A Common Story

Ivan Goncharov wrote “An Ordinary Story” unbelievably fast: he came up with the idea for his debut novel in 1844, and in 1845 he was already reading the first chapters in the salon of the Maikovs. Unlike the doubts typical of Goncharov while working on his later works, with “An Ordinary Story” he didn’t delay even a second. This coming-of-age novel about the life and maturation of Alexander Aduyev is unique in its ordinariness: a young romantic from the provincial backwaters goes to the capital to build a career and find his place in life. Although the plot unfolds in 19th-century Russia, the contradictions of life and morals depicted in it have no time limits. The search for one’s place in the world, the shattering of ideals, the collision with deception and disappointment—Goncharov delicately traces the moral and psychological formation of the main character, familiar to everyone. Youthful idealism is destined to break on the stones of reality—but perhaps that’s exactly what makes our life extraordinary.

A special feature of the project is its narration: “An Ordinary Story” is read by Alexey Agranovich, who played one of the main characters in the famous eponymous stage production of the “Gogol Center.”