Oblomov is the best known novel by Russian writer Ivan Goncharov, first published in 1859. Oblomov is also the central character of the novel, often seen as the ultimate incarnation of the superfluous man, a symbolic character in 19th-century Russian literature. Oblomov was compared to Shakespeare's Hamlet as answering "No!" to the question "To be or not to be?" Oblomov is a young, generous nobleman who seems incapable of making important decisions or undertaking any significant actions. Throughout the novel he rarely leaves his room or bed and famously fails to leave his bed well into the novel. The book was considered a satire of Russian nobility whose social and economic function was increasingly in question in mid-19th century Russia.
Ivan Goncharov's masterpiece'"a magnificent farce about a gentleman who spends the better part of his life in bed'"brilliantly employs humor to explore the absurdities and injustices of an outmoded social order.
The book was considered a satire of Russian nobility whose social and economic function was increasingly questioned in mid-nineteenth century Russia. The novel was popular when it came out, and some of its characters and devices have imprinted on Russian culture and language.
This novel centers on the figure of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, a member of the dying class of the landed gentry, who spends most of his time lying in bed gazing at life in an apathetic daze, encouraged by his equally lazy servant Zakhar and routinely swindled by his acquaintances. But this torpid existence comes to an end when, spurred on by his crumbling finances, the love of a woman, and the reproaches of his friend, the hardworking Schtoltz, Oblomov finds that he must engage with the real world and face up to his commitments.
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