“There is no place more boring than Italy”
Nikolai Gogol cherished his years in Italy, living there for more than five seasons. He believed that someone in Italy should offer forgiveness to other lands, and that a soul in heaven would not long to descend. This classic sentiment framed his view of the country.
Gogol’s first impressions echoed his feelings for his homeland, Little Russia. He observed a shared conservatism in the pace of everyday life among the locals, finding echoes of home in many small scenes.
“It felt like a stop by former Little Russian landowners. Doors in houses wore the same tired look, garments hung with many small, useless holes; antique candlesticks and church-shaped lamps lined a familiar scene. Everywhere I saw signs of change stalling; everything seemed to have paused in one place and refused to move forward.”
As Gogol grew more familiar with Rome, the city revealed itself as a spiritual center, while Italians appeared as a people of extraordinary aesthetic sensibility that could only be understood by a fiery temperament. He admired their intelligence but noted a regularity of life and a certain laziness toward northern European habits.
Literary critic Yuri Mann observed that Gogol particularly liked the sense of freedom felt by the local people, a freedom mingled with subtle defiance toward the authorities. Gogol recalled a maxim from a Roman carnival celebration: “God is pleased with the carnival, but not the cardinal.”
Gogol quickly learned Italian and even mastered cooking spaghetti at the suggestion of his favorite cafe owner. For several years the Apennine Peninsula became a second home. Yet as emotions cooled, more practical concerns took precedence, and Gogol eventually returned to his homeland. It is noteworthy that his monumental work, Dead Souls, was penned during his Italian sojourn.
Denis Fonvizin, another towering figure in Russian literature, also expressed mixed feelings about Italy long before Gogol. While he admired Rome’s cultural and historical monuments and saw Italy as the cradle of humanism, he could not ignore the tedium of everyday life for ordinary Italians. “The more I see Rome, the more it seems to keep watching for more,” he noted, yet also described life as “unbearable boredom.” He summed up with a sharper observation: there was no country more dull, marked by scant social spirit and stinginess.
“Japan is a prison with beautiful nature”
In the common 19th-century European stereotype, Japan appeared as a land of locked gates and hidden treasures. Ivan Goncharov was among the earliest Russians to travel to the Rising Sun as part of a diplomatic mission aboard the Pallada in 1853, tasked with fostering commercial and cultural ties.
Goncharov described the country as a near inescapable enclosure, where people pursued their own path with a stubborn independence while resisting foreign influence. He depicted stagnation, noting a lack of historical and economic progress that he attributed to the shogunate’s political course.
He portrayed the Japanese as old at heart, sometimes reverting to childlike curiosity, yet often sleepy and slow.
Anton Chekhov, though, never reached Japan due to a canceled trip caused by a cholera outbreak. Even so, his time in the Russian Far East yielded insights about its people: a Japanese woman could be humble in her own way, direct in speech, yet deeply skilled in business. He observed a blend of charm and practicality, where social etiquette coexisted with blunt honesty.
Chekhov’s impressions carried over into later journeys, shaping a nuanced image of Japanese courtesy, business acuity, and occasional stubborn resilience.
Wild Sri Lanka
During his long voyage from 1890 to 1891, Anton Chekhov visited several British colonies, including Sri Lanka, after earlier stops at Sakhalin Island, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Sri Lanka impressed him as a paradise, a contrast to the hum of colonial life. His travels even brought him into contact with a regiment associated with the Christian Liberation Army.
In letters home, Chekhov described bustling scenes in Sri Lanka: palm forests, drumming, colorful dress, and a vivid procession by the lake. He later reflected on his experiences with local women and culture, revealing a playful, sometimes provocative, and deeply human perspective on his encounters in the tropics.
Chekhov also collected mongooses on his trips, later delivering some to the Moscow zoo. His fascination with the wild and free nature of animals mirrored his broader curiosity about the world’s peoples and spaces.
“There is no one more humble than the Chinese”
Ivan Goncharov’s voyage to Shanghai, then under strong European influence, exposed him to a blend of East and West. He described ships, gilded shrines, Protestant churches, and busy markets as a dense, almost chaotic panorama that still carried an impression of grace on the water and on the street.
The Chinese impressed him with their diligence and constant motion. Goncharov noted that many locals were deeply occupied with some form of labor or enterprise, a reflection of a bustling economy and social metabolism.
During Goncharov’s visit, British influence was substantial in China, and Hong Kong functioned as a colony of the Crown. He expressed discomfort with the British approach, arguing that the Chinese were treated as laborers rather than as people. Yet he also acknowledged the civility some Chinese displayed and the quiet strength of their cooperation.
Chekhov’s experiences in Hong Kong contrasted with Goncharov’s, highlighting the British city’s careful urban planning, including roads, museums, and botanical gardens. He observed a mix of admiration and critique toward colonial governance and its impact on local life.
Chekhov found the Chinese to be good-natured and witty in their own way, while recognizing that certain stereotypes persisted and could be hurtful in perception.
America, Gorky and Yesenin
Maxim Gorky journeyed to the United States in 1906, sent by Vladimir Lenin. His initial welcome in New York was warm; he felt immediately at home and recognized the country’s vast scale and limitless potential. Yet political scandal soon followed when a New York paper labeled him a bigamist and anarchist. The incident sparked backlash among puritanical circles, and he faced hotel removal and a shaken reputation.
Gorky’s reflection on the United States summed up a critical view: a nation preoccupied with money, where wealth and power often overshadow deeper human values.
Poet Sergei Yesenin traveled in 1922–1923 with Isadora Duncan. His early impressions were positive, yet his idealism clashed with the realities of American life. The sight of the Statue of Liberty left him awestruck, and Broadway left him with a sense of longing for home, even as language barriers and social dynamics created friction. His struggles with alcohol during Prohibition and the ensuing tensions highlighted the tensions between freedom and restraint in American life.
Yesenin later described Moscow as the place he loved most, while venturing a sharp critique of American urban life, including Chicago’s notorious industrial output. In one letter, he contrasted Moscow with American modernity in a way that underscored his conflicted feelings. Before returning to Russia, he described the United States with a mix of disdain and lingering curiosity.
Other travelers, such as Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov writing as Pravda correspondents, observed the relentless pace of New York’s crowds. They recalled a city where people moved fast, and they learned to move with them, embracing a rhythm that felt entirely foreign to a Russian sensibility.