192:
Bashmetyev; on the one hand, a sophisticated man, on the other, apathetic, unsociable and having a limited, formal education. He encounters real life for the first time when returning home after the graduation and instead of developing him, real life starts tormenting him. Having got nothing by way of guiding light, he starts making horrible blunders which result in this mad marriage of his, in part one. As for other characters, they, I presume, explain themselves fairly well.
184:: "I send you, my dear Alexander Nikolayevich, my book for you to decide what to do with it. I gave it the title "The Family Dramas" (Семейные драмы), but should it appear to be incompatible either with the censorial demands or the magazine's general mood, please change it to whatever you like: "Bashmetyev", "The Muff", whatever. I send you only the first part of it, but rest assured, the second one is ready, just needs some polishing done."
267:
subjected the novel to thorough analysis in the article called "Silent Waters". The radical critic's general verdict was that the novel's idea was to show that the
Russians, leading the kind of lives they do lead, were "ignorant of the better options and incapable to recognize the very extent of
191:
What I wanted to do by describing the ordinary lives of the ordinary people was highlight the dramas we all of us encounter, dramas which every man get through in his own special way. Social issues I did not touch, restricting myself to family relations. As for characters, the major one is
247:
Critic Stepan
Dudyshkin in his "Russian Literature in 1850" review found Pisemsky's debut novel's characters too grotesque, Bashmetyev's major weakness being his "inability to act." Alexander Ostrovsky in his large essay published in
632:
244:'s ideas, the critic suggested that the formula of success was, "simplicity of details, intricacy of fantasy," something that he deemed Pisemsky's novel, apparently, as lacking.
236:
s reviewer agreed with him on that). Druzhinin stated that
Pisemsky rather "spoiled the character of Beshmetyev… by giving him some trivial, hackneyed qualities" and found
287:
Eryomin, M.P. The Works by A.F. Pisemsky in 3 volumes. Vol. 1. Khudozhestvennaya
Literatura Publishers. Moscow-Leningrad, 1956. Commentaries to The Simpleton. Pp.536-539
219:
reviewer called it the best work of fiction published in Russia in 1850 and praised the author's "gift for depicting the real life, backed up by serious attitude."
412:
187:
Pisemsky was working upon the second part through the summer of 1850. He formulated the novel's general idea in his April 21 letter to
Ostrovsky:
627:
158:, but, defeated already in my aspirations, decided against sending it and resumed my state service." Here Pisemsky got the date wrong:
508:
405:
20:
622:
300:
215:
were positive, although, coming from different literary camps, each carried its own ideological agenda. The anonymous
567:
637:
203:
received the rest of the manuscript and the magazine published the novel in its
October and November 1850 issues.
398:
180:'s (Saint Petersburg, 1861) edition the novel came out as dated "29 April 1850". On April 21, Pisemsky wrote to
535:
102:
599:
591:
543:
150:
559:
492:
468:
437:
583:
263:
After the 1861 release of the first volume of the
Stellovsky's edition of Pisemsky's Selected Works,
484:
476:
222:
181:
154:
and it was banned by the censors. By this time, while in the country, I've written another novel,
241:
575:
253:
177:
166:
in 1848 and, as the Soviet scholar
Mikhail Eryomin noted, "there are reasons to believe that
422:
93:
452:
200:
125:
35:
516:
264:
616:
551:
500:
460:
130:
382:
144:
121:
142:
In his autobiography
Pisemsky wrote: "In 1846 I completed a large novel called
128:, written in the late 1840 and first published in October and November 1850 by
260:(unlike his later stories) had nothing to do with Gogol's school of realism.
390:
225:
in his otherwise warm review found the
Mansurov character too similar to
134:. The novel has met critical acclaim and made Pisemsky a popular author.
312:
Barsukov, Nikolai. The Life and Works by M.P.Pogodin. Vol. XI, р.89.
226:
394:
369:
Pisarev. D.I. The Works of... Vol I, Moscow, 1955, р.189.
252:, praised the novel's originality. Several years later
199:
passed the censorship without trouble. On 4 September
107:
527:
429:
77:
69:
59:
51:
41:
31:
283:
281:
256:, reviewing several Pisemsky's books argued that
295:
293:
189:
633:Novels set in the 19th-century Russian Empire
406:
8:
26:
240:not entertaining enough. Disputing some of
413:
399:
391:
299:A.F.Pisemsky's Letters. Moscow-Leningrad.
25:
277:
7:
173:rough copy was ready in 1848, too."
348:, Vol.74, January, section V, р.25.
14:
360:, 1853, No. 1, January, pp. 27-32
81:Print (Paperback & Hardback)
568:The Warriors and Those Who Wait
324:, 1850, Vol. 73, No. 12, р.122.
1:
21:The Simpleton (Messerschmidt)
387:. The original Russian text.
301:Khudozhestvennaya Literatura
108:
654:
628:Novels by Aleksey Pisemsky
18:
97:
16:Novel by Alexei Pisemsky
148:. In 1847 I sent it to
19:For the sculpture, see
346:Otechestvennye Zapiski
322:Otechestvennye Zapiski
268:their own suffering."
231:Otechestvennye Zapiski
217:Otechestvennye Zapiski
194:
151:Otechestvennye Zapiski
336:, 1850, No 12, р. 207
211:The early reviews of
178:Stellovsky Publishers
114:, translated also as
600:The Financial Genius
623:1850 Russian novels
223:Alexander Druzhinin
182:Alexander Ostrovsky
42:Original title
28:
560:Lieutenant Gladkov
493:Men of the Forties
469:One Thousand Souls
242:Vissarion Belinsky
638:1850 debut novels
610:
609:
576:Men Above the Law
536:The Hypochondriac
303:. 1936, pp.27-28.
254:Apollon Grigoriev
106:
85:
84:
70:Publication place
645:
477:An Old Man's Sin
423:Aleksey Pisemsky
415:
408:
401:
392:
370:
367:
361:
355:
349:
343:
337:
331:
325:
319:
313:
310:
304:
297:
288:
285:
235:
172:
113:
101:
99:
61:Publication date
29:
653:
652:
648:
647:
646:
644:
643:
642:
613:
612:
611:
606:
523:
509:The Philistines
453:The Comic Actor
425:
419:
379:
374:
373:
368:
364:
356:
352:
344:
340:
332:
328:
320:
316:
311:
307:
298:
291:
286:
279:
274:
233:
209:
201:Mikhail Pogodin
170:
140:
126:Alexei Pisemsky
78:Media type
62:
36:Alexei Pisemsky
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
651:
649:
641:
640:
635:
630:
625:
615:
614:
608:
607:
605:
604:
596:
588:
580:
572:
564:
556:
548:
540:
531:
529:
525:
524:
522:
521:
513:
505:
497:
489:
481:
473:
465:
457:
449:
441:
433:
431:
427:
426:
420:
418:
417:
410:
403:
395:
389:
388:
378:
377:External links
375:
372:
371:
362:
350:
338:
326:
314:
305:
289:
276:
275:
273:
270:
265:Dmitry Pisarev
208:
205:
139:
136:
83:
82:
79:
75:
74:
71:
67:
66:
63:
60:
57:
56:
53:
49:
48:
43:
39:
38:
33:
27:The Simpleton
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
650:
639:
636:
634:
631:
629:
626:
624:
621:
620:
618:
602:
601:
597:
594:
593:
589:
586:
585:
581:
578:
577:
573:
570:
569:
565:
562:
561:
557:
554:
553:
552:A Bitter Fate
549:
546:
545:
544:The Allotment
541:
538:
537:
533:
532:
530:
526:
519:
518:
514:
511:
510:
506:
503:
502:
501:In the Vortex
498:
495:
494:
490:
487:
486:
485:Troubled Seas
482:
479:
478:
474:
471:
470:
466:
463:
462:
458:
455:
454:
450:
447:
446:
445:The Simpleton
442:
439:
435:
434:
432:
428:
424:
416:
411:
409:
404:
402:
397:
396:
393:
386:
385:
381:
380:
376:
366:
363:
359:
354:
351:
347:
342:
339:
335:
330:
327:
323:
318:
315:
309:
306:
302:
296:
294:
290:
284:
282:
278:
271:
269:
266:
261:
259:
258:The Simpleton
255:
251:
245:
243:
239:
238:The Simpleton
232:
229:'s Nozdryov (
228:
224:
220:
218:
214:
213:The Simpleton
206:
204:
202:
198:
197:The Simpleton
193:
188:
185:
183:
179:
174:
169:
168:The Simpleton
165:
161:
157:
153:
152:
147:
146:
137:
135:
133:
132:
127:
123:
119:
118:
112:
111:
104:
95:
91:
90:
89:The Simpleton
80:
76:
72:
68:
64:
58:
54:
50:
47:
44:
40:
37:
34:
30:
22:
598:
590:
582:
574:
566:
558:
550:
542:
534:
515:
507:
499:
491:
483:
475:
467:
461:Boyarshchina
459:
451:
444:
443:
383:
365:
358:Moskvityanin
357:
353:
345:
341:
334:Sovrememnnik
333:
329:
321:
317:
308:
262:
257:
250:Moskvityanin
249:
246:
237:
230:
221:
216:
212:
210:
196:
195:
190:
186:
175:
167:
163:
162:was sent to
159:
155:
149:
143:
141:
131:Moskvityanin
129:
116:
115:
109:
88:
87:
86:
45:
145:Boyarschina
122:debut novel
617:Categories
272:References
160:Boyarshina
138:Background
584:Predators
421:Works by
207:Reception
120:) is the
103:romanized
440:" (1848)
117:The Muff
52:Language
430:Fiction
176:In the
156:Tyufyak
110:Tyufyak
105::
94:Russian
55:Russian
603:(1876)
595:(1873)
587:(1872)
579:(1868)
571:(1864)
563:(1864)
555:(1859)
547:(1852)
539:(1852)
520:(1880)
517:Masons
512:(1877)
504:(1871)
496:(1869)
488:(1863)
480:(1861)
472:(1858)
464:(1858)
456:(1851)
448:(1850)
98:Тюфя′к
73:Russia
32:Author
528:Plays
384:Тюфяк
234:'
227:Gogol
171:'
46:Тюфяк
592:Baal
438:Nina
65:1850
124:by
619::
292:^
280:^
164:OZ
100:,
96::
436:"
414:e
407:t
400:v
92:(
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.