The Contemporary (Sovremennik)

...ently than he expected. The fruit of such work was his "Bourgeois Happiness" original: "Meshchanskoye schastye" and "Molotov". These two novellas turned general attention toward Pomyalovsky. A new language, new types, and an honest view of life spoke of a new strength of talent, a strength that promised much in the future. After this, Nikolai Gerasimovich established an extensive circle of acquaintances and began with new fervor to analyze human life in its various manifestations, glancing in passing into the darkest corners of our social existence... He brought bitter convictions out of his observations, and he intended to tell this bitter truth to the world in his new novel "Brother and Sister" original: "Brat i sestra", but this novel was not destined to appear fully polished and finished during his lifetime.

The mighty nature of Pomyalovsky broke early, and his literary activity ceased almost at the very beginning. His main work was still ahead, and he buried much with himself in his early grave. Perhaps his name would have been one of the great names in Russia... His honest convictions did not come easily to him, but they entered into his flesh and blood so that a return path was impossible for him. He did not invent facts, he did not compose armchair works: everything he wrote was entirely snatched from life, experienced by him, felt to the very last line... And this sincerity and truth of the narrative constituted the main strength of his talent.

Besides the novel "Brother and Sister," Pomyalovsky was recently writing a story called "Porechya" original: "Porech'ya" and was planning a new novel, "Civil Marriage" original: "Grazhdansky brak". It was intended that there would be up to 15 "Sketches of the Bursa" original: "Ocherki Bursy" in total, and in them he hoped to exhaust the entire way of life of the bursa of our time, up to and including the completion of the seminary course.

Subsequently, we will take a more detailed look at the life of Nikolai Gerasimovich, and then this remarkable personality will appear before us in greater relief...

Oct. 11, 1863.