At the crossroads of history: Mykola Gogol and the Tarnovsky family

1 April marks two hundred and fifteen years since the birthday of the Ukrainian writer Mykola Gogol. On the same day 1838 The year in his friend on Nizhyn Gymnasium of Higher Sciences Vasily Tarnovsky was born a son, According to family tradition, too Vasily.

That's it - “a small scream” was going to baptize the famous writer, But it was not done. For a while the life paths of former high school students have dispersed, Although Tarnowski was treated with great respect for Gogol's work. In the letter, dated 1850 A year to the teenage boy, The mother mentioned, how they read his works together, and now waiting for a new meeting with Mykola Vasyliovych.

On sorry, trip in September 1851 year in Ukraine did not take place, and a few months later the writer was gone. The expectations of Vasyl Tarnovsky Sr. did not come true, his "partner", "that our friendship is youth, which was restored so suddenly for me in mature years, will strengthen, and we will live as brothers".

The Gogol collection was started by Vasyl Tarnovsky, Jr, who became the founder of the Museum of Ukrainian Antiquities, now the Chernihiv Regional Historical Museum named after him. Today, she counts close 370 exhibits. Three original letters of Mykola Vasyliovych from 1833–1834 and a miniature portrait of Gogol from the late 1830s and early 1840s are stored here, the authorship of which has not been definitely established. Mykola Gogol's autograph in the album "Kachanivka" testifies to his stay at the Tarnovsky family estate.

Сsenior researcher Svitlana Polovnikova