a famous soothsayer from Greece, who took him to a field on a moonlit night. There, having cast a spell, he made a terrible prophecy that Alexander would die from a horse or a white-haired man in white on a white horse.

Subsequently, Pushkin admitted to friends that after this meeting with the Greek magician, he each time put his foot in the stirrup with disgust. The Greek was not mistaken: Pushkin's murderer Dantes was blond, wore a white uniform and rode a white horse...

Premature death seemed to have been prepared for him by fate. The German fortune-teller Kirchhoff, known throughout Europe, arrived in St. Petersburg in the winter of 1817, and the capital's womanizers went to find out their fate. Among them is Pushkin, to whom she was the last to guess. Seeing Pushkin, Kirchhoff exclaimed that he would become famous. The sorceress also warned him that he would be exiled twice.

The last prophecy was: "You may live long, but in the thirty-seventh year, beware of a white horse, a white head, or a white man." Therefore, another fate could have awaited Pushkin, if he listened to the soothsayers and be careful.

Pushkin, however, tried with all his might to avoid an evil fate. Having joined the Freemasons and learned about the involvement in the lodge of a person whose name in translation means "white head", he departed from them.

He also canceled a trip to Poland as a military man when he heard that one of the leaders of the uprising, with whom he would have to fight, was named Weiskopf ("white head"). But he managed to save himself from one misfortune. Alexander Sergeevich was in exile in the village of Mikhailovsky when the news of the death of Emperor Alexander I reached him.

He decided to immediately go to St. Petersburg and stay with a friend, the poet Ryleyev. Pushkin ordered the carriage ready for the journey and went to say goodbye to the neighbors. But then a hare crossed his path, and on the way back another one (in those days it was a bad sign). The ominous signs did not end there. The servant suddenly collapsed in a fever, and when the harnessed wagon finally started from the porch, the priest blocked its path.

A sudden meeting with a church minister was also considered bad omen. And then the superstitious Pushkin decided to cancel the trip. And as if looking into the water! In the house where he was going to go, those who would later be called Decembrists gathered. Many of them will be hanged on Senate Square after the uprising, while others will be exiled to Siberia for trying to destroy the tsar.

LETTER FROM NEW ZEALAND

Writer Yevgeny Petrov, one of the authors of The Twelve Chairs and The Golden Calf, had a strange and rare hobby: he collected envelopes from his own letters. He wrote a letter to some country at a fictitious address, and after a while the letter was returned to him with a bunch of different postmarks and an indication: "Address not found."

In April 1939, Petrov decided to send a letter to New Zealand to the fictitious city of Hydebirdville, to the fictitious 7 Wrightbeach Street, in the name of Merrill Augene Weisley.

His letter read: “Dear Merrill! Please accept our sincere condolences on the passing of Uncle Pete. Brace yourself, old man. Forgive me for not writing for a long time. I hope Ingrid is all right. Kiss my daughter for me. She's probably quite big. Your Eugene.

Two months have passed, but the letter with the appropriate note has not been returned. The writer decided that it was lost, and began to forget about it, when he suddenly received ... an answer. The envelope read: New Zealand, Hydebirdville, Wrightbeach 7, Merrill Augene Weisley.

A person unknown to him wrote: “Dear Eugene! Thank you for your condolences. The ridiculous death of Uncle Pete knocked us out of the rut for six months. I hope you will forgive the delay in writing. Ingrid and I often think back to those two days you were with us. Gloria is very big and will go to the 2nd grade in the fall. She still keeps the bear you brought her from Russia.”

Petrov had never traveled to New Zealand and did not know a single New Zealander. And from the picture a man of strong build was looking at him. On the back of the photo was the date: October 9, 1938.

Since then, the writer abandoned his hobby, became withdrawn and sad. He wanted to send a reply letter to New Zealand, but the Second World War, Petrov began to work as a war correspondent. In 1942, the satirist flew on a plane from Sevastopol to Moscow, in the Rostov region the plane was shot down by the Germans.

On the same day, a letter from New Zealand arrived at the writer's home. In it, Merrill Weisley admired Soviet soldiers and worried about Petrov's life. Among other things, the letter contained the following lines: “Do you remember, Eugene, I got scared when you started swimming in the lake. The water was very cold. But you said you were destined to crash your plane, not drown. I ask you to be careful - fly as little as possible.

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Man with difficult fate who had difficult relationship with power, he wrote pretty biting satire on the social order, and his play about the "whites" was a great success on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater. But thanks to the most famous novel - "The Master and Margarita" - Mikhail Afanasyevich is ranked among mystic writers. Today we decided to recall Russian writers who were fond of mysticism, which was reflected in their works.

Nikolai Gogol (1821-1852)

Nikolai Vasilievich did a lot for the development of the Russian language, in addition, he managed to influence contemporary writers and descendants. Gogol's work is permeated with mysticism, religiosity, fantasy and mythology and folklore.

The mystical in Nikolai Vasilyevich appeared in the very first books. "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka" is simply filled with otherworldly forces. But still, most of all evil spirits and darkness are on the pages of the story "Viy", in which Khoma Brut tries to resist the witch, ghouls and werewolves. However, the struggle of the bursak, who has been burying the panochka for three nights, goes to waste when he looks into the eyes of Viy - a monster from the underworld with heavy eyelids hiding a deadly look.

Gogol in his story uses motives Slavic mythology, beliefs and folklore about a terrible demon. The writer managed to create fairy story a work that is considered the standard of mystical literature. This experience a hundred years later will be used by Bulgakov.

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)

Fedor Mikhailovich, along with Gogol, is considered one of the greatest mystic writers of the 19th century. However, the basis of his mysticism is of a completely different nature and has a different character - in Dostoevsky's work there is a confrontation between good and evil, Christ and Antichrist, divine and demonic principles, the search for and disclosure of the mystical nature of the Russian people and Orthodoxy. A number of researchers connect the presence of the "otherworldly" in the writer's work with epilepsy, which was considered by the ancients as a "sacred disease". Probably, it was the seizures that could serve as a “window” into another reality, where Dostoevsky drew his revelations.

Some heroes of Dostoevsky are also "obsessed" - they suffer from similar illnesses; Prince Myshkin and Alyosha Karamazov can be called such. But characters in other works are also tormented internal contradictions and searching within yourself divine beginning. Ivan Karamazov's conversation with the devil, Svidrigailov's nightmares about eternal life in a room with spiders. Dostoevsky reaches the pinnacle of the religious and philosophical anthropological revelation in The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor, told by Ivan Karamazov. "Adolescent". Dostoevsky connects the mystery of man with the mystery of Christ.

Leonid Andreev (1871-1919)

Andreev worked on turn of XIX-XX centuries, during Silver Age. His works are close in spirit to the Symbolists, and he himself is often called the founder of Russian expressionism, but the writer himself did not belong to any circle of writers and poets.

The formation of Andreev as a writer undoubtedly took place under the influence of fashionable modernist trends (and social trends - revolutionary sentiments and a thirst for change), but he developed his own own style. Andreev's work combines the features of skepticism, religiosity and mysticism (the writer was seriously fond of spiritualism), all this is reflected in his novels, short stories and short stories - "The Life of Basil of Thebes", "Judas Iscariot", "The Resurrection of All the Dead", "Satan's Diary ".

So in the "Life of Vasily of Thebes" the rural priest tries to resurrect the dead - Andreev puts into the madness of the hero the desire to become a superman, to receive the energy of Christ. The act of resurrection is necessary for the transition from death to creativity, to infinite immortality. hanged” - starting from the symbolic number of those executed and ending with a terrible finale, where life goes on despite death.

By the way, the children followed in the footsteps of their father - three of his sons and a daughter became writers. Moreover, Daniil Leonidovich Andreev became a mystic writer already in the years of the USSR, his most significant work was the novel "Rose of the World", which he himself called a religious and philosophical doctrine. Andreev managed to combine art and religion in one book, explain the existence of several earthly dimensions, metahistory Russia and its significance for creativity, as well as to give forecasts for the historical perspective.

Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940)

In the work of Mikhail Afansevich, the occult is no less than the fantastic and mythological. Researcher V.I. Losev called Bulgakov the most mysterious writer of the 20th century, who was able to "penetrate the essence of current events and foresee the future. His characters are forced to exist at the junction of two worlds, sometimes crossing the line that separates them. Like Gogol, Mikhail Afansevich combined invisible life with real life in his books .

Bulgakov's religious and philosophical overtones can be traced already in the 1920s, when the heroes of his stories open a conditional Pandora's box, releasing unknown forces into reality. Characters of the "Deviliad", " Fatal eggs”, "dog heart”try on the role of gods, opening doors to the world for the other world - they invent a magic ray that affects evolution, or create a man from a dog.

But most of all, religious philosophy and mysticism is permeated central novel Bulagokva - "The Master and Margarita". Is it worth retelling the story about the coming of Satan to Moscow with his amazing retinue and what happened next? demons are in charge in the capital ... In addition, the book has both biblical and historical overtones (the Master's novel about Yeshua and Pontius Pilate) and a serious satire on Soviet society, exposing his vices (for which representatives of this society are punished, although not by God).

Boris Pasternak (1890-1960)

Pasternak is not usually attributed to any current of the Silver Age, although he was friends with the Symbolists and at one time associated with the Futurists. Yet Pasternak, like Andreev, stands apart. The first poetic experiments of Boris Leonidovich date back to 1913, when the first book of his poems was published. Only after the publication of the collection "Twin in the Clouds" Pasternak called himself a "professional writer."

The apotheosis of Pasternak's work was the novel "Doctor Zhivago" - grandiose in its conception. The book covers the period of Russian-Soviet history for almost 50 years, told through the life of Yuri Zhivago, a doctor and poet. Dmitry Bykov in the biography of the writer notes that in a multi-layered in the narrative of the novel, which is quite realistic, one can also find a symbolic beginning - the work is based on own life Pasternak, but only the one he would like to live.

Despite all the realism, "Doctor Zhivago" is permeated with religious mysticism and Christian philosophy- and this is most clearly revealed in Yuri Zhivago's notebook of poems. Pasternak's mysticism is not similar to Gogol's or Bulgakov's, since there is no evil spirit as such in the novel (there are only analogies or metaphors), rather it echoes what can be seen in Andreev - a man and his fate, a superman or a grain of sand in the stream of history. But the verses are completely different, their lyrics contain a lot of Christian and biblical mythology, the lives of Mary Magdalene and Christ are reflected in reality filled with symbols and signs.

Vladimir Orlov (b. 1936)

Orlov came to literature from journalism. It is believed that in most cases such transitions are more successful than reverse ones. Vladimir Viktorovich confirms this hypothesis with all his work.

If we talk about mysticism in his works, then it is most clearly expressed in the novel that marked the beginning of the Ostankino Stories cycle, Violist Danilov. The book was published in the early 80s of the last century and tells about a demon on a contract. Vladimir Danilov manages to between work in the orchestra, visit other worlds, travel in time and space, communicate with various evil spirits... Mysticism is intertwined with the fantastic and musical, and a lot of attention is paid to music in the novel - and sometimes one gets the feeling that it sounds on the pages of a book.

Victor Pelevin (b. 1962)

The life and work of Viktor Pelevin are shrouded in mysticism, or hoax, if you like. He leads a reclusive life and rarely appears in public, and even less often gives interviews. But in any case, even these rare and mean words recorded by journalists are not inferior in strength and depth to the writer's novels.

Viktor Olegovich became interested in Eastern mysticism and Zen Buddhism while being an employee of the Science and Religion magazine. Pelevin was imbued with esoteric literature by translating the texts of Carlos Castaneda. Search for Mystery, otherworldly symbols in the real world, theoretical and practical magic were part of everyday life at the turn of the 80-90s of the last century.

The writer's hobbies are reflected in his works - vivid examples of this are "Omon Ra", "Sorcerer Ignat and people", "Chapaev and Emptiness", "The Sacred Book of the Werewolf", "Lower Tundra" and others. Reality in Pelevin's books eludes the reader, the worlds change places, and it is not clear in which dimension the character, the narrator, the reader is now. At the same time, Pelevin was often credited with creating his own religion, but back in 1997 he stopped gossip on this topic.