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 року у його товариша по Ніжинській гімназії вищих наук Василя Тарновського народився син, за сімейною традицією теж Василь.

Саме його – “маленького крикуна-козенятка” збирався хрестити відомий письменник, але це не здійснилося. На деякий час життєві шляхи колишніх гімназистів розійшлися, хоча в родині Тарновських ставилися з великою повагою до творчості Гоголя. В листі, датованим 1850 роком до хлопчика-підлітка, мати згадувала, 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