Ivan Goncharov. Collection in 2 volumes. Gift books bound in leather.

Oblomov is the pinnacle of I. A. Goncharov's creativity. Published in 1859, this novel caused a mixed reaction from critics. Goncharov not only showed an amazing and paradoxical type of Russian man, but also made his name a household name, defining such a lifestyle as "Oblomovism". Some saw Oblomov as a symbol of Russia's stagnation and a sign of the times. According to N. A. Dobrolyubov, "Oblomov's laziness and apathy are the only spring of action in his entire history." Other critics justified the main character of the novel. So, A.V. Druzhinin wrote: "He is dear to us as an independent and pure nature, completely independent of the scholastic and moral weariness that stains the vast majority of people..." Some interpreted the novel as a satirical work, others noted in it both a lyrical beginning and subtle psychologism. This original and one-of-a-kind book still causes controversy, without losing its significance.

"Ordinary History" is a novel belonging to the educational: according to this genre, it traces the formation of the personality of the hero, moral and psychological. It is not the author's fault, of course, that his hero is not formed at all into that beautiful, brave man whom one so wants to see in the finale. A young and enthusiastic Alexander Aduyev comes to St. Petersburg from the provinces, ready to conquer the whole world. Very soon all his ideals are trampled on, and he himself repeats the fate of his practical and dispassionate uncle Pyotr Aduyev.

In Yuri Gershkovich's illustrations, a bright, full of colors Alexander meets his dry, sharply outlined uncle - and he himself becomes the same black-and-white official.