Gogol unsolved. Book review: Mann Yu.V. N.V. Gogol, secrets of biography and secrets of creativity. Moscow, RSUH Publ., 2019. 143 p

The article reviews the new book of Yu.V. Mann, the Doctor of Philology, Professor of the Russian State University for the Humanities, one of the world's most authoritative researchers of Russian literature, and especially of Gogol. However, for the author, Gogol remains one of the most mysterious writers. Such, according to the scientist, is Gogol's reputation in the reading world. His “Dead Souls” and “The Nose” are included into the number of books (1001 works), which, according to the modern British researcher, should be read in everyone's lifespan - and at the same time, Gogol's compatriots and contemporaries considered his works understandable only for Russia. This, as Mann shows, is one of the paradoxes, or mysteries of Gogol. Today his works are considered by Mann in the world context of literary criticism, prose and philosophy - this is how one can designate the inner plot of the book under review. Combining the historical and functional approach with the analysis of poetics, the author builds a history of Gogol's works' perception in Russia and in the world. New possibilities of interpreting Gogol's works are also outlined here. Exploring the history of Gogol's entry into world literature, Mann concerns both the translations of his works into European languages, starting with the earliest ones, and stage productions (up to modern ones). Thus, a picture of Gogol's artistic world reception by European readers / viewers / researchers is being built. In Western literary criticism, Gogol, on the one hand, is put next to Cervantes, and on the other hand, he is supposed to be the forefather of nonsense literature (or literature of absurdism). Meanwhile, the main secrets of Gogol, his work and life, appear to be the second volume of “Dead Souls” and “Farewell Tale”. The author believes that “the tragedy origins are in Gogol's creative and spiritual evolution as a writer; in the nature of the “Dead Souls” concept as his final and most essential book; in the peculiarities of personal and public situation created by the book.” On the one hand, there are the messianic feelings of the creator, to whom the power from above was given to reveal to the world a certain truth revealed to him. On the other hand, the author deliberately connects the reader to his world, which contradicted the very nature of Gogol's personality and led to a tragic ending.