‘Oblomov’ by Ivan Goncharov
Oblomovism is the perfect antidote to today’s preoccupation with keeping busy.
Oblomov (1859) is first and foremost an amusing character study of a lazy but loveable aristocrat. He doesn’t see the point of doing anything and so he does very little.
But its message struck a chord with nineteenth century Russia and the surname of the novel’s eponymous hero quickly morphed into an ideology. Oblomovism: sluggish or languorous inertia, behaviour which is supine or indecisive.
Oblomov, it was said, symbolised a key social problem of the day: the ancient Russian aristocracy’s hostility to important reform (particularly the abolition of serfdom), stymying progress and modernisation by favouring a laissez faire approach.
Lenin, it is said, saw Oblomov as a symbol of everything that was wrong with the Russia of his day.
The word even became an insult. To be denounced as an “Oblomov” (which apparently still happens in Russia from time to time) is to attack the character of a bone idle man.
And all this from a man who struggled to get out of bed of a morning.
We can be pretty certain Oblomov would disapprove of the path we’ve chosen: all our rushing around, achieving very little in the scheme of things…
