"Zdes' čital adjunkt-professor N. V. Gogol'-Janovskij" Zametki na poljach romana V. Kaverina "Skandalist ili večera na Vasil'evskom ostrove".

This article examines the controversy around Gogol in relation to the history of the Russian intellighenzija. Despite Gorkij’s very critical position towards him, Gogol had a great influence on Russian literature of the 20th century. Veniamin Kaverin’s works The Great Game (1925), The Inspector General (1926), The Troublemaker (1928) and Artist Unknown (1931) have, too, been written on the tracks of the Gogolian literary tradition. There, topic, characters and development of the plot have clearly come out from “ Gogol’s overcoat”. These texts are here analysed, putting the accent on the Gogolian motives and on the relationship to the tragic fate of the Russian intellighenzija. Gorkij had, through his authority, an important role in the formulation of the method of socialist realism which, once introduced, emarginated the “Gogolian principle” from official literature. Only subsequently it retook the positions lost in 20th century literature. The example of Kaverin bears witness for writers not to “give up” and remain faithful to oneself, even during one of the most difficult periods of Russian history.