"OBLOMISM."

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 15, 18 January 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

"OBLOMISM."

A NOVEL OF INDOLENCE.

Ivan Goucharov's "Oblomov" was written in 1858, more than seventy years ago, and this present edition, translated by Natalie Duddington, and published by Allen and Unwin, is a new and complete translation of the work. It is always difficult to judge the literary value of a production which has been translated into another language, though in this case much care appears to have been taken to adhere to the writer's form of speech, and the description of the quaint characters and Russian life in those days makes excellent reading. The life-story of Oblomov has supplied a new word to the Russian, and "Oblomism" has come to mean without ambition, lazy, indolent, and entirely lacking in any sense of responsibility towards life outside of oneself. The subject of the book is quite a lovable personality, kindly, honourable and generous to a fault. He was well educated, of good family and Owned much property, which was tilled by 300 serfs. Tlya Tlyitch Oblomov to give him his full name, had only one idea of happiness—to lie on a couch in a flowered dressing gown and do nothing. He spent the years allotted to him _in carrying out this conception of bliss, though his friends tried to rouse him to take an interest in the outside world. He was persuaded to abandon the dressing gown and put on his own shoes and stockings. Then he fell in love, and the girl, who seemed too sensible a person to be attracted by such a character, had great hopes, of leading hiin back to a normal state of existence. Her patience lasted for some years,. and then she married an energetic German. As time went on Oblomov became more and more indolent until he eventually married the kindly,-good-natured woman who cooked for him. She surrounded him with every comfort and he died seven years later from too good living and want of exercise. The book has no touch of humour in all its five hundred odd pages. One feels impatient, irritated, sad, but never amused by this study of a character, naturally fine, but' absolutely ruined by apathy and want of will-power. Itinay, however, serve to point a moral, much as our childhood's bugbear, the voice of the sluggard, was supposed to rouse us to further gardening activities, and so fulfilled his mission in literature.