“Oblomov” is a novel by Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov. It is part of the trilogy along with “An Ordinary Story” and “The Precipice,” being its second installment.
The novel tells the story of the life of the estate owner Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, who lives in St. Petersburg on Gorokhovaya Street together with his faithful servant Zakhar. Ilya Ilyich rarely gets up from the couch. He does nothing, doesn’t go out into society; instead, he indulges in thoughts about how one should live and dreams of a cozy, peaceful life on his native estate Oblomovka.
At the center of the story is the confrontation with “Oblomovism”—the embodiment of laziness, purposelessness, and real life.