Reader discussion: Oblomov

Public reader discussion about Oblomov in the WeRead Catalog by Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov.

Russian Literature Recommendations

By Valley_Bookmark1998

I’m kind of shocked that at 24 I’ve only just discovered how much I love Russian literature. I started with *Crime and Punishment* and I was honestly blown away—like the writing is really good, the characters feel super real, and the whole psychological/philosophical side keeps showing up. Right now I’m reading *The Idiot* and also an anthology with Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Leskov, Chekhov, and Gorky. I do have *War and Peace*, but after seeing how huge it is in person I’m saving it for a proper “holiday” situation where I can just sink into it by the pool and not feel guilty about it. Any other authors or books you’d recommend? A lot of the big classics are already on my list, but I’m guessing I’m barely getting started. Thanks!

Translations of Russian Authors

By little_wonder2

I’ve been seeing a bunch of threads about which English translations are best for different Russian writers, and I actually think the picks Gary Morson lists are worth paying attention to. He says that for some big works, newer translations end up being better—like Ann Dunnigan for War and Peace, Chekhov, and Oblomov, where he feels the language is handled more accurately and even more gracefully than Garnett. He also credits Bernard Guilbert Guerney with doing something close to impossible with Dead Souls, keeping the weirdness, wordplay, and humor that most people (including Garnett) seemed to miss. Of course, he doesn’t pretend Garnett and Guerney are flawless—there are some meaning issues—but he mentions that careful editing by scholars has fixed a lot of that. And he brings up revisions too, like Matlaw updating Garnett for Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground and Elizabeth Allen doing similar work for Turgenev. The part I’m still a little unsure about is his final call: that Susanne Fusso’s version of Dead Souls is the only one really worth reading.

Strongly disliking the main character

By ion

I’m about 70% of the way through *Oblomov* and I do think it’s really good, like genuinely well-written, but it’s getting tougher with every chapter because I just can’t stand the main character. Goncharov really lets you sit inside Oblomov’s head, and I feel like I could use a lot less of that. How is he supposed to keep living like this even for a single day? It’s honestly hard to watch him just tank his whole life for no real reason. Quick question—has anyone else run into a book like this where you’re really into it, but the character is so unbearable you start wondering if you’ll actually finish? And if you did, how did you push through? Also, it made me think of Cheng Xin in *Death’s End*, though I’m not sure she “counts” the same way. She feels intentionally made super weak and kind of clueless, like the author wanted a specific kind of target there.

To the lurkers of this forum: what books would you LOVE to recommend that never seem to match anyone's prompts?

By Mist_Cocoa2005

The title kind of sums it up. I’m talking about books people really liked, but that don’t come up super often. Most of what I see gets asked for are the usual fantasy/sci-fi stuff, LGBTQ reads, feel-good page-turners, etc., so I’m curious what the “leftovers” are—those smaller gems that seem to fall through the cracks. When you drop yours, I’d love to hear what kind of reader you think would click with them, and what you’d actually expect to get out of the book. My picks: **Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking** by David Bayles and Ted Orland. Yeah, this one is kind of niche. It’s a short, essay-style thing about making art. I gave it five stars without hesitation—no real fluff, and every paragraph felt like a clear little piece of insight. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s a creative person but also feels insecure about their work. It really helped me see failure as part of the whole process. **Under Milk Wood** by Dylan Thomas. If you haven’t read it, it’s a lyrical look at one day in a small Welsh town. It started as a radio drama, and my parents used to put it on for my siblings and me when we needed to calm down on long drives. It’s seriously beautiful and super atmospheric. It’s the kind of story where the place sort of carries everything, and the characters’ lives braid together. Also, I swear the opening paragraph is one of the best I’ve ever encountered. I think you can find an audio version on Spotify, and Richard Burton does an excellent job. Edit: Okay, the replies to this have been awesome. I’ve gone through all the comments so far and my to-read list is way longer now. Really grateful to everyone who took the time to share thoughtful answers—getting that much knowledge in one thread is great.

What version/translation of "Oblomov" should I get?

By prose-pages

I bought this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/067941729X/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M2T1_SC_3p_dp_1 But after reading the other comments I’m honestly kinda worried I got the wrong edition. Is the one I linked actually fine, or should I return it and get a different version/edition?

I get bored with the Russian authors.

By writesharbor

I’ve run into this with War and Peace and Crime and Punishment. I usually start out really into it—like the first chunk feels great—but somewhere around halfway I just start getting bored. Not sure if it’s because the whole tone is so slow and reflective, or if I’ve just ended up with translations that aren’t that great, but it can make it a slog. Anyone else notice something like this? I feel like I’m hooked at the beginning and then my interest keeps dropping the further I go.

What book is your "hidden gem"? A book you think is really good but is unheard of?

By fern_hat

I’d pick *Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea* by Michael Morpurgo. It’s about a kid from England who ends up on a ship to Australia in the early 1900s with his sister, and then once they arrive they get split up. After that, he basically spends his whole life trying to find her again. What I like is that it feels really real and kind of raw, like you’re getting a first-hand look at what life was like back then, and it’s honestly just really interesting. I don’t think it’s more popular mainly because people might assume it’s only for younger teens, but it seems like it’d work for older readers too.

Oblomov was one of the most thought provoking books I’ve read. Oh Readers of Oblomov. Wrote some views, what do you think?

By UnslainSage

Oblomov kind of throws you into this big, weird question about whether leisure is actually “legit” when everyone else seems obsessed with having a purpose. And I get that not everyone even gets the option to just… not work. But if you do have that kind of safety net, it still feels like a brutal choice, because not many people end up living the super passive, idle way he does. I also don’t think the book just shrugs it off. It really lays out why that lifestyle can go badly, like how it turns into misfortune and misery. And by the end, it feels like the story is basically cheering for the “anti-Oblomov” side: if you’re not trying, learning, engaging with people, managing money, caring about things you actually enjoy, even traveling or art or music… then it’s basically a wasted life. And yeah, it’s presented as something that can end really badly, eventually even literally. But then… what about his argument? I keep getting stuck on this part: for people who don’t have to stress about food or money or survival, the question turns into this existential/nihilist-ish thing—why spend hours doing something you don’t even like, like you’re actively hating it? Isn’t that just wasting away on a couch? Someone might say, “Then just do what you love.” But the problem is the Oblomovs don’t even know what they love. They just like doing nothing, letting life happen around them, like they’re watching instead of participating. And it’s hard to judge when you’re not living in their exact situation. Still, it makes you wonder what “purpose” really means and whether an Oblomov-type existence is ever worth anything on its own. If I had to picture an “Oblomovian,” it’s basically: 1) rich enough/inherited safety so they can coast 2) not really trained for real life 3) social anxiety, awkward with friendships/relationships 4) major procrastinators (aka lazy) 5) genuinely kind-hearted So is it “noble” to expect them to just jump into work and chase a purpose when they’d probably get hit with humiliation and their confidence would just collapse? Or is it more noble to fight those traits and deal with what’s going on so they can actually have a better life—healthier, more social, help others, better relationships, all that? My bottom line is: in a world where everyone can’t stop asking what your purpose is, Oblomov asks a darker question that people don’t really explore—why should there even be a purpose in the first place? Calling him lazy feels too easy, honestly. He doesn’t “need” purpose the way most people do. So I’m left wondering whether the positives of that lifestyle can ever outweigh the downsides. And yeah, I think we already know the answer.

books that you’ve loved but have also left you feeling fucked up for days or weeks afterwards?

By Bright-Teacup

My top three are probably: All the Bright Places — Jennifer Niven I seriously don’t even know how to talk about this without getting personal. It wrecked me because I felt so connected to Theodore Finch. And yeah, spoiler-ish, but one of the big things I took from it is that sometimes nothing—like even love—can just “fix” someone who’s dealing with depression. That idea has stuck with me ever since I read it, and I think it really shaped how I’ve come to think about depression and suicide. The Miseducation of Cameron Post — Emily Danforth This one didn’t mess with me in the same intense way as the first one, but it still got me hard. It was like everything lined up at once for me. I was figuring myself out with my sexuality, and I was dating a guy while feeling desperate to be with a woman instead. It’s a coming-of-age lesbian story, and it just made me want something I couldn’t have at the time, and it left me feeling kind of unhappy with my life. And more recently, The Nightingale — Kristin Hannah I read this while I was on vacation and I thought it’d be some easy beach book… nope. It’s basically all about the really brutal stuff of WWII in France, and it had so many heartbreaking moments that just kept hitting. Even though it’s fiction, it covered experiences I know happened to real people, and it genuinely broke me.

What are some old/classic books that are especially relevant to modern audiences?

By tenderharbor

I just finished reading Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov, and I honestly loved it. I was surprised by how much I felt like I was seeing a version of myself in the main character—like, especially if you’re the type who procrastinates or can totally waste an entire day in bed without anything forcing you to get up. It also feels weirdly current to me. Apathy and laziness have always been around, sure, but it seems like tech (and maybe how people are raised these days, plus less actual hanging out/socializing) has made way more people turn into shut-ins and professional time-wasters than older generations did. So I’m curious—what are some older/classic books that still feel super relevant now, not just “timeless” in general?

OBLOMOV by Ivan Goncharov

By HawkBirch2001

Oblomov really feels like the personification of inertia. It’s by Goncharov, set in 19th century Russia, and the guy’s a nobleman who basically can’t commit to anything—or even get up in the morning. You pick up right away on that super fatalistic, lazy way of looking at life. But… it’s not just that. He also comes off as genuinely sincere, and as you keep reading you end up getting more and more pulled in. I swear some of the best chapters are in here, with really nice thoughts on love and what life’s about, through both the people who actually do things and the ones who just sit back.

The great Gatsby was a truly an alien type of a book for me, a guy raised on Russian literature

By Lake_Frog

I just realized I’ve barely read any of the famous pre-WWII American stuff, at least compared to what I’ve read from other places. I’ve only really done Hemingway and Steinbeck before, so I figured I’d start with *The Great Gatsby*. I read it… and I honestly didn’t like it. It felt really different from the books I usually end up connecting with. Also, my English isn’t great for long book discussions, so I’ll keep it simple. A few things just didn’t work for me: - The main characters don’t feel relatable to me. I’m used to that more inward, unsure, “thinking about life and fate” type of protagonist. Like Oblomov, Bezuhov/Rostova, Bazarov, even stuff like Ilya/Ivan—whatever. With Gatsby and Nick, they just seemed kind of plain or shallow to me. I know they’re supposed to be “ordinary,” but I kept wanting more inner questioning, if that makes sense. - It doesn’t feel tragic enough. I kind of expect a “real” book to crush you a bit—like, proper catharsis, no matter if you want it or not. In my head tragedy usually means someone gets seriously ruined: killed, completely mad, dying of something, etc. Gatsby just didn’t feel miserable in a way that made the ending hit. Reading it felt more suffocating than meaningful, and part of that is probably intentional (summer heat, awkward hangouts), but still… I didn’t feel like it paid off. - And the American Dream theme is just totally not my thing. It feels alien, and I can’t really care about it. For one thing, in the Russian lit I’m used to, status/wealth aren’t really the “goal” the characters chase as much, and in the 20th century with communism, the idea of success is different. Plus, I’m just a leftie, so yeah… all the golf, fancy cars, gardens, boats, jewelry, cocktails—it honestly made me feel gross. Maybe that’s what the author wanted, but it didn’t land for me. So now I’m wondering if it’s actually my background clashing with the book, or if I’m just making excuses and overthinking why I “didn’t get it.” Do you think there’s a real connection there?

Reading Russian novels this summer. Any suggestions?

By cosmiccat4595

This summer I’m trying to stick to the most Russian novels I can, and I’m hoping for some advice from people who’ve read a lot of them. I’ve got a list of what I’ve already read and what I plan to get to, with the ones I’ve read in italics and the rest in bold. EDIT: obviously there’s no way I’m getting through all of these. Which ones would you say are the best, or your favorites?

What's the best classic Russian Literature have you read?

By restless_garden68

If you find out, let us know.

Russian Literature

By heatherkey1989

So over the last few months I’ve read both *Lolita* and *The Brothers Karamazov*, and they ended up becoming some of my favorite books. I guess Nabokov and Dostoevsky were my first Russian authors, and I honestly feel like the way they write (and what they get into) is better than basically anything else I’ve read. I just grabbed *War and Peace* today and I’m gonna start it as soon as I finish the book I’m on. Since I’m kind of getting obsessed with Russian lit now, I’m curious—what should I know about Russian authors in general? What do you all think of Russian lit? Who are the best ones to check out next? And are there any poets I should read, or some lesser-known books/authors people don’t really talk about much?

Just picked up Oblomov by Goncharov, any admirers of this one?

By TGrand8

I guess it’s worth trying to read at least once. :) I know the best-read person I’ve ever met really loves this book—she’s read basically everything. I don’t really get her taste on this one, but it’s still kind of interesting. I keep wondering if she just liked it because it has that whole cultured-idle vibe, like some kind of patron saint thing for people who do nothing.