Gogol in Rome. He complains of a painful condition. Nevertheless, he resumes work on the second volume of Dead Souls. Letters NoNo 1-27.

January 3 (New Style).

The beginning of Gogol's correspondence with Y. F. Samarin. Gogol rereads "Tarantas" by V. A. Sollogub. Letters NoNo 2–4.

Early January (New Style).

Translated into German by F. Löbenstein and published in Leipzig, "Dead Souls" was published with a preface by the translator, who called it "The Russian People's Book". "Literaturnyi Vestnik" 1902, vol. III, No 4, p. 374; "Russkaya Starina" 1896, No 12, p. 641.

January 8 (New Style).

Gogol expresses dissatisfaction with the translation of the first volume of "Dead Souls" into German (for fear that foreigners may mistake the book "for a portrait of Russia"). Letter No 6.

January 27 (New Style).

Gogol asks A. O. Smirnova to inform him of various information about Kaluga and its inhabitants, about the peasants of the Kaluga province "both landlords and state-owned, about all the changes they have and with them, and in general about everything that concerns their fate." Gogol intended to use this information as material for the second volume of Dead Souls. Letter No 7.

March 4 (New Style).

Gogol's request to Smirnova to inform him about the Old Believers of the Kaluga province, about "what they are like in life, in work, in work." Letter No 11.

March 16 (New Style).

Gogol informs Zhukovsky that he "managed to write something from "M<ertvykh> souls". Letter No 12.

March 20 (New Style).

Gogol's refusal to the proposal of the engraver E. E. Bernardsky to cede to him for 1500 rubles ser. the right to publish "Dead Souls" with illustrations by the artist A. A. Agin. Letter No 13.

March 23 and 24 (New Style).

Gogol's review of the poems sent to him by I. S. Aksakov, of which he especially liked the stanzas "Among the Convenient and the Lazy...". In addition to talent, Gogol saw "in the young man... striving<ye> to adapt poetry to the cause and to the legitimate influence on current contemporary events." Letters NoNo 14, 15.

April 5 (New Style).

Gogol's condolences to N. N. Sheremeteva for the misfortune that befell her - the death of her daughter, A. V. Yakushkina, the wife of the Decembrist I. D. Yakushkin. Letter No 17.

April 19 (New Style).

Gogol's request to send him the magazines "Otechestvennye Zapiski" and "Mayak" for 1846. Letter No 19.