Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka
Encyclopedia
Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka is a collection of short stories by Nikolai Gogol
, written from 1831-1832. They appeared in various magazines and were published in book form when Gogol, who had spent his life in Ukraine up to the age of nineteen, was twenty two. He put his early impressions and memories of childhood into these pictures of peasant life. In a series of letters to his mother, he asked her to write down descriptions of village customs, dress, superstitions, and old stories. These were also used as primary sources.
Часть первая [Chast' pervaya], Part One
Часть вторая [Chast' vtoraya], Part Two
with unique innovation and a carefully arranged mingling of the horrifying and the humorous. Alexander Pushkin had a heavy influence on the writing of the collection, which features references to Ukraine
, at that time referred to as Little Russia
, where Gogol spent the early years of his life. The stories are heavily laced with Ukrainian folklore
and cultural
references, offering a unique perspective into life in the country during Gogol's time period. The structure found in this collection became characteristic of Gogol's writing later on, found in works such as Dead Souls
. "Evenings" gained Gogol the fame that would lead him to a prominent placement in the Russian literary circle, as well as opening the doors for future works.
by Nikolai Gogol
, written in 1831.
Each of the segments were based on Ukrainian folklore and feature comedic elements and a binding narrator, beekeeper Pan'ko-the-Redhaired, who is dictating the stories to the reader. A few other characters are mentioned in terms of the stories they provide, but regardless these segments are still told through the beekeeper Rudy.
This short section introduces the beekeeper
Rudy Panko, who begins to introduce his task of informing the reader of a set of wondrous tales he has heard. He speaks very matter-of-factly and personally to the reader, as though they were sitting in front of him at his dinner table or outside in his village. He talks about the pleasant serenity of peasant life and mentions lavish parties. He continues about the storytelling at these nightly parties and then comments that no one can tell stories like Rudy Panko. His name means “red” in Ukrainian
and is a nickname, again making it seem informal and personal since the narrator is using a personal name. He eventually gets caught up in talking about mundane events, and stops himself so he can get on with his storytelling. The main stories begin after this section.
Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was a Ukrainian-born Russian dramatist and novelist.Considered by his contemporaries one of the preeminent figures of the natural school of Russian literary realism, later critics have found in Gogol's work a fundamentally romantic sensibility, with strains of Surrealism...
, written from 1831-1832. They appeared in various magazines and were published in book form when Gogol, who had spent his life in Ukraine up to the age of nineteen, was twenty two. He put his early impressions and memories of childhood into these pictures of peasant life. In a series of letters to his mother, he asked her to write down descriptions of village customs, dress, superstitions, and old stories. These were also used as primary sources.
Stories
Evenings On A Farm Near Dikanka is separated into two volumes of four stories each:Часть первая [Chast' pervaya], Part One
- Сорочинская ярмарка [Sorochinskaya yarmarka], Sorochintsï FairThe Fair at Sorochintsï (short story)The Fair at Sorochyntsi is the first story in the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka by Ukrainian-born Russian writer Nikolai Gogol...
- Вечер накануне Ивана Купала [Vecher nakanune Ivana Kupala], St. John's EveSt. John's Eve (short story)"St. John's Eve" is the second tale in the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka by Nikolai Gogol. It was first published in 1830 in the literary Russian periodical Otechestvennye Zapiski in February and March issues, and in the book form in 1831....
- Майская ночь, или Утопленница [Mayskaya noch', ili Utoplenitsa], May Night, or The Drowned MaidenMay Night or the Drowned MaidenMay Night, or the Drowned Maiden is the third tale in the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka by Nikolai Gogol...
- Пропавшая грамота [Propavshaya gramota], The Lost LetterThe Lost Letter: A Tale Told by the Sexton of the N...ChurchThe Lost Letter is the fourth Ukrainian tale in the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka by Nikolai Gogol.The story is told by an exuberant narrator, the old sexton Foma, who will return with another story, A Bewitched Place, in the next volume...
Часть вторая [Chast' vtoraya], Part Two
- Ночь перед Рождеством [Noch' pyered Rozhdestvom], Christmas EveChristmas Eve (Gogol)Christmas Eve , literally translated The Night Before Christmas, is the first story in the second volume of the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka by Nikolai Gogol.-Plot:...
- Страшная месть [Strashnaya myest], A Terrible VengeanceA Terrible VengeanceA Terrible Vengeance is a Gothic horror story by Nikolai Gogol. It was published in the second volume of his first short story collection, Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, in 1832, and it was probably written in late Summer 1831....
- Иван Федорович Шпонька и его тетушка [Ivan Fyodorovich Shpon'ka i yevo tyotushka], Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His AuntIvan Fedorovic Sponka and his AuntIvan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt is part of the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka by Nikolai Gogol.-Origin:...
- Заколдованное место [Zakoldovannoye myesto], A Bewitched PlaceA Bewitched PlaceA Bewitched Place is the last story in the second volume of Nikolai Gogol's first collection of short stories, Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka ....
Significance
This was Gogol's groundbreaking work, though not his first, and formed the core of his style, especially his sense of the macabre. It was this collection that proved he was a new power in Russian literatureRussian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
with unique innovation and a carefully arranged mingling of the horrifying and the humorous. Alexander Pushkin had a heavy influence on the writing of the collection, which features references to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, at that time referred to as Little Russia
Little Russia
Little Russia , sometimes Little or Lesser Rus’ , is a historical political and geographical term in the Russian language referring to most of the territory of modern-day Ukraine before the 20th century. It is similar to the Polish term Małopolska of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
, where Gogol spent the early years of his life. The stories are heavily laced with Ukrainian folklore
Ukrainian folklore
Ukrainian folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in Ukraine and among ethnic Ukrainians. The earliest examples of folklore found in Ukraine is the layer of pan-slavic folklore that dates back to the ancient Slavic mythology of the Eastern Slavs. Gradually, Ukrainians developed a layer...
and cultural
Culture of Ukraine
Ukrainian culture refers to the culture associated with the country of Ukraine and sometimes with ethnic Ukrainians across the globe. It contains elements of other Eastern European cultures as well as some Western European influences. Within Ukraine, there are a number of other ethnic groups with...
references, offering a unique perspective into life in the country during Gogol's time period. The structure found in this collection became characteristic of Gogol's writing later on, found in works such as Dead Souls
Dead Souls
Dead Souls is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. Gogol himself saw it as an "epic poem in prose", and within the book as a "novel in verse". Despite supposedly completing the trilogy's second part, Gogol...
. "Evenings" gained Gogol the fame that would lead him to a prominent placement in the Russian literary circle, as well as opening the doors for future works.
Preface
The preface is the opening to the first volume of Evenings on a Farm Near DykankaDykanka
Dykanka is a town in Dykanskyi Raion , Poltava Oblast of central Ukraine.The settlement is located from the rail station in Poltava.- History :...
by Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was a Ukrainian-born Russian dramatist and novelist.Considered by his contemporaries one of the preeminent figures of the natural school of Russian literary realism, later critics have found in Gogol's work a fundamentally romantic sensibility, with strains of Surrealism...
, written in 1831.
Each of the segments were based on Ukrainian folklore and feature comedic elements and a binding narrator, beekeeper Pan'ko-the-Redhaired, who is dictating the stories to the reader. A few other characters are mentioned in terms of the stories they provide, but regardless these segments are still told through the beekeeper Rudy.
This short section introduces the beekeeper
Beekeeper
A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees for the purposes of securing commodities such as honey, beeswax, pollen, royal jelly; pollinating fruits and vegetables; raising queens and bees for sale to other farmers; and/or for purposes satisfying natural scientific curiosity...
Rudy Panko, who begins to introduce his task of informing the reader of a set of wondrous tales he has heard. He speaks very matter-of-factly and personally to the reader, as though they were sitting in front of him at his dinner table or outside in his village. He talks about the pleasant serenity of peasant life and mentions lavish parties. He continues about the storytelling at these nightly parties and then comments that no one can tell stories like Rudy Panko. His name means “red” in Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
and is a nickname, again making it seem informal and personal since the narrator is using a personal name. He eventually gets caught up in talking about mundane events, and stops himself so he can get on with his storytelling. The main stories begin after this section.
Adaptations
Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka has been adapted into film several times:- Vechera na khutore bliz DikankiVechera na khutore bliz Dikanki (1961 film)Vechera na khutore bliz Dikanki is a 1961 Soviet film directed by Aleksandr Rou based on a collection of short stories, Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, by Nikolai Gogol.- Cast :*Aleksandr Khvylya as Chub...
(1961) - Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka (2001)