Крылов, Ivan Andreyevich Krylov (1769–1844), Russian writer renowned for his fables.
Тургенев, Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818–1883). Russian writer, author of Sketches of a Sportsman, the novels Rudin, A Nest of the Gentry, On the Eve, Fathers and Sons, Smoke, Virgin Land and other works.
Дюр, Nikolai Osipovich Dyur (1807–1839), Russian comic and vaudeville actor, who excelled in the parts of light-minded dandies and comic old men.
Афанасьев, Alexander Ivanovich Afanasyev (1808–1842), Russian comic actor who played in Moscow; later joined the company of the Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.
Вигель, Filipp Filippovich Vigel (1786–1856), high-ranking official who was close to Russian literary circles and left interesting reminiscences.
Стасов, Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov (1824–1906), Russian art and music critic, who upheld the Realist trend.
Андросов, Vasily Petrovich Androsov (1803–1841), Russian journalist and statistician. He worked for the magazine Moskovsky nablyudatel (The Moscow Observer) and later became its editor.
щекотливо, here: acutely, sensitively.
вояж (arch.), journey, voyage.
Chapter 5
фабула, the plot of a literary work.
Сервантес, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547–1616), Spanish writer of the Renaissance, author of the novel Galatea, a book of short stories (Novelas Ejemplares), the tragedy Numancia, etc. It is Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote that made him world famous.
плевать (coll.), here: to treat with contempt, to disregard.
аплодисмент, at present this word is used only in the plural: аплодисме́нты (applause).
вотще (arch.), in vain, for nothing.
Бремен, Оснабрюк, Дюссельдорф, Ахен, Кельн,
Майнц, Франкфурт-на-Майне, Баден-Баден, Bremen, Osnabrück, Düsseldorf, Aachen, Cologne, Mainz, Frankfort on the Main, Baden-Baden (towns in Germany).
Балабина, Maria Petrovna Balabina (1820–1901; married nаmе Vagner), Gogoi’s pupil. The Balabin family took a keen interest in both art and science, and treated Gogol with unfailing friendliness.
Репнина, Varvara Nikolayevna Repnina (1808–1891), maid of honour, a relative of the Balabins. It was through them that Gogol met her at Baden-Baden in 1836.
летопись (hist.), annual chronicle of historical events that took place in a country, a town, etc. Неге, used metaphorically to mean a detailed, thorough description.
меценат, a munificent patron of the arts or sciences (from Maecenas, a statesman of ancient Rome who supported writers).
Генуя, Флоренция, Рим, Genoa, Florence, Rome— Italian cities. In Gogol’s time, Rome was still the capital of the Papal States.