Gogol and Turgenev

Press, 28 May 1983, Page 16

Gogol and Turgenev

Nikolai Gogol and Ivan Turgenev. By Nick Worrall. Macmillan, 1982. 207 . pp. $11.50. (Reviewed by John GoodUffe) It is, at first, surprising to find the Russian writers Gogol (1809-1852) and Turgienev (1818-1883) included in Macmillan’s “Modern Dramatists” series (edited by Bruce King, professor of English at Canterbury University, and Adele King). Neither seem to be “modern,” either by date or method. But in Gogol’s “Government Inspector” and Turgenev’s “A Month in the Country” — the two plays on which their place in drama depends — there are foretastes of, in Gogol’s case, the Theatre of the Absurd, and in Turgenev’s, of Chekhovian “mood.” So they both have something to contribute to the development of modern drama. It is understandable that the decision was taken to put the two writers together in one volume. Neither seems important enough as a dramatist to deserve separate treatment. But, apart from the fact that they are poles apart as writers, “twinning” them makes the

book rather congested. There are biographies of both writers, an account of their dramatic theories, and comments on all of their plays, with most space naturally allotted to the two major ones. Inevitably, some of the treatment is a little cursory, even superficial, and .at times unduly dependent on secondary sources. The most stimulating part of the book is the chapter on “The Government Inspector,” possibly because it is the , most complex and stimulating play. Of particular interest are the accounts of various productions of this play and “A Month in the Country.” Nick Worrall is lecturer in drama at Middlesex Polytechnic. His little book would be essential reading for a director contemplating a production of a play by Gogol or Turgenev. It might also have a place in a university drama or literature course. But it is rather too specialist to be of much value to the more general reader, unless he or she has a particular interest in the history of drama.