Penguin Books L40 - Goncharov - Oblomov

Ivan Goncharov - Oblomov

Translated by David Magarshack

Penguin Classics L40, 1954

Roundel illustration by Cecil Keeling

 

First published in 1859, Oblomov is an indisputable classic of Russian literature, comparable in its stature to such masterpieces as Gogol's Dead Souls, Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov. The book centres on the figure of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, a member of the dying class of the landed gentry, who spends most of his time lying in bed gazing at life in an apathetic daze, encouraged by his equally lazy servant Zakhar and routinely swindled by his acquaintances. But this torpid existence comes to an end when, spurred on by his crumbling finances, the love of a woman and the reproaches of his friend, the hard-working Stoltz, Oblomov finds that he must engage with the real world and face up to his commitments.

 

Rich in situational comedy, psychological complexity and social satire, Oblomov is a timeless novel and a monument to human idleness.

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