Ivan Goncharov (1812–1891) was a Russian novelist best known for A Common Story, Oblomov, and The Precipice. Working at a time when the custom of delivering florid expressions of love was being reexamined, Goncharov became a singular voice, taking aim at sentimentality. A prolific critic of theater and literature, he was also an essayist and the author of several short stories. In later years, his memoir, An Uncommon Story, accused literary contemporaries—like Turgenev—of plagiarizing his work, and he spent his last years embittered and alone.
WORKS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN NARRATIVE:
- A Common Story, a short story, in Stories of the Week: 2016–2017